Texas pastor: Donate to fix my helicopter and get a new car from God

[Galraedia]

Source: Raw Story

A Texas pastor is being accused of “blasphemy” after he sent out a fundraising plea promising that God would give a new car in “52 days or 52 weeks” to anyone who chipped in $52 to fix his helicopter.

“Do you need better transportation?” New Light Church Bishop Ira V. Hilliard asks in a letter obtained by The Smoking Section. “Do you have a dream vehicle or luxury automobile you long to purchase?”

“We have an urgent transportation need that the Lord said can be an opportunity for you to see His favor and His wisdom released to help you,” he continues. “Scripture teaches when you give to a Kingdom need God will raise up someone to use their power, their ability and their influence to help you.”

Hilliard says that he was excited when the “small voice of the Holy Spirit” told him that God would “release favor” for anyone who helped upgrade the blades on the church’s helicopter.

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/19/texas-pastor-donate-to-fix-my-helicopter-and-get-a-new-car-from-god/

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Aviation experts estimated the value of the church’s helicopter at $1 million. New Light also owns a Hawker jet valued at $2 million and an aviation hangar valued at $3 million.

[Andy823]

1. Fleecing the sheep

I have heard some pretty good con jobs, but I have to admit this one is right up there at the top!

It always amazes me just how many religious leaders can come up with BS like this and their gullible followers fork out the money, no questions asked.

[sigmasix]

28. followers are victims

Neo-Christian fundamentalist oganizations like this use emotional and spritual manipulation of the members to maintain control of thier fear and anger through cultish manipulations of the truth about the real world. I hope that good Americans are able to break the spell of criminally wealthy right wing Jesus revisionaries.
I do feel sorry for teabaggers; what a lonely life and death they must experience by roundly hating everyone that is without teabagger-approved manufactured outrage towards the president and any liberties won since the civil war.
The truely sad fact is that Teabaggers are so aware of the repugnance Americans feel towards them that they hide thier true aims from the American electorate. If teabaggers are so sure of the rightness of thier narrative- why do they always hide these facts from electors? A democracy is a contest of ideas at times- teabaggers will always lose the vote when forced to speak the truth about the alec legislation they are attempting to enact.

[crim son]

44. I have a problem with the "victim" notion.

The evils of these evangelistic parasites have been repeatedly revealed. Calling their followers "victims" is like calling a modern-day smoker a "victim" of the tobacco companies. At some point one has to take responsibility for one's idiocy and I believe that time has come for the American Christian.

[Liberal_in_LA]

50. +1

[movonne]

2. A lot of money can be made in religion..so many can

be fooled...

[Major Nikon]

3. Pay the lord

[shawn703]

4. I see this crap on late night TV

I don't know if it's the same guy or not, but the "pastor" I have in mind had a specific dollar amount that like $282 that people should call and donate and within 282 days they would be rewarded by God financially. He even called it an investment.

[Dash87]

31. Hilarious paid programming. I saw that too.

[KamaAina]

5. Blasphemy?

Is that the technical term for fraud?

[SwankyXomb]

6. To misquote James Kirk,

"What does God need with a helicopter?"

Although a new car for $52 is a pretty good deal. That Lamborghini Cabrera looks pretty nice.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Try this...

[Enrique]

7. "our aviation department..."

if your church has an aviation department, you might be getting ripped off.

[theHandpuppet]

39. LOL!!!

Good one. I thought angels already came with wings.

[dbackjon]

8. And they are tax-exempt, WHY?

[Fumesucker]

9. Now I know why Republicans don't want NASA capturing an asteroid

The temptation to drop it on this motherfucker's head would be too much for humans to bear.

[Paulie]

17. Mofo asteroids on a mofo plane!!!!!

[bluesbassman]

10. Let's see if I've got this right: Jesus rode an ass...

Bishop Ira V. Hilliard is an ass.

Check.

[RushIsRot]

11. Next up, a camel squeezes through the eye of a needle.

Film at 11.

[Paulie]

18. Is that an inflight film?

[SammyWinstonJack]

48. heh.

[TNNurse]

12. I do not care what he thinks will happen

this man is going straight to Hell when he dies. At least I hope there is a Hell for him and a few others.

[SammyWinstonJack]

49. These con artists don't believe in god and their religious panhandling is proof.

[Journeyman]

13. "Prey TV looks like Pay TV to me, it's just a curse on the human race." ~ Pete Townshend. . .

[Warpy]

14. Damn thing aint even broke

Preacher just wants to pimp it out with fancier blades.

Good ole Texas. Prosperity theology isn't selling like it used to in other parts of the country, especially California. That "give the church what you have and you will prosper" rings a little hollow when the congregation is underemployed and the only one who ever prospered was the preacher.

I wish there were a way to sue these guys for religious malpractice.

[trusty elf]

42. ........

[IMG][/IMG]

[Major Nikon]

15. He ain't got nothing on Kenny Copeland

Copeland has a Cessna Citation X ($20 Million), Grumman Gulfstream II ($4.5 million), and a Citation 550 ($3.4 million) plus other assorted aircraft and his own private airport.

Ira is just trying to keep up with the joneses.

[Turbineguy]

19. He should have read The Guide:

http://vincentbiss.wordpress.com/2008/05/27/how-to-make-big-money-from-the-bible-a-practical-guide-for-televangelists/

[Rain Mcloud]

20. Slayer goes to church,unbelievable!

The spirit was present in the mosh pews. Hallelujah!
[link:

|

[Aristus]

21. Disgusting.

n/t

[edbermac]

22. Frank Zappa nailed it with Heavenly Bank Account

And if these words you do not heed, your pocket book just kinda might recede
When some man comes along and claims a godly need
He will clean you out right through your tweed
That's right, you asked for it, remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over
He's got twenty million dollars in his Heavenly Bank Account
All from those chumps who was born again, oh yeah, oh yeah
He's got seven limousines and a private plane
All for the use of his special friends, oh yeah, oh yeah
He's got thousand-dollar suits and a Wembley Tie
Girls love to stroke it while he's on the phone, oh yeah, oh yeah
At the House of Representatives he's a groovy guy
When he gives thanks he is not alone

He is dealin', he is really dealin', IRS can't determine where the hook is
It is easy with the bible to pretend that you're in Show Biz (And the one and the two and the...)
They won't get him, they will never get him for the naughty stuff that he did
It is best in cases like this to pretend that you are stupid

He's got Presidential help all along the way
He says the grace while the lawyers chew, oh yeah, they sure do
And the Governors agree to say: "He's a lovely man"
He makes it easier for them to screw all of you, yes, that's true
'Cause he helps put the fear of god in the common man
Snatchin' up money everywhere he can, oh yeah, oh yeah
He's got twenty million dollars in his Heavenly Bank Account
You ain't got nothin', people
You ain't got nothin', people
You ain't got nothin', people
Thank the man, oh yeah
As we end another broadcast today let me say that "You ain't got nothin' and he's got it all"
And your miserable self is against the wall
The only thing you have not tried, is the sport of chumps, that's suicide

[Marie Marie]

23. And yet, many of the gullible will reach for their checkbooks,

thinking they are helping this charlatan do the Lord's work - usually those who can least afford it. Shameless.

[NaturalHigh]

24. Who made this guy a "bishop"?

Usually a bishop is assumed to be someone in a leadership position over a fairly large region and many churches. What with guys like this and Eddie Long calling themselves "bishop"?

[Brigid]

27. It's his church.

I guess that means, among other things, that he gets to call himself a "bishop" if he wants to.

[Kennah]

32. Bishop sounds cooler than Rook, which rhymes with Crook

[Fastcars]

37. Fairly common in the South

At least in the African American churches I have been exposed to. There is a commercial running here in Shreveport inviting you to join "Prophet" so-and-so on Sunday mornings.

[Kelvin Mace]

25. Proof to me again that there is no god

If there were, the smiting would never stop.

At the very least there would a "defamation of brand" lawsuit.

[Brigid]

26. Dear "Bishop" Hilliard:

Martin Luther would like to have a word with you about selling indulgences.

[longship]

29. I wonder if he speaks in tongues when he begs.

Like this guy:

Whenever you hear glossolalia you are being scammed.

[dothemath]

30. uh oh ..............

Pat Robertson and untold 'gawdly' shyster charlatans are not going to be happy about this. Every dollar he gets is a dollar they can't get.

[Kennah]

33. Mob doesn't let you go after another Made Man--at least not without a sit down.

[Kennah]

34. "First Lady Bridgette Hilliard"

Had to reply the video to make sure I heard that right.

[rpannier]

35. He should have gone with God will take me home

but Oral Roberts already used that in 1981

Plus, he wouldn't be able to use his helicopter to get there

[TxDemChem]

36. Darn, I just ran through all the replies to make sure

No one else had mentioned Oral Roberts. My dad and I still crack up about that every time we visit family in Tulsa.

[TrogL]

38. Why is anybody surprised? This is Prosperity Gospel at its finest

[CanonRay]

40. Elmer Gantry redux

They're all con men of various grades of greed.

[Arkana]

41. There's a special place in Hell reserved for these megachurch snake-oil salesmen.

[Gormy Cuss]

43. If God wants him to have better transportation the preacher should trust in the Lord to provide.

The "small voice of the Holy Spirit?" That wasn't the Holy Spirit, preacher. It was the little devil who sits on your shoulder.

[theHandpuppet]

51. If God wanted him to fly...

... he'd have given the pastor wings.

[sarcasmo]

45. Tax this Charlatan.

[sakabatou]

46. I wonder how many will donate and get fleeced

[The Straight Story]

47. And the govt spake to me and said "More money for defense and you will be safe" and so we gave more

If it ain't preachers it's politicians.

[struggle4progress]

52. Hey, Ira! What a coincidence! You and I got almost exactly the same message!

Except the message I heard was that if you give me money for a new car then your helicopter will be fixed in 52 days or 52 weeks or whenever!

So I'm wondering, old buddy, whether you might could have heard wrong? Maybe you should double-check your answering machine