The summary is:
The text is a transcript of a segment from the show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, where the host exposes the practices of televangelists who preach the prosperity gospel and solicit money from their followers. He reveals that he has set up his own church called Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption to test the legal and financial loopholes that allow these churches to operate with minimal oversight and taxation. He invites viewers to send him money and promises them miracles in return, while mocking the absurdity of his own claims. He also performs a fake healing service with his wife Wanda Jo Oliver in front of a live audience. The text ends with him urging people to call an actual toll-free number to donate to his church.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Churches are America's favorite place for redemption and sixth favorite place for chicken.
2. There are roughly 350,000 congregations in the United States, but some of them exploit people's faith for monetary gain.
3. Televangelism is still thriving in this country and some preachers have incredible lifestyles, such as owning private jets and expensive houses.
4. Some preachers preach the prosperity gospel or seed faith, which argues that wealth is a sign of God's favor and donations will result in wealth coming back to you.
5. Some people who follow these preachers do not seek medical treatment for their illnesses, but instead sow money into the church, hoping for a miracle.
6. Churches and religious organizations are given broad exemptions over taxation and regulation by the IRS, which does not have a clear definition of a church or evaluate the content of a doctrine.
7. John Oliver set up his own church called Our Lady of Perpetual Exemption to test the legal and financial limits of what religious entities are able to do.
8. He received 26 letters from Robert Tilton's church after sending him 319 dollars and various items such as oil packets, prayer cloths and an outline of his foot.
9. He invited his studio audience and viewers at home to join his church and send him money through a toll-free number or a website.
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