Plain and simple: Pastor Creflo Dollar is a disgrace. Today's headlines read: "Creflo Dollar's lofty plan seeks $65M jet for global missions." And if that wasn't enough, the man bearing the name Dollar, is asking 200,000 people to contribute $200 each to purchase the plane.
A website devoted to the fundraiser explains that Dollar's current airplane has traveled more than 4 million miles and been in service since 1999, and needs replacing in order to "continue to safely and swiftly share the Good News of the Gospel worldwide."
There's so much delusion in all of this it's hard to even know where to start. But let's begin with the money. Imagine how many other better ways $65 million could be spent. Imagine how many homeless people that could help. Imagine how many meals that could buy. Imagine how many basic necessities that most people take for granted that money could provide. Even items like a toothbrush, pillows, clothing, books and computers for our schools, toys for children who don't have any, medical supplies and so on.
That would make sense, but instead, Dollar apparently believes that money should be used to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. And if Dollar and his fellow pastors are so concerned about traveling the world to spread the gospel, is there a reason they can't fly commercially? Let's be perfectly clear: there are many flights every day, especially from Atlanta, Dollar's hometown, all over the world. Are you seeing the delusion yet?
Dollar has long been criticized for his teaching of prosperity and for his lavish lifestyle; after all, he owns two Rolls-Royces, a private jet, and real estate such as a million-dollar home in Atlanta, a $2.5 million home in Demarest, New Jersey, and a $2.5 million home in Manhattan which he sold for $3.75 million in 2012. Dollar has refused to disclose his salary and Creflo Dollar Ministries received a grade of "F" for financial transparency by the organization Ministry Watch. Enough said.
What about the biblical passage that says the love of money is the root of all evil? I guess that doesn't apply to some of the men behind the pulpit. Don't get me wrong: I'm a firm believer in acquiring wealth. After all, this is America, the land of opportunity and the place where everyone has the opportunity to strike it big. But getting rich by selling the hope of eternal life with no proof to substantiate those claims is pathetic.
On Dollar's website, when talking about tithing, the act of giving part of your income to the church, it says, "When we bring our tithes to church, we should expect a blessing or an empowerment from God." So let me get this straight: when you have a family living in poverty, with three kids to support, and bill collectors knocking on the door every day, you want them to tithe their money? Or worse, you want them to give $200 so Dollar, who is already extremely wealthy, can purchase a new airplane? Really?
What's even more infuriating is that Dollar claims he needs the airplane to continue spreading the good news of the gospel. Have you actually read the bible from cover-to-cover?
The Bible is promoted as the loving word of God, yet it's filled with murder, hate, intolerance, inhuman slaughter, slavery, torture, homophobia, and discrimination. The Bible is a bully-book. It demands that you follow the authors' barbaric laws of life and living or burn in hell. If you decide to submit to the bully, he rewards you with everlasting life. If not, you burn in hell. It's pretty straightforward. It's no different than the bully at school who steals your money and promises you protection, or the mobster who threatens to vandalize your store unless you pay him part of the profits. The Bible is a much bigger bully than both because at least the school bully and street thug don't require that you worship them as they terrorize you. The beasts that wrote the Bible command you to fall to your knees and proclaim your love and devotion to a god that will gladly slaughter you if you don't. It's sick and perverse, but you won't hear much about this on Sunday morning. Religious leaders prefer to focus on the loving side of the Bible.
The bottom line is Christianity in America is in trouble. A Pew Research Center survey found that the "Nones," or the unaffiliated, are on the rise, making up 20 percent of the population. And quite honestly, this shouldn't shock anyone. Whether it's the Pat Robertsons of the world spewing their homophobia or the Creflo Dollars clearly taking money for personal gain, our younger generations are smarter, savvier and have more knowledge at their fingertips than ever before, and over time, this isn't going to fly with them.
Isn't it time we started thinking for ourselves? Isn't it time we started taking responsibility for our own lives and stopped relying on a supernatural savior? Isn't it time we started using critical thinking and questioning all this nonsense and delusion coming from the church?
What honestly scares me more is how many people have been brainwashed to such a degree that even if they don't have five bucks to their name, will somehow manage to come up with $200 because it's for the lord. It's time to grow up emotionally, start thinking for ourselves and ignoring the so-called earthly representatives of God who want to tell us what to do and how to live.