Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:

Search

Controversial Brazilian Church Under Suspicion

Prensa Latina, Cuba
July 12, 2005
www.plenglish.com

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Wednesday July 13, 2005

Rio de Janeiro, Jul 12 (Prensa Latina) Brazil’s controversial Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a sort of capitalist transnational and exploiter of the peoples’ faith, has been the center of scandal Tuesday, after millions in allegedly illegal funds were discovered.

UCKG

Controverial movement, based in Brazil. UCKG – the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God – also uses the name “Stop Suffering.”

Promotes word-faith theology, with a particular emphasis on the seed-faith doctrine (i.e. if you want to receive money, healing or another blessing, you first must give or ‘sow’ money).

Since its theology and practices are far outside those of normal, biblical Christianity, this movement is considered to be, theologically, a cult of Christianity.

Research resources on UCKG

Headlining the main papers today were the Monday arrests of the deputy of the rightist PFL (Liberal Front Party) and president of this sect, Joao Batista, and another six people in the possession of seven suitcases containing about 10 million reales, some 4 million dollars.

Batista, two bishops and their wives, and the pilot and copilot of an executive jet were all arrested in Brasilia on their way to Sao Paulo.

Money has been a prioritized objective of this sect since its origin, when its founder Edir Macedo split from the other three leaders of another church that had formed, because he demanded 50 percent of the collections.

A release by the Universal Church corroborated what the deputy had said: the money resulted from parishioners’ contributions and was to be deposited in Sao Paulo.

However, the Federal Police suspect it results from money laundering or tax evasion.

In 1992 Bishop Macedo was imprisoned for 11 days in Brazil for fraud and false pretenses and in 1996, investigations began into his methods of collecting funds, fraud involving international currency exchange, tax evasion, and links with drug-traffickers.

Macedo also faces investigations in another eight countries, while Batista is under investigation by the Supreme Federal Court, in relation to the business dealings of five radio and television entities belonging to the sect, as the Brazilian Constitution explicitly prohibits parliamentarians from directing mass media.

The funds have been confiscated until the completion of investigations.