Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), is an international evangelical Christian organization with headquarters in a building called "the Temple of Solomon " in São Paulo, Brazil, which preaches the theology or gospel of prosperity. The church was founded in 1977 in Rio de Janeiro by Bishop Edir Macedo, owner (since 1989) of the multimillion-dollar television company RecordTV.

In 1999, IURD had 8 million members in Brazil and was already considered a "commercial church". The organization had already established temples in the United Kingdom, in Africa and India, affirming a total of over 12 million members worldwide that year. In 2013, IURD had congregations in New York City, and -according to the UCKG website in the United States - in 2019 it had more than 300 congregations in 33 United States states. The church supported Jair Bolsonaro for the presidency in the general Brazilian elections of 2018, winning the candidate.

In 2017, the IURD faced accusations of adopting children in Portugal and taking them abroad illegally. It has also been accused of cult-like illegal activities and corruption, such as money laundering, quackery and witchcraft, as well as intolerance towards other religions. The church has also been accused of extracting money from poor members for the benefit of its leaders. In 2000, a London-based IURD pastor organized an exorcism that resulted in the death of a girl and the conviction of her guardians for murder. The IURD has been banned in several African countries. This The organization also opposes women pursuing higher education so that, in the words of its founder, "[women] are not more intelligent than their husbands."

A United Nations report published in 2009 by the Committee against Religious Intolerance (CCIR) of Brazil stated that Pentecostal churches in general, and the UCKG in particular, harassed and attacked, sometimes violently, members of other confessions and spread religious intolerance. The IURD was "demonizing" especially the Afro-Brazilian syncretic religions, such as Umbanda and Candomblé; Jews are presented as 'Christ-killers', Catholics as 'devil worshipers', traditional Protestants as 'false Christians' and Muslims as 'demonic'" according to the report. Spiritualists have also been targeted. The UN Committee is made up of the leaders of eighteen religious and human rights groups. The president of the committee said that "fascism and Nazism began like this, demonizing other groups."

History

Before founding the Universal Church, Edir Macedo worked as a cashier for the National Lottery. He began as a leader when 4 members of the NOVA VIDA evangelical church, among whom was his brother-in-law, dissatisfied with things, founded a new branch, which they called “Church of Grace” in which Edir Macedo was hired as treasurer. He later founded The Eternal Way Crusade and the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

• In 1974 four pastors of the evangelical church NOVA LIFE founded the Church of Grace. In 1977 the Church of Grace is divided into two branches:
  • Universal Church of the Kingdom of God led by Edir Macedo Bezerra
  • International Church of God's Grace led by Romildo Ribeiro Soares

Without the necessary financial conditions to rent a venue, the first meetings were held on the street in an amphitheater in the garden of the Meier neighborhood in Rio. At that time, the ceremonies began to be attended by a large number of people in such a way that, slowly, they allowed Macedo to rent the first places.

The meetings began to be held in a location, which had been an old funeral home, in the Abolição neighborhood, in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro. At that time the dissemination was carried out by ten 'workers', the name given to people who aspired to be pastors of the institution. They stuck evangelization pamphlets on the poles and invited people to participate in the services. The IURD was growing very quickly and the warehouse of an old furniture factory on Suburbana Avenue became the ideal place to house the number of faithful that was increasing every day. This is how the shed became the great Temple with initial capacity for 1,500 people. Shortly afterwards it was necessary to expand its capacity by 2000.

Macedo himself acknowledged on several occasions that "when we rented the warehouse, it was considered a crazy act, since renting the premises was very expensive." Meanwhile, that daring contributed to making the IURD what it is today: a Church that does not stop expanding.

The plans for the IURD were always big. From the sermons in the Meier amphitheater, Macedo frequently said that the Universal Church's objective was to preach the gospel throughout the world, and that for this it would be necessary to use the media.

Determined and with absolute leadership, Macedo achieved it, through television, radio, books, newspapers, magazines and films that the IURD was producing throughout its history. Initially "The Awakening of Faith" 15 minutes long, it was broadcast on Metropolitan Radio. Immediately, the program was broadcast on the defunct TV Tupí, channel 6 in Rio de Janeiro, beginning to be broadcast in São Paulo and the other States. Later the Church rented some spaces and assumed direction of other stations, thus creating a radio and TV network that broadcast his work.

The workers of that time, many of them today have become bishops, slept in the Church. Very early at dawn they were ready, waiting for those who arrived in search of support and spiritual guidance. The opening of the second IURD, that of Father Miguel Crivella, transformed a simple hut into a true "shed of faith". Later, the Churches of Grajaú, Inhaúma, Duque de Caxias, Nova Iguaçu and many others were inaugurated. Today it is present throughout Brazil. Approximately three churches are inaugurated every Sunday. Until 1998, there were more than three thousand temples scattered throughout Brazil.

Faced with this growth, the IURD resolved, in addition to inaugurating more temples and expanding the existing ones, to build cathedrals in the States to function as headquarters. In San Pablo, in addition to the Cathedral of Faith in Santo Amaro, nine other cathedrals were erected in different areas, including the metropolitan region and the interior. However, in Rio de Janeiro is located the largest cathedral in Brazil, the world headquarters of the Church, the 'Temple of Glory of the People of Israel'.

Not satisfied with its growth, the founders of the IURD decided to expand outside Brazil. The first foreign branch of the 'Universal Church', as it is known, was founded in the United States, in a large warehouse in Mount Vermont, New York, by Bishop Macedo himself. From there he left for Manhattan, Brooklyn, and other neighborhoods of New York, also reaching other American cities and states.

In California alone, the Church already has dozens of temples. In Los Angeles the "Cathedral of Faith" -where the Million Dollar Theater formerly operated- with capacity for 2,500 people.

From the United States it expanded to Canada and Mexico, reaching almost all countries in Latin America, Central America and the Caribbean. The IURD landed in Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Uruguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama and Ecuador.

In Europe, the Universal Church began in Portugal, expanding to Spain, France, England and Italy. The transformations that occurred in the political scene after the fall of the Berlin Wall provided entry to the now unified Germany. The opening of Eastern Europe and the end of communism allowed access to Russia and Romania. In Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, the IURD gained a place.

Not even the African continent was left aside. Considered one of the most needy, he came to know the work of the Universal Church starting in 1992. The first temple was opened in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is currently found in Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi and Uganda. In Asia, the IURD reached Japan, India and the Philippines. In 2000 it operated in more than 45 countries with more than 12 million followers.

Structure of the Church

The main authority is located in the main bishop and founder, Edir Macedo; He is followed by the bishops, who are the general managers of the churches of each country (in the United States and Brazil there is a bishop for each state); Then come the pastors, who direct the churches in the provinces and are in charge of conducting the meetings and meetings; and, finally, there are those traditionally called “workers”, which is what the collaborators who voluntarily assist the members participating in the meetings are called.

Financing

In the business and economic sections of Brazilian newspapers it is possible to read news like this: “The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD) had annual income of USD 735 million, more than any private company.”^{[citation needed]} At the head of the economic-religious empire that the IURD has become is Edir Macedo, a former cashier of the Rio de Janeiro state lottery, who founded the church in 1977 and proclaimed himself bishop, IURD is now one of the largest churches in the world with nearly eight million faithful in Brazil. In addition, it includes 9,600 pastors, 4,700 temples installed in 172 countries, according to the organization's own data, reported by the Ecuadorian newspaper El Comercio. And the Sao Paulo Financial Activities Council estimates that the assets of the IURD are around 2 billion dollars. Since every income is allocated to the maintenance and construction of churches, in less than 20 years, Macedo converted a small rented premises in a humble neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro into the largest Brazilian church.

Its members are taught, but not required, to give tithes and make offerings to the church.^{[citation needed]}

Doctrinal foundations

The doctrinal principles of the IURD are fundamentally those of the Trinitarian Pentecostal churches. They are based on both the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.

However, they also have some particular characteristics. For example, they use physical elements such as salt, oils, water, soaps, etc. brought from Israel for religious purposes.^{[citation required]} Its central doctrines consider the Gospel of the Kingdom, exorcisms of demons, healings, the blessing of economic life, and especially the restoration of families.^{[citation required]} As usual, they celebrate Holy Communion on Sundays, every month with bread and grape juice emulating wine. Remembering the ceremony in which the bread represents the body of Christ and the grape juice, the blood of Christ that he shed for humanity in order for sins to be forgiven.

According to the institution, the doctrines of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God derive from biblical teachings interpreted in a similar way to that of other neo-Pentecostal Protestant denominations. However, there are important particularities, such as the spiritual and material sacrifices, the supernatural character attributed to the celebrations of baptism by immersion, the baptism with the Holy Spirit and the Lord's Supper. The church preaches the "prosperity theology", highlighting in its television programs testimonies of the economic success of its faithful.

Doctrines and theology

The church maintained for some years the "Facultade Teológica Universal do Reino de Deus" (Faturd), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, which taught basic theology courses in three years and the bachelor's degree in four. The initiative ended when Bishop Edir understood that, to achieve his expansionist goals, theological training, in addition to being useless, would disappear over time, since it diminished the fervor of the students and distanced them from their true interests and the immediate. needs of the people who attended the IURD. Not only did he extinguish this theological faculty but, starting a controversy with theological scholarship, he published the book "The Liberation of Theology", a title in which he criticized what he called "Christianity of a lot of theory and little practice; a lot of theology, little power".; many arguments, little demonstration; many words, little faith.

Other doctrines taught by the Universal are the existence of one God, formed by the Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the return of Jesus Christ through the rapture, the salvation of the soul through faith in Christ (& #34;sola fide"), eternal life after death, the infallibility of the Bible, written by men divinely inspired by God, the existence of heaven, hell and the Last Judgment, baptism in water by immersion, divine healing, baptism by the Holy Spirit, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Supper, tithing, freewill offerings and prosperity. Finally, for the IURD, the "Church" It is the universal union of all faithful Christians. The church also uses the laying on of hands in the rite of liberation and is against the veneration of images.

These doctrines are similar to many other Pentecostal institutions, except for the emphasis on prosperity theology. This theology affirms that blessing is achieved not only with faith, but also with sacrifices, which are tithes and offerings. One of the points most emphasized by the church is also the call to be born again. The doctrine of the IURD teaches that when a person is born again in Christ, he or she becomes a new creature, that "everything is made new.". Studies indicate that the IURD She was the greatest representative of this theology in the XX century in Brazil.

The testimonies are also part of the doctrine of the IURD and are used mainly for dissemination purposes in the institution's media. The target audience is people who are being tormented by some type of problem, preferably of middle and lower class, and who are looking for some way to make life calmer. The cases are reported by the members who attend the temples themselves. The problems that they report experiencing before attending IURD are of various types, such as the onset of hallucinations and delusions, or addiction to various types of drugs, the restoration of family ties, sentimental stories and, mainly, a reunion of one & #3. 4; meaning of life". The pastor then invites people who go through these types of experiences to attend an IURD temple to begin their journey of spiritual liberation. The church calls itself a "Spiritual Help Center" where its purpose is to look for disaffected people and try to attract them with its spiritual doctrines and teachings.

Statistics

In 2000, according to the 2000 Brazilian census, the IURD had 2,101,887 members. In 2010, the IBGE reported the drop to 1,873,243 members. Even so, it would be the fourth largest evangelical denomination in Brazil.

However, the IURD itself questions these numbers and presents its own data based on testimonies from pastors who, in turn, affirm that the IBGE investigation “is deficient and incomplete because it does not conduct interviews in the places where the Universal Church is more present, such as poor areas with few economic resources, such as Brazilian communities, favelas and hills.

According to data from the 2010 Brazilian census, carried out by the IBGE, the IURD has 1.8 million adherents.

According to a census of the denomination, in 2015, it would have 7,157 temples and cathedrals in Brazil and 2,663 churches abroad. The denomination has 112 bishops and 11,504 pastors in Brazil, in addition to 48 bishops and 3,953 pastors in other countries. Universal reports and, according to the institution's calculation, has 7 million fans in Brazil and more than 1.2 million abroad, in 105 countries.

Disputes

The Collapse in Osasco

In the early hours of September 5, 1998, the roof of the Universal Church collapsed in Osasco, in Greater São Paulo (Metropolitan Region of São Paulo), while some 1,500 faithful were praying vigil. The collapse left 24 dead and more than 467 injured. In March 1999, based on a report from the Criminalistics Institute (IC), which indicated negligence as the cause of the accident, the Civil Police of the State of São Paulo prosecuted eight people for manslaughter. The owner of the property, four members of the church and three city council engineers were charged, who allowed services to be held at the site. The defense requested a new report from private experts, but the case was considered statute-barred in 2009 and none of those accused of being co-responsible for the collapse were punished.

Controversies with the press

The Universal Church, together with Rede Record and Folha Universal, the main media linked to the institution, have already had numerous editorial conflicts with several other media in Brazil, including the UOL portal, the magazine Veja, Folha de S. Paulo and in particular Rede Globo. Edir Macedo told the ISTOÉ website that the Rio station is one of the biggest enemies of Universal.

The first television report against Universal was broadcast by the defunct TV Manchete in the program Special Document, which branded them as fanatics and commanders of a church full of miserable people.

The result of the controversy with Globo was during Edir's arrest in 1992. According to Macedo, the station acted "in a perverse way, mistreating him when he was in prison and other episodes that involved the Universal Church'. He believes that he was "executed without the possibility of defense." During the launch of the Record News channel, Edir referred to Rede Globo as the holder of the communication monopoly in Brazil. “For years she was wronged by a group that had and maintains a monopoly on information in Brazil,” says Macedo.

In 1995, Rede Globo presented a report in which Edir Macedo taught pastors how to convince the faithful to donate money to the Universal Church. A video was broadcast on the YouTube website, in which Edir Macedo says that pastors have to be firm when asking for donations: 'It has to be like this: are you going to help in God's work? If you don't want to help, God will get someone else to help. Do you understand what it's like? If they want [to give money], amen, if [the faithful] don't want to, they either give or go down. The bishop submitted a request for the video to be taken off the air, but the request was denied by the Justice. After what happened, Macedo explained that "either up or down" means that or the person is faithful in "giving" the tithes and offerings of him, or & # 34; low & # 34; (she is not blessed).

In August 2009 there was an extensive conflict between Record and Rede Globo, with seven consecutive days of accusations and complaints in their main daily and weekly newscasts. Jornal da Record and Jornal Nacional issued reports at the same time. Record even set aside more than 20 minutes to attack its competitor and showed a special program of approximately one hour on Domingo Espectacular, which included a statement from Edir Macedo about the accusations. Given this, Record linked Organizações Globo to the Brazilian military dictatorship and stated that a prosecutor in charge of investigating the church had already been suspected of benefiting the Rio station. According to a report by JornaI Nacional, a police report indicated that the money from donations from the faithful would be injected into the station, compensated by the purchase of advertising space at a price higher than the market. Also in 2009, the IURD, in the program Fala que Eu Te Escuto, showed images of temples in several Brazilian capitals, packed for the vigil called "Protest against Rede Globo". In links broadcast live on the program, he showed testimonies from people who said they would never tune in to Globo again. “Not even the 8 o'clock soap opera that I like so much, I'm going to watch it more.” says one of the faithful.

Complaint of moral harassment and homophobia

In July 2022, Nanda Bezerra, an important digital influencer of the IURD and a close relative of Edir Macedo, was denounced for homophobia and moral harassment by a department of defenders linked to labor actions, which is promoting a process against the IURD. Religious leaders and frequenters of the religious institution allege that she was supposedly making severe suggestions regarding the way she dressed and behaved. In an alleged proselytizing preaching video, of unknown authorship, the leader of the Força Jovem Universal (FJU) is caught making homophobic statements about the clothes worn by pastors and faithful.

Homophobia committed live on Brazilian TV

On Christmas Eve 2022, the owner of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, Edir Macedo committed the crime of homophobia live on the RecordTV television channel. The head of the second largest television station in Brazil equated homosexuals with marginal people and pronounced that individuals who coexist romantically with others of the same sex are evil beings. The episode outraged the Brazilian population due to the nature of the broadcast. Edir Macedo discussed a passage from the Christian Bible about the relevance of the family alliance, while he considered discussing the vicissitudes of human sins. The bishop leveled the LGBT+ community with criminals and pointed out that they were "bad" because of the end of earthly modesty. He assured that no person comes with that nature. As a result, ABRAFAH (Associação Brasileira de Famílias Homotranssafetivas) and the Aliança Nacional LGBT + sent a criminal notification for the act committed.

Opposition to higher education for women

Bishop Edir Macedo of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God stated in a 2019 sermon that daughters should not be allowed to pursue higher education, because if they do they will be 'more intelligent than their husbands';, and that he personally would not allow his daughters to go to university because he believes that an educated woman cannot have a happy marriage: "When they [my daughters] came out, I told them they would only go to high school and they wouldn't go to university. My wife supported me, but the family thought it was absurd. Why don't you go to university? Because if you graduate from a particular profession, you will serve yourself, you will work for yourself. But I don't want that, you came to serve. God, because if (...) she were a doctor and had a high degree of knowledge and she found a boy who had a low degree of knowledge, he would not be the head, she would be the head, and if she were the head, she would not serve the God's will. I want my daughters to marry a man. A man who has to be the head. He You have to be the head. Because if they are not a head, their marriage is doomed to fail.

Founder problems

Edir Macedo's legal problems

In 1992 Bishop Macedo was imprisoned for 11 days in Brazil for fraud and charlatanry. Macedo was exonerated of these accusations on this date. And in 1996 they began to investigate him for the way he raised funds, fraud in international currency exchange, tax evasion and links with drug traffickers. But he also faces investigations in eight other countries and the deputy detained carrying a million-dollar sum is investigated by the Supreme Federal Court, because he appears in management positions of five radio and television companies. belonging to the church. In 2002 the Church launched its own party to separate itself from the Liberal Party (PL) that made up the coalition of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government. In 2009, members of the PT entered into talks with the universal church of the kingdom of God to use their media for a political campaign.

Debts of Macedo to the IURD

According to the financial records of the IURD, Bishop Macedo in 1994 owed the church 21 million reais, almost 23 million dollars, money obtained with long-term interest-free loans. The auditors of the case also affirm the existence of several companies that, without being in the name of the IURD, have shareholders related to it. Among these institutions, the data processor Uni Line stands out, which provides services to the IURD and is close to Carlos Alberto Rodrigues Pinto and the deputy Odenir Laprovita Vieira (PPB), accused in the process of having officially acquired the Record network and then handed it over. to Edir Macedo. The complaints, however, go beyond national limits, since companies related to the church have been found in other countries and are also suspected of money laundering. Among these is Invest Holding Limited—a partner of Banco Metropolitano belonging to the Universal Group—located in the Cayman Islands.

Controversy over the collection of material and economic goods in the event of the death of faithful

Bishop Edir Macedo was among the most relevant issues on social networks in July 2022 due to a video in which he asks for a donation. The leader of the Universal Kingdom of God suggested that the faithful donate all their assets to the church before they die. In the justification, Macedo states that donations would be a way to please God.

The statement came in a broadcast to followers on the Internet. At another time, the bishop reports not having any personal property, since what is "supposedly his' is intended "to continue that work. of evangelization throughout the world. According to the founder, the donation of assets will be able to stimulate or advance the work of evangelization within the church, with what he calls "mission of bringing the gospel to all creatures".

The newspaper O Estado de Minas consulted the lawyer and president of the OAB/MG Commission on Law and Religious Freedom, Isabela Dario, about Edir Macedo's speech. She clarifies that Brazilian legislation does not allow the inheritance to be transferred, in its entirety, to an institution. The magistrate also points out that the decision can be challenged by the heirs - in that case, they can try to reverse the act of will, in the inventory or the annulment of the will. In the opinion of Pastor Henrique Vieira, Edir Macedo uses the fragility and dedication of his faithful for his own enrichment. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Relationship with other Churches

R. R. Soares

• In 1974 four pastors of the evangelical church NOVA LIFE founded the Church of Grace. In 1977 the Church of Grace is divided into two branches:
  • Universal Church of the Kingdom of God led by Edir Macedo Bezerra
  • International Church of God's Grace led by Romildo Ribeiro Soares

World Church of the Power of God

In 1998 Valdemiro Santiago until then bishop of the universal Church of the Kingdom of God founded the World Church of the Power of God in the city of Sorocaba, St.Paul, Brazil, on March 3, 1998 and dissidents of the universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

Dispute with the Catholic Church

The IURD has sparked a controversy with the Catholic Church, not only due to doctrinal disagreements but above all, due to political issues with Edir Macedo, who has declared that "the Catholic Church is a shame for the Third World" #3. 4; and that the Pope is "purely a politician. This confrontation has been done in various ways and even in electoral contests.

On October 12, 1995, when Catholics celebrated Our Lady of the Aparecida Conception, the then bishop of the Universal Church Sergio Von Helde kicked and punched an image of the Virgin during "the Awakening of Faith programs". #3. 4; and "Word of Life", from Red Record. Von Helde was accused in court of insulting the faith of others.

Expulsion of the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance

The IURD was excluded from the Portuguese Evangelical Alliance in 1992 due to economic exploitation against low-income people, a fact that presents several contradictions regarding that decision.

Angola

In 2013, in Angola, the Universal Church remained closed for 70 days in 230 temples and 500 thousand faithful were prohibited from attending church, due to the death of thirteen people in the "Vigil of the Day of the End" #3. 4;. The meeting took place in the Ciudadela stadium and the authorities assure that at the time of the accident the stadium was overcrowded, it is estimated at more than 150 people than the ideal, which was a maximum of 30,000. There was also the arrest of Universal pastors in Angola. The reason for the closure of the temples was the allegation that Universal was in an irregular situation. On the other hand, in an official note, Universal stated that it is in order and is supporting all investigations and victims. At the end of March, the government authorized the resumption of activities in Angola. Only Universal can operate since then, all the other Brazilian evangelical churches remained closed. According to sociologist Ricardo Mariano, from the PUC-RS, Angola is fertile land for Universal, which has TV Récord, a newspaper, temples and political connections there, and that is why it must have guaranteed market reserve. In statements from Universal to Folha Online, "With reference to the resumption of our activities and the operating rules imposed by the government of Angola, we inform that Universal respects the decisions of the State authorities.

Peru

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), known in Peru and in many other countries for its television program Stop suffering, was considered a sect by the National Union of Evangelical Churches of Peru, according to Raquel Gago, Executive Director of the aforementioned entity. In dealing with the issue of denunciation by association for delinquency and money laundering against the main leaders of the IURD, according to Raquel Gago it is expressed that its activity is a “hand to exploit the faith”. At a meeting held at the Ministry of Justice, Raquel Gago said that the institution he represents has proposed the withdrawal of this group of confessions other than the Catholic one.

Angola

Polemics with other religious groups

The IURD has also been the protagonist of several controversies and disagreements with other religious groups, especially the religions of Afro-Brazilian culture such as Candomblé and Umbanda. Edir Macedo and other pastors of the IURD have been accused of intolerance against these beliefs, despite having professed them by Macedo himself. In 2005, the Department of Justice ordered the withdrawal of all copies of the book 'Orishas, mestizos and Guides: Gods or Demons?, made by Macedo, due to its highly insulting content.

Criminal accusations

Money laundering

The Public Ministry of the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo requested international help to track the alleged illegal and million-dollar financial movements that the leader of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), Edir Macedo, has made due to the public knowledge that the famous spiritual leader who institutionalized the “Stop Suffering” program was accused by the Brazilian authorities of money laundering, fraud and forgery. Macedo would have diverted – for his own benefit – more than US$ 765 million raised thanks to the tithes of his millions of faithful, according to what the Peruvian newspaper La República reports. According to the morning newspaper O Estado de Sao Paulo, the Office of Financial Activities Control (COAF) demonstrated that the members' money, intended for the maintenance of the institution and social work, was diverted to the purchase of various communication companies. According to prosecutors, instead of using the money of the faithful to maintain or care for the temples, Edir Macedo and the other nine people included in the indictment used the funds for these benefits. According to the Brazilian press, the investigation was carried out on both the founder and nine other leaders for taking advantage of their position and committing fraud against the church and its parishioners. The prosecutor accuses Macedo and nine other leaders of money laundering for more than $2 billion dollars in donations from 2001 to 2009, an investigation that has not demonstrated said verification of guilt of the facts. It has been shown by federal reports that the money was given by parishioners and placed in accounts in private banks in New York (through Invest Holding, a private bank) and London. This money was sent through Cable Invest, a private bank in the Cayman Islands. Then it was sent to Brazilian companies such as “Cremo” and “Unimetro”.

I can’t comment, but you have to be very careful with the word of employees who committed crimes and are trying to reduce their penalties,” there are hundreds of cases of trial in the US. where supposed collaborators lie to protect customers or to wake up with false statements. “ The suspicion of illegal remittances is incompatible with the administrative rules of Universal for the tax and accounting care of the church, the alleged money sent would be completely unviable”

El abogado penalista de la Universal, Pitombo Antonio Sérgio de Moraes

Macedo is not the first Brazilian evangelical leader to be accused of financial embezzlement. The couple who founded the Reborn in Christ Church, which counts Brazilian soccer star Kaká among its followers, was arrested in Miami in 2007 for failing to declare more than $500,000 in cash brought into the United States.

Arrest of legislator of the organization with a million-dollar sum

On July 11, 2005, the Brazilian police detained a federal representative and two pastors of the Universal Church with seven suitcases full of money, aboard a private plane at the Brasilia airport. Hours after the seizure, which was possible thanks to an anonymous complaint, the Federal Police had not yet finished counting the money, but it was unofficially reported that the amount exceeds 20 million reais (about 8 million dollars). On the plane was federal deputy Joao Batista Ramos da Silva, from the right-wing Liberal Front Party (PFL), who was taken to a police station to be interrogated along with his companions: two pastors from the evangelical church and two women, in addition to the pilot and co-pilot of the aircraft. The plane was preparing to take off for the neighboring city of Goiania, capital of the state of Goias.

Request for respect

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God requested immunity from Brazilian drug trafficking. This is the headline given on April 15, 2010 by the newspaper El País to an article by Juan Arias, who recounts from Rio de Janeiro the request of the entity founded by Macedo. In 2008, the Brazilian Universal Church of the Kingdom of God asked its pastors to reach agreements with Brazilian drug traffickers so that they would not attack the members, the parishioners, or the places of worship of this institution. This, at least, emerges from a video that includes a videoconference of a bishop of this Church and that was made public by the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.

Journalists and investigation

Journalists from the Diario La República arrived at the Trujillo temple to find out their version regarding the serious complaint against their leaders in Brazil for the misuse of the financial contributions of the faithful, however they were attacked by the staff of security for taking a photograph of the temple façade.^{[citation required]} And it is not the first time that this organization acts in this irrational way against media personnel. A few years ago, two reporters from América Televisión entered with a hidden camera to record the healing session inside the temple. The security members discovered this and respectfully asked them to stop the recording, but they resisted until they had to. to end filming.^{[citation required]}

Relationship with the case of Victoria Climbié

Victoria Climbié was an eight-year-old girl whose cruel death led to major changes to child protection policies in the United Kingdom. She died from abuse and neglect while living with her aunt Marie-Thérèse Kouao and her aunt's boyfriend. Victoria was seen by dozens of social workers, nurses, doctors and police officers before she died, and by the IURD, but they all failed to detect and stop the abuse such as torture and death. Kouao and her boyfriend were charged with child cruelty and murder. During police interrogations, it was claimed that Victoria was possessed by evil spirits. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment.

Victoria's murder led to a public inquiry, which investigated the role of social services, the National Health Service, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, and the police in her death.

On February 19, 2000, Victoria was taken by Kouao from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God located on Seven Sisters Road. The pastor, Álvaro Lima, told the investigation that he suspected she was being abused. He said Victoria told him that Satan had told her to burn herself. According to the investigation report 'Pastor Lima expressed the opinion that Victoria was possessed by an evil spirit and advised Kouao to bring Victoria to church a week later.' Lima decided to pray and fast with an assistant, without calling the police, hospital or social services at that moment.

On February 24, 2000, Kouao took the IURD back to Victoria, where Pastor Lima advised them to go to the hospital and called a taxi; when she arrived at the hospital her temperature was 27 °C (normal temperature). is about 36°C). She died the next day; On the same day, the IURD was scheduled to hold a service to supposedly free her from the demon. At the autopsy they found 128 injuries on all parts of her body, the pathologist reported that it was the worst case of deliberate harm to a child ever. had seen.

Crimes in other countries

In 1997, the Belgian Parliament's Committee of Inquiry on Sects marked the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God as a dangerous sect. The report states that the “church affirms that the Kingdom of God is here below and which offers a solution to all possible problems, depression, unemployment, family and financial problems.

In Peru, a prosecutor denounced the Peruvian leaders of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, whose leaders are being prosecuted in Brazil, for the crime of money laundering to the detriment of the State, local media reported on August 21, 2009.. The document signed by prosecutor Ana María Linares, from the 22nd Prosecutor's Office of Lima, indicated that the church has not been able to justify the origin of the money with which it was established and currently maintained. The Internet portal of the newspaper El Comercio pointed out that after this tax accusation the Judiciary decided whether or not to open criminal proceedings against 22 leaders of this church known for its television program Pare de Sufrir.

In Argentina, in 2001, the Telenoche Investiga program on Channel 13 broadcast an investigation in which, through a hidden camera, they showed the economic backroom of this church. The vocabulary of the shepherds was shown when the faithful are not present and the way in which they acquired the 'oil of Israel' in a supermarket. The insistence with which the shepherds demand the tithe from the faithful was also shown.

In Colombia they have received complaints about the Universal Church, due to the purchase of different abandoned premises (from movie theaters to commercial premises), but the Colombian government has reduced the number of Churches and other churches. In the 1990s alone, there were about 750 IURD Churches, but in the 2010s, they have reduced by 50%, that is, only 315 IURD Churches have decreased.

In Mexico, in a federal government report made in April 2008, the IURD was accused of failing to register about 76 individuals as ministers (pastors) in the Mexican apostolate. Several of these individuals arrive in the country with business visas (apparently) so entry into the country becomes even easier and more convenient. In Mexican territory they are accused of deception and shady methods, money laundering, and aggressive denunciations against other religious institutions, such as the Catholic Church and organizations that defend the rights of the gay community.

In the United States there have also been numerous complaints. In an article published by the New York Post in 2000, how the Universal Church acted in the United States was reported, based on the testimony of former pastor Mario Justino. He says that for a decade he preached for the Universal Church in Brazil, Portugal and Brooklyn, his superiors told him They ordered that they 'tell people, 'If you don't give, God doesn't look at your problems.'" Regina Cerveira, chancellor of the Universal Church and spiritual administrator in New York, insists that "A person who gives $500 will not have more blessings than someone who only gives $100. It is not because of the size of the money, but the size of the faith." Sessions are also often questioned where pastors expel demons from people's lives, stating that they are simply plays, a fact that at the moment has not been feasible to verify. There is also criticism of the oil that is bought in ordinary supermarkets and faithful pastors say that the oil came and was blessed in Israel, although on certain occasions, video tapes are projected inside the churches, where the pastors and some in charge of the work of the entity are seen traveling, mainly, to the country of Israel. and, from there, they bring different objects traditionally called miraculous by them.

In 2010 they were accused of fraud and forgery to obtain mortgage loans. That year, the New York prosecutor's office indicted the Treasurer of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in the United States. Regina da Silva, of fraud and forgery to obtain mortgage loans of more than $22 million. Her attorney told the hearing that most legal requirements for obtaining mortgages were met and maintained that Smith was not the beneficiary of those transactions, but the IURD, according to New York Post reporting.

"fraud is always bad, but it is especially outrageous when criminals make use of religious organizations, courts and government agencies in their plans."

New York Attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr.

Additionally, they were investigated for alleged money laundering and conspiracy. Two Brazilian Money Exchangers, Marcelo Marini Bismarck and Cristina Rodríguez, told US prosecutors that they had illegally sent the equivalent of 420 million dollars from Brazil to New York, between 1995 and 2001. The remittances were 5 million dollars a month. The researchers tried to find out the fate that had been given to these resources in the United States. The calculation was made in secret and had among its objectives Bishop Edir Macedo and the treasurer of the church in New York, Regina da Silva. The investigations carried out in the United States on the church were a byproduct of one of the largest operations ever carried out by the Brazilian Federal Police against money changers, which took place in 2004. It resulted in the arrest of 62 money changers, but instead, No specific member of IURD could be arrested, due to the lack of verification of the fact regarding their persons. Bimarcker Marini y Rodrigues had three accounts at the Mercantile Bank of New York, in which there is no money. This would have gone to the entity. They were the accounts opened in the name of companies incorporated in tax havens: Milano Finance Inc., Pelican Holding Group and Florida Financial Group.

In Portugal in 2017, investigations were opened into illegal adoptions in the 90s due to accusations that children were stolen from their parents and sent overseas with the help of the church.

Parallel activities of its members

Several of its members, most of them bishops (including Edir Macedo, in 1989 bought Rede Record for 45 million dollars and paid another 300 million dollars of the debt that the São Paulo station had, thus becoming the broadcast of religious programs with a majority in its programming), it had TV and radio stations, newspapers (such as the newspapers "Hoje em Dia", from Belo Horizonte, and < i>"Correio do Povo", of Porto Alegre), graphics companies (Ediminas and Universal), in addition to four capital firms (which are shareholders of other companies), a travel agency, a real estate, a health insurance company. The Brazilian IURD owns an air taxi company, Alliance Jet. Among the media companies, there are 23 affiliated television stations, (there have been complaints from generalist stations such as SBT - Rede Globo - Rede Omega - Rede 21 - Rede Bandeirantes - Rede Cultura and Rede Gazeta), about the disintegration of its own stations, becoming Rede Universal stations with programming from the IURD and the 40 stations of radio registered in the name of a group of pastors and leases of 36 radio stations belonging to the Hallelujah Network.

Media impact

In October 2011, the dark humor film God forbid, a religion for laughter was released, where it satirically shows how telepreachers take money from their congregations by inventing all kinds of of divine items to later sell them to them. The creators of the film claim that it is a criticism of both the "Stop Suffering" church and televangelists in general.

Participation in politics

In 1986, the Universal Church began to enter the politics of Rio de Janeiro, supporting candidates for the Legislative Assembly and the Municipal Council of the state capital. In 1990, six state representatives and three federal representatives were elected. In 1994, the number of deputies to the Federal Chamber doubled and increased to 8 deputies to the legislative assemblies. In 1990, the church elected six state representatives and three federal representatives. In 1994, the number of deputies to the Federal Chamber doubled and the number of deputies to legislative assemblies increased to eight.

That year, in Rio de Janeiro, he also won the Secretary of Labor and Social Action and launched a candidacy for the Senate, reaching half a million votes. In the 1998 elections, Universal elected 26 deputies in the legislative assemblies of 18 Brazilian states and 17 federal deputies, with three deputies supported by the church and fourteen from the church itself from different federative units, whose sum reached the mark of 1.4 million votes. In the 2000 municipal elections, the IURD elected several councilors in all the states of the country. Two years later, he elected sixteen federal deputies linked to the church itself, two more than in the previous candidacy, and nineteen state deputies, representing ten states in Brazil.

In 2005, from the idea of uniting evangelical groups and especially the Universal Church, the Municipalist Renewal Party emerged, later renamed the Brazilian Republican Party and today only Republicans - to which the Catholic former vice president joined of the Republic of Brazil José Aléncar. The Republicans, when they were founded, claimed to be a secular party. Several Universal bishops and pastors have run for Republican political office. Among them, Bishop Marcelo Crivella, former Minister of Fisheries and today mayor of Rio de Janeiro, and Bishop Antônio Bulhões. In 2012, Celso Russomano became a candidate for mayor of São Paulo for the Party, but not for the church; However, he was supported by the IURD and other evangelical denominations, such as the Assemblies of God and the Iglesia Renascer em Cristo.

Bishop Marcelo Crivella was also a candidate in the 2008 Rio de Janeiro municipal elections, but only came third in the first round, behind Eduardo Paes and Fernando Gabeira. Edir Macedo attributes the defeat to the lack of financial resources for his candidacy and to the complaints of Carlos Rodrigues, former leader of the IURD, with the Mensalão scandal. Subsequently, Crivella was elected senator of the State of Rio de Janeiro in the 2010 elections, leaving the Senate after being elected in 2016 as mayor of Rio de Janeiro with 59.36% of the valid votes, at which time he said he had won. "a huge wave of prejudices" raised in his electoral campaign.

In 1995, in Portugal, the then recent and growing Portuguese IURD created the Partido da Gente. Although the Constitution of the Portuguese Republic prohibits religious parties, the Portuguese Constitutional Court did not do so.

Bishop Macedo supported the candidacy of the former president of Brazil Fernando Collor de Mello. In addition to being the first head of state who had a direct relationship. Edir began to personally do electoral propaganda for Collor, even taking photographs with him. Before the election, Macedo asked Fernando, if elected, to say a prayer on the day of the inauguration. After his inauguration, Mello ignored the bishop's request.

The relationship with then-president Fernando Henrique Cardoso was more distant: Edir's closest meeting with members of the PSDB was in an IURD office in Brasilia with former federal deputy José Roberto Arruda; The former federal deputy and former bishop of the church Carlos Rodrigues was present at this meeting. Bishop Macedo did not approve of Fernando Henrique's administration. Macedo did not like the former president's lack of dialogue with the Universal Church. The IURD supported Fernando's first candidacy in 1994.

Carlos Rodrigues began, together with Edir, the work of the church when it was still located in a bandstand in the Méier neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro in 1977. He was expelled from the IURD in 2004 and resigned from the position in 2005. In addition to Carlos, 10 other federal deputies linked to the church and denounced for their involvement with Mensalão were also expelled from Universal. Edir stated that the rules of discipline and morality apply to everyone at Universal, without exception. But Macedo also confessed that his departure at that time was a great loss and difficult times for him. In 2009, Rodrigues returned to the institution, but without the position of bishop, and in charge of radio host Nova AM. In 2012, He was sentenced by the Supreme Federal Court to six years and three months in prison and a fine of more than 290 days worth 10 minimum wages for the crimes of passive corruption and money laundering in the Mensalão case.

With Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the relationship was closer with Edir Macedo, with several meetings that occurred before and during the former president's inauguration. Lula spoke out against Macedo's arrest in 1992, in addition to defending his ministry. “I think the arrest is absurd because the bishop is deceiving people with his religion. People have faith in what they want to have faith in,” said Luiz. During Dilma Rousseff's inauguration, representatives of Rede Record, including Edir Macedo, were invited during the presidential ceremony. When Dilma was going to greet the station's top officials, including Bishop Macedo, the Globo network cut off the signal moments before and, at that moment, preferred to play archive images of Caldeirão do Huck. Globo News, which is also part of Organizações Globo, showed the beginning of the arrival of Edir and Alexandre Raposo, president of Record, who was designated as "agent of the ceremonial", but moments later the news program cut the link to the live when the bishop shook Dilma's hand to instead show her the plane that until then President Lula would use to return to São Paulo. According to Globo management, it was not the deliberate intention to cut the time of Record leaders at the president's inauguration and that the time was already planned, as was done in 2002, to interrupt broadcasts immediately after the inauguration. speech on the plateau.

During the interim government of President Michel Temer, the bishop of the IURD and national president of the Republicans Marcos Pereira was appointed Minister of Industry and Commerce in 2016, but resigned in January 2018 after being summoned in the Lava Jato Operation. Although he has announced his support for candidate Geraldo Alckmin in the first round of Brazil's presidential elections in 2018 since his pre-candidacy, Republicans supported the winning candidate Jair Bolsonaro in the second round, with Marcos Pereira announcing that "at least "[the party's] agenda converges with the government's agenda," and that they would collaborate in every way possible. After the election results, Folha de S.Paulo accused the IURD of using his media machinery to support candidate Jair Bolsonaro and attack Fernando Haddad, with Edir Macedo declaring his vote for the elected candidate and his son-in-law, Bishop Renato Cardoso, saying on Aleluia Network that "a certain candidate must now be bitterly sorry for having offended millions of evangelicals.

In 2019, the church created the "Arimatea Group"; Starting with Joseph of Arimathea (Jewish politician from biblical times, also known for holding powers over the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion), it is a group that promotes social and citizenship actions and inclusion, as well as political awareness about the rights and duties of people. church members.

Use of the church and RecordTV for political interference

Officially, Universal denies mixing politics and religion, but when reporting on the increase in elected politicians in 2020 linked to it, Congresso em Foco interviewed experts who pointed out the political influence that the church has in Brazil. Lívia Reis, researcher at the Institute of Religion Studies (Iser) and the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), said that the IURD uses the institution for political purposes:

Universal inaugurated this type of policy, there in the 1980s, during the re-democratization of (...) They [the candidates] use both the institutional structure and the party structure of the Republicans (...) necessarily by the Republican party. - Livia Reis

Political scientist Flávia Babireski, researcher at the Laboratory of Parties and Party Systems of the Federal University of Paraná (LAPeS/UFPR), said that "Universal is very centralized, a single institution in all of Brazil, so it has a very coordinated structure". hierarchical structure, very well thought out (...) So making this parallel political coordination is very easy. Knowing who the official candidate of the Church is, Universal knows.”

Also in 2020, when Marcelo Crivella was mayor, the IURD was accused of interfering in the election of advisers of the Ethics Commission of the Tutelar Councils of the Municipality of Rio. Según denuncia presentada ante el Ministerio Público del Estado de Rio de Janeiro, la votar habría sido amañada para amplia el dominio de la Iglesia Universal en el organismo. The election took place in January 2020 and resulted in the election of five councillors, all evangelical. Shortly after the election, the City Council of Rio created the role of "Coordinadora de Apoyo a los Consejos Tutelares", and appointed a former advisor and member of the IURD, who was later dismissed from office on suspicion of corruption. Councillors heard by the G1 accused the City Council of transforming the Guardianship Councils into “electoral.” In a note, the City of Rio stated that the election of councils is organized by the councillors themselves, without their interference.

Commenting on how RecordTV news reported on the arrest of Marcelo Crivella, Ricardo Feltrin, UOL columnist, said that the station's journalism has no credibility because it is linked to Universal:

Last year, this column saw some reasons that do not allow Record journalism to demonstrate impartiality and credibility.

The greatest, without a doubt, is the fact that the transmitter is umbilically united to the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. (...) Today, December 22, the situation was repeated, but in the opposite direction.

While all televisions and websites of the country followed the arrest of Marcelo Crivella, mayor of Rio, bishop of Universal and nephew of Edir Macedo, Record used his journalism to "sleep" the pill.

In all the stations the title was obvious and clear: "They arrest Marcelo Crivella."

In "Fala Brasil" by Record, however, the headline of the news was:

“Alcalde Marcelo Crivella is taken to the City of Police.”

Hard to believe in a coincidence or a simple editing error. This is the face of Record journalism, this is the truth.

The treatment of the news by Record immediately had an impact on social and computer networks.

The network has been criticized for allegedly trying to "put a lid" or distort a fait accompli: arrest is only a "conduction".

— Ricardo Feltrin, UOL

Television program Stop suffering

The program called Stop suffering is issued to all Latin America.

International Broadcasts

• Argentina: elnueve, Telefe, Net TV, América TV, Canal CM and UNIFE TV (the latter two broadcast programming of the Universal Church 24 h).
• In 2019 he entered the TV by streaming and secular contents through "Unife TV", being founded, funded almost entirely by capitals of the denomination.
• BoliviaBolivia: Red Uno, Unitel and TV Universal.
• ChileChile: UNIFE TV and Telecanal.
• ColombiaColombia: Canal 1, Citytv, Telecaribe (the program receives under the name of The Hour of Miracle) and Despertar de La Fe.
• EcuadorEcuador: Oromar Television
• Paraguay Paraguay: Paravisión, Latele, ABC TV, Unicanal
• Uruguay Uruguay: Canal 4 and Teledoce
• SpainSpain: TV channel TBN Spain
• Panama Panama: RPC (It is transmitted under the name of Strong Prayer to the Holy Spirit).
• Mexico Mexico: SKY
• Peru Peru: UNIFE TV.
• Venezuela Venezuela: Venevisión, TV Universal.

Movies based on the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

The Ten Commandments is a film released in 2016 by Rede Record, controlled by UCKG, in association with Paris Filmes. It is an adaptation of the television series of the same name presented by Rede Record in 2015. The adaptation was written by Vivian de Oliveira and directed by Alexandre Avancini, with the same cast as the soap opera.

During pre-order, the film broke several records. Within two weeks, more than 2 million tickets were sold and it was also shown on more screens in Brazil, more than 1,000, than any previous film. However, it was poorly received by critics.

The IURD was criticized for heavily promoting the film at its services and asking attendees for money to buy tickets for those who could not afford them; Pastors at church services distributed envelopes with the Ten Commandments logo and asked that they be filled with money and returned to help the 'cause', interspersed with the emphasis on the importance of tithing the 10% of salary, plus additional donations, each month.

The film was widely released, but a news report in São Paulo showed empty screening rooms at the film's premiere, even though tickets were sold at the box office. It was reported that in Recife only one buyer associated with the IURD bought all the tickets for all the screenings of the film in its first two weeks, more than 20,700 tickets. The IURD officially denied negative reports about the film.

In 2018, the film Nada a Perder (Nothing to Lose), depicting the story of Edir Macedo, partially financed and promoted by Macedo's channel (RecordTV), was also reported to be the best-selling Brazilian film, but I was playing lines. of empty seats night after night; In one case, two sold-out screenings were held in a completely empty theater for a woman and her two children. A spokesperson for the IURD said it was a lie and fake news spread by media with "a long history of attacks against Universal and the Christian faith" that the film was showing in empty theaters. He said that the church 'never' had bought tickets for the film, but there was "an initiative so that as many people as possible could see the film, bringing the needy population and the residents of poor neighborhoods, the excluded and those who never had access to a cinema where they live.

• Nothing to lose. Based on real facts, the film reveals the most shocking episodes of Edir Macedo's life.
• Nothing to lose 2. The film follows the story of religious leader Edir Macedo.

Novels and series

• Jesus
• Genesis
• Moses and the Ten Commandments
• Joshua and the Promised Land
• Revelation
• The rich and Lazarus
• Joseph of Egypt
• King David
• The Miracles of Jesus