Hello, skeptics. Nebraska preacher HAYK. Kunneman's latest fundraising twists involves an urgent
plea to buy land for his ministry, claiming divine guidance. Initially seeking three
million dollars within a week, Kunneman later back pedal, citing divine advice that
the purchase wasn't necessary. The abrupt change left many wondering about his true intentions.
While some may find this tale amusing, it's a concerning example of religious
grifting, with Kunneman's congregation of potentially being taken advantage of for his financial gain.
This articles untitled a preacher or urge his church to donate three million dollars,
then he changed his story from the Friendly Atheists by Him and Meta Publish
September eleven, twenty twenty three. Now, I'm sure you have a take
on this, Jimmy, let's hear it. Yeah. I think this is
just said and it's more of the same grifting from religious organizations and so called
leaders that we've seen so many times before. First of all, my question
is why do people accept this kind of thing from religious leaders? Would they
accept it from their friends, or their sibling or their employer? I mean,
all I would need is one eye opener in which I realized I had
been conned or stolen from, and not only would I cease to ever trust
that person again, but it would force me to further question all future endeavors
that are even remotely similar to that one. We see this all the time
too, in cases of child abuse. I mean, would not one child
abuse at any of our kids or excuse me one one example of child abuse
at any of our children's daycare forced the place to close most likely, but
not at a church? Right? We keep giving these people money, and
I honestly feel sorry for the kind of people that not only fall for this,
but don't recognize that they've been taken advantage of. And when it comes
to this guy asking for three million dollars and then all of a sudden,
what God just changed his mind? Or was he wrong? One thing is
for sure there are some very desperate and mentally abused people who have obviously suffered
some harsh indoctrination or feel they have no other options, who just give a
lot of money to a conn on it. I think that's where I want
to stop now or for now, I want to see what Kelly's thoughts are
on that. You know, you mentioned what kind of what kind was God
wrong about the real estate deal? I get it made me wonder too.
I started thinking about that, what kind of real estate deal would be so
bad that even God couldn't fix it, that even God had to pull out
of it. I mean, it's only three million dollars, what's that the
God? That's just the pittance right to the Supreme Make look at Rome.
Three million dollars is just a pittance. I think we can all see that,
you know. So what was wrong with the property? Was there like
an open gate to Hell? What was going on it was? Was there
something? Was it full of rusty old iron chariots and God couldn't get rid
of them? What was going on there? I just I have so many
questions about it, and I think we all know what actually happened. Was
he I think he was only able to raise one point two million, was
what the deal was, and so, you know, because he didn't get
the money he needed, it was really it turned out to be a bad
deal. I think that's what it was more about than anything else. So
I'm sure it's something that he'd like to say about this instead of just introducing
the story. I can see the smoke coming out of his heres. What
do you got for us, infidelp Well, you know, I have to
say that Hank's messages appeared to be keep on believing, don't let your eyes
and your brain deceive you. If it seems I'm wrong, God's testing you.
Just keep on giving. And of course there might be a side of
real estate laws complicated even for God. Well, I also had to wonder
what he spikes the communion wine with. You know, I did watch the
ninety minute video where they pimped out for their land offering, and I got
to admit it, it was pretty painful. Even in two X it's a
little more than a ninety minute infomercial in front of a live studio audience.
I couldn't help but think people got up Sunday morning to go to church for
that. But I do wonder if it's a little bit judgmental to notice the
cost of the jewelry that they paraded around by the servants of God and you
know, doing all they could for God. And you know, maybe it
was a little judgmental, But I'm okay with that, you know. And
you know, God giving his prophets, prophecies with right wing propaganda build into
it. You know, beware the Chinese and their conniving ways being used by
the devil to buy the land. Yeah, I think you're right, Kelly.
I think it had more to do with not being able to raise the
funds. But the truth is, you know, using an ACME product might
have actually increased the believability of the act. It really was that bad.
Now when it comes to prophecies, as you said, is his connection to
God is more than a little faulties. He's flewing and screwing up in many
areas. God, his God, says one thing, then Hank says he
said something else. Entirely Oftentimes they're both wrong. You know, Hank's not
new to the shifting con game. God routinely changes his mind and hank world.
You know, Hank's rendition of the Christian God is more like Loki the
Tricks. Maybe that's the cell you, Hanks. God is about as decisive
as a three year old in a candy store who knew that God was the
O gas lights is ridiculous, Jerry. Yeah, I'm so glad that you
brought up God living in Hank's world because this is not the first time that
God has changed his mind when it comes to Kuneman. By the way,
in twenty twenty one, Kuneman claimed that after God told him that Donald Trump
would win the twenty twenty election, God then changed his mind informing Kuneman in
a November fourth dream this is twenty twenty, that Joe Biden, who was
actually the devil, would win. God wanted people to think that the prophets
were wrong and that God was off working out the issue on his own time.
At June eleventh, twenty one, article by Newsweek by Jason Lemon,
Christian prophet claims God didn't restore Trump yet to make people doubt prophecy. So
why is God such a trickster? I thought he wanted people to believe in
him and avoid going to Hell. Well, I don't believe in God and
I don't believe Kuneman. The Vatican has three point nine billion dollars and a
bulletproof popemobile. Maybe Ken is it Ken? I'm sorry? Did I get
the name wrong? Hank Kuneman? Yeah, maybe Hanks should be asking for
more since his meager seven hundred thousand dollars net worth that he can from his
congregation is obviously not enough for him, particularly when it comes to Christian preachers.
Compared to Kenneth Copeland's three hundred million dollar fortune and Joel Austin's one hundred
million dollar fortune, this is honestly just sad, terribly unfortunate. It reflects
the worst of us as people, and those of us who become predators that
target the weak and vulnerable, which is how religion thrives. I mean,
this whole thing is about this congregation wanting to give this guy money so that
he can build a better church and use this land to do God's work.
But if they're in such plight, why couldn't God just help them through that?
Why did he have to hire a grifter to collect money then to change
his mind? And I will say on a lighter note, I recently bought
a house in New York and it was hell okay, it was the challenge
of my lifetime. And I think maybe God was behind the sale because he
would have to be with his bad real estate advice. Kelly, take it
home, you know, yeah, there, you set a lot there,
and I agree with most of it. One of the things that I noticed
too in the speech, and I don't know if you guys picked up on
it, But did anybody pick up on the racism in the speech? I'm
talking about the reference to China. Somehow it was bad that. I mean,
it was like he was using China as the villain because some Chinese company
wanted to buy the property and he had to keep the Chinese from owning this
part of America for the good of God or something. And I was it
really really came off racist, And I was wondering if if Hank Kunaman's God
is racist and he doesn't like the Chinese, or maybe he just doesn't like
the Chinese financing real estate. I'm not sure what was going on there,
but Hank win straight there the Chinese are bad and they shouldn't known property.
And I don't really think God cares who buys real estate, does he?
I mean? Should he? Does God hate the Chinese like Hank Kunaman apparently
doesn't a lot of us right wing followers do. I've got there's so much
to talk about there, and I don't know because I don't talk to God
like Kaye Koneman does, or does he really talk to God. You're gonna
say something, Jimmy, I do. I do? And forgive me for
stepping over you. I didn't mean to. No, no, no,
But there is uh in recent months or recent years really some reporting that China
has been intentionally buying real estate to place itself close to government buildings and US
military bases. So so that is a theory, uh, And I wonder
if he was just trying to relate it there. I just don't see the
connection though. When he says Chinese, it was probably referring to the Chinese
government, if that was indeed he was talking about. But I do believe
that yes, delivered that way, there is an element of racism, and
I don't I honestly, I don't think that his congregation probably minded considering you
know, if I will my own biases towards I guess right wing Christian nationalists.
I just have them pegged automatically as somewhat bigoted people. And I think
that that you're right there. I would even bet that not only did they
agree with them, that they would also agree that thinking that way isn't even
racist. How would right you know? So yeah, yeah, that's the
sad part is that they don't even they don't even recognize the racism when it's
happening and I've experienced that with other right wing evangelicals in the past. It's
kind of weird and sad in a lot of ways. So infidelity, you
have something else you wanted to end you look like you did. Yeah,
well, I've got to say that I think you're both are dead right on
the racist aspect of this whole Chinese angle. It's just an easy sell.
It's another one of those things that I think they're preconditioned to think, Okay,
they're the enemy because you know, you talked about you didn't think God
cared about you know what nationality bought something? Well, you know, churches
for decades. Now you know, God bless America, God Bless America,
America's special, America's you know, this city, shining city on a hill.
They're all all these different things and and and all this historical racism that
goes along with it. It's kind of like a pre big message. I
mean, why why mess with what works? You know, Jimmy, you
mentioned that you you pretty much presume a certain level of bigotry when you deal
with, you know, evangelicals, and it's hard not to coming from that
background and knowing where I came from, it's difficult to presuppose you're getting through
because there's so much that you don't even realize that you're being conditioned to.
It's not like you go, damn, you know, I hate these people
or I don't like these people, or I'm better than these No, it's
not that. It's the same thing about they're they're fine, but they anytime
you start labeling anyone, they you start digging big holes. You know,
you start saying, there's someone else. They're other. They're not us,
they're not we, they're them. There's somebody other. And that's that's that's
what he's appealing to here and and and unfortunately it's far too common, and
it's something we see because it's such an easy draw, and it works time
and time again. Oh they're going to do this. The devil's going to
take this away. It doesn't matter how many false prophecies, you just need
one that's right. Throw yourself an easy one out there, and hey,
we'll see. He told us this was going to happen. So here it
is. So forget the next twenty that are wrong, because you know what,
it sounded good. It tickled our ears right now, And that's what
I'm going with what feels good, and Jimmy not well said, I have
nothing more to add on this, So I think this was a really good
discussion and I appreciate both of you guys. Kelly, you thank you muted.
Yeah, if I pulled the Johnny Pangel there, I don't have much
to add either except that I totally agree with you that I don't understand how
when when you somebody like Kuneman has put up a whole long list of failures
that his followers still follow him, they still believe the things that he says,
that he was still able to get one point two million dollars when he
wanted it, when he asked for three. It just blows me away.
You know, I felt you have something. Yeah, we know. One
thing I did want to point out is and it is puzzling I think in
some ways, at least on an intellectual basis, for all of us to
understand why did they keep falling for the same thing over and over again.
But the truth is is that we're starting with the religion that goes starts out
with Jesus saying surely I come quickly. That's been two thousand years. So
if you want to talk about being able to buy a line of goods.
You know, let's start there. Sorry, Kelly, I just wanted to
think, no, no, that don't know. Don't be sorry for jumping
with that. That was fine, But yeah, that's I mean, that's
the one that gets me. And we see it, not just Kooneman,
but so many people that in the evangelical world that I just keep pulling that
wool over the eyes of their followers over and over and over and over again,
still getting away with it. I don't get it. I just don't,
honestly don't understand it. But that's what it is. And this was
a great talk. I really appreciated you guys being here with me. If
you'd like to see more from the nonprofits, you can catch it right here.