@ProPublica@newsie.social John Oliver wasn't the first person to explore the "church as a tax exemption" trick. In the 1970s, I met a guy who was a minister in "The Universal Life Church" (or something with a similar name). They sent him instructions on how to set things up and get all sorts of tax breaks. Meanwhile the IRS was proceeding carefully out of concern that a court precedent could turn the U.S. into a country of ministers, so it worked for a while.