People still want to worship the golden calf... take the Pope for example, the human golden calf.

You are right that tithing was done with produce. Actually, it was two tithes every year with an additional third tithe every 3 years. This indicated that it was landowners who were obligated to do this. The reason given is not that they are too rich and God wants to keep them down at 80%, 80%, and 70% on a third year. What is actually written is that if they do this, God will bless them and make them even more prosperous than if they had kept it. If they do not do this, God will curse them and make them worse off.

From Malachi chapter 3:

6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. 7 From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ 8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

What was this produce used for? The first tithe was used for supporting the priestly caste that worked for God and did not own land. The second tithe was used for the festivals. Finally, the third tithe was for the poor and needy (widows, orphans, and the disabled).

Actually, in Hebrew the word tithe is not special or religious. It is the same as the word "tenth." It is purely numerical with no religious significance. Anyway, when reading Malachi long ago I got a revelation that if God blessing you greatly is the result of giving a tenth or two, then we should be begging God to let us give a tenth and be blessed. Jesus said in Luke 6:38:

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Sounds like Jesus was the first prosperity preacher.

Abraham is the father of faith, and he was a rich man in his time and day. People who give to these preachers and their ministries know they are rich, yet they still give. The rage against them is mostly fueled by jealousy and by people who hate all faith and religion. To the haters even buying a small church building is a waste of money. How much money has Osteen given in his life? How much does he give currently? I don't know. As it says in scripture, "Who are you to judge another man's servant?" Oh and how much money is the appropriate amount of money for a preacher to make? These famous preachers and other famous people can't go to public places like you and I do. They get harassed with ill intent or just with interest. They have crazies that are obsessed with them and might do what one did to John Lennon.

I'm honestly not even a big fan of TV preachers, but the hate for them is often unfounded and unreasonable and fueled by envy and jealousy.

Take a basket of your garden harvest to the church and say it's your tithe, I bet you'd get stoned or crucified.

I've tried to tithe my garden vegetables to my church, but I've found that they prefer donuts and cookies instead. Oh how the congregation hath fallen!

In the words of some black preacher, i saw on the net - "i see y'all are wearing gucci - so don't be giving me poochi !!". Straight up hustling ....

Probably was! Read it backwards, it's better than his haha.

Make up your mind that you won't be fooled, and research for your own. Outlast the temptation of evil. The time is coming for the wicked to be judged. Say goodbye to this world as you know it. Encourage yourself in the Lord. Get ready for the coming kingdom.