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shmeetz t1_j10knk1 wrote

Reply to comment by Taoistandroid in Brooklyn pastor who was robbed while preaching charged with wire fraud and lying to FBI in unrelated case by Octavus

This comment made me realize, is the US really the only country where megachurches are a thing?

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Luca127 t1_j10l1rg wrote

There is a country wholly dedicated to one church

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bamaxfer t1_j10uubg wrote

There were literal empires throughout history that did this too. And while not Christian, amost all middle eastern terrorist groups (like ISIS) are entirely centered around one teacher of their Faith.

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shmeetz t1_j113vw4 wrote

While both of these comments are true, I think I need to clarify my question. I meant megachurches as in one congregation following one leeching pastor who syphons his congregation's money into his coffers so that he can live an extravagant lifestyle. I know there are theological based governments built on this foundation but their citizens are usually forced to give up their money/resources to these governments. US megachurch pastors are voluntarily given money from their parishioners. That's the difference I am asking about. If there are other countries with megachurches like this.

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bamaxfer t1_j1190y1 wrote

https://www.aproudchristian.com/2021/09/top-15-megachurches-in-world.html

no, they exist worldwide

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07hogada t1_j11nhy2 wrote

As someone who is not familiar with all of these, are they all similar to the US megachurches, where money/stuff gets funneled into one or a small group of preachers, or are they just places of worship with a large capacity? I'm guessing the former, but hoping the latter.

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bamaxfer t1_j11nvlq wrote

Almost all of them I've looked into are vast repositories of wealth collection

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Artephius_ t1_j1158e4 wrote

There are megachurches in many other countries, Brazil, South Korea, a few African nations. Nothing exclusive to the US about greed and brainwashing.

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paintedjeff t1_j11hhxa wrote

No but they originated here and we spread that gospel to other countries. Not all megachurches are bad. Only 95% of them. lol

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