Benny Hinn won’t be allowed to swindle the faithful with his fraudulent “miracle shows” in Britain, since he was refused entry:
Benny Hinn, from Texas, who draws large crowds to his Pentecostal revival rallies, was turned back at Stansted airport under new rules on visiting ministers of religion.
Many thousands of Pentecostal Christians travelled from across Britain and Europe and booked long weekend breaks in the capital’s hotels for his mission at the ExCeL exhibition centre in Docklands, East London, which had been due to begin on Thursday night.
They were left disappointed after Border Agency officials turned him back when he landed with his private jet because he had failed to obtain a “letter of sponsorship” from a church.
Instead, Mr Hinn flew on to Paris and tried to enter Britain at Luton airport but was again turned back. He was on his way back to France last night.
Now if only the US will refuse to let him return…
Seriously though, all he needs is a “sponsorship from a church”? Sounds easy to get. It seems this was due to red tape, not because he’s a religious huckster. A shame.
Someone else was able to take up the cross for Benny though:
Instead, another pastor preached and requested donations of up to £1,000.
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We’ve also perma-banned Fred Phelps and his eldest daughter from Britain, too. Now who’s awesome, eh?
Banning idiots? That’s, like, anti-awesome. A really awesome country would let them in and then mock them mercilessly to their faces.
Isn’t a nation banning the idiots the ultimate in mockery? As in, “You’re too damned stupid to even be allowed to enter our nation”?
Nah, that’s weak sauce. If that’s the best the Isles can come up with, I am not impressed.
I’m certain the Isles will take your displeasure under advisement.
My displeasure? Ha! They are encouraged to be less awesome than us. Without the British, we would have no culturally-acceptable targets to kick around except Canadians, and they’re close enough to hit back.
“we would have no culturally-acceptable targets …”
You have a culture, well I must say you’ve hidden that rather well!
You’d get on well with my tattooist/piercer, Jabster. He was born in Cardiff but raised in Phoenix, AZ. He moved back here a couple of years ago, and rants at length about how America has “No real culture, man, just fuckin’ neck culture” (by which he seems to mean a culture of going for the throat and attacking the week). It’s all the more amusing because he has such a strong American accent :-)
Most of my little jibes are in jest but things are only truely funny when there’s an element of truth in them!
My biggest problem is that a lot of my exposure to Americans has been in Dallas which has to have some of the worst people I have every encountered and neatly summed up probably every thing I dislike about America and made a city out of it. Fortunately America, like all countries, both lives up to the stereotypes and confounds them at the same time.
p.s. I’m not sure I can forgive any culture that thinks it’s acceptable for any male over the age of 12 to use the word awesome.
Don’t confue shallow shiny “pop culture” to what we really have to offer (short list)
Carl Sandburg
Louis Armstrong
Jazz
Tom Wolfe
Hunter Thompson
Gershwin
Poe
Paine
Thoreau
“Don’t confue shallow shiny “pop culture” to what we really have to offer.”
Well it’s tricky not to isn’t it. We bring you democracy, McDonald’s and Hollywood (including little Tom Cruise) … what more could be needed?
Who needs culture when you can simply be awesome?
I get this feeling that ‘culture’ just means, ‘things that your people have been doing so long that other people assume you invented it.’
When applied to a gigantic and diverse country that’s only a couple hundred years old, it seems like a definition specifically set up for us not to win.
Which is why we have a giant military instead. The playground bully may be dumber, uglier, and worse dressed than you, but he still gets to take your lunch money.
Suck on that, Europe. :)
And considering that we’ve been picking up your messes for the last century or so (looking at you, Great Britain*), a little slack would not be out of order.
*India/Pakistan
Iraq/Kuwait
Ireland
Egypt
Sri Lanka
South Africa
It’s true!
GB basically broke the whole world!
If it weren’t for the fact that you are statistically the bustiest nation on earth, we’d have gotten rid of you years ago.
@Nope
You forgot Israel/Palestine which the US has been oh so helpful in solving ;-)
@Ty
“When applied to a gigantic and diverse country that’s only a couple hundred years old, it seems like a definition specifically set up for us not to win.”
… and your point is?
Being statistically the bustiest nation on Earth justifies everything, ever.
You forgot Israel/Palestine which the US has been oh so helpful in solving ;-)
Damn, I knew I was missing a big one.
@Nope
You forgot the really big one. Can’t remember its name but it became independent with the help of the French … anyone?
…the Dominion of Canada? ;)
Nah — more brash, less cultured, invents sports that hardly anyone else wants to play and then calls them the World Series (contrast with for example the World Cup)
Wait.
Did the country that plays cricket just make fun of anyone else’s sports?
Tell me I misheard that.
Cricket and baseball are very much the same thing — you sit around for hours watching nothing in particular happen. The big difference, hot dogs vs. cucumber sandwiches
Oh, you can’t fool me. I’ve seen cricket. The average baseball game is over in about 3 hours. Cricket goes on for days and days, and periodically all the players stop for tea.
Seriously. W.T.F.
There is a one day version you know and now even 20 20 cricket, which takes less than three hours!
As Dan said, it’s not because he’s a crook, it’s because he didn’t have affiliation with a UK church.
Actually, talking to some UKBA guys (I used to work for their predecessor, Customs), it’s because he didn’t have permission to work here. Revivals = his job.
I stand corrected! My Father is a missionary (more of that and our many, many battles if I ever get round to joining the forums!) and I assumed it was a similar situation to when he visits Pakistan, Russia, Burma etc., in that he has to have a letter of invitation that he can show to the Pakistan high commission or whomever before he’s allowed a visa.
Join the forum and tell us of the battles.
You did the same to L. Ron Hubbard back in 1968. Good job.
I am glad that Britain bans obvious kooks.
Imagine all those hurting people who won’t be healed now! (sigh)
heh,heh
[blockquote]Instead, another pastor preached and requested donations of up to £1,000.[/blockquote]
Per person? I wouldn’t be surprised.
Hahaha. Well I don’t have a job yet, maybe I could try doing this, it seems prophetable.
I wonder how far I’d get until I tell the congregation “Hey I was an atheist all this time”. But I couldn’t deceive people like that, I’m a terrible liar.
These private jets are expensive.
I am, uh . . . a minster, ya . . . and, uh . . . I locked myself out of my house.
Can you all please send me $ to fix this problem?
It still makes for a nice headline. Hopefully while he’s off trying to get a letter arranged, the gov’t can come up with a better reason t ban him for life.
Doesn’t anyone remember 4 people left a hospital in kenya to attend one of his healing seminars and *le gasp* died there?
That should be reason enough. More people have been confirmed dead at a Benny Hinn conference than have been confirmed healed. No wonder they call them Crusades.
I just realized my name was too long and the “s” was being chopped off the end.
There.
That’s a misleading title if ever there was one. “Refused entry” is not exactly the same as “refused to enter,” is it?
Oh, and I am requesting donations of up to a gazillion dollars. I wonder how many I’ll actually get?
The faith healer was quoted as saying, “There are some places even angels fear to tread!”
They seem the same to me. He wasn’t allowed to enter. Thus he was refused to enter. Thus his entry was refused. Thus he was refused entry.
I don’t see how it’s misleading.
The difference is that Britain would “refuse entry” to Benny Hinn. Benny Hinn would “refuse to enter” Britain. It switches the active party in the decision-making process.
Good on the Brits. “…in his private jet” I bet Jeebus would approve, huh?
it really saddens me that he can still afford a private jet after all his shenanigans being revealed, so many willfully ignorant people……….. what to do with them……….. thats one of our biggest problems.
my thoughts exactly
that’s why they are usually referred to as sheep. will follow ignorantly, and easily fleeced!
The title is misleading, it implies that Benny Hinn was refusing to enter but could have chosen otherwise not that Benny Hinn was denied entry.
Hmm, checking http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/managingborders/managingmigration/apointsbasedsystem/howitworks he seems to fall under Tier 5 category 3 Temporary worker – religious workers: for people coming to the United Kingdom to work temporarily as a religious worker. It seems the sponsor must be from a approved list and you do it ahead of time.
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier5/religiousworkers/
Ah, I see how it could be read differently. It could make sense either way. I’m always up for clarity, so I’ve update the title to:
“Benny Hinn Refused Entry Into UK”
http://www.ministrywatch.com/pdf/MWDA_053105_BennyHinn.pdf
yeah he does live a lavish lifestyle. He owns several large mansions. It seems to me the hight of hypocrisy to preach about Jesus as a minister and not live as he supposedly did.
@ jabster
You forgot Taco Bell! :)
TBH the likes of Taco Bell, KFC etc. I think are ok as they give the opportunity to have some that’s hot, reasonable priced, almost edible, consistent and quick which is something we didn’t have in the UK. Still wouldn’t go in one but I can see why people do. The ones I have problems with are StarBucks (how on earth did they convince people that £2+ is the right price for a cup of coffee) and Subway (we have a decent range of sandwich shops already which are a) cheaper and b) have nicer food). StarBucks really pi**es me off as it has also made coffee fashionable and supplanted tea. I wouldn’t mind so much if it wasn’t for the fact that they couldn’t make a proper cup of tea if their life depended on it.
That’s alright, Jabster, in my opinion (influenced by the hundreds of good coffee shops in my home town), Starbucks can’t make good coffee, either. Starbucks recently had to shut down half their outlets in Oz, which caused a lot of people to snigger.
Benny Hinn’s site said the stand-in was Bishop John Francis – but he was the choir / worship songs leader. The preacher was a ‘Dr Todd’ and the worship leader was a Pastor Jim. Anyone know their full names? And who is ‘Martin’ who Benny Hinn praised. Yep – our dear Pastor Benny was there by telephone link with a lovely picture of him in a blue suit. I wondered why not a video link, people would have loved to see him in person.
And BTW it seemed like a typical Benny Hinn extravanza to one who was there.
Sorted some of it. Jim Cernero was the choir / song leader. Dr Todd Coontz was the preacher.
Don’t know the name of the ginger-haired man worship leader. Nor who ‘Martin’ is. Nor whether Bishop John Francis was present (Benny Hinn said this was the man who stood in for him).
pity i though England was a country of freedom of religion but apperently it became a freedom to everything exept Christianity pity
His religious views were not the issue it’s the fact that he doesn’t have permission to work in the UK. This is the same as for every other non-EU.
” … non-EU national”
I’m surprised this guy’s little miracle acts are still allowed in the USA. They show constantly on the Trinity Broadcasting Network… even after he was proved to be a flat-out con-artist.
If con artists were not allowed on TBN it would just broadcast empty sets 24 hours a day.
Now if only the U.S. would refuse entry to all the other con-artist like B.H.. Or better yet just send them all to Antartica where they can sell their snake-oil to some penguin. That would do away with about half of Texas, and not the better half. And while I’m on the subject we could also send all the dumb-ass Republicans and their so called Christian moral values down there as well. They could call their new country; The Land of Odd.
Why do you hoist your problems on to Antarctica? That’s not fair. I happen to like penguins (and the south Atlantic). Better to stand these people up against the wall and shoot ‘em in the USofA, of course.
am answer to prayer that all false prophets will be stomped
Yeah, like it were true prophets…
Is atheism a religion or a loose group against the Christan God. I’ve never known of an atheist who condemns Allah to Muslims well openly that is, ever or anywhere. Just wondering.
We all do, but it’s rather pointless to condemn the believers who live 2,000 miles away. As an American, I can condemn Muslims all day (and many Christians would agree with me) but it wouldn’t do much to change the religious culture of America.
If you want to see atheists who regularly deal with Islam, you need to look for atheists who come from Muslim dominated areas. Folks like Ibn Warraq for example, or the blogger KafirGirl.
Oh and who are the atheist leaders that atheists follow? Would they be like gods?
Oh so atheism is by culture? So not atheism against a God as such, but a God from the paticular culture you’re in. Not trying to be funny – just trying to understand.
We’re not “against” any god. That would insinuate that we believe in one. We do not believe in anything supernatural. It wouldn’t matter if you were going door to door preaching about Zeus, Mithras, Jesus, Muhammad, Santa Clause, or the Easter Bunny, you’d likely get the same response.
We don’t ‘follow’ any leaders, though some of the more vocal atheists tend to be admired – often merely for their ability to say what they feel and not have their lives ruined by hateful zealots.
There is nothing remotely like ‘god’ to us, not in the sense you mean. No sentient deity, or supernatural being.
Nzo – excellent summary, I think.
For myself = I am a non-theist. This means, to me, that I have no god but accept that others create their own gods who/which are very meaningful and valuable to them. Sometimes these gods do good, sometimes not, in my opinion.
I have no leader and do not persecute religious people – I just think they are mistaken.
I am still learning, having been a Christian fo nearly 60 years before I was ‘converted’.
That’s interesting Nzo. So would you be offended when people tell children that Santa is not real?
I’m not sure that came out the way you meant it.
The whole idea of Santa Clause is anathema to me.
Though I also find indoctrinating children with whatever various religion hateful, doing so with something every adult KNOWS is false is blatant child abuse.
What about killers who say voices in my head told me to kill or in their sleep. that’s another thing – DREAMS! I’ve been to places in my dreams seen and spoken to people I’ve never met in my dream. Isn’t that kind of supernatural? It is like an out of body experience.
More people have been killed because the killer’s god told them to than all the anonymous ‘voices in my head’ ever could.
If one is unable to tell the difference between a dream and reality, there’s a good chance this issue started at a young age… perhaps with stories of Santa Clause?
How exactly would dreams be supernatural?
So people who let their children believe in Santa are worse than Christians, Muslims, Hindu’s, etc
The parents who deliberately lie to their offspring? yep.
I can’t fault parents for honestly trying to do what’s right for their children, (i.e. indoctrinating them,) but I do not tolerate deliberately lying to a child about something that becomes so important to them that they spend at least a good two months every year trying to suck-up to an imaginary jerk that gives more presents to the rich kids regardless.
Anti-Santaism.
Because I can just translate my self from one place to another in a split second to where I’ve never been before but it seems so real. I’ve woken up in a sweat and afraid because of a dream.
Translocate*
There’s no doubt that dreams are weird, but the truth is, you stay right where you are. You don’t move.
that’s true but I’m talking about non religious people.
I assume you’re referring to the ‘voices’ comment?
Please hit the “reply” button next to the comment you wish to reply to.
At any rate, those with ‘voices’ in their head could be mentally ill. Or maybe, just maybe, they’re going for the “guilty, but mentally ill” plea to avoid the death penalty, since they’ve obviously been caught.
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