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.
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. By 1995 it had spread to 30 other countries, with a membership of 800,000 members in 2001 Census.[2] 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. [3]
The denomination has a Pentecostal confession of faith and its doctrine belongs to the Finished Work Pentecostalism.[4]
The organisation's emphasis is on faith healing, deliverance ministry, laying on of hands, anointing of the sick, baptism with the Holy Spirit, signs and wonders and evangelism. The church has several radio stations, where church programs as well as live healing and deliverance services are broadcast. Compared to other Brazilian Pentecostal churches, Deus é Amor is of a fundamentalist christian ideology and separates itself from society. [5]
The IPDA maintains extremely rigorous standards, identical to those of the New Testament Christian Churches of America, the Apostolic Pentecostals and the Holiness Pentecostals, removing members from social life. The church has an internal regiment in booklet format containing dress codes and moral conduct similar to outward holiness. Members are prohibited from watching television seen as the image of the Beast and the electronic eye of the Beast (except the radio), exercising and sports, going to the cinema, the beach, amusement parks and water parks, swimming pools, theater and circuses, gym, listen to popular music and practice dancing. Members are prohibited from celebrating any type of celebration or participating in holidays, which are seen as profane parties. Members are prohibited from visiting other churches. Members are prohibited from participating in gambling and children are prohibited from playing with or possessing toys.
Women are prohibited from cutting their hair, dyeing their hair, wearing barrettes, headbands, scarves and bows in their hair, dyeing their nails, wearing lipstick, makeup, wearing high heels, wearing earrings, piercings, necklaces, bracelets (except watches), rings (except engagement and wedding rings), wearing sunglasses, get tattoos, wear pants, wear shorts, wear clothes containing denim fabric, wear split skirts, wear short skirts, wear short-sleeved or sleeveless blouses, short, sleeveless or short-sleeved dresses and shave your body. Men are prohibited from having a beard, long hair, wearing shorts, jeans or any clothing made from denim fabric, wide ties, with only narrow ties permitted, wearing piercings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets (except watches), rings, wearing sunglasses, get tattoos, wearing a hat, wearing clothes that contain the colors red considered the color of the pomba gira, pink, lilac, purple and wine. Like women, men are prohibited from shaving their bodies. Both men and women are prohibited from using perfume, deodorant, shampoo and soap (except neutral soap).
The church practices teetotalism and members are prohibited from drinking Coca-Cola seen as Satan's drink, soft drinks, using drugs and tobacco. The church practices conscientious objector and nonresistance. The church is opposed to ecumenism and politics.
In temples, it is forbidden to have artificial flowers, seen as the devil's flowers. The church practices sex segregation, with women sitting on the right side and men on the left.
The church practices believer's baptism. They practice rebaptism of people who come from other churches, even if they were baptized in the trinitarian formula.
The church prohibits the use of drums and guitars, seen as Satan's instruments. The church has a record label called where it releases albums by church singers and prohibits members from listening to and singing songs from other churches.
Members can only date from the age of eighteen, and they must obtain authorization from the pastor, and both will be monitored by the pastor, the family and the church, and will not be able to hold hands, kiss or have dates.
The church opposes adultery, fornication, divorce, remarriage, abortion, homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality,anticonception and incest. The church practices the excommunication of those who carry out such acts, among others considered sins.
The church practices the shunning of those who leave the church, even if it is a relative.
The church practices closed communion, allowing participation in holy supper only for those who are members. Even if a person is a member, they cannot participate if they do not speaking in tongues, seen by the church as sealing.
The church considers itself the one true church, stating that all other churches belong to the devil and whoever wishes to be saved will end up joining the God is Love Pentecostal Church.
"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[6]
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.[7]
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.
Many singers have left the church claiming that they did not receive any salary from their albums sold by the church. From the 2000s to the present day, singers claim that they recorded voluntarily without receiving any financial return from the record company. All profits from record sales went to the founder of the church and his family. The vast majority of former singers claim that only the founder's daughters, Débora Miranda and Leia Miranda, as well as his wife Ereni Miranda received the profit from sales.
Former and current members claim that the IPDA is a sociological cult. Allegations of spiritual abuse, intimidation during sermons, physical and verbal aggression during demon casting sessions and control of finances, time and relationships are made by members.
Several members claim that the church obliges them not to miss any services and rejects anyone who is not a member, even if they are a relative. Some claim they were punished for not attending a service or holy supper.