Against Satanic Panics > Recent cases > UCKG
Accusations against the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG)
by Diane Vera
Copyright © 2006 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) is a rapidly-growing, wealthy, very secretive international Pentecostal-style sect born in Brazil in 1977. Its church services include mass exorcisms, and in general the UCKG places a lot of emphasis on fighting against Satan and demons. Ironically, in some parts of Africa, primarily Zambia, the UCKG has been accused of practicing "Satanism and human sacrifice."
- Satanism claims lead to riot, AFP, via News24.com, France, Nov. 27, 2005
- Zambia bans operations of church linked to satanism, AFP, via The Citizen, South Africa, Nov. 30, 2005
- In the blog Bartholomew's notes on religion:
- Satanic Panic Outbreak in Zambia, 05 December 2005 (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God banned)
- Namibia Rejects Satanic Panic over Universal Church, 14 December 2005 (Namibia stresses freedom of religion)
- Zambia deports 'satanist' pastors IOL (News for South Africa and the World), Lusaka, February 13 2006.
- God, Satan and Southern Times feature in court scrap by Werner Menges, Wednesday, Namibian, Namibia, January 31, 2007
More mundane accusations have been leveled against the UCKG in Brazil. See, for example, Controversial Brazilian Church Under Suspicion, Prensa Latina, Cuba July 12, 2005. For a description of some of the UCKG's activities here in the U.S.A., see Demons on Broadway: Miracles. Exorcism. Catholic-bashing. Going for broke in the Universal Church by Joseph Treviņo, LA Weekly. ReligionNewsBlog.com has a collection of links to news stories about the UCKG. See also Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (Universal Church of the Kingdom of God), a collection of info about the UCKG on Apologetics Index, a mainstream evangelical Christian site which deems the UCKG to be heretical.
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