S
sea_oat
Guest
Has anyone heard of a man named Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda, and of his group?
I know people claiming to be Jesus, and their surrounding cults are unfortunately nothing new, but I was shocked to learn that thousands of people worldwide are actually buying into this man’s absurd teachings. Apparently, he’s accumulated millions of dollars, and even has his own 24-hour television station. Any thoughts?
cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_254163721.html
Another link, and excerpt:
miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2006-02-09/news/feature_5.html
*"The protesters belong to a congregation called Creciendo en Gracia, or Growing in Grace. It is headquartered in a drab Doral warehouse but has outposts throughout Latin America, as well as in Spain, Italy, Canada, and Australia. All told, the group claims 300 congregations with more than 100,000 members, plus a 24-hour cable channel that reaches two million homes. And it’s growing. In the last year alone, Creciendo en Gracia has added nearly 100 churches to its roster. *
*The group is organized around José Luis De Jesus Miranda, a 59-year-old Puerto Rican man with impish charm and a taste for indulgence. Some defectors, like Regina Albarracin — a Pembroke Pines woman whose son remains a member — liken him to a cult leader. Devotees call him Jesus Christ and lavish him with gifts and money. More than 400 followers have set up businesses that funnel 20 to 80 percent of their profits into the ministry. Others donate cars, homes, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash and services. *
De Jesus’s followers believe they are God’s true chosen people and call their children the “super race.” They are also convinced other churches peddle deceit and spread poverty, war, and disease. But while this antipathy dates back years, only recently have they begun acting on it by disrupting religious events.
*Over the past five months, Creciendo en Gracia parishioners have held at least 40 protests in more than a dozen countries. And De Jesus says this is just the beginning. “My purpose,” he explains, “is to close down every church so the true church can begin. You could say I’m leading the greatest reformation that has ever happened.” *
I know people claiming to be Jesus, and their surrounding cults are unfortunately nothing new, but I was shocked to learn that thousands of people worldwide are actually buying into this man’s absurd teachings. Apparently, he’s accumulated millions of dollars, and even has his own 24-hour television station. Any thoughts?
cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_254163721.html
Another link, and excerpt:
miaminewtimes.com/Issues/2006-02-09/news/feature_5.html
*"The protesters belong to a congregation called Creciendo en Gracia, or Growing in Grace. It is headquartered in a drab Doral warehouse but has outposts throughout Latin America, as well as in Spain, Italy, Canada, and Australia. All told, the group claims 300 congregations with more than 100,000 members, plus a 24-hour cable channel that reaches two million homes. And it’s growing. In the last year alone, Creciendo en Gracia has added nearly 100 churches to its roster. *
*The group is organized around José Luis De Jesus Miranda, a 59-year-old Puerto Rican man with impish charm and a taste for indulgence. Some defectors, like Regina Albarracin — a Pembroke Pines woman whose son remains a member — liken him to a cult leader. Devotees call him Jesus Christ and lavish him with gifts and money. More than 400 followers have set up businesses that funnel 20 to 80 percent of their profits into the ministry. Others donate cars, homes, and tens of thousands of dollars in cash and services. *
De Jesus’s followers believe they are God’s true chosen people and call their children the “super race.” They are also convinced other churches peddle deceit and spread poverty, war, and disease. But while this antipathy dates back years, only recently have they begun acting on it by disrupting religious events.
*Over the past five months, Creciendo en Gracia parishioners have held at least 40 protests in more than a dozen countries. And De Jesus says this is just the beginning. “My purpose,” he explains, “is to close down every church so the true church can begin. You could say I’m leading the greatest reformation that has ever happened.” *
