Does it bother you that pastors are loaded and living large?

First off the pastors pay taxes. The church institution is tax free but the individuals employees of that institution pay taxes just like anyone else. In fact those mega church pastors likely pay a large amount of taxes every year. Secondly, most pastors live on only a small income every year. It's usually only the pastors of mega churches that can afford those kind of luxuries. Why people attend churches where the pastors flaunt huge estates and fancy cars I will never know. It's the people of the church that afford them that luxury and if they are ok with it then who am I to argue?

For a pastor to be rich off of the donations of church members is antithetical to what Jesus preached. He'd be livid over this. Recall when he entered the Temple of Jerusalem and knocked over the tables of the "money changers" who were selling animals for sacrifice; he was strongly against using religion for profit.

Amen.

No, because most aren't like that. Only those who own megachurches and televangelist shows.

They're not getting any of my money, so I don't really care how they live =P

That's weird OP, because every pastor I've ever met is barely scraping by.

No problem.

If you do have a problem, you should blame the people who voluntarily gave them their money.

yes, in more ways than one...

I mean, religious institution and individuals use their religious status to get $70-80 billion in tax breaks per year, they could quadruple NASA's budget with that kind of money.

lol Around here ,the preachers and the clergy are the wealthiest.You don't have the faintest f***ing idea what the f is going are here in the name of God !

The pastors may be taxed, but I guarantee the "church" is the one buying those houses, paying for the pastors meals, and sending him on business trips to some tropical island.

I have 1 uncle who is a pastor and 1 uncle who used to be one. Both don't have mansions and work for their money. One owns a contractor business in Nicaragua and the other is a manager for a parking lot in the Civic Center in San Francisco. Does it bother you that they don't have mansions like the pastors on tv do?

"pastors and priests are among the richest people in the world".

Ha ha. No.

This is a blanketing statement that is largely untrue. Most of the pastors I know are overworked and underpaid. Many of them have to work a second job just to make ends meet.

My desire is to become a pastor myself. I expect to make less than the median income of my congregation at most. In fact, I am currently looking at becoming the college and career pastor of a church on purely voluntary basis.

Yeah same here.

wut

mega churches should have to pay taxes.

Up here in the Bakken oil field, even the Lutherans have stadium churches, and I'm pretty sure the baptists can host nfl games! Then you have all the nondenominational churches that are basically started and ran by one guy, so no one has the authority to check their books.

I agree a minister at a traditional church is far from rich, but in this day and age, there are far more non traditionals, especially outside the northeast(the catholic and Jewish strongholds).

take note confuse people ............ priest are not pastor

@mrduckbears3

OP, you should read to this web page.

Well I believe religion is one of the greatest tricks ever to be played on humanity so no...it doesnt surprise me that people make money out of those who buy into it.

A devotion to God shouldnt cost you a penny...

they're a reflection of god's glory. how else can a person tell how wonderful god is unless his chosen messenger is driving a phantom?

Good point.

The priest of the church my family goes to lives in a quaint little house by the church and drives a non-turbo Subaru. At least the house isn't prefab. He doesn't look like he's living it up. Of course, he has plenty of booze and bread to feast on....when no one's looking.

You should be more concerned about your politicians.

Having a rich pastor would be a big contradiction of the Bible.

I have far less concern about rich pastors than I do about all the politicians that enter office as middle class, but leave office as millionaires or billionaires.

No pastor I know of in the USA has a police force, or an IRS, or an FBI that can enforce their will upon me.

Politicians wield the police power of government and use it to enrich themselves.

please provide your sources for this crap

the pastors in my area are not that rich.

hell most of the time they are down near the park doing their best to make some petty cash.

i guess they are asking for donations, i always see them going into the restrooms with men and coming out with change and small bills in their hands.

lol, consider who the TC is. You're not getting sources from him. He NEVER provides sources and never will.

typical unemployed hippy.

Not all pastors are like that.

the op is taking a few examples and using them as a norm much like foxnews, he's also lying so what can one expect?

The Lutheran church which I was baptized in the current pastor makes 20k dollars a year...that's it.

They're living like Jesus did, living large baby! Spending dem moneys.