I was disturbed when I read this at NEW.com.au early this morning.
I have seen similar acts in my homeland too. Sinseh, bomoh, the witch doctor, and what have yous -- rimes with IOUs -- promising "miracle" cures to people in desperation who would want to believe anything at all. As the saying goes/went, a drowning man would clutch at a straw. You can sympathise with the victims, but this SINGER? Or should it be this SINNER?
I don't know. I see images of this "pastor" among Malaysian politicians, social activists (You lucky enough to have bumped into any around? -- the smooth talking one prefixed by a Tan Si or Latuk with a Latin by his side? I hope you had a bakGOODteh or NaziLemak or HailamMeeSoup on him/her/inbetween!)
Pastor Michael Guglielmucci spun gospel of lies
By Kim Wheatley
August 21, 2008 12:57am
Pastor told congregation he had cancer
Recorded hit song Healer to inspire people
He's a fraud - but he's getting help
HE preached to thousands about his terminal illness and tugged at hearts with a hit song.
The problem is the pastor wasn't dying at all.
Michael Guglielmucci, who inspired hundreds of thousands of young Christians with his terminal cancer "battle", has been exposed as a fraud.
Guglielmucci, whose parents established Edge Church International, an Assemblies of God church at O'Halloran Hill in Adelaide's southern suburbs, now is seeking professional help.
Earlier this year, Mr Guglielmucci released a hit song, Healer , which was featured on Sydney church Hillsong's latest album.
The song debuted at No. 2 on the ARIA charts.
It since has become an anthem of faith for believers, many of whom are suffering their own illness and were praying for a miracle for Mr Guglielmucci, who has claimed for two years to be terminally ill.
In one church performance that has attracted 300,000 hits on YouTube, he performs his hit song with an oxygen tube in his nose.
It appears Mr Guglielmucci, who was a pastor with one of Australia's biggest youth churches, Planetshakers, may even have deceived his own family.
"This news has come as a great shock to everyone including, it seems, his own wife and family," Hillsong general manager George Aghajanian said in an email to his congregation yesterday.
"Michael has confirmed that he is not suffering with a terminal illness and is seeking professional help in Adelaide with the support of his family. We are asking our church to pray for the Guglielmucci family during this difficult time."
The Advertiser was told last night Mr Guglielmucci may release a statement on the situation.
The Australian Christian Church said Mr Guglielmucci's credentials immediately were suspended once he told the national executive that his cancer claims were "untrue".
"The national executive is taking this matter very seriously and is awaiting the results of medical tests before determining the full extent of the discipline that will be imposed upon him," vice president Alun Davies said.
"We are very concerned for the many people who have been or will be hurt by Michael's actions.
"We encourage all of our churches to pray for all those affected."
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DESI: I APologise if I started the day on a moUrnful rack; the rain had just stopped, the sun's rays are appearing. I think the dark clouds will blow over, and VVee will have a niCe die! GB!:)
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UPDATEd @12.48AM the day after:
http://malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/11617/84/ where RPK resides cyber-phorically:
How little our leaders know
Posted by Super Admin
Thursday, 21 August 2008 13:58
Trust not these religious people. Many are fakes and phoneys. The Quran says these people will sell their religion for money. This is not what I say. This is what the Quran says. And would the Quran lie?
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is upset that some Blogggers are showing ‘disrespect’ by flying the Malaysian flag upside down. Actually, flying the flag upside down is internationally accepted as a sign of distress, not a mark of disrespect.
What the Prime Minister does not know is that Malaysia has been showing disrespect to our flag for more than 50 years. Amongst some of these displays of disrespect are:
1. The flag should never be used for any advertising purposes.
2. The flag should not be used as a drapery, or for covering a speaker’s desk, draping a platform, or for any decoration in general.
3. It should not be embroidered, printed or otherwise impressed on such articles as cushions, handkerchiefs, napkins, boxes, or anything intended to be discarded after temporary use.
4. The flag should not be used as part of a costume or athletic uniform, except that a flag patch may be used on the uniform of military personnel, fireman, policeman and members of patriotic organisations.
5. The flag should never be used as a receptacle for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything.
There are of course much more but these five above already demonstrates in what way Malaysia has been disrespectful to the Jalur Gemilang. So what’s with this anger towards flying the flag upside down, which is allowed, when Malaysia, in fact, has acted disrespectfully to the flag since the time of Merdeka.
On the matter of whether swearing on the Quran is allowed by Islam or, in fact, violates Islamic teachings, since the so-called religious scholars appear divided on what is right and what is wrong, allow me to refer to the Quran, which is supposed to be the main guiding light for all Muslims.
In an earlier article (Inventing new religious rituals ), I already explained that even the Prophet’s wife, Aisha, was not asked to swear on the Quran that she is innocent of the allegation of adultery. If the Prophet himself did not condone the act of swearing on the Quran, where then did this deviant practice come from?
What did happen is that the Prophet received a revelation from God about what to do to either confirm or dispel allegations of sexual misconduct. You can read this in Surah 24 (An-Nur) of the Quran.
And as to what to do in the event of a dispute when two people say opposite things, which means one of them is lying, you can refer to Surah 3 (Al ‘Imran) Verse 61 of the Quran which explains it very clearly.
The trouble with these so-called religious people is that they are trying to gain political mileage with the sodomy issue in the hope that Anwar Ibrahim may see a much-reduced majority in the 26 August 2008 Permatang Puah by-election, or, better still, lose the election. They are therefore twisting what Islam says in the hope that the simple-minded Malay voters in Permatang Pauh can be fooled.
The Quran has warned us about such people. ‘Religious people’ since time immemorial have been exploiting and distorting religion for monetary gain as well as to attain power. Religious people are very dangerous. They know they have the confidence of the majority of the people who are not only simple-minded but place great trust on people perceived as ‘men of God’.
This is not only a problem in Islam but in all religions as well. Trust not these religious people. Many are fakes and phoneys. The Quran says these people will sell their religion for money. This is not what I say. This is what the Quran says. And would the Quran lie when the Quran is regarded by Muslims as the word of God?
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(Bernama, 20 August 2008) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has described the action of a blogger in calling on his blogsite followers to fly the national flag upside down as a sign of protest, as evil. He said flying the Jalur Gemilang upside down could not be regarded as an act of mischief alone but a despicable one, what more with Malaysia about to celebrate its 51st independence anniversary.
"This is uncouth behaviour, showing no respect at all for the national flag. What is there to be angry with the Malaysian flag?" he said after officiating at the Third Scouts International Peace Jamboree, here Wednesday. "If there are Malaysians who want to take up the idea that came from the pro-opposition blogger, they are insulting this important national symbol (flag)," he said.
Abdullah said the blogger came up with the idea to fly the national flag upside down hoping that others would follow suit, without thinking of the implications. "It's all in the blog...only he can do a good job. He's simply creating trouble by coming up with dubious stories," he said.
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TO READ MORE , you lazy BUMmers!... >>> Go to :http://malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/11617/84/
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