'Pay-to-pray': Trump reportedly charging supporters $100,000 to attend church service with him

[CatWoman]

The day before his inauguration, President-elect Donald Trump will reportedly be attending an interfaith prayer service in Washington D.C. His wealthiest supporters can also attend — if they write or solicit a big enough check.

That's according to a recent report in Religion News Service (RNS), which published promotional material from Trump's inaugural committee showing a list of different tiers of "benefits" depending on how much a donor gives. On Saturday, January 18, donors can get tickets to a "Make America Great Again Victory Rally," a Cabinet reception and a dinner with Vice President-elect JD Vance. And on Sunday, January 19, donors who give $100,000 or raise $200,000 can get two tickets to the "One America, One Light Sunday Service." RNS reporter Jack Jenkins described it as a "pay-to-pray" event.

Jenkins reported that the location of the service has yet to be announced and that it remains unclear who is hosting the "One America, One Light" prayer service. But Sean Feucht — a conservative Evangelical activist who has promoted Christian nationalism — is hosting an event dubbed "Revive in '25" the day before Trump's inauguration.

Feucht's event is reportedly being hosted at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. However, the Rev. William H. Gurnee, who is the pastor at St. Joseph's, insisted that he hadn't given Feucht permission to use his church.

"While I was asked to host the event, I informed the organizer that I needed more information and it was mistakenly reported that final permission was granted," Gurnee told RNS. "It is my feeling that this event would be better hosted at another location."


https://www.alternet.org/pay-to-pray-trump/

[jls4561]

1. Oh Lord, if you are still of a mind to smite the wicked, I have a suggestion.

[badhair77]

2. Absolutely outrageous. Unless of course someone in a white robe shows up to

toss the money changers from the building. I’d think about paying to see trump meet God’s wrath.

[Initech]

3. Fuck him for playing the Jesus card and making people pay for it!

I really hope Satan has a special circle of hell reserved for the whole lot of them!

[Grolph_]

4. He is selling seats to a church service

Where, who knows, probably end up virtual and he still keeps the cash.

He is a thief. Emoluments anyone?

[TheRickles]

11. Yes. Emoluments should have been the focus of the impeachment proceedings.

Using his gov't position to make money for his private businesses was straightforward enough for anyone to understand. Very black-and-white, unlike the morass of legal details that prevented the hearings from gaining real momentum.

[Dave Bowman]

5. Another day, another crazy news about that creepy grifter.

[sop]

6. Like Black Hand extortionist Don Fanucci (Godfather II), Trump just wants to wet his beak.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

7. He fakes being religious for political correctness.

I was told this by two Corinthians!

[Ping Tung]

20. When it comes to money everyone has the same religion. Voltaire

[tanyev]

8. Oh, that's what Cardinal Dolan meant by saying Trump takes his Christian faith seriously.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219847452

[allegorical oracle]

9. My question: Why are these "fees" to occupy a space with him called donations?

He's a lame duck. So, to what and to whom are donors donating?

[Retrograde]

17. Because "bribes" or "kickbacks" are too obvioius?

According the OP, he hasn't cleared this event with the people responsible for the venue, but since Donnie believes he has a "mandate" it's all OK - what Dear Leader wants, Dear Leader gets.

Maybe there will be a freak bolt of lightning during the event - if so, I'll reconsider my belief in a benevolent deity.

[wnylib]

24. Would make a great scene in an AI video to troll the MAGAs.

Might even make a few of them think.

[Tarzanrock]

10. Does the criminal stealing and grifting never stop with Republican thieves?

I can remember reading in a Holy Book how Jesus, the Son of God, physically whipped the shit out of some immoral, fucked-up money changers at the Temple.

[TheRickles]

12. Next up - selling indulgences. Why not?

[Irish_Dem]

14. Trump is already selling them, calling them tariff exemptions.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Maybe he could sell some Jesus relics.

Genuine Bible Jesus wrote and sold to his own followers.

Genuine cross Jesus made into necklaces.

And of course all the little MAGA hats Jesus made himself.

We all know Jesus sold tickets to the Last Supper.
Trump has copies of those tickets and could sell them.

So many possibilities.

[Norbert]

15. This is simony

Simony is the buying or selling of something spiritual or closely connected with the spiritual123. It is more widely defined as any contract of this kind forbidden by divine or ecclesiastical law1. Examples of things that can be subject to simony include ecclesiastical offices, pardons, or consecrated objects.

It sounds like there is no teeth for punishment of Simony. Anyhow, the orange malignancy is as much a man of the cloth as I am another basketball great equal to Stephen Curry.

Dipshit donnie continues to stretch the boundaries of grifting.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

16. That's what I want: to sit in a pew crammed between Trump and Musk

Or maybe I should just call them Edon.

[Takket]

18. how very pious of him

[Ping Tung]

19. He discovered that people make a fortune in the religion racket.

Maybe he can take over the old "dispensation" business and sell tickets to heaven even if you continue sinning.

Of course God will probably demand his own cut.

[lame54]

21. Trump raids collection plate

[Orrex]

22. This might be the single best thing that I've ever read.

If God doesn't show up and smite every last one of them, we can definitively conclude that there is no God.

Just kidding. That ship sailed many millennia ago, but the situation is still hilarious.

[2naSalit]

23. What a great time and place for...

A little spontaneous combustion!

Still have that spot open on my BINGO card!

[Buddyzbuddy]

25. How much will the Easter service cost?

[Blue Owl]

26. And don't forget to set up the merch stand with the 95% markup bibles

Milk every last penny off these suckers

[keithbvadu2]

36. The Trump Bible with only a partial US Constitution in it.

[otchmoson]

27. Practice for post-presidential grift?

Why should the current crop of televangelists make all the money. This guy can practice on our dime and be ready to grift bigtime when (if) he leaves office.

[rasputin1952]

28. Well...

This butt-nugget has absolutely no shame.
Oops, pardon me, we all knew that.

From what I can recall from my Lutheran upbringing, the only time JC ever got angry, was when he came across the 'Money-Changers" at the Temple in Jerusalem.

There are religious people out there that try to keep true to their faiths (I'm not one of them) and then there are cynical, miscreants like DJT, who's gods are money and recognition, thier religion is Greed. I respect the former and despise the latter.

I am a tolerant atheist, I've sat by the beds of people who were exhaling their last breath, just so they would not die alone. I've seen families who never visited their "loved one's" while in hospitals or hospice, but showed up the next day to strip rings off of fingers, go through clothes and wallets, purses, before I would take the body to the morgue. I am nowhere near perfect, I judge people by their actions, I say nothing, I observe. I've seen countless acts of love and caring. There are always a few whom I can say I despise, but I keep it to myself.

Except:
I have never held back on my loathing of DJT, but this is even more despicable than previous actions.
I'm an atheist, I do believe that whatever format this jerk pays off to hold this event, that the event has two individuals in attendance, DJT and the low life that would accept his "30 pieces of silver."

[Turbineguy]

29. What else can he do?

Born to grift.

[Blue_Tires]

46. I've always wondered why Donnie didn't just start his own church

He's already a cult leader, might as well make it official 😒

[ancianita]

30. Of course it's an interfaith Mammon worship service. St. Joseph's Catholic Church on Capitol Hill would not

allow such a "service," because Catholic churches don't hold "worship service."

https://stjosephsdc.org/home/mass-times/

Feucht's event is reportedly being hosted at St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church on Capitol Hill. However, the Rev. William H. Gurnee, who is the pastor at St. Joseph's, insisted that he hadn't given Feucht permission to use his church.

"While I was asked to host the event, I informed the organizer that I needed more information and it was mistakenly reported that final permission was granted," Gurnee told RNS. "It is my feeling that this event would be better hosted at another location."

Like all Catholic churches without exception, they celebrate the sacrifice of the Mass only. That's it and that's all.
https://adw.org/parishes/st-josephs-on-capitol-hill/

[FakeNoose]

44. I hope you're right, I want to believe that no Catholic church would do this

[ancianita]

48. The idea that an interfaith group could take over a Catholic church makes

no sense in the catechism and liturgy of Jesus's 20-century old church founded on Peter, the apostle who first proclaimed him the Messiah.
No Catholic parish priest or diocesan bishop would allow such a thing.
Any protestant church would, but not the apostolic Catholic church.

"Interfaith" Christian believers of Luther's adherents from 5 centuries ago are considered "ecclesiastical communities" by the Catholic church.

[Seinan Sensei]

31. And if they cannot afford $100,000

I’ll let them come sit next to me in church for the low, low price of $100

[keithbvadu2]

37. I'll let them take my place for $10.

[Ocelot II]

32. Of course he is.

I'm surprised he hasn't started charging people to watch him take a dump.

[Oneear]

33. Pay to Play to be in the same Room with Donald J. Trump

It takes money to make the payoffs, Just like the money changers at the Temple does not end, and your Wallet is thinner

[Geechie]

34. Hope Gurnee has good security

If you know what I mean

[Trellastic]

35. King Herod Agrippa did not give glory to God and

he was eaten by worms.🪱🪱 According to some commentary King Herod wasn't instantly eaten by worms, but at some point after he had been struck down. There is even an article about the health conditions of King Herod Agrippa which state that he had kidney disease and that his genitals were infested with worms (https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98107&page=1).

Acts 12:18-24
New English Translation
18 At daybreak there was great consternation among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 19 When Herod had searched for him and did not find him, he questioned the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. Then Herod went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there.

20 Now Herod was having an angry quarrel with the people of Tyre and Sidon. So they joined together and presented themselves before him. And after convincing Blastus, the king’s personal assistant, to help them, they asked for peace, because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. 21 On a day determined in advance, Herod put on his royal robes, sat down on the judgment seat, and made a speech to them. 22 But the crowd began to shout, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!” 23 Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. 24 But the word of God kept on increasing and multiplying.

BibleGateway.com

[keithbvadu2]

38. Will Donald be selling wine and crackers?

Donald J. Trump who ridicules Holy Communion.

Trump: Drink my little wine, have my little cracker

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2015/08/13/donald-trump-religion-serfaty-dnt-erin.cnn

[kacekwl]

39. If that church and all inside

is not struck by lightning then that proves there is no god.

[JoseBalow]

40. He's nothing more than a cheap charlatan

A magnet for gullible rubes.

[Norbert]

41. Please God. Strike this church with lightning

[canetoad]

42. That would obviously be

The Church of the Blighted Hypocrite. Shameless.

[FakeNoose]

43. No Democrat would EVER have done this

And God damn whatever church that makes this grifting possible.

[Blue_Tires]

45. Is there a single institution that has failed harder than the church?

[malaise]

47. Pay to be preyed on

Happy Holidays CatWoman😀