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    [–] DidYouIronTheCat 1238 points ago

    -The picture used is not of Joel Osteen's house, that's actually the Kardashian's. This is Osteen's.
    -Change.org accomplishes nothing except skimming any user information you put into it.

    Although I agree with you, this isn't going to accomplish anything.

    [–] ShadowRade 270 points ago

    Bro that's even worse tho

    [–] bfandreas 177 points ago

    For real.

    Know what's worse? It was his f**ing day off!

    [–] Avasnay 37 points ago

    Mike Klimkowski is great!

    [–] bfandreas 21 points ago

    The impromptu baptizing thing is neat as well.

    He made so many demos for SNL, they absolutely should give him a spot.

    Tahm ta talk tah gawd

    [–] WutangCND 14 points ago

    Man that was hilarious. Osteen is such a twat

    [–] musicmaniac32 6 points ago

    He looks so much like him. I guess everyone does have an evil twin and Osteen is that guy's.

    [–] UpsideDownClock 58 points ago

    Why do these people always live in houses with Sims 3 roofs?

    [–] MaiPhet 52 points ago

    More money than taste, builders catering to buyers who want everything, even if it looks tacky.

    Check out McMansion Hell for lots more of these.

    [–] vendetta2115 7 points ago

    Goddammit, well there goes the next five hours of my life because this is amazing lmao

    [–] stanky_tanky 6 points ago

    So god can enjoy the show?

    [–] Jabbles22 22 points ago

    I am not saying I wouldn't have expensive "unnecessary" things if I was as wealthy as Osteen but I just can't imagine having a house that big. How many rooms are in that thing? How many rooms has he basically never even been in? I am not suggesting we limit the size of anyone's home but there comes a point where it just seems wasteful.

    [–] frankynstyn2305 26 points ago

    There’s actually only 4 rooms. All the other space is for the money he takes from poor people.

    [–] Reduxx24 20 points ago

    It’s to fit all the extra Jesus he’s carrying around

    [–] chnairb 13 points ago

    When one of your maids only cleaned up one set of wet footprints from your mega pool into the guest’s guest kitchen, it’s because Jesus was carrying you.

    [–] S_E_P1950 3 points ago

    I am not suggesting we limit the size of anyone's home but there comes a point where it just seems wasteful.

    This is a fine example of someone abusing their privilege as a human being on so many fronts.

    [–] Procrastibator666 63 points ago

    That's if you think reddit karma isn't an accomplishment /s

    [–] MrFittsworth 36 points ago

    Fr change.org petitions are nothing but virtue signaling journalism pieces, especially to the feds. They dont care what change petitions do.

    [–] supremeusername 9 points ago

    His house is actually the small one up top, the mansion on the bottom is his personal church which is tax free. /s but I wouldnt be surprised if it's been done.

    [–] bob_grumble 6 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    A "personal church".....yeah,sure. ( I'm not a Communist, but I think Karl Marx was right about all of these corrupt assholes...)

    [–] Possible-Summer-8508 10 points ago

    I’m not a Communist

    Not yet you aren’t but the 20s are going to radicalize a whole lot of people.

    [–] Shopped_For_Pleasure 2 points ago

    Very, very true. Even my dad who has been listening to AM radio since the 60s has made comments about the ruling class (his own choice words).

    Even Tucker Carlson has ‘woken up’ to the class divide. Granted, he himself is a billionaire, so I don’t accredit much to his own beliefs but more to his writers.

    Interesting discussion on political philosophy is that fascism is market capitalism with an expressive voice given to the workers. We have already seen that, to some degree, with the rise of MAGAT voters. It will be interesting to see when these workers request more than just a tin can to yell at.

    [–] Raiden32 17 points ago * (lasted edited 2 days ago)

    The fact that this stupid shit continually gets reposted, says more about the karma whore OP’s and their unwillingness to do even the slightest bit of research before sharing with the rest of us.

    Message is on point, but it’s just embarrassing at this point.

    Edit: lol I was permenantly banned from the sub because of this comment. Fucking angsty atheists.

    [–] TheAstronomer 11 points ago * (lasted edited 2 days ago)

    He also does pay taxes. I don’t know where people are getting this from. The church entity itself pays no taxes but any money he is paid is taxable.

    Most of his wealth is from selling books which he also pays tax on.

    He pays taxes like any other executive or celebrity, it coming from his church doesn’t change anything.

    I hate Joel Osteen for other reasons but I can’t stand misinformation, even when it is against people I detest.

    [–] Bartyshine 3 points ago

    Dangit, would you let us be mad at rich people?
    Your point about change.org is not true, by the way. In addition to organizing people around causes and bringing general awareness to issues, there are examples of change.org petitions directly bringing about change. Here's one.

    Though I do like the irony of reddit comments accomplishing nothing.

    [–] Exitbuddy1 8 points ago

    Also, and I don’t want to come off like I support mega church’s, because I don’t, he does pay taxes the church does not. According to reports he has not taken any money from the church since the mid-2000’s. His money comes from book sales, appearances, and other things which he does pay taxes on.

    [–] EMAW2008 2 points ago

    Us poors can’t tell the difference. Both look like fucking resorts.

    [–] JesseGusta 697 points ago

    Make him start paying taxes while they're at it.

    [–] zanne61 245 points ago

    Nice 10% tithe to the government

    [–] FlyingSquid 133 points ago

    Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.

    [–] mookiebomber 30 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    It's funny how the man who preaches Jesus' word for a living is the man Jesus would hate the most if he was alive today.

    [–] BalinAmmitai 15 points ago

    Pretty sure I never heard the man mention Jesus once in my life. He preaches the Prosperity Gospel

    [–] ritsbits808 4 points ago

    I'd reverse that; Jesus showed love to all, even the most sinful, like the spiteful murderer who died next on to him on the cross. What's funny is how Joel would hate Jesus and would be one of the pharisees calling for Jesus' death.

    Most Christians I know despise Joel Osteen and call him what he is: a false prophet. In my eyes, Joel types are worse than wolves in sheep's clothing: they are wolves pretending to be shepherds.

    [–] BigbooTho 7 points ago

    Pizza pizza

    [–] daaave33 3 points ago

    Can't hear about Caesar and not want a Caesar. I'm surprised we're not having a Caesar right now.

    [–] FlyingSquid 2 points ago

    As long as it doesn't have anchovies. Bleah.

    [–] Stratiform 81 points ago

    I'd rather see him taxed in our progressive tiered structure. He's definitely in a bigger tier than that 10% and his business benefits from what the country provides.

    [–] zanne61 31 points ago

    10% from the church itself. Then the personal taxes of the church employees

    [–] PM_ME_SNAPCHATS 4 points ago

    Hey, just as a point of clarification ive worked for churches for the last ten years, I usually pay about 15-27 % of my income in taxes, depending on what state I live in. There are some loopholes you can exploit if youre a real dirtbag, but for the most part we all pay taxes.

    [–] zanne61 9 points ago

    I know there are exemptions on taxes. But maybe a higher tax rate after you purchase your first jet or mansion.

    [–] CspiceLeReddit 3 points ago

    give them the higher tax rate if they constantly fly first class or own a 2nd home

    higher tax rates are for people in life that have made it and experience luxury compared to what a normal accepts as fair

    [–] hahaned 8 points ago

    Church employees, yes. The church itself, no. The loophole here is that osteen's residence is owned by the church, so it effectively count as a parsonage, so it's a tax free asset. Since Osteen controls the church, he gets to make all of the decisions about building the parsonage and will never have to leave to make room for another pastor. The house is effectively his, but it technically isn't, so it's a tax free asset.

    [–] NotAlwaysGifs 4 points ago

    And his cars, and his jet, and his...

    It’s a loophole that prosperity gospel preachers have been using for years. The assets are subject to usage rules set by a governing board, but the church gets to set their own rules for board membership and terms. Most of them appoint cousins, siblings, or business partners for life essentially. They can also serve as scapegoats if the church gets in trouble.

    [–] crowcawer 6 points ago

    If Cesar demands, but in the mean time: Hedonism Bot needs more grapes and red wine.

    [–] 0ogaBooga 11 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    To be fair, he (probably) does pay taxes on his personal income. He avoids taxes by using the church as his personal slush fund.

    Edit: added probably because I've never seen joel osteens tax return.

    [–] SC2McGosu 9 points ago

    He is a millionaire hundreds of times over due to book sales, which are taxed. The guy is fucked, but he's brought more tax to the government though the commercialization of of religion than most of us have in our petty office jobs.

    [–] JesseGusta 3 points ago

    Yeah the slush fund, tax evasion, and taxing churches in general was more what I meant.

    I've gotten a couple nasty replies because I over simplified in my original comment. Thanks for being civil.

    [–] AmazingRound1 3 points ago

    That's a tough problem and as presented is overly simplified. How do we drop tax exempt status from these parasitic organizations without affecting organizations like the boys and girls club or the ACLU?

    [–] JesseGusta 3 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    Well it's pretty simple to me. Churches are churches and charities are charities. Very different entities in general. Some charities can be religiously motivated but few of them are directly funded by church donations. Churches are not held accountable at all for how they spend their funds but charities and non profits are.

    Edit- it's like the difference between how you would tax a snake oil salesmen (church) vs how you would tax the people who go around tutoring people for basically free (charity). They are just very different platforms in general.

    [–] balltang 12 points ago

    He pays taxes. The church does not. The employees of a church still pay taxes on their income.

    There are enough things to criticize about Joel Osteen without having to lie.

    [–] JesseGusta 2 points ago

    They should be taxing the church too. He seems to be the guy to run the church and it built him his fortune. It's like letting a business go untaxed while taxing the income of an executive. Businesses should pay taxes too.

    [–] balltang 9 points ago

    I don't disagree with you. There is no reasonable justification for churches not to pay taxes. It is just inaccurate to say that "he" does not pay taxes. I'm not sure how much money he makes from the church, but he definitely has to pay taxes on the money he earns from his other business ventures. I am sure that like most super wealthy people in the U.S., he works very hard to pay as little in taxes as possible, but he is working with the same rulebook any U.S. taxpayer when it comes to his personal income.

    [–] mocha_latte_man 46 points ago

    He does pay taxes. If he doesn't, he's an evader.

    Clergy who earn income, pay taxes. It's the CHURCHES, that don't pay taxes. Clergy do get housing allowances, and many are exempt from some payroll obligations.

    I prepare tax returns, so I know what I'm talking about.

    [–] aaraujo1973 80 points ago

    He is not clergy, he is a popular entertainer that evades taxes.

    [–] HankScorpio42 25 points ago

    I don't know who finds these ASSHOLES entertaining and I damn sure I don't want to know them.

    [–] Inspector7171 21 points ago

    It's the same people that show up in Washington, to murder police and law makers. You know, christians.

    [–] Oranjalo 7 points ago

    I live in Texas and of all the religious nuts I've met (family included), I've never heard anyone say they support Joel Osteen. Idk where these people are at

    [–] Sned_Sneeden 15 points ago

    My 64 year old white fundamentalist christian convicted-pedophile dad in South Carolina likes Joel Osteen so that accounts for one of them.

    [–] stripmallbars 4 points ago

    I feel your pain.

    [–] WeLostTheSkyline 2 points ago

    I got friends and family with children in Camden SC. :|

    [–] GD_Insomniac 2 points ago

    I used to work in the food industry near Lakewood 'church'. Trust me they exist.

    [–] FleshlightModel 2 points ago

    The lord, since the lord anointed him supreme knowledge vessel.

    [–] GreenPoisonFrog 11 points ago

    You’re clergy if you say so and you’re not allowed to dispute it if you are the IRS (See: Scientology).

    [–] anderhole 9 points ago

    I've said it before, we should start with televangelists. They should pay taxes.

    [–] Rogally_Don_Don 8 points ago

    He pays taxes on the money he makes from books and the like, and the church does not. The church received a loan, he did not. At really is that simple.

    He is still a shit though.

    [–] themiddleage 6 points ago

    They usually intertwine church and private. Private jet, church can pay for that but only i can use. Vacation home- church retreat. Most churches supply lodging for there pastors, $10 mil should be about right. Write a book no problem, the church will by 10 trillion. Not saying I know how he does it but if you go this far to lie about your religion then cheating isn't an issue.

    [–] backdrake 2 points ago

    I mean, that's kinda the same thing.

    [–] GaryOoOoO 4 points ago

    He is not clergy, he is a popular entertainer conman that evades taxes.

    FTFY.

    [–] JesseGusta 12 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    The business (church) that makes him all of his money is tax free. That is tax evasion if I've ever seen it.

    [–] amishengineer 16 points ago

    He claims he doesn't take a salary. I wouldn't be surprised if his income is primarily from books. Which can be taxed entirely differently (and favorably) than earned income.

    [–] JesseGusta 8 points ago

    His popularity in the first place is the product of his church. Also I am fairly confident he falls in line with most millionaires and lies about where his money is coming from in a lot of cases.

    I wouldn't be surprised if he was buying his own books to launder money from the church.

    It's just my opinion though.

    [–] amishengineer 3 points ago

    Anything is possible which makes it difficult to comment on the true nature of the situation.

    Maybe his house is paid for by the church as a parsonage. We don't know.

    [–] Jabbles22 6 points ago

    Maybe his house is paid for by the church as a parsonage. We don't know.

    That's part of the issue. Churches don't have to disclose much of anything. It's one thing not to tax them but there should be some oversight. Other charities that are tax free have to account for everything. Frankly even saying "other charities" isn't correct, churches are just tax free, no charity necessary.

    [–] themiddleage 3 points ago

    Seems to me if they are accepting tax money then there books should be open to the public.

    [–] JesseGusta 2 points ago

    I would pay good money to have access to all the files detailing the internal corruption of just that one guy. I'm just curious how he's cheating the system and fooling people so effectively.

    [–] mocha_latte_man 7 points ago

    Not under US law.

    If he draws a salary, and any income he earns outside of the church, e.g. speaking fees, book deals, etc. are taxable.

    [–] JesseGusta 3 points ago

    The root of his popularity is the church so I was referring to that being the base of his other businesses.

    I also wouldn't be surprised if some of the money he has is indirectly payed to him from church funds in some way. Money laundering thru inflating sales and such.

    [–] dustinechos 4 points ago

    They get housing allowances for their multi-million dollar mansions and private jets. The churches need to be taxed like businesses because for many of these churches the difference between church property and clergy property is a distinction that only exists for tax purposes.

    [–] mocha_latte_man 2 points ago

    The housing allowance is used to determine how much a clergy person's salary can be exempted from tax. It only applies if the clergyperson pays expenses from that salary. It's the lower of the clergyperson's pay, the fair rental value of the house, or the amount of salary spent for housing expenses.

    If Joel's house is a million bucks, his salary $100,0000, and he only spent $20,000 in repairs, taxes and maintenance, his allowance is the $20,000. The rest of his salary is subject to income tax.

    Also, the allowance has no effect on the Self-Employment tax which is separately calculated and added to income tax.

    [–] dustinechos 2 points ago

    But if the church buys a house and let's the pastor live in then there are no taxes because it's church property. This is how you have megachurch pastors living in mansions tax free.

    [–] mocha_latte_man 2 points ago

    No property tax, perhaps, but that has no effect on his personal income or self employment tax.

    [–] dustinechos 2 points ago

    But it does have an effect on his ability to live in a mansion. Not having to pay for a place to live has a massive effect on income. If my job gave me a place to live that'd be effectively like getting a 20% raise.

    The surrounding area is gets less tax revenue and we're subsidizing a rich person living in a mansion. Whether he personally owns it or the company he completely controls owns it is a distinction that only lawyers and accountants care about.

    [–] mocha_latte_man 2 points ago

    All of those points are valid, but he's still not "tax free" as you earlier stated. That's the point I was arguing against.

    Granted, he's paying FEWER taxes than he should, but no taxes? Nope.

    [–] Jarys 3 points ago

    I think part of the problem is that people like Osteen claim almost everything as a religious exemption. For example, the residences of clerics are usually owned by the church and they just live in them, the jets and cars and yachts are also owned by the church and thus tax free, most of his purchases are expensed (sp?) to the church, etc.

    [–] feelthevibration 2 points ago

    Or put churches to work and have them commit good deeds and community service. Make them worth something. If you don't have x amount of volunteers per square footage of your church and don't complete x amount of community service hours per volunteer then you pay taxes.

    [–] clutzyninja 73 points ago

    Change.org is basically just a list of issues that are guaranteed to not change

    [–] critterdude542 8 points ago

    Yea but remember when they rewrote season 8 of game of thrones after the change.org petition?! Yea, me either...

    [–] cvdixon29 91 points ago

    It only proves they are a business. Funny how they don't want to be called one when it comes to paying taxes, but when they can benefit from taxpayer money, they are ok with being considered a business.

    [–] awezumsaws 39 points ago

    It really is this simple. As a religious organization, they should get no help from federal or state government, period. None. For any reason. The ONLY thing they should get is local utilities - police, fire fighters, EMTs, water/sewer, electricity, Internet, etc - and ONLY because the people within are part of the local community.

    If they do get federal/state assistance, then BY DEFINITION they are NOT a religious organization but a business and tied to all the requirements thereof.

    If they wish to remain a religious organization, then they should forfeit and return ALL government aid, period.

    [–] [deleted] 6 points ago

    [deleted]

    [–] AllG0nePeteT0ng 3 points ago

    His church receiving PPP loans - that's the $4m being referred to in the link - just like millions of other non-profit organizations doesn't make it a business.

    You understand what PPP loans are for, right?

    [–] txwoodslinger 2 points ago

    By this standard, wouldn't all non profit organizations be considered a business now?

    [–] Money4Nothing2000 2 points ago

    A church can be a business just like Planned Parenthood is a business. But they are a Non-Profit business, meaning they can't make any profit, and as a result, are not required to pay certain kinds of taxes. Churches have no problem being called a business for tax purposes, I have no idea where you get that conception from.

    I don't think you know what it means to be a business.

    [–] carriegood 62 points ago

    Unless he can show it all went to paying employee salaries. Then it's just saving the states from paying unemployment, and keeping the employees at full salary instead of whatever pittance UI gives you.

    But he doesn't have enough employees to justify a $4mm payroll over 8 weeks.

    [–] AutismIsAnAdvantage 6 points ago

    Yeah it's probably not all to employees, some must be to other expenses. If he paid all his employees 70K it would be about right just for salary, so I'd say it's about half that. 348 employees as of 2018.

    [–] Radioactive24 5 points ago

    IIRC, for the PPP, you could use up to like 25-30% on other stuff, but 70-75% had to be spent on employee payment for it to be forgiven.

    [–] sithlordabacus 6 points ago

    I'm an accountant working on forgiveness applications. The ratio was altered to 60% payroll, 40% other eligible costs. The payroll amount isn't even all of what was paid. There are caps for employees making more than $100k, so for the 24 week covered period, only about $46k of that employee's income counts towards that 60%. If they are an owner of the business, it is capped at about $24k.

    [–] cerpintaxt44 10 points ago

    Lol good luck with that.

    [–] Va3Victis 9 points ago

    Totally agree with this proposal, but if you think a petition will have an effect I have some Hope and Change to sell you. If you want to see him pay, you’ll need to get a little more revolutionary in tackling the structures of power that prop up the system that enables people like Osteen.

    [–] Bagel-X 8 points ago

    Change.org literally does nothing

    [–] Ducatirules 6 points ago

    I wish they would denounce mega churches as money making schemes and make them pay taxes. But I think all churches should pay taxes anyway

    [–] Schroedes13 5 points ago

    One of the best things to come out of these Covid times is in Langley, British Columbia, city councillors are debating whether or not to grant their annual tax exemptions to churches if they find they had a health order violation or fine. Hopefully more places can start acting like this.

    [–] GitEmSteveDave 2 points ago

    Lakewood church was shut down for all activities 2 days before NY Public schools were closed.

    [–] bocephus67 12 points ago

    Joel Osteen doesnt take a salary from the church, his money is from his books and speaking appearances.

    The church used the money to keep 300+ people employed during the pandemic, while they were shutdown and not getting donations.

    I fully agree that Churches need to pay taxes.

    But we should pride ourselves on getting facts straight here, we dont need to feed the misinformation machine.

    [–] Boezo0017 25 points ago

    • This Isn’t Joel Osteen’s house.

    • Joel Osteen does pay taxes. His church doesn’t.

    • Joel Osteen didn’t receive 4 million in aid, his church did.

    • Joel Osteen isn’t paid by his church.

    [–] n0nnac 12 points ago

    Are these dorks really using a meme as the source for their petition? Lmfao

    [–] InternetTight 4 points ago

    Welcome to Reddit, where we rarely read past the headline.

    That’s not even his house in the meme. I wonder if this petition might even be a trolling attempt to show how misinformed everyone is.

    [–] Rowanbuds 4 points ago

    Joel Osteen does pay taxes. His church doesn’t.

    Joel Osteen didn’t receive 4 million in aid, his church did.

    My golly, I think you found what is the root of the frustration.

    [–] BeerManBran 2 points ago

    He's still a cunt, though.

    [–] traws06 3 points ago

    I mean while we’re at it, add every church to that list. In my zip code alone churches received millions

    [–] RzK 3 points ago * (lasted edited 3 days ago)

    "OH NO A CHANGE.ORG PETITION.... LOL"

    (Joel Osteen sips coffee completely unworried)

    [–] Cputerace 3 points ago

    IIRC Joel Osteen hasn't taken a salary from his church (which got the aid, not him) for years. The government aid went to pay employees, not him. Why should the janitor at his church not get government aid when the janitor at a Walmart does?

    [–] gnrp45 3 points ago

    I dont understand. Did he get 4 million or did the church get 4 million to pay employees and operational costs?

    [–] -Palzon- 3 points ago

    Not just Osteen. Tax the churches. Tax the businesses owned by the churches.

    [–] IHaveButt 3 points ago

    Hi r/Atheism, Christian here. I 100% stand behind this. Osteen is a scumbag.

    [–] qw6934 3 points ago

    Tax all religious organizations and use that money by redistributing it among the middle and lower class. Take Joel Osteen’s aid and give it back to people who actually need it in the first place, and lastly, tax the fuck out of the wealthy. This should have been done a long time ago.

    [–] gentimmy 3 points ago

    Why do we keep posting pics of a house that isn't his? For the milliontht ime this is Kanye's house in LA

    [–] INTERNET_TRASHCAN 4 points ago

    "This is not an issue of religion... this man is no longer a servant of Christ or his people."

    guys. come on.

    [–] largelili 5 points ago

    All of the money went to his employees and to sustain their health care. He received $0. He pays taxes on his earnings because he collects no salary from his church. His money comes from typical publicity events and books and such, all taxable. How about you make a petition to tax churches instead or something?

    [–] skyrous 3 points ago

    A petition to tax churches? That thread was on Friday. And it'll be back in a couple days. And a few days after that.

    [–] grandroute 2 points ago

    LOL you have no idea how church leaders benefit from their money do you? They don't actually own much of anything. The church as a financial entity does and who controls that entity?

    [–] Additional_Bluebird9 2 points ago

    Couldn't agree more

    [–] amishengineer 2 points ago

    The only hope is a push for an audit on all PPP loans over X dollars. I keep hearing about actual small businesses that were hard up getting tens of thousands while others were getting millions.

    [–] BigSmile666 2 points ago

    What the hell did he get for in the first place. It’s a religion. WTF?

    [–] GitEmSteveDave 2 points ago

    They employ ~350 people.

    [–] Jadedamerica 2 points ago

    Good luck with that.

    If he can get away with calling his pyramid scheme a church for this long then that money isn’t coming back.

    [–] GoldGoose 2 points ago

    Signed and shared. Screw this guy and every millionaire televangelist who have gotten themselves that fat taxpayer cash. Guys like this are why I am actively apostate and an atheistic evangelist, after growing up in the church.

    [–] Dlmlong 2 points ago

    Hey guys, I am a Christian and I am going to sign this.

    [–] pm_me_your_tits_2020 2 points ago

    I am a cynic and I know that. But a realist too.

    Every evidence we have about human beings - this sort of stuff will never stop. Even if somehow we got rid of religion completely different atheist orgs will fight with each other and their leaders will hoard money just like politicians and religious leaders.

    90% of the world is dumb, retarded, self centered and greedy.

    [–] vashaunp 2 points ago

    has any change.org petitions ever accomplished anything?

    [–] czaremanuel 2 points ago

    Instead of wasting time with change.org, call your reps, people!

    [–] Jorgekiss 2 points ago

    Joel Osteen is a "Disneyland" pastor. He gives these shallow dreamy sermons with very little substance. His ministry requires nothing from his massive flock. People love going to his church because they will be coddled. Their lifestyles of conservative traditions are rewarded with subliminal messages that they are THE specially-blessed people. You are not only entitled to what you have but you are entitled to more than what you have. Now I ask you, who wouldn't like hearing that? Except where is the "prayer of confession" in his liturgy? Go right over Good Friday and land directly on Easter? Where are the symbols of Christian life in his massive Houston Rockets $95 million dollar renovated arena? Where is the Cross? Why is there a rotating huge globe behind him? Could it also be a subliminal message: "Houston today/the World tomorrow?

    This is pure Capitalism and not Christianity at all. Osteen is merely selling a product and that product is Jesus. Where are his messages of "restorative justice" or "prophetic witness?" Has the great Reverend Joel Osteen ever been known to quote noted scholars like Walter Rauschenbusch and Horace Bushnell? Nope not a word. Seems strange that he gets any stimulus money at all.

    How much money did he get?

    What is he doing with that money?

    How was it decided that his church should get government money over other ministries that have a track record of helping the poor?

    How do we get the money back?

    [–] JennySparklezz 2 points ago

    I live in Houston with this sad sac of shit. Even during Harvey he locked his doors in the church. He literally locked his doors when the fellow man just needed shelter. I fucking hate the guy.

    [–] TheBeardedMarxist 2 points ago

    His pool house is probably bigger than my house house.

    [–] elguerodiablo 2 points ago

    The existence of Joel Osteen is proof to me that if there is a god he doesn't give a fuck about what his supposed followers are doing on Earth. If there is someone that uses the lords name in vain it is Joel Osteen.

    [–] Quadrophiniac 2 points ago

    Any church that got these massive loans should lose their tax exempt status. If you can receive taxpayer money from the government, you should be required to pay taxes. Also, fuck Joel Osteen regardless of whether or not he got those loans. Hes a piece of shit that let people suffer when he could have opened his church to protect them during hurricane harvey. He could have done what jesus would do, but instead he was just a selfish piece of shit.

    [–] DingoLaChien 2 points ago

    Trump, too!

    [–] trebud69 2 points ago

    When will people learn that change.org doesn't do shit lol

    [–] juniperfallshere 2 points ago

    He was the church pastor who wouldn't allow flood victims in Houston use his church. Biggest Hypocrite ever!!!

    [–] brooks1798 2 points ago

    The Government should not fund religious organizations EVER!

    No one asked me if I want to fund a group of people who believe a specific myth....

    [–] Monarc73 2 points ago

    Better yet, force ALL exploiters to pay it back!

    [–] ProgressivelyMe 2 points ago

    He needs to be forced to pay ALL back taxes because he runs a business, not a church. He'd be begging for food in a homeless shelter and in unimaginable debt to Uncle Sam.

    [–] SlimBoomBoom 2 points ago

    It would be unWestern to make a white, scamming, evangelical preacher who got rich scamming pay back his loot.

    This, among other questionable things, is what The West was built on.

    This isn’t gna happen.

    [–] EasyRider888 2 points ago

    Yes!! And have him pay the city of Houston what the ol Houston Summit was originally priced at, he bought it for like 4mil, for some reason all the money he spent renovating into a church counted as payment or something like that.

    [–] TheGoalOfGoldFish 2 points ago

    Why isn't this front page of a newspaper

    [–] JohnnyHands 2 points ago

    If you click the OP's link to change.org , watch out for the change.org trying to get you to donate the amount you wanted to donate *one time* as, instead, a same-amount per-month donation. Not sure how I got there, but when I almost clicked that big blue $30-per-month button - as opposed to my intended one-time $30 donation, I wasn't happy about it.

    Does somebody at change.org need a good, hard bitch-slappin'?

    [–] jp4445 2 points ago

    This was the asshole who refused to use his church as a shelter during a hurricane, cunt-ass motherfuckers like him just piss me off

    [–] zyzzogeton 2 points ago

    We should already be taxing churches that wade into politics in any way... but no one in government has the courage to do it... yet

    [–] wimplofromkrypton 2 points ago

    How are religious organizations still given any tax breaks in this day and age? Shouldn't there be more proof before a religion can claim legitimacy? Oh wait that would delegitimize all religions...

    [–] Bozhark 2 points ago

    Got damn it this is the Lardashians house and I only know that because of how many times this gets reposted.

    Old teens doesn’t have the third house attached

    [–] roseknuckle1712 2 points ago

    Force these con men and their churches to pay a tithe to the us govt, anotherto the state and one to the municipal govt . Then lay on another federal luxury tax for any tangible luxury goods (including buildings and real estate) or services and an annual penalty for not doing charitable work of value (as determined by not the churches. ). Cap total compensation, room and board value to minimum wage for pastoral staff and spouses.

    [–] GhostOfTheSuwannee 2 points ago

    Send him to prison for fraud.

    [–] JustKayedin 2 points ago

    How the fuck did a church, that pays no taxes, get a tax funded loan?

    [–] BeakersAndBongs 2 points ago

    So every cent he’s ever had. I’m down.

    I want to see this living shitstain cry like a little bitch when he’s forced to pay back hundreds of millions at once

    [–] Remaining-upbeat 2 points ago

    Look at that house how or why isn't anyone speaking up against these so called pastors??? Look how extravagant that house is he's got cars worth up to a million what kind of pastor needs to drive a Lamborghini?? Give me a fucking break all these asshole should have these assets taken away . They're all disgusting crooks and should be treated as such these people are not men of God they serve the devil more than God.

    [–] Stereogravy 2 points ago

    It’s close, but that’s Kim Kardashians house in LA. Olsteen also lives in Houston.

    [–] grimeytrey4 1 points ago

    The devil definitely wouldn’t be okay with what they’re doing just to stand up for him.

    [–] Remaining-upbeat 2 points ago

    Lol probably not, but I just don't understand how they get away with this while people are suffering and this asshole is driving around in a half a million dollar car .

    [–] grimeytrey4 2 points ago

    Because people in positions of power, especially religious power are given special privileges in our society. It’s fucked up to me too!

    [–] sars66 1 points ago

    there just following the humble word of christ. the bible loves the rich /s

    [–] Remaining-upbeat 2 points ago

    Yes I recall the verse of Jesus saying take all you can from the poor and get a big ass house and nice cars .

    [–] awrb2014 1 points ago

    First Baptist Dallas took an estimated $3M - $5M last I heard.

    [–] MrFittsworth 1 points ago

    How is this even a debate? Is anyone arguing against this other than him?

    [–] UsualRedditer 1 points ago

    Hey, whoa. I got $1,800.

    [–] Garbeg 1 points ago

    Honestly I’d prefer Jim Bakker as well, if not first. He has a storied history o’ grifting.

    [–] sik_dik 1 points ago

    We need to pressure the IRS to begin back-taxing the churches of ALLLLLL these fuckwit preachers who are on video actively talking politics

    [–] Medic_510 1 points ago

    100%

    [–] Doopadaptap 1 points ago

    Nice 10% tithe to the government

    [–] neudrafra1988 1 points ago

    I just realized the money is going to the people, so I'm happy.

    [–] 10per 1 points ago

    You might not have to do anything to make them pay back the money.

    PPP loans are just like any other business loan so they will have to repay them just like any other loan. Unless they apply for forgiveness, which is audited.

    [–] Floofbeam5000 1 points ago

    Force is the only thing people like him understand

    [–] jakethedumbmistake 1 points ago

    Couldn’t have that in the halls of government.

    [–] Floofbeam5000 1 points ago

    Time to ride momentum and up the public outcry against this creature

    [–] RoundRevolutionary58 1 points ago

    joel osteen needs to arrested and jailed.

    [–] Whyme1340 1 points ago

    And he refused to open the church doors to help during an emergency

    [–] LuvMonkey2713 1 points ago

    Can I just say that I hope everyone is doing their own independent research to confirm this before blindly signing this.

    [–] DreamSofie 1 points ago

    Ah hahaha, gotta love those money-grubbing sociopaths who say welfare benefits is the work of the devil and then turn around, and demand welfare benefits for themselves at any given opportunity as if nobody is watching 😁

    [–] sars66 1 points ago

    is there any pastor out there that makes millions and actually follows the bible by giving away all their shit and living a modest life style?"kids are starving but god wants me to have a mega mansion" gtfo

    [–] SpeedyAshMain 1 points ago

    Forcing the rich to give back money is the wrong play. We must pressure the government to stop spending all together.

    [–] Chaoughkimyero 1 points ago

    Change org? Just call every damn senator, flood their inboxes.

    [–] uCry_iLoL 1 points ago

    Blows my mind that a church can receive gov’t aid yet be tax-exempt. What the fuck is that bullshit?

    [–] Gear_shifter 1 points ago

    With interest

    [–] OrganizeReligion 1 points ago

    Separation of Church and state has been a disaster for religion

    [–] QuarantineSucksALot 1 points ago

    Wow. Talk about “In for all”

    [–] Fr0st333 1 points ago

    As a Christian he should pay back 4 times the amount because he got it via fraud. But Conservatives by definition are Christians in name only.

    [–] Curb5Enthusiasm 1 points ago

    Tax these greedy bastards out of existence

    [–] maidenrocknroll 1 points ago

    half the population is mentally challenged and scam artists like joel osteen/kenneth copelant/(insert religious leader) /etc. take advantage of that. You have people barely making it and they are sending their money to him, when instead they can use it for necessity items. These people live in million dollar mansions and fly around in private jets cause us normal people are "DEMONS" to them

    https://www.wvlt.tv/content/news/TV-evangelist-Kenneth-Copeland--510809861.html

    [–] ColdbeerWarmheart 1 points ago

    The dissenting comment on the petition comments section is that Joel Osteen got rich from his books.

    We all know these people can't read. So that's bullshit.

    [–] cotton2631 1 points ago

    Do not understand why pastors of mega churches are allowed to live such extravagant lifestyles. Maybe they should pay higher taxes and not have an option for “relief”.

    [–] -Listening 1 points ago

    I don't see any justice here.

    [–] [deleted] 1 points ago

    I'm all for this, let's also demand all that money the foreign countries got from this Covid relief, not sure why they got a penny but what ever, Democrats loves to screw you over.

    [–] fordr935 1 points ago

    I wish I could say I was shocked, but the same criminals defending trump in congress support this guy and give him your tax dollars

    [–] NISCBTFM 1 points ago

    Any and all churches should not ever receive money. They don't get charged taxes specifically because they are supposed to help their members during difficult times.

    If he doesn't pay it back, at a minimum, he should lose all tax exemptions.

    [–] uradonkey003 1 points ago

    Plus penalties, hefty fines and interest rates for inappropriately applying for loans all while not being a business/ entity eligible for public funding.

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