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THE AGE, (Australia) WELLINGTON, Feb 21 - 2000 - A Texan-based
group was using the religious beliefs of some Australians and
New Zealanders to unfairly extract money from them, a New Zealand
lawyer said today. John Avanzini Ministries, which has branches
in Lower Hutt,
New Zealand and Brighton in South Australia, promised donors
an abundant financial return from God if their offering was divinely
guided, said lawyer Peter McLeod. Avanzini could not be contacted
for comment through either his Lower Hutt or Australian message
services. McLeod, a parishioner at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic
Church in Lower Hutt, said the scheme 'preyed' on people's spirituality.
It could persuade the devout to draw out their savings in
the belief that such action was blessed by God, he said. He had
recently received a manuscript from John Avanzini Ministries
called The Offering God Must Multiply. In a covering letter,
Avanzini said the manuscript, when published, would be 'one of
the most powerful books God has ever given me'. "When it
was delivered I noticed the courier had a pile of similar envelopes
for others," McLeod said He had never heard of Avanzini
before. He said the manuscript used carefully selected quotations
to distort Bible teachings by highlighting money.
In the 19-page manuscript, Avanzini told potential donors
' ... God has a portion of this world's wealth set aside for
you'. To receive it, people had to make their offering to Avanzini's
Christian ministry both cheerfully and willingly. "However,
if you allow the pressure from your insufficiency to influence
the amount of your offering, God will not accept it ... you must
never allow your concern over the temporary shortage or insufficiency
you are facing to decrease the amount of your offering."
The manuscript also said the amount of money given was the
visible evidence of the intensity of a donor's faith in God.
The Office of Fair Trading in Victoria was warning people about
the scheme just over a year ago. At that time, the group was
promising to set people 'financially free' if they sent in a
donation with copies of their bills and mortgages which would
be burnt in a special ceremony.
http://www.theage.com.au/breaking/0002/21/A30710-2000Feb21.shtml |