Not exactly what I asked, To clarify, what I'd really like to know is: how in the world people get taken in, not by TV evangelists per se, but by the stereotypical TV-evangelist type of con-man, weaselly and smarmy - one whose only connection to the Almighty is whatever reverence he feels when looking at "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency. Via cable TV, I watched and listened to one - preacher, I guess you could call him - tell his audience that if they failed to give a "Man of God" money when he asked for it, they would go to hell. Unbelievable. Preying on probably the deepest, darkest fear of mankind, just to acquire money. To be fair, he probably put some of it into the church. No wonder the love of money is known as the root of all evil. He was a compelling speaker, I'll say that. Smooth. Sincere. Personable. Preached from the Bible and never missed a beat. Had I not heard the "give money to me or go to hell" message, I would have liked him, too. He did seem a bit polished, but in light of his radiance, I ignored it. He fired up that congregation like the Fourth of July. Later, I heard his last name. It's the same word that describes a certain US monetary unit, and, no, it's not the name of a former President. It would have easy to get caught up in the emotion and drama if you'd been there, and simple enough for the TV viewers. When you really want to trust someone, it takes little effort to sit in the handbasket and overlook all the little warning signs as the ship rolls downhill, picking up steam. When that someone wants you to trust him, he mesmerizes. Tells a million truths, to slip in one lie. People almost have to trust him once they start investing in his vision of eternity. Nobody likes thinking he's been duped - and if the heat of the moment feels anything like hell, people can't give fast enough to the man who's selling all the water. The wolves have always been at the door, but sometimes they stand on the pulpit, quoting scripture, and mentally licking their chops at visions of cash pouring in like water over the dam. I wonder how much loot comes from the weekly robbery. You can't help but remember how Jesus dealt with the moneylenders in the temple. What in the world must God think about men or women who try to sell salvation?

They trust them because it's easy. No work, no commitment, no dressing up in their Sunday best and no need to leave their comfort zone. It's actually a form of avoidance and responsibility. It eases their conscience and fills a need. So while the evangelists run all the way to the bank the giver blindly hands it over and receives some sort of satisfaction too. Much of it is based on guilt. If they give to the TV evangelist they have forgiven themselves for lack of participation in life itself. Their neighbours, community, local church or food bank may require help but it doesn't give them satisfaction to do that so they seek out the frauds who are much more glamorous and dramatic. Everyone loves a great stage show.TV preachers are also handing out passes to Heaven and people want a ticket. The price tag doesn't matter. I believe many people understand that TV preachers are fraudulent but they live in denial because most are as selfish as the preachers themselves. For the elderly it's a different story. They might already be isolated or discarded by family and community so in that case their only connection is with television personalities. The message is always the same; give to me I will pray for you so dig deep and then deeper. People do exactly that and continue to receive prayers as long as the money is flowing. What a scam it is but people continue to give keeping the scam a lucrative one. Bank accounts of the elderly are wiped out but there's always another to prey on. It's a win-win situation for the TV evangelists.

My guess is that the people who are taken in by TV evangelists are even more lazy then those that go to church every sunday and do all sorts of praying then to going out and help those who really need hands on care and real participation. It's the easy way out.

Television evangelists are, in some respects, trained performers on a stage. There is a little of the performer in every minister who speaks from a pulpit - they need to get their congregation to listen. Some of them are decent people with the best of intentions, but there are the others. Some are naturally gifted or have successfully learned the techniques to create a strong rapport with and extract a desired result from a mass audience, either in person or through media such as television, radio, film, and even print. They are invariably gifted orators, know what their audience wants and needs to hear, and can work the audience's emotions very effectively. Television is a wonderful medium for this process, as it is visual, it can be edited very creatively, and there is no one present to raise a dissenting voice at an inopportune moment, as can happen during a live event. One is tempted to place some of them among the best of the propagandists of the 20th century. Some of them have, no doubt, studied the propaganda techniques used by the best orators, the worst demagogues, and the slickest salesmen of the past century. There are certainly ample recorded materials and hundreds of texts on the subject. It is all the same process, regardless of what the speaker is trying to accomplish. An excellent example of these techniques, used in many film study programs (where I first encountered it), can be found in the 1935 film "Triumph of the Will", directed by Leni Riefenstahl. It is a masterful example of the art of propaganda. The wrong people may have sponsored it, but many have studied it since.

as creflo a. dollar stated "cash rules everything for lovers of a dollar"

Why did so many people trust Hitler? Any cunning snake can fool a few rats. Smart, sneaky people will say what people want to hear for their own gains, and the unlearned will be caught. They prey on people's hopes and self-esteem needs for their own self-gain, reaping damnation upon themselves. People like to think they can get to heaven by their own merits because it builds up their pride. "Oh, I gave x # of dollars to a religious cause, now I can feel good about myself." This is contrary to what Jesus said, for Biblical teaching contradicts what our human natures tell us to do. We get to heaven through repentance, by humbling ourselves, the breaking of our pride, and trusting not in ourselves but in Jesus apart from any efforts of our own. The Bible says to love our enemies rather than hate. To forgive rather than avenge. To focus not on the physical but on the spiritual. To love giving more than receiving. To do good in return for evil. It asks us to deny human nature, for then it is clear that God dwells in us and we're not living according to our own desires and by our own power. I am grateful to have a pastor who's so averse to such tactics he actually addresses them. He asks for all new members to the church to put in the offering plate only the welcome card with some info about their visit. Also, we give free resources like Bible, books, tapes, and cd's to people at our welcome center free of any charge. I LOVED his sermon on tithing before, and you know why? :D Because he stated loud and clear that if anyone thought he was saying it to get their money, if they even suspected it, he didn't want ONE CENT to be put in the basket. He was preaching because the Bible calls for it to be given to God, and if we even SUSPECT he's trying to do it for the money then go to some other church and give to God what belongs to him but DO NOT put a cent in that basket. The point wasn't to support this church but simply to give to God the portion belonging to Him, and not because we have to but because we want to. The whole point is relationship with Jesus and if we don't have that no amount of money going into a basket will get us to heaven. Tithing is an act of worship and what matters most is the state of the heart. The point isn't the amount but the proportion and thus the heart, as when Jesus pointed out the widow who gave all her livelihood in what was worth about a penny.

Jesus said it is easier for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle than a rich man to go to heaven. The "eye of the needle was a small door leading into the center of a market place. The door was short and narrow and was built that way because people who either bought or sold items in the market place usually strapped thier belongings on the camel, and men would tax the amount of luggage on the camel. So the only way the camel could get through the door was to get on its stomach and crawl through the door and if he couldnt fit items were removed and taxed untill he could fit. See a man or rich man willnot crawll on his stomach yet remove items that were earned, not even for his soul, therefore Jesus said it is easier for a Camel to walk through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get to heaven. I say all this to make a point do not watch T.V. evangelist because they preace of prosperity and going to hell if you do not help the church in riches. People want money, they measure succes in how mich money they make in a year. T.V.E's know this so the say "God wants you to be rich he wants you to have money and nice cars, a pretty wife and a mansion, so if you give God money he will bless you in tenfold." WRONG!!!!! Jesus said what profit a man if he gaineth the world but loseth his soul. But people dont want to listen to that, everyone is about "I want, I feel, I like." Let me ask you this if those evangilist preached against alchohol, how many people would support him? None because the people that watch those guys are afraid of conviction, but love prosperity. They want to know that Jesus loves them no matter what and that they can do anything with out it being a sin. They belive the are free to drink because they are fre in Christ. "freedom means free from, NOT free too."

For the same reason they believe used car salesmen and politicians. They need to believe in something.

I think you've hit the nail on the head as to why people trust these men. They speak a million truths and only one lie. Since most people don't even bother to read the bible in it's entirety on their own they have no choice but to believe what an apparent " man of God" tells them. It is the fault of the people if they don't make sure whatever a preacher tells them meshes with what the bible tells them. The bible itself tells us to do just that. It also gives a list of standards that must be met for a person to be an acceptable pastor of a church and if a person doesn't meat these requirements then they shouldn't be pastors. If you get taken in by someone then you have only yourself to blame. And as far as a false teacher goes, well there is a very special place in hell for the likes of him/her.

I may be wrong here but I feel that one of the major reasons why people trust the televangelists is because they have, through deception and mind control, come to view these people as almost god-like. They have all but taken the place of Jesus while on the stage. The evangelist may use God's name often but the focus is always on them. Their outlandish circus acts take away from the glory and praise that should be directed towards God. Their ministries are man-centered instead of God-centered. Not all are like that but a large number are. It all boils down to money. All of their parading up and down the stage with their growls, grunts, hisses, blowing on people, blaring and hypnotic music, shoving people on to the floor and a few other tricks of the trade. All are done to keep alive the people's hopes and dreams long enough to get their money. When the meeting is over and many go home unhealed and a 100 dollars less in their checking account, they are left in a daze, wondering what happened. Then go to the next meeting only to have the same thing happen again. Mind control not Spirit control is why so many are taken in.

Frightening isn't it? I'm a Christian, and I cringe everytime I flip on the TV and see one of those guys on there. About a week ago, I was watching a guy who said it was his "ministry" to help spread the word about how being in debt is a sin...etc. I watched only because I knew what was coming, and I absolutely couldn't believe it when he actually asked for people's "faith offering"...oh, and it could be given by way of credit card. These guys make me sick...if anything because they make real Christians look all that much worse. Oh, I'll need your name and credit card information for this answer...or you can send a check to...(totally kidding).

Just looking for a friend, someone to pin their hopes on, or are just plain desparate. Those are my top three which takes care of about 97.6% of the many people who care at all.

I need a vacation. I answered this question twice. ;)

Easy , simple answers and they know how too appeal to the masses which are often the elderly, the lonely and or the lost.

Because they are gullible and believe that any preacher, whether on TV or not can be trusted.

Because these people willingly open themselves up to suggestion

They are looking for a leader of God totrust and it is so hard to find as so many so called men of the Lord are evil and are only using God for greedy ways and goods.

Because idiot sheeple would rather be told what to think than think for themselves.

Because the modern church has failed in teaching it's members. Most sermons are on such a basic second grade level and there is no encouragement to learn and grow. Most churches now a days are mostly concerned with numbers and how many pews they can feel each week. People aren't learning enough of Scripture to be able to pick out the lies from the truth. These guys on TV use just enough truth to make what they are saying look legit, and people are too ignorant to know any better.

Because of lack of commitment to their own general assembly and if they don't have one it's easy to trust someone that isn't physically in front of you.

Gullibility, stupidity, ignorance, greed.. You name it. Think about this one for a while, "I am surrounded by priests who repeat incessantly that their kingdom is not of this world, and yet they lay their hands on everything they can get." [Napoleon Bonaparte] He was right then and he's still right, but Napoleon couldn't have known how out of control those bastards could ever get. If the human race had known it would ever be like it is now i suspect Christianity nor any religion would have ever been given a second thought, but the fear of the unknown is a powerful motivator. If you HAD to jump into a bottomless pit (no options) and some stooge stood on the side with you and promised the pit has a giant pillow on the bottom to save your ass, but it only cost you every penny in your pocket would you pay it or take your chances with the rocks?

I've never understood it.

As the great Evangelist W.C. Fields once said "There's a sucker born every minute!"

That and Fox News I will never understand.

"...Preying on probably the deepest, darkest fear of mankind..." "Smooth. Sincere. Personable. Preached from the Bible and never missed a beat. Had I not heard the "give money to me or go to hell" message, I would have liked him, too. He did seem a bit polished..." "It would have easy to get caught up in the emotion and drama if you'd been there..." "What in the world must God think about men or women who try to sell salvation? " He's a salesman, he has his market, and he is trained to do what it takes to get results. His actions are to win trust and his results are to accrue wealth. When you 're competing, intentions don't matter, only results. They are masters of the subliminal and manipulation. They know that people who watch them on TV are usually so desperate for any escape from what they've turned their lives into that they'll buy happiness from anyone selling. If you want to understand it, you have to block out everything except the target demographic and the intended result. the process builds itself from there.