Edir Macedo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Edir Macedo Bezerra (born February 18, 1945) is a religious leader. He founded the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God with R. R. Soares, who later went on to found his own church, International Church of the Grace of God. Macedo was raised Catholic, but by 1970 was a Pentecostal. He founded the "Neo-Pentecostal" IURD, its Portuguese initials, in 1977. In 1986 he studied the methods of Evangelism in the United States and lived in Brooklyn for a time.

His rapidly growing religious movement has been a source of controversy as it emphasizes on financial prosperity. He has also been controversial for that and for his views of other faiths, particularly the Catholicism he was raised in. In 1992 he spent some days in jail on accusations of charlatanism.

Macedo has come up from much criticism, especially after the 'Kicking of the saint' incident (in which UCKG ex-bishop Sérgio Von Helder kicked a catholic icon in a TV program) and his teachings about tithe and donations, which many say exploit the poor.

The Jornal Nacional in 1994 exhibited by Rede Globo (one of the biggest television networks in Brazil) presented an article about how Macedo teaches the church leaders how to convince people to give donations, and exploit churchgoers' poverty and gullibility. The techniques of Edir Macedo, beside other scenes with his bishops, do not coincide with what is preached to the believers during Church sermons.

In August of 1989 the journalistic Documento Especial of the (now extinct) television network, Rede Manchete, also presented evidence against the UCKG.^{[citation needed]}

Edir Macedo also was denounced by the Public prosecution service by fraudulent import of equipment and use of false public documents and legal proceedings by the Federal Justice were issued. He was later deemed innocent.^{[citation needed]}

Circulating around the internet is an unconfirmed message which shows pictures of the interior and exterior of a lavish house. The caption then states that the pictured mansion is one of Edir Macedo's houses "the pastor to the poor." The message is in Portuguese, and mainly circulates among Brazilians.