Why John Oliver Has Started His Own Church

He's skewering profit-seeking televangelists
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 17, 2015 9:38 AM CDT
Why John Oliver Has Started His Own Church
John Oliver now his his very own church.   (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

There's a new church in town, courtesy of John Oliver. On his HBO show, Oliver created the awesomely named Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption, reports the Wall Street Journal. As the name suggests, Oliver is using it to skewer mega-churches that exploit their followers for money in exchange for salvation. Because they're "churches," the evangelists in charge of them pay no taxes on their millions. And it's no mere skit: Oliver has indeed created the church and is soliciting donations at its website. The fine print, however, reveals that the money won't be lining his pockets, notes Time:

  • The church “may choose to wind down and dissolve in the near future. Upon dissolution, any assets belonging to the Church at that time will be distributed to Doctors Without Borders, a non-profit charitable organization that is tax-exempt under § 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN: 13-3433452) and which provides emergency medical aid in places where it is needed most.”
(More John Oliver stories.)

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