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Church leader criticised over comments about New Zealand quake

Nov 17, 2016

It seems every time something bad happens in the world there is someone out there ready to make wild claims or insensitive comments.

This time it’s a church leader in New Zealand who is copping criticism over his comments about Monday’s earthquake.

Destiny Church leader Brian Tamaki has been slammed for trying to link the earthquake to homosexuality and “sexual sins”.

Tamaki delivered a sermon the day before the earthquake, warning that “weather and natural disasters are linked with God’s End-Time plans”.

He quoted the bible, named Leviticus to back up his claims.

“For the land is defiled; therefore I visit the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vomits out is inhabitants. You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgements, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), lest the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you.,” he said.

“In Leviticus 18:24-28 is a sobering warning and insight to the connection of the land and sexual sins. Leviticus 18 is God outlining the types of sexual sins that when they are practiced to a point of blatant disregard to a certain depth of perversion that the land will actually react and spew up the inhabitants!

“No other sin in the whole of the bible has any connection to earthquakes, floods and volcanic eruptions, but Sexual Perversions alone. (Leviticus 18:5-29).”

In a follow up message, posted to the Destiny Church Facebook page yesterday, Tamaki offered his “heart-felt prayers to those who have lost their lives and who have suffered trauma and loss”.

“The Diminishing of our Christian faith in modern society and the increasing aggressive reaction to Christ and His Church in social, political and family life has hastened the frequency of natural disasters around the globe!” he said.

“This is not man’s perspective, or mine, but God’s perspective! “

If the comments make you angry you’re not the only one.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has labelled them “ridiculous”.

“I mean, give me a break. Look, you always get people coming out with these stupid statements. The facts of life are New Zealand is a seismically prone country, with a number of very well identified fault lines,” Mr Key said in an interview on RadioLIVE.

“We’ve been a bit unlucky I think, clearly those plates are moving around a bit… it’s nothing to do with people’s sexuality. I mean, it’s just madness.”

Tamaki has also been slammed by fellow Christians.

Helen Jacobi – the Vicar at St Matthews in the City- told Newshub that making that connection was “completely ridiculous”.

“God doesn’t work like that. That would mean God is someone up there zapping people. That would mean every child that died of cancer was then in fact being punished for something. The logic is ridiculous.” she said.

“It’s sad he’s making comments like that on people’s suffering when the role of the church is to help, and be part of a community that puts life first.”

Meanwhile, Human Rights Commissioner Richard Tankersley said the comments were “frankly disgusting” “ignorant and “ironic”.

“Mr Tamaki’s words are a lesson to us all that intolerance and prejudice is very real,” he said.

“At this time when families are mourning loved ones and many more are scared and wondering how to face the next day: this kind of message is frankly, disgusting.

“I encourage New Zealanders to continue to look to our earthquake scientists and our civil defence experts for guidance, rather than putting their trust in Mr Tamaki’s sermons.”

Monday’s earthquake lead to the deaths of two people, injuring many more and causing billions of dollars worth of damage.