Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Our faith is so fickle; it requires tickling...

And finally the day has dawn......

The last 2 weeks we were forced to switch from one channel to the other (Kerala has almost 14 regional channels!) hoping to catch the latest update on the various “kalla” Swamis. The scenes were better than any reality shows with a gun wielding swami shooting rampantly and then even screaming with pain. Of course, one will never know the political connections behind them since both the major parties are involved.

All along, Hubby and I were wondering when more religious “gurus” will be unearthed. It is common knowledge that world over, religion is now the most commercialised and every religious text and its leaders has been sold many times over. And being a Christian myself, I am not aware of the Hindu Swamis but am aware of many Christian spiritual gurus. We have Malayalam channels dedicated exclusively for these “gurus” and each episode of 30 minutes or more can cost IRS 8000 to IRS 35,000 or even more. Besides the daily appearance in these channels, these “gurus” find precious time to visit other countries too. As everyone knows, visiting US would yield dollars and visiting Kuwait yields dinars.

Now today, we have heard the news that we were waiting to hear since some time. A raid is being conducted at the place of the famed “Thanku Pastor” of the “Heavenly Feast Church”. He seems to have no answer to the source of his income.



Kuwait was "blessed" to have Thanku Pastor not once but many times. Today while checking his website I came upon an interesting “miracle”. It is under the section “Sow your seeds and pick your gift” where audio and video messages are given away.

By the way, it is not sold like in others and their FAQ section cleverly says so...

Q: “How can I get the resources (media releases) of Heavenly Feast?

A: There are no products from Heavenly Feast. But for those who support us in the missions will be given a ACD,VCD or DVD as per request. LOL!

Now for the miracle!

This is one of the latest releases from Heavenly Feast Media Ministry which features the testimony of our dear Grandma Ammini who died on her way to new york,went to heaven,met Jesus and returned back to life.
Watch this amazing video!


This poor Ammachi must be now wishing she had never boarded that plane to New York, if she ever did!

And while in Kuwait, I was told that people witnessed much healing and miracles. (one poor supporter did die on stage and the healer could do nothing since he had to board the plane to the next destination - Singapore)

I asked one of my friends, a staunch supporter of Thanku to give me the phone number of these witnesses so that I can have a chat. Alas.. no phone numbers! I was also told that he raised many to life in his home town Kottayam! Are the Kottayam residents sleeping? I mean, isn’t it time they demolished those hospitals and gave that beautiful town some breathing space? And at the rate these miracle healing and healing minsters are multiplying, we should soon have the profession of doctors scrapped away.

To think that there are educated people from all Christian denominations and other religions who flock to such gatherings!

I am in no way saying that miracles do not happen. It can happen depending upon ones faith and we already have it in the Bible. “If one has faith as small as a mustard seed, one can ask the mountain to move away and it will”. If each one of us had even a miniscule of this faith in us, we wouldn’t be flocking to these so called healers and preachers. We would have prayed for it to happen and then watched the result. And that is what keeps these “Fake” gurus ticking. Our faith is so fickle that it requires tickling.

And they are not just ticking, they are growing by leaps and bounds. Reliable sources said earlier and now being confirmed that he has built a mansion costing 2 crore in his home town of Kottayam. Like a smart businessman he has also diversified his business. I believe those working closely with him benefits greatly from him while the money keeps pouring from the thousands of believers spread across the globe. Even a penny from the listening believers can add to the coffers. He could also have other source of income which the police should unearth.

He has a shady background which is well known but unfortunately even this has added to his popularity! He used his past to “witness” on his spiritual enlightenment. Ahh.. the tricks of the trade! Who wouldn’t want to sympathise and relate with the lost sheep now come home to the Shepherd. Earlier the text of his “witnessing” was to be seen on his website but now I cannot find it.

Hubby was always greeted with stern faces if he ever mentioned about these so called “Healers” and priests who gathered income beyond their means. The common line being “We have no right to judge others but only God can judge”. Trick no 2.


The coming days are going to be exciting. We will soon see many “gurus” going into hiding. I only hope the public will cooperate and show restraint. I also hope that those who are honestly serving the poor and needy are spared.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

The lure of money

SEEKING JUSTICE:
CHENNAI: For the third consecutive day on Tuesday, people came in large numbers to the office of the Commissioner of Police in Egmore and lodged criminal complaints against the Gold Quest and its directors.

Additional police personnel were deployed at the entrance of the Commissionerate to regulate the crowd.Thorough examination Commissioner of Police G. Nanchil Kumaran told The Hindu that the police would thoroughly examine all petitions and take stern action against the accused, if they were found to have cheated the public.

So far, they had received about 900 complaints, the Commissioner said.
Last week, the police had sealed the company’s premises near the Chetpet police station.

Agents and some staff of the company who had information about the functioning of the company are being investigated.


When will we ever learn that making money is not easy? One cannot make hard money by quick means and expect it to be legal too.

Don’t we all see this bare truth around us: among our friends, our colleagues, those who work in high or low positions and even in business? Unless of course he gets a lottery.

The recent scam.. or the age old scam is the “Gold Quest” or re-christened Quest International (QI) pyramid style chain business.

Even me and hubby were approached as early as 1998 to take part in this scheme and kept on receiving further invitations’. One of Hubby’s friend and colleague came home and gave a presentation stating the merits of the scheme. The bottom line was making extra bucks during the free time. All one had to do was give around 175 KD (almost 30,000 IRS), whereby one gets either a “unique” wrist watch or a NUMISMATIC gold coin and then lure others to join the scheme. If your “Left” and “Right” prospers so do you! But Hubby was dead against such schemes, reminding me of the various schemes that had left many cheated and few rich. Thankfully I was too busy trying to bring up the little ones to bother about the "left" and "right". I did wonder how this scheme can work since the purchase is made only once and there was no other means of income. People who lose money in scams like Goldquest are encouraged to blame themselves for that. They are told that they did not work hard enough. And they have a disclaimer at their website that beats them all..

And upon reading more about “Gold Quest”, I came to know that this company was already facing ban from Nepal as early as 2003 and in Srilanka, Philipines and Iran in year 2004-7 And there were arrests in Chennai in year 2003 where the company’s Indian head quarters is located. They say Mrs. Chidambaram was appointed as the legal advisor to this company. I think people still refuses to believe that the company is cheating since many high ranking politicians and cine stars are its patron. The company has also ventured into other business using the money collected from millions.

Here in Kuwait many of my ex-colleagues and friends are a part of this scheme. One left his job and started an office in India to continue the business. I am not sure how many of them made money and I am not even sure if they are all aware that this company is cheating. Our neighbour is still busy recruiting fresh candidates from company camps. These unsuspecting candidates must have given all what they saved from their meagre salary. I am sure some have made money on the expense of others.


GoldQuest International – 2000

About Us
• GoldQuest is a company retailing gold products.
• GoldQuest finds its customers through word-of-mouth advertising otherwise known as interactive marketing.
• GoldQuest pays commissions to its customers for introducing other customers, who purchase products from GoldQuest..
• GoldQuest utilizes the strength of the best network structure available today for the distribution of its commissions.

Company Background

GoldQuest International Ltd. was formed by diverse but formidable entities: an investment group from the EU and Asean as well as an Asian team of industry leaders with extensive networking experience called the V-TEAM. This powerful fusion of corporate and networking expertise has laid a strong foundation for the stable existence of the company that is dedicated to building opportunities not just for itself but for all of its customers.

GoldQuest is led by the honorable corporate chairman, Mr. Aulis Juhana Makitalo, who worked for many years with internationally respected agencies such as the United Nations Development Fund and the Asian Development Bank. Assisting him are various international directors whose special fields of expertise propel the company into a new millennium of dynamic expansion and growth.


http://bahrainidrivel.com/?p=195

http://questnet.homebusinesspros.com/


http://www.mouthshut.com/comment/readcomment.php?rid=54567&r=1&com=0

And to top it Dato’ Vijay was invited by the Indian government to speak at Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas.. now we just have to wait for the government to give him a Padma Shri

Blog Archive

clustermap