God is Love Pentecostal Church
The God is Love Pentecostal Church (IPDA) (Portuguese: Igreja Pentecostal Deus É Amor) is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in Brazil. The headquarters are in São Paulo.
History
The Igreja Pentecostal Deus é Amor was founded in São Paulo in 1962, by Daví Martins de Miranda (or David Miranda).[1] The spread of the IPDA and other pentecostal churches was encouraged by economic regression, urbanization and the emergence of the informal settlements since the 1950s, where the IPDA gained most of its new followers at this time. Among the poorest, promises of "the miracle that will free them from their situation", fell on fertile grounds.[2] By 1995 it had spread to 30 other countries, with a membership of 800,000 members in 2001 Census.[3] As of 2003, there were 8,140 churches.
In 2004, the church inaugurated the Temple of the Glory of God in São Paulo, with an auditorium of 60,000 seats. [4]
Beliefs
The denomination has a Pentecostal confession of faith.[5]
The organisation's emphasis is on divine healing, exorcism, laying on of hands, anointing of the sick and missionary work. Compared to other Brazilian Pentecostal churches, Deus é Amor is of a fundamentalist Christian ideology and separates itself from society. The God is Love Pentecostal Church maintains extremely rigorous standards, identical to those of the New Testament Christian Churches of America, the Apostolic Pentecostals and the Holiness Pentecostals, removing members from social life.[6] Members are prohibited from watching television (seen as the image of the Beast, the electronic eye of the Beast, etc.), exercising and sports, going to the cinema, the beach, amusement parks and water parks, swimming pools, theater and circuses. Members are prohibited from celebrating any type of celebration or participating in holidays, which are seen as profane parties. Women are prohibited from cutting their hair, dyeing their hair, dyeing their nails, wearing lipstick, makeup, wearing high heels, wearing earrings, piercings, necklaces, bracelets (except watches), rings (except engagement and wedding rings), wear pants, wear shorts, wear clothes containing denim fabric, wear split skirts, wear short skirts, wear short-sleeved or sleeveless blouses, short, sleeveless or short-sleeved dresses and shave your body. Men are prohibited from having a long beard, long hair, wearing shorts, jeans or any clothing made from denim fabric, wearing a hat, wearing clothes that contain the colors red, pink, lilac, purple and wine. Like women, men are prohibited from shaving their bodies. The church practices Teetotalism and members are prohibited from drinking Coca-Cola (seen as Satan's drink), soft drinks, using drugs and tobacco. The church practices conscientious objector. The God is Love Pentecostal Church has an internal regiment somewhat similar to outward holiness, in book format that contains the dress codes and moral conduct codes, as well as the time of punishment for those who do not comply. In temples, it is forbidden to have artificial flowers, seen as the devil's flowers. Members are prohibited from visiting other churches, and receiving members from other churches, as they consider God is Love Pentecostal Church to be the true early church (a statement somewhat similar to restorationism). The church practices Believer's baptism. They practice rebaptism of people who come from other churches, even if they were baptized in the trinitarian formula. The church prohibits the use of drums and guitars, seen as Satan's instruments. The church has a record label where it releases albums by church singers and prohibits members from singing non-church songs. Members can only date from the age of eighteen. If a member wishes to date, they must ask permission from the local pastor, and they cannot hold hands in public or kiss, and must always be accompanied by an adult. The church opposes adultery, fornication, divorce and homosexuality. The church practices excommunication of those who commit such sins, among others. The church practices shunning of those who leave. In temples, men sit on the left side and women on the right. Children are prohibited from possessing toys and participating in games. The church practices a closed communion, and only members can participate in Holy Supper, bringing their membership card to participate. Even if you are a member, if you do not have speaking in tongues, you will not be able to participate, as you have not been sealed. The God is Love Pentecostal Church considers itself the one true church founded by Jesus Christ, and claims that whoever leaves it is an apostate from the faith. The church claims that all other churches belong to the devil, and claims that anyone who wants to be saved will end up joining the God is Love Pentecostal Church.
- "Here among us are many adulterers and adulteresses, masturbators, people obsessed by sexual intercourse, thieves, vagabonds. Who of you likes television and secular music, is misguided. Those who join in today's fashions, even in miniskirts, their tummy free, walk around, are sinning heavily against God." - David Miranda[7]
Controversies
The IPDA has established strict control mechanisms to survey the presence of its followers. Members of the churches have to obtain "faith cards", which must be stamped each day of the week to prove their presence at the worship service and the obligatorial payment to the church. Life within the church is completely controlled by the leaders. If a member misses a service, he will be punished according to the internal rules.[2]
The organisation, together with Edir Macedo's Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, is accused of using the acquisition of the Edificio Cines Plaza y Central cinema in Montevideo, Uruguay as a disguise to cover up money laundering.[8]
Furthermore, the IPDA is accused to have connections to the organized crime scene of Brazil. Many former favela gang members work as pastors after their conversion.[7]
References
- ^ Peter Clarke (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 237.
- ^ a b "Why Pentecostal Churches are Growing in Brazil". Retrieved 2020-04-28.
- ^ data from IBGE, Brazil's Geography & Statistics Institute
- ^ "Morre o missionário fundador da igreja pentecostal Deus é Amor". correiodoestado.com.br. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- ^ J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann (2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. ABC-CLIO. p. 393.
- ^ Peter Clarke (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 237.
- ^ a b "OST:BLOG: Brasiliens Sekte "Deus è Amor" und ihr Megatempel in Sao Paulo". www.ostblog.de. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
- ^ "Controlarán a iglesias y grandes ONG - Diario EL PAIS - Montevideo - Uruguay". 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
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External links
- Official Web Site - in Portuguese
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