Why I Don’t Go to Church Part II: The Prosperity Gospel

In a previous blog post I mentioned “The Prosperity Gospel”, which is linked to the Word of Faith and New Thought movements.  I admit that there are some tenets of New Thought and Word of Faith which I actually subscribe to, because when properly applied, they DO work.  Several famous books were born out of these movements like “The Power of Positive Thinking” by Norman Vincent Peale and “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind” by Joseph Murphy. 

I am a firm believer that human beings have a God-given power to use their brains in the right manner to create their own miracles and make things happen.  Some things are beyond our control as humans.  However, there is a direct correlation between people’s conscious beliefs and subconscious belief systems and the outcomes in people’s lives.  So, I can’t and won’t throw the baby out with the bath water. 

When it comes to the giving of my monies to people who are obviously trying to get over, that’s that point at which some of my opinions diverge.  I believe in giving to others in need, with a few stipulations. I believe in giving to organizations that will do something for the greater good of many people, rather than for the greater benefit of a select few people.   I want to see a positive return on my investment as well.  How is the money going to be used to benefit the congregation or people in the community?

The resources of the church should be used to help the people and not be used for the personal gratification and enrichment of pastors and church leaders.  There are churches that provide for the hungry both in the United States and abroad.  Some churches have programs that assist people who can’t pay their rent, utilities or buy food.  Some religious organizations are working on building schools to teach children values and counteract the debauchery in mainstream secular society.

I also believe that you get more when you give from the heart, for the sake of giving, and when you are not looking for a direct recompense.  In my experience, it is much more effective as opposed to giving out of desperation and hoping to get something in return.

This seems to be the hook and crux (no pun intended) behind The Prosperity Gospel:  If you bless the men and women of God (pastors, preachers, bishops, prophets, etc.) and sow seeds of faith, then God will bless you with good health, material riches and prosperity in return.  If you are sick, then God will heal you of all your physical ailments and afflictions if you have faith and sow those seeds.

It’s actually quite ridiculous as God doesn’t need our man-made money.  How does money benefit Him?  I even heard a few prosperity preachers encouraging their congregation to give their rent money or mortgage money to the church as a seed of faith.  In return, the faithful and generous will receive a seven-fold (or whatever arbitrary number they come up with) blessing and return on their money.  LOL!  If you believe that, I have a fine piece of real estate in Brooklyn that I’d like to talk to you about.

The proof is actually in the pudding:  Oftentimes, the bulk of the congregation attending these Mega Churches (where the leaders are prosperity preachers) are poor and middle-class folk.  No matter how much they give, they can’t seem to get ahead financially.  This is in spite of their faith. 

The reason why they aren’t getting ahead is simple.  They are giving their wealth, resources, time and attentions to their pastors.  If there were any truth and validity behind The Prosperity Gospel, then there wouldn’t be so many parishioners struggling and suffering.  Unfortunately, there will always be people who will be poor for their entire lives.  Some people will get sick and die without any healing and comfort, in spite of how many Bible verses they know by heart.