A woman on Reddit sparked a wave of outrage and sympathy after revealing that her mom regularly claims they’re broke, while secretly sending thousands of dollars to a megachurch.
“My mom says we don’t have enough money, but I catch her giving thousands of dollars monthly to a megachurch,” the person wrote on r/mildlyinfuriating earlier this year. The post, which included a photo of a $600 online donation receipt to Bill Winston Ministries, drew over 142,000 upvotes and more than 7,600 comments.
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Private Jets And Airplane Funds
The receipt showed contributions like $300 in tithes, $100 for missions, and a $30 donation to an “Airplane Fund.” That last item became a flashpoint for ridicule and anger across the comment section. “Gotta have that airplane fund so Pastor Fancy Pants can soar with the eagles and not have to be sitting next to some poor sinner on a United flight,” one person wrote.
Others pointed out how blatant the grift appeared. “Airplane fund on the receipt is very bold,” another commenter said. Some joked that the church leaders couldn’t possibly fly in a “metal tube full of demons”– a reference to televangelist Kenneth Copeland‘s infamous explanation for why he needed a private jet.
The screenshot added fuel to growing frustration over prosperity gospel churches, which promise financial blessings to donors. As one person wrote, “This isn't mildly infuriating. It's enraging!”
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Commenters flooded the thread with personal stories of loved ones who were also caught in similar cycles. One person said their grandmother lived in a roach-infested apartment but sent most of her fixed income to her church. Another wrote, “We didn’t have enough money for me to go to the doctor or the dentist, but we sure had enough to give her church $100 a week.”
‘How Is This Even Legal?’
The thread painted a bleak picture of religious manipulation, with many describing megachurches as cults. Some called for regulatory action, questioning how these tax-exempt organizations can rake in millions. “How is this even legal? I think an IRS audit is overdue. Televangelists are vultures,” one person said.
One of the most upvoted comments put it bluntly: “These people are nothing more than con artists with tax exemption.”
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Some offered cynical solutions, like blocking the church website at the router level or redirecting donations to a dummy site. Others emphasized that confronting loved ones in these situations is incredibly difficult, especially when belief is tied to fear, shame, and the hope for a miracle.
A few Christians in the thread condemned the megachurch model as well. “You should only give what you can afford. Tithing is bullsh*t,” one person said. “If that tenth of your income is what you need to eat… you shouldn't give that much.”
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