March 19, 2007
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Ask and It Shall Be Given To You
How would you like to live in this house?
How would you feel if you found out that the person living in this house was paying less property tax than you? The house is worth almost $3.65 million. The reason it isn’t taxed is because a pastor lives in it and the church bought it. It is a parsonage. The church doesn’t pay taxes. Here is the link: Link
Does it bother you that the person living in this house pays less property tax than you?
Comments (147)
yes.
that’s irritating. granted, the location doesnt seem that great
That house is amazing. It does kind of bother me. My house is not even one wing of that one.
That’s not the part that bothers me. It bothers me that a pastor, who probably teaches the story of Job giving up all his posessions for the Lord, lives there.
it does bother me a little, but I don’t own a home yet.
that’s church for you.
no, but it bugs me that the church is wasting money on a church like that- when it could be using it to expand God’s Kingdom
No. I’ve worked with the treasurer of my church and saw how little our pastor is paid. (About $15,000 a year.. and he has four kids) In the case of my pastor, I feel it evens out.
Depends on what’s done with the house. But it seems a bit far too lavish for a pastor. Nothing wrong at all with taking care of your pastor, but c’mon.
boo.
hmmm…just a little bit. However, since the roof over my head at the moment is covered through tuition, which is covered by the Fed’s anyway… Not as much as it would if I payed taxes myself.
What’s especially sad is that people are judging all churches based on the appearance of this. As if you can judge all businesses by Enron. Or all people by criminals. Or all cars by one model.
Not really. I’m more jealous about the size of the house than angry about taxes.
well maybe it would be okay if there were other people living there who were homless or something of that nature.
You see the loopholes religion can get you?
Who cares, anyone who wants change is simply jealous of the deal they failed to get. I wont be a hater…
Too much.
in Texas we don’t pay property tax.
but it is still disgusting.
No, because I don’t pay property tax!! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!
No, it bothers me that the church spent as much money as it did for this house so that a priest could live a sparkly, glamorous, when the money could have been used in many different ways for the betterment of people in unfortunate situations.
Heh, so much for charity.
I have a problem with any Christian person having that expensive of a house that is provided by the church. Shouldn’t that money be used to fund an orphanage, feed the needy or something? Come on people!
glamorous life**
Not really. But I think it’s a bit excessive for a parsonage and think the pastor should definitely be using it for a ministry.
No, I try not to envy.
And I think it’s super ironic that someone could get jealous at a pastor.
Yes, and that house is a mansion and looks beautiful.
A PASTOR LIVES IN THAT FOR FREE!??!!? I GUESS IF HE WAS REALLY FAITHFUL TO GOD IT”S OK, I MEAN LOOKJ AT OIL COMPANIES AND THE BREAKS THEY GET FROM BUSH.
hmm… it would bother me so much if it wasnt in michigan…
Wow, that was REALLY smart.
To, you know, let the church buy it.
I wonder if the church is that nice…
what bothers me a little more than that is that a pastor of all people lives there. Way to be unmaterialistic and fallow what you preach…. on the otherhand i wonder how many homeless or displaced (because of fires, hurricanes etc.) people he could shelter…..
…And to everybody saying that the money should go to something better..
Ever think that the pastor reimbersed [sp?] the church?
Sure.
Yes.
his might be very lavish, and it does bother me to an extent that the money was used for a house that seems foolish.
but I would say a lot of us have a lot of nice things that we probably shouldn’t have bought, with money that we should’ve given away .. that’s just a greater extreme.
priests should be modest, not living in huge mansions
Yes, and it isn’t envy, some of you, it is the acknowledgement that a scam is going on. This is not right.
Well, if you read the article, and see that the church is one of those “name it, claim it, its yours” prosperity gospel churches, where its a sin to be poor, and “God wants to make you rich” blah blah blah.
I think Jesus weeps when the life giving power of the gospel is reduced to a consumer product.
yes haha
The part that bothers me is that it’s a pastor and all that..
Why? Why spend so much on a stupid house? What a waste!
My pastor would never do that..
My house is a fucking church. Do I have to pay taxes too?
YES. thats not fair. really, it isn’t. why should a pastor, a person, a resident, not pay the taxes in HIS residence, regardless of “what or who” bought it? thats stretching the limits of separation of church and state, in my opinion. he should pay taxes just like anyone else.
That’s ridiculous. My parents were in ministry for decades, and while they were, the tax breaks were nice, because we literally could not afford food sometimes. Then I see something like that, and the person is taking advantage of the system, and it makes me sick. FUCKING BASTARDS! If they can afford to pay that much for a house, they can afford to pay the taxes on it.
THAT IS DISGUSTING.
yes, but my grass is greener and my trees are not naked.
that’s a pretty outrageous house for a pastor. dang.. why would a pastor need a three car garage with extended driveway and aptly placed water fountain? seriously who would want that anyways.
YES. it really does…
Priests don’t deserve that. Poverty is godly. Or so says most of the Bible…
they’re lucky!
see what organized religion can accomplish when they twist things to their own desires? sick.
As a renter, I don’t pay property tax.
That’s outrageous. As a Christian, I’m ashamed.
WoWsErS!!! I thot we weren’t gettin mansions till we get to heaven…i think the money could have been better spent elsewhere…
unless he has a homeless shelter in a big portion of it or single mom housing…which he doesn’t…..then yes! That is crazy that people would agree to give their offerings to support his salary. Think of the people in this world who could use that money for so much greater good!
the taxes don’t bother me, but as a pastor I feel that it is obsene for me to live at a higher standard than my people. I don’t feel that I should live in poverty but my salary and compensation should be average within my church and community.
Yes.
And it’s a church–let them pay taxes.
That preacher is going to Hell for living such an extravagant life when he should be spending his wealth on saving souls, that hypocritical choir-boy-molester.
It bothers me that some churches don’t have to pay taxes on a mansion/parsonage, but others have to pay taxes on their church building.
yes
holy crap, thats a parsonage – most pastors and ministers i know dont live in a “parsonage” like that. most of them are lucky to get a house with 2 or 3 bedrooms and a bathroom.
so who lives there??? like the pastor of a mega-church?
that does kinda suck because the pastor isnt paying for housing at all anyway… either the church or the pastor (prob the pastor) should pay. if they live in a house like that then the pastor probably is making a lot anyway.
- Daniel (doubledb)
in Texas we don’t pay property tax.
but it is still disgusting.
Funny, I live in Texas, and we have to pay property taxes. Are you sure you don’t have that confused with STATE INCOME TAX, which Texas does NOT have?
Not really. Since the house technically belongs to all the members of the church. They could take it from the guy whenever they wanted.
Hey Dan, first time commenter, long time reader. I would love to live in that house, my wife would hate to keep it clean though. Anywho, got a ? for you. Every day I receive my xanga subscription updating showing all those I subscribe who update… for the last month its seems its been you and occasionally one other person. Is xanga dying out?
yep
Why does a pastor need a house that large? Seems to me it speaks volumes against the basic principle of need. I’m not saying just because the person is a pastor they don’t deserve a nice house, but a mansion? Ridiculous
I have no problem with the law. but the chruch on the other hand i have a problem with
RYC: Well, he is pretty revolting.
No, I don’t really care.
It bothers me a tad.
That’s why I’m going to start my own pseudo-christian cult someday soon. Then I too can spout bullshit every Sunday, making people feel guilty for being the sinners that they were designed to be, and then pass the hat (a very big hat) in order to support….ME!
“Jesus wants YOU for a sunbeam, and I am simply his humble servant. Now pay up bitches!”
i would like to see the church if that’s the parsonage.
it bothers me that there’s a church out there that can’t think of a better use for $3.65 million.
No, it bothers me that the pastor didn’t have the nads to tell the church that it is obscene to expect a servant of God to live in a mansion here on earth.
yeah, I dont think the church should be exempt.
Absolutely! I resent paying taxes to subsidize someone else’s religion and luxurious lifestyle.
If it was a homeless shelter, I might reconsider.
WHY does a Pastor NEED a house like that?? Thats what bothers me….They probably can’t afford the taxes with the upkeep of that thing… HOW much is that Pastor getting paid??? If that is the Parsonage what do the congregation houses look like??
I don’t get why churchs get a excuse or pardon to not pay taxes. Total BS.
Tell me Dan, would you have posted this link had the tax escapee not been a pastor/parson/clergyman/priest or other description of skypilot? Do you not really mean “is it okay for clergymen to avoid the taxes that others pay?” You are subtle today Dan. The biblical Daniel was more direct.
Obviously a “yes” could only be answered if superior merit or need was proved; in short, we need a “because” in the answer. We could try “yes, because they are more deserving” for instance, or “yes, because respectable people are more sensitive,” (this latter being was in fact used in nineteenth-century England to dismiss the disparity between middle class wealth and working class need.)
This is not merely an interesting question, but an interesting class of question. We could attempt to gain a better knowledge of this class by adding to it such (real life, not imaginary) questions as ”is it okay for clergyman to be protected (by their superiors) for sexual crimes, not merely over years, but over decades?” to which a possible answer might be “yes, because….
Or: “is it okay for….
But let me not use up all the options, and spoil the fun of others.
I have to agree with everyone who said they’re sad/disappointed that the church build such a huge house for their pastor. I can definitely see having a nice house for your pastor, but that’s just a bit extreme to me. Give the money to charity–which is what I hope they’re doing with the property tax they don’t pay!!
As far as being jealous, I’m not even sure how that works b/c I don’t have to pay any yet.
No, it doesn’t bother me at all. I think it’s awesome that a church wants to bless a pastor in such a way. This reminds me of a guy I know of in the ministry who was raising money because he wanted to buy a certain kind of plane. It was a more efficient way to get him all around the world (his ministry is global). Some people were bad-mouthing him, saying he should be spending that money on the poor or missions or something…until they found out…he had given away something like 26 planes to other ministries and had given 100 million to feed the poor and do missions projects just on the continent of Africa. The money he was raising for the plane was a drop in the bucket compared to what he’d given away to others. I know there have been abuses, but there have been just as many authentic ministers who experience God’s blessings in a right way that you don’t always hear about. People who get upset at ministers having nice things have a skewed view of Scripture and are small-minded, in my humble opinion.
yes
corrupt ass system … fuck them
the house is too big, ugh.
It bothers me that a supposed man of God would live in a house like that at all. What’s that scripture about rich men and camels? Hmmm….
I have no problem with churches being exempt from paying taxes. I do have a BIG problem with the “gospel of prosperity” though. Jesus only expressed anger at temple merchants and religious leaders who were more concerned with the material than the spiritual.
That guy’ll be paying a special tax after he dies. We reap what we sow.
No, because someday I’ll be getting the same tax benefits he’s getting.
It bothers me that the pastor uses his job to buy three million dollar houses, yes.
Oh, wait, that’s why I don’t believe in churches. Because they’re full of hypocritical shit.
What bothers me is that that’s a pastor’s house. I really think that money could be better spent.
uh, yea?
its not a matter of coveting or envying, its a matter of the country needs money and rich folks, unless they dun love america, should try to pay their taxes like regulars.
I hate when the church spends money on extravagance.
I would not like to live there,I prefer my old farmhouse,humble as it is.
show the picture of his fleet of ferraris
the ferraris were bought by the church, each car is a “car of god”
What pastor needs that kinda of home?
where your treasure is… so is your heart. Too bad for him
Hell Yes….what a tax dodger…
Candy
Sounds like the church found a convenient little loophole in the tax code. What a sad witness. How many Bibles could have distributed with the money or missionaries sent abroad? And what about inner-city ministries that could have been funded, etc.? The list goes on.
Awwwwwwwwww man! This isn’t anything at all like the parsonage I live in. (sigh)
I don’t think Jesus would approve. He would expect the excess to be shared
I think I’m in the wrong line of work… just call me Reverend Colonel and send me your tithes… hee hee hee
If anyone thinks a pastor’s life is glamorous or easy, I invite you to give it a whirl. It’s like saying a teacher doesn’t work hard.
That house is ugly, truly ugly. However, I’ve always been an advocate for tax avasion.
Hell Yeah!
How about all the people living in multi-million dollar houses all over California, that bought 20 yrs ago and are covered under Prop 13 so pay practically nothing in property taxes?
Somthin’ bout that JUST AINT RIGHT…
Funny I said this several months ago when Pastor salaries were the topic. I clearly recall getting my butt chewed out because Pastors are so broke and sacrifice so much. This is exactly the kind of thing I was talking about and I think it is hilarious that Dan found an article justifying everything I said several months ago. Do the taxes bother me? Nah. Do I think the money could have been spent on much better things? Absolutely!
I doubt I’d like to live there because I’m guessing it’s far away from here.
It bothers me that someone claiming to be a servant of God lives so extravagantly. I will add to that, though, that extravagant may be relative.
I’m guessing homeboy is a part of the Word Faith movement.
Yes. Pastors shouldn’t live in such huge houses
Considering I don’t pay property taxes yet, no.
But I bet the church just bought it for the pastor so they DIDN’T have to pay property taxes. D; That’s like cheating.
AND…
Imagine what they could have used that money for!
Mission trips, supporting minitries in their church, maybe even start new ministries.
I should have a talk with them!
I think it would be cool to live there. I have no problem with ministers being rich.
And for those who do, have you ever read the Bible? Hello, King Solomon…
That is a Parsonage? I think that is a church that needs to be more responsible with money. There are much better uses for that kind of money than buying a house of that size, such as donating to the poor in this country or to the invisible children. That is one church that I would not go to because I cannot imagine they are doing a very good job of teaching the message they should be.
I’d be kicking some asses. thats not fair, lol.
it kind of does bother me that someone even a pastor is paying less property tax then i do…this man and his family has a larger house than i do and he pays practically nothing for a large property.its kinda stupid but i dont envy the man and his family.
No, not in the least bit.
Elder Marvin Wilder, a lawyer and general counsel for the church says, “When our value system elevates a man who can put a ball in a hole and not a man who does God’s work, something is wrong.”
Jesus says, “Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
So much for health and wealth.
I feel worse seeing the huge bite out of my paycheck and then watching the lavish governmental parties on tv which I would NEVER be permitted to attend yet had to pay for. Where is my invitation for the inaugeral ball?
I’m sure they use it for the good of other people. Take in homeless, hungry children, use it for a clinic …..etc. (right)
Would Jesus live in that house, or Mother Theresa, or Buddha, or any other great spiritual leader of history? Some of the things that get passed off as religion make me cringe. The example being set here is not a spiritual one. I question the sincerity of any supposed spiritual leader who lives a life of great affluence. TV Evangelists included.
NO – I just want the house.
As long as the pastor is using the house to do good for the community as well as live in it. You could house alot of foster kids in there.
yes.
A little.
What bothers me more is that a pastor needs such a huge and luxurious house to live in. That’s just ridiculous. What happened to “living like Jesus?”
I would tend to agree with the people above who said that money could have been put to better use.
on the other hand, at least that church was spending their money. I also happent to have a problem with churches that save and save “for a rainy day” when insurance would take care of such a situation.
how would you feel if you knew that part of your tithe check was just sitting in the bank with no purpose for use in sight?
jeez…they must love their pastor A LOT
Prosperity gospel at its finest.
I think it would be cool to live there. I have no problem with ministers being rich.
And for those who do, have you ever read the Bible? Hello, King Solomon…
Posted 3/20/2007 10:04 AM by faerieshadow
Roflcopter, maybe YOU should read YOUR Bible. Hello, Sermon on the Mount (“blessed are the poor”) ? Hello, parables (“easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God”) ? Hello, Jesus’ ENTIRE LIFE ?
Roflcopter, I say.
TeeHee. Thats about the size of my home.
If he’d rather have his treasures on earth, that’s his problem. I’ll take my mansion in heaven, thanks.
Ever read Matthew 6:19-21?
Of course the fact that he’s reflecting poorly on thousands of other hard-working pastors in low-income jobs is another problem.
Wait, since this pastor believes the Prosperity Gospel, why isn’t he giving all this money to televangelists so God will bless him even more?!?
okay so i wrote a nice long comment earlier but the computer ate it so this retype is not going to be nowhere as good as it was meant to be.
i dont think its right that this man, supposed to be a figure of good moral and honesty, cheated like that. on another thought, the pastor seems like he would be the owner of his church, like a business. money the church gets are on behalf of the attendees liking his preaching. so i guess.. after typing all this over again i’ve changed my view. no, it doesnt bother me. good for him for being so smart and sneaky. i’d do it too.
What bothers me is that a church would buy that as a parsonage. Does it serve other purposes? Is it for only one person? Why on earth didn’t they use the money for something that could benefit more people?
That’s crazy, my pastors live in houses the size of that person’s garage.
But no, it doesn’t bother me, because people have always been taking advantage of other people.
It don’t matter what *I* think about the church wasting money like that on a waaaay too extravagent house for their minister…..
They SHOULD be thinking about what GOD thinks about that. Didn’t Jesus say something like the birds have nests but the son of man has no place to lay his head? Would JESUS have accepted something like that when there are so many homeless and hungry people in the world?
I dunno…………….
I think it would be cool to live there. I have no problem with ministers being rich.
And for those who do, have you ever read the Bible? Hello, King Solomon…
Posted 3/20/2007 10:04 AM by faerieshadow
Hello….OLD TESTAMENT.
WTF is that crap?!?!
FUCK. YES.
Talk about medieval.
HAHA!! That’s in our neighborhood!!!
No, it bothers me that a church bought that for the pastor. There’s something wrong there. Very very wrong.
Hell yeah. Just how much money does this church take in that the preacher can be put up in an almost 4 million dollar home.
Congregation for God or worshiper of money? I left a church group we attended because every sermon each week was about what you could give to the church. How money was important. That isn’t God…neither is that house.
That is a POOR allocation of the funds that are collected to build the kingdom of God. . .in my humble opinion.
Hell yes!
If I could get out of paying a tax, legally, I would.
I think it needs to be used for public programs – religous, but open to all. Imean, of course, in moderation. But it needs to be public to get public recognition, help.
I don’t mind if I can see the benefit…I don’t have to agree! but at least, see somehing. Public documentation too.
I feel like a church pastor in good conscience could not live there; that the money could go to so many other things (like expanding the church with that 3 million, for example).
It doesn’t particularly bother me, seeing as I know pastors get paid very little. Though, I wonder… why would that pastor need such a lavish house? As well, coulnd’t that money be better spent?
couldn’t*
Yes….
I mean yes, it is ridiculous
yes
*whoops. meant: yes, i’d like to live there, and yes, i’m jealous.
I think it is DISGUSTING that a pastor would live in a 3.65 mil dollar home. There are people in the world who dont even have a running water and probably could use a light from Christ .. yet he lives in that house!!!!!!!!!! This angers me!!
Yes, it bothers me. If the pastor personally lives in it, he should pay property tax. If the church is paying for it and therefor it isn’t taxed, then the pastor shouldn’t live in it personally.
It’s unfair.