A moral place can be viewed as a converted space where a specific moral code is in effect. As a moral space, a Church should be a manifestation of good will, fairness, respect and communal faith. The instrumental judging critia for moral places is truth (meaning) and justice (merit), yet at the Prayer Palace the pastors have been accused of breaking the sacred trust between themselves and their congregation. Throughout the term, we have studied the various ways place and culture are mutually constitutive, yet the practice of spending religous tithes on porsches and mansions does NOT adhere the the religous culture supposedly housed in the Prayer Palace. Holy ground is moral terrain and record of immoral action on such land renders it both hypocritical and detrimental to its founding principles. On sunday March 4th, the congregation listened to Tom Melnichuk preach, "Shrewd business, faith in God". Paul's father, Tom, had previously spoken with his church about the miserable jewish people who "...cheat us on everything they do." If evidence holds true, the Melnichuk's have a lot of answers to give regarding their 'de-moralizing' of a most sacred place and exploitation of a sacred trust between God and mankind. The Prayer Palace is quickly becoming a contested place as it faces harsh criticism and strong investigation.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
The Prayer Palace
A March 4th article in the Toronto Star discussed the 'shady' economic practice of Toronto's Prayer Palace. The enourmous building sits at Hwy. 400 and Finch and boasts a massive 3,000 person congregation. A controversy has arisen at the Church due to the extravagent lifestyles of the Pastors who preach there. Acording to the first of four published articles on the issue, it is estimated that the pastors own 12 million dollars of real estate anddrive high-end vehicles. According to the books, Prayer Palace spent only $9443 on benevolent and charity activities last year and ammassed multiple million dollars of donations. This situation is directly related to the section of the course pertaining to Moral Geographies. The concept of a 'moral' place should certainly apply to all churches, however the financial exploitation that is allegedly occuring at the Prayer Palace is not in concurrance with any moral place. To put things in perspective, the image below is of Prayer Palace pastor Tim Melnichuk's five-acre chateau in King City. Recently, a helipad was constructed!
A moral place can be viewed as a converted space where a specific moral code is in effect. As a moral space, a Church should be a manifestation of good will, fairness, respect and communal faith. The instrumental judging critia for moral places is truth (meaning) and justice (merit), yet at the Prayer Palace the pastors have been accused of breaking the sacred trust between themselves and their congregation. Throughout the term, we have studied the various ways place and culture are mutually constitutive, yet the practice of spending religous tithes on porsches and mansions does NOT adhere the the religous culture supposedly housed in the Prayer Palace. Holy ground is moral terrain and record of immoral action on such land renders it both hypocritical and detrimental to its founding principles. On sunday March 4th, the congregation listened to Tom Melnichuk preach, "Shrewd business, faith in God". Paul's father, Tom, had previously spoken with his church about the miserable jewish people who "...cheat us on everything they do." If evidence holds true, the Melnichuk's have a lot of answers to give regarding their 'de-moralizing' of a most sacred place and exploitation of a sacred trust between God and mankind. The Prayer Palace is quickly becoming a contested place as it faces harsh criticism and strong investigation.
A moral place can be viewed as a converted space where a specific moral code is in effect. As a moral space, a Church should be a manifestation of good will, fairness, respect and communal faith. The instrumental judging critia for moral places is truth (meaning) and justice (merit), yet at the Prayer Palace the pastors have been accused of breaking the sacred trust between themselves and their congregation. Throughout the term, we have studied the various ways place and culture are mutually constitutive, yet the practice of spending religous tithes on porsches and mansions does NOT adhere the the religous culture supposedly housed in the Prayer Palace. Holy ground is moral terrain and record of immoral action on such land renders it both hypocritical and detrimental to its founding principles. On sunday March 4th, the congregation listened to Tom Melnichuk preach, "Shrewd business, faith in God". Paul's father, Tom, had previously spoken with his church about the miserable jewish people who "...cheat us on everything they do." If evidence holds true, the Melnichuk's have a lot of answers to give regarding their 'de-moralizing' of a most sacred place and exploitation of a sacred trust between God and mankind. The Prayer Palace is quickly becoming a contested place as it faces harsh criticism and strong investigation.
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