Here is Wikipedia's explanation of what a Ponzi Scheme is:
- Quote :
- A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors, not from any actual profit earned by the organization, but from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering returns other investments cannot guarantee, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors to keep the scheme going.
You can see the rest of the article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_schemeIn short, a Ponzi Scheme is the the promise of great rewards for an investment. But these rewards are not generated by your investment, but paid for by the person or organization you invest with.
Jesus told the rich ruler to invest everything he had in the poor and needy, in return the rich ruler would receive eternal life. But this eternal life would not be based on the rich ruler's investment, it would be paid for by Christ Himself when he went to the cross. Is that a Ponzi scheme? It seems to have the elements of a Ponzi Scheme.
As Christians we are told to make investments of our faith, money, time, and talents to help others, and we are promised the reward of eternal life in return. But we do not earn the reward with our own investment, it's paid for by Christ. Does this mean Christianity is a Ponzi Scheme?
And what about those tele-evangelists that make promises of great rewards if you just support their "ministry" with your tithes and offerings. Is it any less a Ponzi Scheme because it's done within the realm of religious freedom?
If you want a great harvest you have to first plant a seed. If you want great blessings from a God you must send in your "seed-faith" gift to the tele-evangelists "ministry." Aren't these tele-evangelists making promises it's not possible for them to keep. Is that not a Ponzi Scheme?
Isn't everything we as Christians based on future rewards? And aren't these tele-evangelists using the concept of future rewards for personal gain? Why is that not some form of fraud, even a Ponzi Scheme? And why are they not in jail?
I do want to say, not all tele-evangelists are like that. There are those that preach and ask for your support without making promises of future rewards. I see no problem with that. But there are those that do make promises of future rewards for supporting their "ministry."
The money-changers were thrown out of the temple by Jesus. Today's money-changers need to be thrown out of the church as well, and maybe they should be put in jail. It is apparent to me that a part of Christianity today is a Ponzi Scheme. At the very least, these tele-evangelists that are using the the Biblical promise of future rewards for their own personal gain are frauds, and should be put in jail.
