My husband and I are in our 80s and have been tithing for many years. We both love the Lord and give willingly and our tithe is over 10 percent—but we never have an extra penny after our monthly bills are paid. Our old car just broke down and we had to borrow money to fix it. We both need dental work, but we can’t afford it. I constantly have to use our credit card to pay for medical needs— What could we be doing wrong?
In response, Robertson suggested they sell their belongings on eBay or go back to work. He also told them that God would grant them a blessing if they asked for one. The one thing he didn’t tell them is to give a little less of their income to church so that they can take care of themselves.
“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said.
53 comments
“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said.
Is this the same couple as in this quote ?
Either way, I will repeat what I wrote back then, as it is still as valid:
Fuck you, Pat. I don’t wish death on other people on principle, but the day I will hear that you finally croaked, I will smile.
“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said.
There might be, but you (and your televangelist ilk) only ever use one: conning desperate people out of their money. Any moral church would refuse to take the tithe money and tell the couple that Jesus, Allah, Vishnu, the Great Pumpkin, whatever wants them to use the money to pay their bills and get their teeth fixed. But not you, oh no. You want them to keep giving money to the church and simply lower their standard of living so the church doesn't lose a single tithe. You are exactly what's wrong with organized religion.
Don't ask Pat to give up any of his billions to help out someone in need. Shit, Pat is telling someone in their 80's to go back to work so they can afford to keep giving money to the church? Fuck him. Fuck him with a rusty cactus.
Every time I hear these kind of stories of elderly people giving their money to the church and then not having any to live on, it reminds me of the Dire Staits song "Ticket to Heaven."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUvNfHgLIB0
now there's nothing left for luxuries
image
Does Pat-chan even have a shred of human decency within him? Why doesn't he give them actual good advice, like not tithing if you can't afford it? All he's doing here is making sure that an old couple is totally trapped by debt, and that's not good at all!
But since it has nothing to do with spreading obvious lies or adding on to his giant pile of money, Ibuki's guessing that Pat-chan doesn't care.
@Ibuki Mioda : Exactly. Because it doesn't make him wealthier or more powerful, Pat doesn't care - as far as he's concerned, other people exist exclusively to service him and his and if we dare to complain, why, that's what the police and military are for.
Maybe they should have said "Fuck the church!" and invested in a diamond mine... Hey, Pat, who was it that we know that did that? Speak up, Pat, who did that?
After all, Pat needs fuel for his jets, so get the fuck back to work!!!
Pat, which book was it that said "sell all you have and give to the poor"? Wasn't it that one that YOU claim YOU follow?
By the way, how are YOU progressing on that "sell all you have and give to the poor" thing, Pat? What's that? Follow the tithing thing in that book but not that "sell all you have" thing?
What was that word I'm thinking of? Oh, here it is....
FUCKING HYPOCRITE!
“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said.
With a wink and a nod, no doubt.
I'm starting to think that Pat here may be a deep cover comedian. Either that, or he is completely devoid of anything resembling self-awareness.
Wow your God is a petty scumbag! If he's so great why does he need that money to begin with?
Actually YOU are a petty scumbag! If you are supposedly under God's care why the fuck do you need the money?
Ok, this is going to sound cruel, but here you go:
Personal freedom comes with personal responsibility.
Unless they are severely senile or mentally retarded, These rubes are well within their rights to blow their money on church, booze, gambling or whatever takes their fancy.
And as this is from U.S, Pat is well within his rights to squeeze these idiots for every penny they have.Perhaps they could donate any organs they don't need?
If they honestly cannot see the obvious answer when they cannot afford both healthcare(I bet they also fought Obamacare with all their might) AND greedy, unscrupulous church, then, well...Darwin had a point.
I can't wait until Pat joins Jerry Falwell, Orel Roberts, Fred Phelps, Oliver Cromwell, etc. in Inferno!
That poor elderly couple.
@Grimsoncrow. I have to agree with you. These people, along with millions of other Americans, have probably voted against their interests all their lives and will no doubt continue to do so until they die. Voting for one rightwing "Christian" after another. Well what goes around comes around so now they want Pat Robertson to tell them what to do. Well now they know. As far as he's concerned they're on their own. Tough luck.
@Kuno. How is he conning them?
@Frank:
He may not personally in this case, but Grimsoncrow wrote:
And as this is from U.S, Pat is well within his rights to squeeze these idiots for every penny they have.Perhaps they could donate any organs they don't need?
I was answering to that.
I am not saying that the people letting themselves getting conned are not also responsible. But that doesn’t mean that it is right for the conman to do it.
@Kuno:
...And just because the world is full of people and organisations who will gladly(and quite legally)take your money if you are stupid enough to give it to them, does not exempt you from YOUR responsibility, it being your money and all.
Ok, I'll admit that it's morally questionable, but unless these tithes are obligatory, well...
If you blow your salary in Las Vegas, are you allowed to sue the casino afterwards?
@Grimsoncrow:
Ok, I'll admit that it's morally questionable,
That's all I'm saying.
I was not trying to imply that what Pat does is somehow illegal. If I created that impression, I apologize.
"We both need dental work, but we can’t afford it. I constantly have to use our credit card to pay for medical needs
What could we be doing wrong?
In response, Robertson suggested they sell their belongings on eBay "
To answer your first question, at your age(s), you're both more -than eligible for dentistry via Obamacare. Three letters: N.H.S.
To answer your second question (Patty=boy's 'response'): why isn't he doing exactly the same? Matthew 19:21 orders him to.
...but I guess Alzheimer's is a great thing - but only for him , eh? 'Plausible Deniability', and all that jazz.
But you two are clearly still Compos Mentis enough to realise your current predicament. If you still have the intelligence you were born with, I suggest another option [/Jean-Luc Picard]: self -Tithing. 'Charity begins at home '; 'God helps those who help themselves ' and all that jazz II.
In general, in religions, if you cannot afford a tithe or something else, it's not required. If you're sick, you can break religious fasts like not eating before mass or Ramadan. If you're poor and cannot make the Hajj, the Hajj isn't required.
So if you go to a church that, instead of providing you assistance as 80 year olds who need help paying for their bills, asks for yet more money...
Leave that church. They aren't nearly as pious as you two. You're willing to hurt your own comfort for the sake of intangible and probably non-existent rewards while they tell you to, say, get a job or sell your own crap.
If your church cannot practice Christian Charity, clearly it's not it. Also Pat Robertson engaged in blood diamonds and technical slavery, plus donates not too much to charity, so he's filthy scum. Don't listen to him.
I've been to Malta and Gozo (1967). Old ladies there sit in one spot all day long tatting lace by hand to sell to the tourists. They make head scarves, table cloths, all sorts of stuff, and it takes them forever. They earned at that time about 3 pounds a week, on average and sent 2 of them to the fucking pope, living in abject poverty.
"“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said."
Anyone else have a picture of an 80-year old hooker and an 80-year old pimp in their head? No? Just me?
@Ebon:
Robertson is a fucking vampire. Unlike Kuno, I have no problem wishing death on this old monster.
Seconded, though I'd wish first taxes and only then death on the old ghoul. Ideally, he'd die under a bridge after losing all his ill-gotten gains to the IRS....
For those criticizing healthcare in the US, people in their 80's in the US already receive a LOT of government-subsidized medical care. It covers many things, but not everything. Medicare (as it's known for those of you overseas) is actually a pretty good plan. My elderly, disabled mother has it, and her biggest expenses are medicines that are still under patent by their original creators. Is there any country whose public healthcare system covers 100% of ABSOLUTELY every possible medical expense?
I think George Carlin said it best:
Religion has convinced people that there is an invisible man living in the sky, who watches everything you do for every minute of every day.
And the invisible man has a list of ten specific things that he doesn't want you to do.
If you do any of these things, he will send you to a special place of burning and fire and smoke and anguish for you to live forever and suffer and burn and scream until the end of time.
But he loves you.
He loves you and he needs money.
He always needs money.
He is all-powerful, all wise, all present, all knowing.
He just can't handle money.
Religion takes in billions and billions of dollars.
They pay no taxes.
But somehow they always need money.
There's one about the elderly couple so desperate for funds that the man reluctantly agrees to allow his wife sell her body on the streets. Tearfully, she leaves the first day. But when she shows up again at mid-evening, she's all excited. "Look, honey, look. I earned $36.10." "Ten cent?" he replies. "What kind of a cheap bastard gave you ten cents?" "Why, all of them," she replies.
Someone who is in their 80s should go back to work or sell what little they have just so they can get the medical care they need and basic necessities?? God can't just go, "Nah, you're good, keep your money" and be cool? Yeah, of course, the elderly couple are obviously wrong. They just haven't given enough. The selfish old codgers!
Funny it wasn't suggested they turn to their church for assistance. If they've tithed for so many years shouldn't they be able to get help instead of just being expected to keep giving and giving and giving...? Isn't this what the fundies always espouse-- churches will provide charity to citizens in need? Only not really, apparently...
"What could we be doing wrong?"
Well, it can't possibly be that you're giving 10% of your income to the church like a goddamn medieval peasant.
@Naturalistic Worldview. The NHS in my country doesn't cover 100% of ABSOLUTELY every possible medical expense, but it does cover more than 90% of them. More importantly it does cover 100% of the population be they young, old, rich or poor. And it's free at the point of use. No medical bills at all. No ER's doing just enough to stop you dropping dead in the street and then sticking you with a bill you can't afford afterwards. I know which system I prefer and it sure ain't yours.
"Reverend Pat Robertson has been one of America's foremost TV preachers for decades, mingling politics, religion, and capitalism, and God has been very good to Rev. Robertson his net worth is estimated to be between $200-million and $1-billion."
http://www.nndb.com/people/552/000022486/
And he couldn't bother to quietly help out? Even $5k? 10k? What would that mean to him? More importantly, what would it mean to that couple?
I guess instead of "helping the poor", Pat's in the business of saying "Fuck the poor!" Because that's what Jesus would do?
What kind of bastard does it take to know you have that much money and tell some 80-year old couple to go back to work?
Oh, the "Pat Robertson" kind of bastard.
I'm not going to stoop to mocking the faith and good natured naivete of the old couple. If you live that long and still see the world like a wide eyed child I would have to be an unfeeling and vicous son of a bitch to take that from you.
I will instead express my undying hatred for Pat Robertson, who doesn't realize that fleecing the masses is not an acceptable form of income for most retirees even if they could look at themselves in the mirror. Morally bankrupt con man for Jesus... which is his pet name for his off-shore bank account.
“There are many ways of making money, even at 80-years-old,” Robertson said.
If you have to borrow money for medical needs, you simply can't afford to give to charity just now. One can't help thinking that if God loved them back and were happy with the couple's tithing, he'd help them out in some way. Keep the car running, or stop their teeth from deteriorating, or something...
"There are many ways of making money."
Making up shit on TV has worked for you, lying shitbag, proving America is truly fucked up.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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