Via Asiabuilders:
Capitaland joins with Rock Productions (aka the business arm of New Creation Church!) to build a $600 million lifestyle hub at Buona Vista...
Holy real estate, Batman!
"COME 2011, a futuristic-looking lifestyle hub with a 5,000-seat theatre, restaurants, shops, chill-out wine bars and even dance clubs will emerge in Buona Vista."
Guess who's going to use the 5,000-seat theatre? And will the alcoholic version of Cafe Galilee operate the wine bars? Inquiring minds want to know!
"Designed by Mr Andrew Bromberg of Aedas Hong Kong, it will have eight levels of civic and cultural space, and four levels of retail and entertainment space."
Yup, Rock Productions will manage the 8 levels of "civic and cultural space", which I bet is some crypto-fundie term for "NCC and NCC-related enterprises space"...
But heck, since Rock Productions invested 280 mil out of the 660, it gets a cut out of any rental profits that come out of the retail and entertainment space as well. Whaddaya know, the church has hit on a plan to accumulate fat profits, through its Jesus Mall!
Up next: Consumers for Christ! Or knowing the Singapore megachurch, Capitalists for Christ. Will someone be so kind as to deregister CHC as a non-profit religious group and start taxing the hell out of them like we do any other business?
6 comments:
Surely you recognise by now that religious organisations, _by their very nature_, will always demand to be treated as nonprofit? I mean, look at the USA.
Normally religious organisations do not operate commercial enterprises and get away with it. Unless they're the Church of Scientology =D
But yes, the USA. Home of theological innovations we wish hadn't been invented!
I was under the impression that "megachurches" along the lines of Cash Harvest Church were an American innovation. I mean, they certainly get a lot of cash and it all goes _somewhere_-- most of it not genuinely charitable, despite being called "Good Works".
On the flip side, due to the theological innovations you mention, the USA's about the only place in the world this kind of thing could have originated.
Does "freedom of religion" also apply to those who have no religion, or are people like me just fair game?
Yes, xh, the megachurch model is an American innovation. And like so many other wildly profitable and successful innovations, it was only a matter of time before they sent their representatives to start branches here, or for Singaporeans worshipping there to take home that brilliant idea with them.
"Freedom of religion" is basically the freedom to adopt, change, or renounce religion, from one to another, or to none. AFAIK, that's pretty much respected in Singapore (aside from it being illegal for Muslims to renounce the faith).
Toleration of proselytism goes in waves. The recent turning points were:
1. the discontinuation of compulsory Religious Knowledge modules in secondary schools (you missed this by a few years only!)
2. the consultation by the State of churches in various bioethics bills and the state-supported inter-faith Religious Harmony declaration
The pendulum swings left, the pendulum swings right...
Megachurches are blatantly materialistic and should be regulated. Are they worshipping God or the God of Fortune?
city harvest and new creation are plain disgrace to the christian community. the prosperity gospel that they preach is pure blasphemy.
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