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Post by pim on Oct 1, 2016 23:45:09 GMT 10
Religions should lose their tax-exempt statusby Garry Linnell www.smh.com.au/comment/its-long-past-time-to-take-taxexempt-status-of-religion-20160929-grrn89.html1. And so it came to pass that in the Year of our Lord, 1921, the American astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered the galaxies were flying apart. Behold, he said, the universe was expanding. And so the Unbelievers declared that science was capable of explaining everything and that God – if not dead – was surely suffering a terminal illness. 2. And in the Darkness that followed great men of science applied reason, logic, research and experiments to further shed light on the wonder of the cosmos and the intricate beauty of life on Earth. 3. And by the start of the 21st century it was generally agreed that God had passed away peacefully because He was no longer needed. For the rest of time there would be no need to invoke a Supreme Being to explain how the heavens were created, why birds and beasts roamed the Earth or even the complexity of petrol prices and why they always rose a day before a Long Weekend. 4. But in the Year of Our Lord 2016 a chorus of Hallelujah! rang out across the land of Australia. In a nation of Unbelievers where two thirds of the population did not believe in Him, where only 8 per cent of the people regularly attended church and where 84 per cent of the masses strongly believed that religion and the state should be kept separate, a handful of Believers within the coalition government brought God back to life. 5. And so he was resurrected, despite the wishes of the large majority of the nation. And so it came to pass that his influence did grow and did permeate all manner of life in the land, from the infliction of a possible plebiscite over same sex marriage – for how else could opponents of this abomination secure public funding to argue against it? – through to the increased funding of religious schools. 6. And throughout all of this it was also made clear that in a society that liked to regard itself as secular, His message – and the words of other assorted Gods, prophets and alien life forms inhabiting the body of Tom Cruise – would continue to be supported by taxpayers by allowing all religions tax-exempt status. 7. And across the land barely a whisper of protest could be heard that more than $30 billion annually in subsidies was handed out to these religious organisations, despite a Royal Commission uncovering decades of systemic abuse of children and parishioners by many of His followers. 8. And it was noted by a handful of cynical Unbelievers that the NSW greyhound industry was shut down for far less. 9. And even though the Unbelievers did grudgingly admit that many of these tax-exempt religions did practice admirable social work and make a contribution to the betterment of the society, their charitable work was far outweighed by the estimated riches they accrued. Behold, they whispered, the charity sector had earned $104 billion in income in 2014, with more than a third of them nominating their chief purpose to be the advancement of their religion. 10. And it was noted that Scott Morrison, the Minister appointed to solve a massive budget black hole not even Professor Stephen Hawking would dare approach, would never consider an obvious solution – to lift the tax-exempt status of religions and cults. 11. And very few other representatives of the people, with the exception of Senator Nick Xenophon and a handful of others, had the courage to speak up on behalf of the majority. 12. And not one of them dared to make a plea for these religious institutions to provide one shred of evidence to support the existence of their God, or to utter the timeless observation of science that absence of evidence is surely evidence of absence. 13. For they knew that the power and the glory rested in the hands of the religious right in the governing Coalition and that MPs like Kevin Andrews had become the true High Priests of Australia. 14. And so the Unbelievers simply shrugged their shoulders and conceded a review of the Charities Act – that could lead to religions paying tax like most businesses and individuals – would never really amount to much. And that it was far better to pray for other miracles, such as a Senate that passed legislation, a faster internet speed across the land and a human being to answer the phone when you called Telstra to lodge a complaint. 15. And thus it came to pass that in the Year of Our Lord, 2016, heavenly music did rain down upon the ears of all the Unbelievers. And that sound everyone heard was not a chorus of Angels, but a choir of cash registers ringing out in the pulpits across the land.
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Post by pim on Oct 2, 2016 0:26:09 GMT 10
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 8:46:49 GMT 10
(click on the picture to read the news story)
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 8:50:42 GMT 10
from The New Zealand Herald....Destiny Church's shower of cash5:00AM - Tuesday, December 02, 2014Bishop Brian Tamaki called the money A Sweet-Smelling Fragrance.IT LOOKED as if it was raining money at Auckland's Destiny Church on Sunday.
Photos tweeted by church leader Bishop Brian Tamaki showed many high-denomination bills on the floor.
The photos, one which Bishop Tamaki captioned: A Sweet-Smelling Fragrance that is Acceptable to God (Phil 4:15-19). My God shall Supply all your need, drew widespread criticism on social media.
Another photo was accompanied by the text: The main stage at Destiny Church Auckland ... this morning ... littered with 10,000s of $100 & $50 bills ... Attitude.
The church, which is led by Mr Tamaki and his pastor wife Hannah, has hit headlines in the past for financial expectations placed on its members.According to ex-congregation members, families were pressured to give love offerings and other cash donations above the expected tithe.
However, the church has denied this and said none of its members were forced to tithe.
Mr and Mrs Tamaki have also defended their reputations in the past, following publicity around their lifestyle.
Last year, Mrs Tamaki who owned several homes, drove a black Audi station wagon and had a $90,000 diamond ring, rejected claims she led an extravagant lifestyle.
What is wealth? I don't have a lot of money in the bank but to me success is inspiring other people, she said.
Last month, it also emerged the church's tax-exempt status was under the microscope after it was issued with overdue notices for the late filing of annual returns for 14 Destiny-affiliated charities.Six of these charities, which received a combined $5.5 million in donations in the most recent returns, are more than a year overdue in filing statements with the public charities register.
When contacted by the Herald about the photos Mr Tamaki tweeted, a spokeswoman for the church said the organisation had no comment.www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11367227 from the HERALD on SUNDAY....Destiny's $6 million windfallNew figures reveal the deep pockets of Bishop Brians followers.By BEVAN HURLEY | 5:00AM - Sunday, December 07, 2014The Tamakis have refused to release a more detailed breakdown of where the charities' money is spent.DESTINY CHURCH-affiliated charities received nearly $6million in donations in the last year after self-appointed Bishop Brian Tamaki demanded churchgoers give generously for the so-called City of God.
Destiny's finances are back in the spotlight after Tamaki last weekend implored his parishioners to shower the stage with high-denomination bills during a church service, boosting church coffers by $100,000.
He later tweeted: A Sweet-Smelling Fragrance that is Acceptable to God (Phil 4:15-19). My God shall supply all your need.
A Herald on Sunday analysis of Destiny's latest charity statements show its 14 charities received $5.75m in donations in the 2013-14 year, up from $4,610,023 the previous year.
The figures are in financial reports to the Department of Internal Affairs Charities Service. The charities include individual churches, the Destiny School, social services and housing organisations, and receive hundreds of thousand of dollars annually in Government grants.
The rise in donations follows several years of declines in charitable donations to the church. When unveiling plans for Destiny's City of God in Manukau in 2012, Tamaki said: I don't care what the media say. I don't care what your relatives say. I don't care what the world says. Nobody should be not tithing.
Charity deed papers show Tamaki has been removed as a trustee from all of the church's charities, but retains absolute power of veto of any decision made by the Trust Board over the Destiny Church Auckland Trust, which received more than $2m in donations last year the highest for any of the charities. Hannah Tamaki is a trustee of 11 of the charities. The Destiny charity statements were uploaded to the Charities Service register in October, after the Herald on Sunday revealed the 14 charities were overdue in filing their returns, in some cases by more than a year.
Emails released under the Official Information Act show Internal Affairs issued a please explain to Destiny after Herald on Sunday inquiries about the late-filing charities.
The Tamakis have refused to release a more detailed breakdown of where the charities' money is spent, or how much they are paid in salaries. They have been criticised for their lavish lifestyles, enjoying overseas trips travelling business class, buying expensive cars and jewellery, but say how much they are paid by the church is their business.
Destiny Church spokeswoman Anne Williamson said: The church has experienced a steady growth in membership since our move to 25 Druces Road, and that is reflected in our donations. The church's financials were available to the giving community of Destiny Church, but they would not be posting details of staff wages to others.
Destiny also receives more than $1m a year in taxpayer funding for its school and social services.
Its trust Te Roto Taone Nui Trust, which provides housing, received $507,158, in Government funding, up from $392,460 the previous year. And the school received a Ministry of Education grant of $269,179, up from $266,400.www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11370108 from the HERALD on SUNDAY....Your Destiny is to pay and payBy PAUL LITTLE | 5:00AM - Sunday, December 07, 2014Money is acceptable to God and Brian Tamaki.FOR Hannah Tamaki it must have been the week from you'll pardon the expression hell. First, her husband, Bishop Brian, receives a set of orders direct from God in his avatar as the Holy Spirit, telling him to instruct his parishioners to take bills in large denominations and place them on the stage during a Destiny Church service. Because this is the sort of thing God thinks about all the time.
Hannah may have tried to discourage the bishop but from what I hear, Destiny Church hews closely to Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church.
Anyway, as if that wasn't enough for her to deal with, doesn't the big lummox go and post photos of the event on Twitter, which quickly alerts the world to the fact that Brian Tamaki does one mean Scrooge McDuck impression, even if he does stop just short of actually diving into the money.
A social media-driven firestorm erupts and what does the Bishop do? He goes pig hunting with the builders. And guess who's left to front the media?
That's right. Hannah has to try to explain to the likes of TV3's John Campbell what on Earth her husband was thinking.
Chance would have been a fine thing, because all Campbell wanted to talk about was how much money Hannah and Bishop Brian had.
As far as organised religions go, the one with which Destiny has most in common is Lotto: a large number of people pay out regularly in the hope of receiving a windfall that is actually never going to happen.
That, of course, is their choice. But not everyone who donates to Destiny gets that choice. You and I, for instance, who as taxpayers contribute to the church via taxpayer-funded grants such as the $860,000 it received from the Ministry of Social Development for youth programmes.
Bishop Brian specifically told his congregation that by laying down their money at his feet, they would qualify for unprecedented favour from the Lord.
Bishop Brian is effectively selling God's services as though the Lord is a deity for hire.
This sort of thing, when done by the Catholic church centuries ago, so incensed Martin Luther that it led to the Reformation, one of the greatest upheavals in European history.
Here, it has led to Campbell having a tawdry conversation with Hannah Tamaki about money.
She and her husband, she confessed, are humble wage slaves, receiving a salary signed off by the church's board.
She wouldn't say how much they are paid, but she did acknowledge that they travel business class, which means it's an obscene amount.
She also discussed her jewellery, which, she confirmed, includes a $90,00 ring.
How did she pay for that? Well, she saved up. Have you ever tried to save $90,000? It's nearly impossible.
She wasn't wearing the ring because she was having it insured and getting quotes. I can only imagine what it must be like to have jewellery so valuable that you have to shop around for insurance.
Doesn't hearing about other people's problems make you grateful for your own lot in life?
What critics get most agitated about is that the source of these wages is ultimately the poor people who come to Destiny in the hope of finding wealth rather than providing it.
But giving Destiny your money won't make you richer, it will only make you poorer.
How much poorer?
That's up to you, really. How much are you prepared to give?www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11370070 from the HERALD on SUNDAY....Destiny shows its true object of worshipEDITORIAL | 5:00AM - Sunday, December 07, 2014What was the point of placing the money on the stage?SELF-APPOINTED bishop Brian Tamaki was immensely proud of the money raised by his self-created Destiny Church this week. He asked parishioners to put their tithings on stage, and posted pictures of the sea of $100 and $50 notes on Twitter. He called it, a sweet-smelling fragrance acceptable to God.
Later, he was proud of the media attention it attracted. Top 10 news every time, he tweeted. Media criticise but boy, they love the ratings they get.
There is something endlessly fascinating about Tamaki. To see him doing an imitation of a slick American-style evangelist in a Kiwi accent is to wonder every time how gullible people can be.
It is their own money, of course. They will be aware of the lifestyle they are providing their pastor and his wife. Whatever he is putting into their lives, they must think it worth the money.
That haul on stage, Tamaki told his congregation, was an idea the Holy Spirit had put in his head the night before.
What was the point? Were they celebrating money itself, or the sacrifice of a congregation who probably have not much to spare, or the charitable purposes for which it might be spent?
If the latter, they were not saying what those were.
The point was publicity, which is good news. It suggests business has been slowing for them and needed a boost.
It is nearly 10 years since Tamaki's delusions of a large following led him to think he could be elected to Parliament. Destiny received just 0.62 percent of the vote in 2005, less than half the number who voted this year for Kim Dotcom's Internet-Mana Party.
There is seldom a second coming in politics and Tamaki has not tried again. He has contented himself with maintaining his church, based in South Auckland where, sadly, his is not the only Christian sect that collects a great deal of money from people who can ill afford it.
The churches demand much more of these people than the fees asked by the schools that teach their children. Yet fees go unpaid while churches rake in the money.
None have done so as tastelessly as Tamaki did this week.
A man who displays donations as some sort of evidence of divine favour and self-worth is not a Christian many other churches would recognise.
Some of the harshest passages in the New Testament are directed at the worship of money.
These are probably not passages the Destiny congregation hears.
But in the end, it is their money. They can throw it away if they like.www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11370063
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 8:53:35 GMT 10
from the HERALD ON SUNDAY....Destiny's empire worth $20mCash, property and investments mean church’s coffers are in a healthy state.By BEVAN HURLEY | 5:00AM - Sunday, December 14, 2014DESTINY CHURCH has amassed a $20 million empire in cash, property investments and other assets as a result of its tax exempt status, accounts show.
Financial records filed with the Charities Service show Destiny's 15 affiliated charities hold $6.26m in property and land assets, covering churches in New Plymouth, Rotorua and Hamilton.
The church also holds more than $1m in cash and bank balances. The $9.2m worth of investments are held in “charitable entities with similar charitable objectives”, according to Destiny's financial controller, Jenny Marshall.
The remainder is held in fixed assets and inventory.
It's a long way from the humble beginnings of the small commercial warehouse in Pakuranga where Destiny was launched in 1998 by self-appointed Bishop Brian Tamaki and his wife Hannah.
Hannah celebrated her 54th birthday on Friday and was not available to discuss the church's growing wealth.
But this week she tweeted: “It's sad, the media are so besotted with the money side of Destiny. I (dare) you. To hear the (great) stories of success. From the (people) we (have) helped.”
Destiny Church was back in the spotlight after Brian called on followers to “shower the stage” in money at a service last month — raising $100,000 from churchgoers.
Last week the Herald on Sunday revealed the church had received more than $6m in donations and $1m in Government grants last year.
The Tamakis have refused to reveal how much they are being paid in salaries by the church.
Hannah has previously said the amount is available to Destiny's “giving community”.
However, former senior church members told the Herald on Sunday the salaries were secret. “No one would ask the questions, no one really wanted to delve into the financials or even raise questions. It wasn't the done thing,” one source said.
Destiny financial controller Marshall said Brian and Hannah's wages were paid from the Destiny Church Auckland Trust.
The trust has 11 fulltime staff and six part time workers, and pays a total of $842,530 in salaries.
“Due to confidentiality, as an employer the church does not publicly disclose how much we pay individually to staff. This is up to the employees individually if they would like to personally disclose,” Marshall said.
Destiny Church Auckland Trust has four officers including Hannah. Another officer Tala Leiasamaivao would not say if he knew how much the Tamakis were paid.
“It is (a simple question) but I'd rather not discuss that,” he said.
The Tamakis' five-bedroom home at Maraetai is still for sale for $1.7m. They have said they want to downsize.• Bevan Hurley is the Herald on Sunday chief reporter.www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11373894
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 8:55:29 GMT 10
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 8:58:28 GMT 10
from the Sunday Star-Times....Controversial US preacher tells Destiny worshippers to repent, repent, repentBrian Tamaki stood ankle deep in cash as his friend Eddie Long preached.By SIMON MAUDE and TONY WALL | 7:46AM - Sunday, 05 June 2016Destiny Church's Brian Tamaki stood ankle deep in cash at the church's annual conference on Saturday. Photo: Lawrence Smith/Fairfax NZ.A CONTROVERSIAL AMERICAN PREACHER who has faced allegations he sexually abused young men during a previous trip to New Zealand urged Destiny Church followers to repent, repent, repent at their annual conference.
American evangelist Eddie Long was the guest of honour at Destiny's annual get together at the City of God in Manukau, south Auckland, which attracted about 1,000 followers who paid $120 for a weekend pass.
To ease the burden in the head
repent, repent, repent, repent
, Long said on Saturday morning.
Standing just metres away in the church's hangar sized Sanctuary, ankle deep in tithed banknotes, stood self-appointed Destiny Church Bishop Brian Tamaki who had invited Long as a special guest to the church's weekend Australasian Invasion conference.
Both men refused to answer questions over Long's suitability to preach given past sexual abuse allegations.
In 2010, several young men of Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in US state Georgia, sued staunchly anti-gay Long for alleged grooming and sexual abuse, some of which allegedly happened in New Zealand.
By 2011 four lawsuits resulting from those allegations, according to US media, were all subsequently dismissed, unable to proceed in court.
The four former members of a youth group Long ran had accused him of repeatedly coercing them into homosexual sex acts, and of abusing his moral authority over them while plying them with cash, new cars, lodging and lavish trips overseas trips including, for one of the four, a trip to New Zealand.
Maurice Robinson's lawsuit alleged Long lavished attention on him. Robinson was rewarded with a Chevy Malibu before him and Long travelled to New Zealand in 2008 during that trip where Robinson turned 18, they began a sexual relationship.American preacher Eddie Long, centre, preaches to Destiny Church attendees as Bishop Brian Tamaki, left, and wife Hannah cheer him on. Photo: Simon Maude/Fairfax NZ.Let's face it, all churches are good at covering this stuff up, so I suppose they don't see it as anything wrong, Ken Clearwater said. Photo: Don Scott/Fairfax NZ.Following Long's preaching, Destiny Church Invasion conference attendees enjoyed a Kanyesque style christian hip hop jam. Photo: Simon Maude/Fairfax NZ.Manager of Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Ken Clearwater said the unresolved historic allegations against Long are concerning and Bishop Brian Tamaki is turning a blind eye.
In 2010, Tamaki, who considers Long his spiritual father, said he was shocked by the allegations but had reserved judgment on Long.
On Saturday Tamaki's spokespeople refused media access to the Invasion event which borrows its theme from Long's approach to mentoring young men.
In an effort to get a response from Tamaki and Long Fairfax NZ attended the Manukau, South Auckland event, but was once again refused an interview with the men.
Let's face it, all churches are good at covering this stuff up, so I suppose they don't see it as anything wrong, Clearwater, a sexual abuse survivor himself, said.
It was easier in America for people in positions of power to bargain their way out of such cases, he said.
Clearwater said because Long had never been convicted it was difficult to stop him appearing in public.
You can only go on hearsay.
Brian Tamaki had definitely turned a blind eye. It's no different to how the Catholic church has turned a blind eye to child abuse... they don't want to know that stuff. If this guy is a mentor of his he's definitely not going to say anything bad against him.
He said when celebrities accused of sex abuse continued to appear in public it was massively tough for the victims. It re-traumatises them. They get angry and think, what's the point of coming forward?Meanwhile, Destiny continue to seek new revenue streams, releasing mobile phone covers for sale at the conference this week.
The his and hers models feature quotes from Hannah and Brian Tamaki.
I don't just blend into the crowd, said Hannah's, while Brian's said: I'm not born to live and do nothing.__________________________________________________________________________ Related stories:
• Founder's sex scandal threatens mega-church
• Beleaguered pastor suspends preaching
• Church attacked for Jesus tweet
• Destiny criticised for flashing cashwww.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/80754852
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Post by KTJ on Oct 2, 2016 9:05:13 GMT 10
And as I posted elsewhere in this Religion board, a new fundy megachurch is rising at Petone at the northwest end of Wellington Harbour. No doubt paid for by tax-free tithes suckered from the gullible who can least afford to lose that money to religious con-artists. • The latest happy-clappy fundy megachurch to arise…Also in the Wellington area is Destiny Church and The Rock. There are rumours that Brian Houston is planning to set up a branch of Hillsong in the Hutt Valley. Fortunately we don't have any megachurch cults over the ranges in Wairarapa. Long may that continue.
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