God is Love Pentecostal Church

The God is Love Pentecostal Church (IPDA) (Portuguese: Igreja Pentecostal Deus É Amor) is a
Pentecostal Christian denomination in Brazil. The headquarters are in São Paulo.

History
The Igreja Pentecostal Deus é Amor was founded in São Paulo in 1962, by Daví Martins de Miranda (or
David Miranda).[1] The spread of the IPDA and other pentecostal churches was encouraged by economic
regression, urbanization and the emergence of the informal settlements since the 1950s, where the IPDA
gained most of its new followers at this time. Among the poorest, promises of "the miracle that will free
them from their situation", fell on fertile grounds.[2] By 1995 it had spread to 30 other countries, with a
membership of 800,000 members in 2001 Census.[3] As of 2003, there were 8,140 churches.

In 2004, the church inaugurated the Temple of the Glory of God in São Paulo, with an auditorium of
60,000 seats. [4]

Beliefs
The denomination has a Pentecostal confession of faith.[5]

The organisation's emphasis is on divine healing, exorcism, and missionary work. Compared to other
Brazilian Pentecostal churches, Deus é Amor is of a fundamentalist Christian ideology and separates itself
from society.[6] Members are forbidden from watching television or playing soccer. It is not allowed for
men to wear a beard and for women to wear make-up or jewelry. Women are prohibited from cutting their
hair, dyeing their hair, dyeing their nails, wearing a split skirt, short skirt, pants, denim skirt, high heels and
shaving. Men are prohibited from shaving, wearing shorts, jeans, red shirts, t-shirts, hats and having a
beard. Children are prohibited from playing and having toys. Members are prohibited from visiting the
beach, cinema, water park, theater and amusement park. Members are prohibited from visiting other
churches (as the founder claims that God is Love Pentecostal Church is the only correct church that keeps
the doctrine and goes to heaven). Members are prohibited from greeting members of other churches.
Members are prohibited from celebrating birthdays, and from participating in traditional festivals. Members
are prohibited from playing guitar and drums (as it is considered the instruments of Satan, and the
Missionary claims that the creator of these instruments is the devil himself). Church temples cannot have
artificial flowers (as it is considered the devil's flowers). Members are prohibited from drinking sodas and
coca cola. Members are prohibited from using the methiolate medicine (since the liquid is considered the
devil's medicine, and the spatula is considered the tongue of Satan). Members are prohibited from reading
magazines, newspapers, books, and riding a bicycle (as it is considered Satan's vehicle). Members are
prohibited from singing hymns from other churches and using playbacks from other singers (except
playbacks from the church's record company).

"Here among us are many adulterers and adulteresses, masturbators, people obsessed by
sexual intercourse, thieves, vagabonds. Who of you likes television and secular music, is
 misguided. Those who join in today's fashions, even in miniskirts, their tummy free, walk
around, are sinning heavily against God." - David Miranda[7]

Controversies
The IPDA has established strict control mechanisms to survey the presence of its followers. Members of the
churches have to obtain "faith cards", which must be stamped each day of the week to prove their presence
at the worship service and the obligatorial payment to the church.[2]

The organisation, together with Edir Macedo's Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, is accused of using the
acquisition of the Edificio Cines Plaza y Central cinema in Montevideo, Uruguay as a disguise to cover up
money laundering.[8]

Furthermore, the IPDA is accused to have connections to the organized crime scene of Brazil. Many former
favela gang members work as pastors after their conversion.[7]

References
1. Peter Clarke (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 237.
2. "Why Pentecostal Churches are Growing in Brazil" (http://www.religion-online.org/book-cha
pter/why-historic-churches-are-declining-and-pentecostal-churchesare-growing-in-brazil-by-l
eonildo-silveira-c/). Retrieved 2020-04-28.
3. data from IBGE, Brazil's Geography & Statistics Institute
4. "Morre o missionário fundador da igreja pentecostal Deus é Amor" (https://correiodoestado.c
om.br/cidades/morre-o-missionario-fundador-da-igreja-pentecostal-deus-e-amor/240146/).
correiodoestado.com.br. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
5. J. Gordon Melton; Martin Baumann (2010). Religions of the World: A Comprehensive
Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. ABC-CLIO. p. 393.
6. Peter Clarke (2004). Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 237.
7. "OST:BLOG: Brasiliens Sekte "Deus è Amor" und ihr Megatempel in Sao Paulo" (http://www.
ostblog.de/2006/12/brasiliens_sekte_deus_e_amor_u.php). www.ostblog.de. Retrieved
2023-07-02.
8. "Controlarán a iglesias y grandes ONG - Diario EL PAIS - Montevideo - Uruguay" (https://we
b.archive.org/web/20130129083816/http://www.elpais.com.uy/130120/pnacio-689821/nacio
nal/controlaran-a-iglesias-y-grandes-ong/). Archived from the original on 2013-01-29.
Retrieved 2019-07-22.

External links
Official Web Site (http://www.ipda.com.br/) - in Portuguese

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