Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption explained

Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption
Founder:John Oliver
Type:Parody religion
Headquarters:CBS Broadcast Center, New York City, New York, US
Leader Title:Megareverend and CEO[1]
Leader Name:John Oliver
Website:
archive

Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption was a legally recognized parody religion in the United States established by the comedian and satirist John Oliver. The church was announced on August 16, 2015, in an episode of the television program Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. Its purpose was to highlight and criticize televangelists, such as Kenneth Copeland and Robert Tilton, whom Oliver argued used television broadcasts of Christian church services for private gain. Oliver also established Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption to draw attention to the tax-exempt status given to churches.

During his show on September 13, 2015, Oliver announced that the church had received "thousands of dollars" and a variety of other items from viewers, and announced that the Church would be shutting down. The segments and later spinoff segments featured the comedian Rachel Dratch as Oliver's fictional wife, Wanda Jo. All donations were given to Doctors Without Borders.

Oliver created two spinoffs of the church in later segments. In April 2018, Oliver founded Our Lady of Choosing Choice, which owned the van labeled "Vanned Parenthood" (a reference to Planned Parenthood), for a segment about crisis pregnancy centers. In June 2021, Oliver set up a church in Florida called Our Lady of Perpetual Health, which owned the health care sharing ministry "JohnnyCare", satirizing the lack of regulations on such ministries.

Creation

On August 16, 2015, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver broadcast a segment about televangelism, the practice of using television broadcasts for Christian church services. In the segment, Oliver criticized televangelists like Kenneth Copeland and Robert Tilton for using donations from their programs to pay for private luxuries and pointed out that such donations were tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) regulations.[2] [3] [4] The host opined that part of this was due to the IRS's lax requirements; he pointed out that only three churches were audited in 2013 and 2014.[5] Oliver established Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption partly to demonstrate the lack of legal requirements to establish a tax-exempt religious organization and to illustrate the "disturbingly easy" process. The host explained that he was able to found the church due to "vague" legal restrictions. He chose his New York City studio for the church's official location, but registered the nonprofit organization in Texas.[6] During the satirical infomercial segment of the episode, the comedian Rachel Dratch appeared as John Oliver's fictional wife Wanda Jo Oliver; she later reprised the role in episodes featuring spinoffs of the church and in Last Week Tonight 2019 segment about psychics.[7] [8] [9] The "megachurch" used a toll-free phone number to permit callers to donate to the church, and said that all monetary donations would be redistributed to the charitable relief organization Doctors Without Borders upon the church's dissolution.[10] [11]

Oliver criticized the practices used by televangelists for donations, which included promising that donations and prayer would cure sickness or that donations would get rid of credit card debt. In his broadcast on August 16, the host revealed letters of his months-long correspondence with Tilton, in which he initially sent $20 to Tilton's church and received a letter back asking for more in donations; by the end of the correspondence, he had received a total of 26 letters and donated $319.[12] Oliver criticized pastors such as Tilton, Copeland and his wife Gloria, Creflo Dollar, and others for using the IRS's religious tax breaks for personal luxuries.[13]

Response and dissolution

Oliver later announced that in response to the episode, viewers of Last Week Tonight had sent in "thousands of dollars", international currency, a check for $65billion, and different packages of seeds, including semen (in reference to the "seed faith" gospel the show was parodying).[14] [15] Callers to the toll-free number heard a pre-recorded message from Oliver demanding donations.[16]

A week after the announcement of the church's creation, Oliver devoted a short segment of his show to the donations the church had received, which included money from around the world. Oliver said he had received "thousands of envelopes with thousands of dollars" from donors, displaying several US Post Office containers full of mail. Oliver told viewers that the more money they sent in, the more "blessings" would be returned to them, adding that "that is still something I'm—amazingly—legally allowed to say".

On September 13, 2015, Oliver announced on Last Week Tonight that he was closing Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption.[17] A message on the church's website stated: "We're also not closing down because you all kept sending us actual seeds, even though we explicitly told you not to. We're closing because multiple people sent us sperm through the mail."[18] Upon the church's dissolution, Oliver announced that the tens of thousands of dollars received would be donated to Doctors Without Borders and mockingly said that "if you want to send money to a fake church, send it to Scientology".

Reception

Matt Wilstein, writing in Mediaite, compared Oliver's stunt to the comedian Stephen Colbert's "Colbert Super PAC", which Colbert used to test the limits of the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC.[19] Many reviewers agreed with Oliver's characterization of televangelists as "frauds".[20] [21] [22] Some reviewers found that Oliver's criticism of the IRS was incomplete and useless;[23] [24] others criticized Oliver's failure to discuss the long history of tax-exempt status for churches. Steve Thorngate, writing in The Christian Century, suggested that the question of religious tax exemption was more difficult and nuanced than Oliver portrayed, and not a simple matter of government regulation. However, Thorngate agreed that Oliver's exposure and criticism of televangelists was accurate. After the segment aired, the IRS was pressured to investigate televangelists and their use of tax-exempt status.[25] [26] [27] The IRS and the televangelists discussed in the segment did not publicly comment.[28]

Spinoffs

On April 8, 2018, Last Week Tonight broadcast a segment about crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs), which dissuade pregnant women from getting abortions, often through misinformation.[29] [30] Oliver highlighted an image of a van that would park outside centers to advertise free ultrasounds. Oliver filed paperwork in New York to start the nonprofit Our Lady of Choosing Choice, which owned the CPC van labeled "Vanned Parenthood" (a reference to Planned Parenthood).[31] Oliver announced the van at the end of the segment on CPCs with Rachel Dratch as Wanda Jo, who made multiple incorrect medical claims to point out the right CPC workers have to misinform patients.[32] [33] Oliver finished the segment by saying: "This is all perfectly legal and there is absolutely nothing stopping us from parking outside an abortion clinic tonight and haranguing people in the morning."[34] Pro-life organizations and CPC operators criticized the segment for presenting a "one-sided" argument, with one CPC founder calling it a "hate piece".[35]

On June 27, 2021, Last Week Tonight broadcast a segment about health care sharing ministries (HCSMs), which are religion-based organizations where members' premiums directly pay the healthcare costs of other members, exempt from tax. Oliver discussed the lack of regulation on HCSMs, allowing the organizations to deny coverage for anything, and advocated for states to pass laws mandating that HCSMs disclose their practices and properly allocate funds.[36] [37] In 2018, Florida eased restrictions on HCSMs, changing the criteria from mandating that an HCSM have people of the same religion to having people who "share a common set of ethical or religious beliefs". Due to the lax requirements, Oliver founded the church Our Lady of Perpetual Health, which owned the HCSM "JohnnyCare".[38] Oliver announced the new organization in an informercial at the end of the Last Week Tonight segment about HCSMs, bringing back Rachel Dratch as Wanda Jo.[39] Oliver stated that 5,000 Florida residents could sign up for a $1.99 fee and receive a JohnnyCare-branded set of bandages in return.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Watch John Oliver Blast Televangelists, Create His Own Mega-Church. Reed. Ryan. March 31, 2015. August 27, 2015. Rolling Stone.
  2. News: Stern . Marlow . August 24, 2015 . John Oliver's Bogus Church Is a Huge Success: 'Thousands of Dollars' Received . en . . July 16, 2023 . July 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230716013205/https://www.thedailybeast.com/john-olivers-bogus-church-is-a-huge-success-thousands-of-dollars-received . live .
  3. Web site: Mazza . Ed . August 17, 2015 . John Oliver Exposes Televangelism, Then Forms His Own Tax-Exempt Church . July 16, 2023 . . en . May 31, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230531170802/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-televangelism_n_55d18b8fe4b0ab468d9da515 . live .
  4. News: McIntyre . Catherine . August 17, 2015 . John Oliver Started a Legitimate Tax-Exempt Church (And Is Accepting Donations) . . live . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230716013150/https://nationalpost.com/entertainment/television/john-oliver-started-a-legitimate-tax-exempt-church-and-is-accepting-donations . July 16, 2023.
  5. Web site: Greenberg . Scott . 2015-08-20 . John Oliver Set Up His Own 'Church' to Make a Point about the Tax Code . 2023-09-16 . . en-US.
  6. News: Pellot . Brian . August 18, 2015 . 'Megareverend' John Oliver Trolls Televangelists with New Tax-Exempt Church . . live . August 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150819025650/http://www.religionnews.com/2015/08/18/john-oliver-hbo-last-week-tonight-televangelists-church-irs-creflo-dollar-tilton-copeland/ . August 19, 2015.
  7. News: Adams . Sam . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Opens 'Vanned Parenthood' to Reveal How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Mislead Women Who Want Abortions . en-US . . live . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220925011205/https://slate.com/culture/2018/04/watch-john-oliver-open-a-crisis-pregnancy-center-video.html . September 25, 2022.
  8. Web site: Martin . Garrett . June 28, 2021 . John Oliver Revives His Church to Launch a Fake Health Care Plan in Florida . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230131190311/https://www.pastemagazine.com/comedy/john-oliver/john-oliver-healthcare-fake-church/ . January 31, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . . en-US.
  9. Holub . Christian . February 25, 2019 . John Oliver Mocks Psychic Readings on Last Week Tonight . live . . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20230525022820/https://ew.com/tv/2019/02/25/john-oliver-psychics-last-week-tonight/ . May 25, 2023 . July 16, 2023.
  10. Web site: Scott . Nate . August 17, 2015 . John Oliver Takes on Televangelism on Last Week Tonight . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150822104843/http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/john-oliver-takes-on-televangelism-on-last-week-tonight . August 22, 2015 . August 17, 2015 . USA Today.
  11. Kreps . Daniel . September 14, 2015 . John Oliver Shuts Down Fake Church Over Unsolicited Semen . . July 15, 2023.
  12. Web site: Bradley . Laura . March 31, 2015 . Praise Be to John Oliver, Who Started a Church Just to Expose Televangelists . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150817165753/http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/08/17/john_oliver_televangelism_last_week_tonight_creates_a_church_to_hilariously.html . August 17, 2015 . March 31, 2015 . Slate.
  13. News: Ohlheiser . Abby . March 31, 2015 . Comedian John Oliver Takes on the Prosperity Gospel by Becoming a Televangelist . . live . March 31, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201228190806/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/08/17/comedian-john-oliver-takes-on-the-prosperity-gospel-by-becoming-a-televangelist/ . December 28, 2020.
  14. Web site: August 24, 2015 . John Oliver Televangelist Church Received 'Thousands of Dollars,' Seeds and Beef Jerky . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150826221454/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/john-oliver-televangelist-church-received-817058 . August 26, 2015 . August 25, 2015 . The Hollywood Reporter.
  15. News: Ohlheiser . Abby . August 24, 2015 . John Oliver Has Received 'Thousands' of Donations for His Televangelism Ministry . en . . live . August 25, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150927182245/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/08/24/john-oliver-has-received-thousands-of-donations-for-budding-televangelism-ministry/ . September 27, 2015.
  16. Web site: Heath . Larry . August 17, 2015 . Here Is What Happens When You Call 1-800 THIS-IS-LEGAL After Watching Last Week Tonight . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230715212129/https://www.theaureview.com/watch/here-is-what-happens-when-you-call-1-800-this-is-legal-after-watching-last-week-tonight/ . July 15, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . The AU Review . en-AU.
  17. Web site: Felder . Adam . April 17, 2016 . What Does a John Oliver 'Evisceration' Really Accomplish? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170125214536/http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/04/late-night-comedy/475485/ . January 25, 2017 . January 14, 2017 . The Atlantic.
  18. Dornbush . Jonathan . August 14, 2015 . John Oliver's Last Week Tonight Church Has Closed Its Doors . live . . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20230421044153/https://ew.com/article/2015/09/14/john-oliver-church-closes/ . April 21, 2023 . July 16, 2023.
  19. News: Wilstein . Matt . August 17, 2015 . John Oliver One-Ups Colbert Super PAC by Creating His Own Tax-Exempt Church . . August 18, 2015 . August 25, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150825011710/http://www.mediaite.com/tv/john-oliver-one-ups-colbert-super-pac-by-creating-his-own-tax-exempt-church/ . live .
  20. Web site: Glick . Hans . August 25, 2015 . The (Tax-Exempt) Church of John Oliver . August 5, 2023 . . en . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/john-oliver-called-out-a-crazy-tax-policy-and-its/ . live .
  21. News: Blair . Leonardo . August 17, 2015 . Comedian John Oliver Lampoons Televangelists on Last Week Tonight Show; Opens Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption Church . . live . August 18, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150823142157/http://www.christianpost.com/news/comedian-john-oliver-lampoons-televangelists-on-last-week-tonight-show-opens-our-lady-of-perpetual-exemption-church-143003/ . August 23, 2015.
  22. Web site: Jasso . Silke . August 31, 2015 . Televangelists Are Scummy Frauds—But That Doesn't Mean We Should Let the IRS Play Theologian . August 5, 2023 . . en-US . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://rare.us/rare-politics/issues/taxation-nation/televangelists-are-scummy-frauds-but-that-doesnt-mean-we-should-let-the-irs-play-theologian/ . live .
  23. Web site: Thorngate . Steve . August 17, 2015 . Why Is John Oliver's Televangelism Segment About the IRS? . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20150820000830/http://www.christiancentury.org/blogs/archive/2015-08/why-john-olivers-televangelism-segment-about-irs . August 20, 2015 . August 18, 2015 . The Christian Century.
  24. Web site: Mayer . Lloyd Hitoshi . September 3, 2015 . Churches and Taxes: What John Oliver Got Wrong (And Right) . August 5, 2023 . . en . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/what-john-oliver-got-wrong-and-right-about-churches-and-taxes . live .
  25. News: August 20, 2015 . IRS Getting Pressured To Crack Down On Televangelists Following John Oliver's Segment . . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150821111635/http://washington.cbslocal.com/2015/08/20/irs-televangelists-john-oliver/ . August 21, 2015.
  26. Web site: Conger . Kate . August 23, 2015 . IRS Pressured to Investigate Televangelists After Last Week Tonight Segment . August 5, 2023 . . en-US . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/john-oliver-televangelist-irs-investigation/ . live .
  27. Web site: Mejia . Paula . August 23, 2015 . IRS Under Microscope After John Oliver Televangelism Segment . August 5, 2023 . . en . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://www.newsweek.com/irs-under-microscope-after-john-oliver-televangelism-segment-365291 . live .
  28. News: Chang . Lula . August 24, 2015 . Demonstrating the Power of Journalism, John Oliver May Prompt IRS Crackdown . . August 5, 2023 . August 5, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230805151250/https://www.digitaltrends.com/web/demonstrating-the-power-of-journalism-john-oliver-may-prompt-irs-crackdown/ . live .
  29. News: Smith . Joanna . August 7, 2010 . Deception Used in Counselling Women Against Abortion . . live . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121023004336/http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/844997 . October 23, 2012.
  30. News: Castillo . Monica . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Takes Crisis Pregnancy Centers to Task for 'Actively' Misleading Women . Washington Post . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221229190857/https://www.thelily.com/john-oliver-takes-crisis-pregnancy-centers-to-task-for-actively-misleading-women/ . December 29, 2022 . July 15, 2023 . en-US.
  31. Web site: McDermott . Maeve . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Creates 'Vanned Parenthood' to Expose Crisis Pregnancy Centers . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180621030757/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2018/04/09/john-oliver-creates-vanned-parenthood-expose-crisis-pregnancy-centers/498321002/ . June 21, 2018 . July 16, 2023 . . en-US.
  32. Web site: Schaffstall . Katherine . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Creates Crisis Pregnancy Center Via Last Week Tonight Church . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20221004051649/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/john-oliver-creates-crisis-pregnancy-center-last-week-tonight-church-1101052/ . October 4, 2022 . July 16, 2023 . . en-US.
  33. Reed . Ryan . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Shows Corruption of Crisis Pregnancy Centers By Opening One . July 16, 2023 . . en-US . July 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230716000928/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/john-oliver-shows-corruption-of-crisis-pregnancy-centers-by-opening-one-630181/ . live .
  34. Web site: May . Charlie . April 9, 2018 . John Oliver Exposes the Truth Behind Crisis Pregnancy Centers by Opening His Own . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230602104447/https://www.salon.com/2018/04/09/john-oliver-exposes-the-truth-behind-crisis-pregnancy-centers-by-opening-his-own/ . June 2, 2023 . July 16, 2023 . . en.
  35. Web site: Showalter . Brandon . April 10, 2018 . Pro-Lifers, Crisis Pregnancy Center Operators Push Back Against John Oliver's 'Hit Piece' . August 26, 2023 . . en-US . August 11, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230811142635/https://www.christianpost.com/news/pro-lifers-crisis-pregnancy-center-operators-push-back-against-john-olivers-hit-piece.html . live .
  36. News: Horton . Adrian . June 28, 2021 . John Oliver on Healthcare Ministries: 'They Are Not Health Insurance' . en-GB . . live . July 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210628184733/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jun/28/john-oliver-healthcare-sharing-ministries . June 28, 2021.
  37. Web site: Mazza . Ed . June 28, 2021 . John Oliver Exposes One of America's Worst Ideas by Creating a 100% Legal Scam . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230514172337/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/john-oliver-health-care-sharing-ministry_n_60d96a49e4b01ec760f438e1 . May 14, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . . en.
  38. Web site: Welsh . Caitlin . June 28, 2021 . John Oliver's Fake Church Is Now a 'Healthcare Sharing Ministry' in Florida. Let Him Explain Why. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230615153900/https://mashable.com/video/john-oliver-healthcare-ministry . June 15, 2023 . July 15, 2023 . . en.
  39. Web site: Ivie . Devon . June 28, 2021 . Blessed Congregants, John Oliver's Fake Church Now Has Fake Health Care . July 15, 2023 . . en-us . February 9, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230209100306/https://www.vulture.com/2021/06/last-week-tonight-john-oliver-and-rachel-dratch-form-church.html . live .

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