A woman on Reddit sparked outrage and sympathy after her mother regularly claimed she was broke, while secretly funneling thousands of dollars to megachurches.
“My mom says we don’t have enough money, but I understand her giving thousands of dollars a month to megachurches,” the man angrily wrote on r/mindly earlier this year. The post, which included a photo of a $600 online donation receipt to Bill Winston Ministries, drew more than 142,000 upvotes and more than 7,600 comments.
Don’t miss:
The receipt showed contributions such as $300 in tithing, $100 for missions, and a $30 donation to the “aircraft fund.” That last item became a flashpoint for ridicule and anger in the comments section. “That airplane should be funded so the pastor in fancy pants can fly with the eagles and not have to sit next to some poor sinner on a joint flight,” one person wrote.
Others pointed out how Griff appeared. “The airplane fund on the receipt is too bold,” said another commenter. Some joked that church leaders couldn’t possibly fly in a “metal tube full of demons”—a reference to the televangelist. Kenneth CopelandThe infamous explanation for why he wanted a private jet.
The screenshot added fuel to growing frustration at prosperity evangelical churches, which offer financial blessings to donors. As one person wrote, “It’s not mildly annoying. It’s furious!”
Trending: Got $100k+ to invest? Charlie Munger says this is the hardest milestone ever – don’t stop now. Correspond with fiduciary counsel and continue construction
Commenters flooded the thread with personal stories of loved ones who were caught in a similar cycle. One man said his grandmother lived in a roach-infested apartment but sent her fixed income to her church. Another wrote, “We didn’t have enough money to go to the doctor or the dentist, but we have enough to give her church $100 a week.”
The thread painted a dark picture of religious manipulation, with many describing megachurches as cults. Some called for regulatory action, questioning how these tax-exempt organizations could make millions. “How is this even legal? I think an IRS audit is overdue. Televangelists are vultures,” one person said.
One of the most upvoted comments put it bluntly: “These people are nothing more than artists with tax breaks.”
