A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt As It Built A Family Empire Including A Pot Farm, A Bank And An Airline

[yskov]

Oh yeah, I remember pretty clearly that little poison crumb Chuck Grassley slipped into the bill. An open invitation to scams - I mean, why do you think we started regulating health insurance in the first place?

[john_adams]

Oh he was my favorite. The trolling tourism got so bad that the airport in MSP had to decommission that bathroom and tear it out…fucking hilarious.

[choska]

When I was a kid told me that multiple times. He also said never leave a self-professed Christian alone with your wife. I was a kid so I didn’t ask why he added that. I’m an adult now and I’m not going to ask why now either. I just know it’s true as death and taxes.

[drtv]

@Ethics_Gradient

I remember that analysts said they were either scams, or if not a scam, doomed to fail, because the business model doesn’t work.

I hadn’t heard of any of this until very recently when one of the (Call 1-800-BIBLE) began advertising a lot on MLB Radio. That it is either a scam or unsustainable is no surprise; the flock needs fleecing.

[shizont]

Has the word “Christian” ever been trademarked or copyrighted?

[shizont]

I know the British Crown owns the copyrights to the King James Bible.

[theod]

It would be interesting to look at Grassley’s donors that year to see what he sold his 200 words for.

[socalista]

state insurance commissioners are barred from investigating

I assume that’s because these “health ministries” are not insurance? If so, some really prominent disclosure of that should probably be required on all their correspondence.

[josephebacon]

Well it’s just another way that Pulpit Pimps fleece the flock.

[lommi]

Pretty much all non-profits exist to serve the top executives first, and everyone else second. These guys are just pushing the grift further and more successfully than most. There is so much sleaze to be uncovered in the non-profit world, but hardly anyone ever even looks. Kudos to Propublica for uncovering a good one.

[dannydorko]

Patriarch Daniel J. Beers, 60, lies at the center of the family network.

Not just there. He lies to everyone wherever he goes.

[dannydorko]

@jsjohnson41

When I ran a small manufacturing company there were several retailers who identified themselves as “Christian” or “Gospel” who “bought” my products. One of them was as honest as the day is long. All of the others cheated.

You didn’t manufacture the devise shown below, did you?

[tao]

Apparently, the Jesus™ that gets us is into bondage too.

[jonney_5]

@dannydorko

You didn’t manufacture the devise shown below, did you?

@tao

Apparently, the Jesus™ that gets us is into bondage too

Ahhh… so this explains Mike Pence

[sparrowhawk]

@lommi

Pretty much all non-profits exist to serve the top executives first, and everyone else second. These guys are just pushing the grift further and more successfully than most. There is so much sleaze to be uncovered in the non-profit world, but hardly anyone ever even looks. Kudos to Propublica for uncovering a good one.

Given that ProPublica is itself a nonprofit, this comment is a little ironic.

[jnbenson]

Self-raping child? I just had an Inigo Montoya moment there. I’m not sure you actually can rape yourself. Well, maybe if you really had multiple personalities, but I think that’s a bigger problem than masturbation.

[tao]

The parents must have really sick minds to think they need to crucify their own child.

[dannydorko]

@jnbenson

Self-raping child?

The head strap prevents self-fellating, too!

[drtv]

That’s another thing entirely…

[wagonmound]

Let’s face it, the easiest con is taking money from born again assholes. Most Christian churches use their position in the community to rip off their members. Say Jesus is for it, and who can be against it? Sad!