confused about christianity...?

Question

i recently read an article about evangelicals going to Africa and successfully converting 16 percent of the population in the past few years...these preaching leaders live in multi million dollar mansions and show up in white suits claiming to know Jesus and making the poor Africans pay to be cured and saved from things as aweful as AIDS...how can a servant of God that is this wealthy take money from poor people and then claim to cure them of illnessess that are incurable?! this is wrong on soooo many levels, but someone must think this is right, so, is there anyone out there that can defend this act?

i am not saying that missionaries are doing this....it is a few pentacostal leaders/preachers....also, i read the article from the list of articles that yahoo gives when you first login...it was about a week ago...no need to get defensive...i am not saying all christians are like this, but it is apparent that these leaders are successful and taking advantage of people and if it is in the name of your faith, it is important to try to help people that you know are in need of help...true?

oh, but it is a fee....the article even said that the preachers lowered the fee by as much as sixty percent so that the poorer folks could afford to be cured ... of AIDS

again....i am not saying missionaries do this...i am talking about the preachers that touch you on the forehead and declare you saved and cured.....missionaries are beautiful people....please stop mistaking my language

Answer 1

I do not know which person(s) or organizations you are alluding to, but I do know CBN, Betty & James Robinson, Feed The Children, Daystar, Samaritan's Purse, & Joyce Meyer Ministries, go all over the country and around the world during disasters, they build orphanages, schools, hospitals; they provide food, drill wells, clothing, household needs, medicines, job training, & farming & they have American doctors who donate two weeks a year, and fly all over the world performing 1000s of surgeries a year on those in need and in life and death situations. None of the above mentioned organizations charge the needy all over the world a dime. All the above organizations use 10% of all earnings, tithes, donations, to maintain their equipment and to pay the salaries of their permanent on the ground force of workers.

I know only about all the above, because I always research organizations and their financial standing and accountability practices BEFORE I consider donations, tithes., etc., etc.

I have the upmost contempt for those who "in the name of Almighty God", much less American charity organizations receive millions of $$$ from open-hearted, caring peoples every year, only to take and keep 50% of donations, gifts, & tithes ear-marked for the needy, under the guise of "operating capitol". The strictest, most reputable, & most highly respected (by local, state, federal, & international tax agencies) accounting firm in the world is the ECFA.

The American Red Cross, The United Way, & Goodwill industries used to be the best in the world. Now their top, middle, and bottom line is self-greed. Their accounting practices are shoddy. Their ethical/moral SOP has become so polluted & disintegrated to the point, that the left hand of their charity institutions has no idea what their right hand is doing. And they retain an outrageous 60-70% of donations in-house for non-itemized operating costs, and 35% of the 60-70% is tunneled into and finds its way into an enormous "slush" fund that would make Bill Gates look like a candy store thief.

The Salvation Army is the only one of the "old guard" charity organizations that has not compromised their SOP and their impeccable accounting practices and THEY still receive annual donations from my husband and I for that very reason.

We WANT to give. We ENJOY giving. So we give, tithe, and donate where our money is used to help the poor, the destitute, the needy, & the ill...not paying for CEO mansions, corporate jets, decadent vacations and high-dollar symposiums in idyllic paradises.

Answer 2

You didn't state any statistics from the article that you mentioned, but not all of the preachers are money hungry pigs. Despite bad press, there are many ministries in Africa that feed the poor (not for money or conversion, either), clothe the naked, give medicine to those who need it.. a lot of these Christian preachers give more of themselves to the African people than the United States government. Many rely on Christian organizations in Africa. People forget to acknowledge goodness. I just wanted to remind everyone. You didn't say all evangelicals, but it sounded bad. But as to those in Africa mistreating people: There are good and bad in every religion. The percentage of preachers that use food as a way to get people to convert cannot and should not be defended. Does this happen? It very well may. God will deal with them. I can't imagine anyone thinking that mistreatment of people by preachers is "right".

Answer 3

First of all, how do YOU know that they live in mansions? You don't. Second of all, how do you know they make the Africans pay? You don't. How do you know they wear white suits? You don't. How do you know anything about them? You don't. And the reason why you don't is because if you did you would not say all of this stuff that is not true. The reason that I know that they are not true is because I happen to have family that is in the mission field and they went to Africa. So as far as defending goes, there is nothing to defend. They should be commended. Missionaries work hard to help others and often go places that other people will not step. They have even been killed by natives. 1956, South America, 4 missionaries brutally killed. Guess what: The families of the murdered missionaries went back and LIVED with the very natives that killed them. Eventually they were able to win them over to Christ. So, next time, don't make assumptions.



Postscript: Since when does the news ever tell the exact truth? Especailly over the internet.

Answer 4

The country was not established as a Christian state and was not a church state such as the European countries that had a state sponcered religion so that part was true and at the time of the Treaty of Tripoli the word religion ment what we call a denomination in todays voculabary. I would like to point out to you that article 7 of the US Constitution says this Constitution is ratafied .......... in the Year of our Lord... Could you explain why our Liberal, God hating, Athiest, Socialist, Marxist founding fathers allowed this obviously God recognizing document to be printed as an official Constitution. The founding fathers also failed to properly enforce the Constitution when every State Constitution they ratified sought the favor of God and some states had official state churches. These same founding fathers would be impeached today if they allowed anyone to even mention God in their Constitution. Our Liberal judges and government controled schools have carefully rewritten our history to create an athiestic socialist state, of the state, by the state, and for the state. Only the Treaty of Tripoli which was written to be palatable to a Moslem warlord or Caliph of Libia is used to prove America is to be an athiest state but thousands of other documents were ignored because like the science of evolution only evidence that is compatable with the desired conclusion is accepted. You are a good student because you have learned the lies you were taught but as you enter the real world the lies you have been taught will not stand under the light of truth. I wish you well but from now on be careful who you believe.

Answer 5

Unfortunately there are people in this world who claim do be Christians, whose actions are so far from God that you'd be forgiven for thinking that they actually worshiped the devil. It's great that they have converted people to Christianity, but I definitely don't agree with taking money from the poor and promising to cure diseases that cannot be cured. It doesn't necessarily mean that these people are actually Christians (I would hate to think that a true Christian could behave in such a manner), they may just be using Christianity as a means to exploit people. It disgusts me. Most Christians do not behave in this way. My way of thinking is that you you should go out of your way to help everyone, because you never know who could be an angel in disguise, and because it's the right thing to do. Give everything, never ask for anything, God provides.

Answer 6

Not only is it wrong, it is abominable.
However, it's all foreseen in the bible. One of the many manifesting signs of the "time of the end" that we are witnessing is the rise of false prophets! I know this is not what you want to hear! But I must share what I know, even if, by doing so, I ridicule myself before men.
One more thing. There is no such thing as an incurable disease. Faith, or the power of the mind (what have you), can cure anything!

Answer 7

I pray that this is just a rumor. Africans obviously don't have much to give. You're right. If it's true, then they are taking money that has been given to them from somebody else. Jesus said,"receive free, give free." If it's not free, then it's not a gift, it's a sale. This is the sort of thing Jesus tried to get rid of in the market place. It's sad that these "healers" twist people's arms to give them money as God has told them. Then they take this money and pay for private jets to luxury hotels and feel that they are receiving a gift from God for all that they do and they deserve all the champagne that they want.

Answer 8

I don't know if god has anything to do with it or not but they are doing something regardless of the cost they extract which is better than nothing maybe they aren't really Christian in the strictest sense but they are doing what they think is good at any rate . do they actually help some ? you know AIDS can't be cured but it is treated and that's better than death.
peace

Answer 9

Those missionaries or preachers that are sucking the money of the poor in Africa are whom THE LORD JESUS CHRIST called they are in white robes but inside are dead mens' bones; but the true servants of GOD wear white robes and inside them is THE HOLY SPIRIT. Additionally, the fake servants are hirelings (employees mentality) so that when the when the wolf comes he runs away and let the sheep be scattered; but the true shepherd is the one who gives up his life when the wolf comes and prevent the sheep to be eaten and be scattered. THANKS GOD; FEAR GOD; PRAISE GOD; GLORIFY GOD; HONOR GOD; LOVE GOD AND WORSHIP GOD. Pls visit my [e-mail]

Answer 10

No...you are makin' a generalization abou a huge group. Because a few females do something, does that mean all females are that way? No. If a few members of a race say something, does that mean they all believe that? No. I am christian and if it is true, that is very sad to hear. It's wrong and I will not defend it.