If you were to look through my YouTube subscriptions list, you would notice a few channels with a common theme. IRLrosie, Kitboga, Trilogy Media, Scammer Revolts, Jim Browning, and Scammer Payback, are all "scam baiters". That is, they look for people who, one way or another, seek to trick people into giving them money, and they waste their time. These scammers often capitalise on legitimate organisations. They may claim to represent Microsoft, Amazon, or even the IRS. Using these false identities, they spin a story intended to make their victim hand over their money.
Microsoft, Amazon, and the IRS are all very real organisations. What fool would look at the scammers using their identities and say "because the scammers use these company names to do bad things, these organisations are illegitimate"? "Hey, Bill Gates, you stole £500 from my grandma by making her buy gift cards to pay for work you never did on my computer!" It just wouldn't work, would it? Bill Gates runs a legitimate computer company, and it is the scammers who pretend to be from Microsoft who steal that money. The scammers are parasites, but they do not actually affect the legitimacy of Microsoft.
This concept seems like a no-brainer. Of course no one is responsible for those who do bad things in their name. Why, then, does God receive a shred of blame for the con artists who misuse His faith to do bad things? Christianity has been an excuse for many bad people, even con artists, but how does that mean Christianity itself is a con? It doesn't.
The thing about scams is that there are various marks you can look out for that distinguish illegitimate organisations from the genuine article. With scammers, for example, you can look out for:
- Them calling you (especially if they don't know your name) about a refund (especially for a purchase you never made).
- Them asking you to pay with gift cards, which no legitimate company would do.
- Them trying to gain access to your computer.
- Them asking you to log in to your bank.
- Them coaching you on what to say when you buy gift cards or withdraw money.
These are just a few obvious marks of a scam (and I highly recommend following any of the channels I listed above for more). Much like regular scammers, "Christian" scammers have various telltale markers that they aren't genuine either. These can be identified by studying scripture. The Prosperity Gospel is an excellent example. Those who fall for it typically want financial gain, but of course the only one who gains from this scam is the prosperity preacher themselves. The problem is that the scripture explicitly condemns those who believe Godliness is a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:5). One single verse destroys the entire scam, and that's not even the beginning of it. So why should God take a shred of blame for prosperity preachers?
The irony is, there is one legitimate way for God to take the blame for a religious scammer. That is for them to repent, and confess Jesus as the risen Lord. This is hardly the mark of a scam. Heck, those who allegedly "invented" Christianity gained nothing on the earth! They didn't ask for money. They didn't even ask for food, even when they could have, but rather, worked for it (2 Thessalonians 3:7-12). Some of them even left wealth and status behind. And that's just ignoring the beatings, imprisonment, and various other persecutions they faced, which for many of them included martyrdom. The only thing the Apostles had to gain from Christianity is if it is true. If Christianity is not true, it is the dumbest scam the world has ever seen. If it is true? Better repent.