About Benny Hinn---The Hedonist Preacher

Yesterday I was mumble about hedonist preacher from my country. Now it’s about time to critics a hedonist preacher from the most hedonist country on the planet, United Stated of America (USA), Mr. Benny Hinn.

Few months a go a friend of mine was coming back from USA, and she asked if me I knew Mr. Benny Hinn. She was saying that because she had think that Mr. Benny Hinn is one of the deceiver evangelists in USA. It was proven by independent Christian auditors in USA, which they were found out there was deceitfulness on how Mr. Benny Hinn manages his financial. And because of these, the congress of American was checking his finance report also.

My friend also found out that Mr. Benny Hinn has been famous because his ability to manipulate people’s emotion. For example, Mr. Benny Hinn was exploring the poverty from all over the world to gained money that he had using for his own advantage.

“I was so sad because I already donate lot money to his foundation. And I was hoping that those money were given to the poor instead being used for his pleasure,” my friend said.

Meanwhile, a friend who is working as a tour leader told me that every time Mr. Benny Hinn went to Jerusalem, the entire local tour guide will vilify him at the back, “I don’t know why you all Christian people would listen this fraudster preacher! Are you realizing that Benny Hinn use your money for some luxury parties at London? Also to buying his luxuries cars and properties” they said.

I also heard from a friend who was a committee for Mr. Benny Hinn crusade in Jakarta. She said that unless the committees provide anything that belongs to Mr. Benny Hinn requirements, he wouldn’t come to Indonesia.

And here some opinion of Mr. Benny Hinn’s ridiculousness; at October 5, 1992, Christianity Today reported that Mr. Benny Hinn lies about heretical statement he made, “I would submit to the counsel and constructive criticism of others,” he said on September 1991, but a year after, “Now I'm pointing my finger with the mighty power of God on me… You hear this. There are men and women in Southern California attacking me. I will tell you under the anointing now; you'll reap it in your children. You'll never win… And you children will suffer. You're attacking me on the radio every night; you'll pay, and your children will. Hear this from the lips of God's servant. You are in danger. Repent, or God Almighty will move his hand…” this is what he said on August 7 1992, at Melodyland Christian Center in Southern California.

On 1997, Mr. Benny Hinn was an admitted necromancer (talking to the dead), by visiting another felonies preacher; the late Kathryn Kuhlman and Aimee McPherson on their graves, to received his dummy anointing. I don’t know either he actually had these experiences---which is impossible according to Scripture---or he just bragged about these.

Mr. Benny Hinn also assumed that he’s a little messiah and little gods, based on his statement at Larry King Show on 1998, “God did not have to send His Son, but He did because He uses men,” he has even gone so far in reference himself, “I face devils as the Son of God.”

If you are still curious about his another weirdness, check this out.

Now I'll continuing bragging abouts Mr. Benny Hinn hedonistic lifestyle. At the west Dallas, Mr. Benny Hinn runs his worldwide organization, where several dozen employees process an estimated $100 million per year in donations from people who believe in Hinn’s bullshit.
Near the building there is a Trinity Foundation, works 24/7 trying to find out just how much money passes through; where it comes from and where it goes, running undercover operations to make him prove that he’s not a fraud.
"All we want is for Benny Hinn to make good on promises he made to me in 1993," says Ole Anthony, president of the Christian watchdog organization. "He promised he would stop airing fake healings, that he would medically verify all healings, that he would wait six months after the healing before putting it on TV, to make sure it was authentic. He said he would do all these things, and he's done none of them.”

Mr. Benny Hinn moved to Dallas in 1999, when he announced that God had ordered him to build a $30 million World Healing Center in Irving. But by the summer 2002, apparently God changed his mind not to build the healing center after all, even though he had spent two years collecting donations for it. Mr. Benny Hinn said it was just a timing matter. God wants the healing center, but he didn't want it right then. Finally he said that he would keep his headquarters in Dallas because the central location saves him money.

During his crusade’s tour, Mr. Benny Hinn is a virtual recluse, surrounded by armies of bodyguards, ensconced in an $12 million oceanfront hacienda in southern California, traveling by private jet for ‘snorkeling vacations’ in the Cayman Islands, staying in $10,800 per night presidential suites in Italy, a $15,000 per night suite in Greece. Gosh, what a hedonist preacher!!!

Hedonism Preacher a.k.a Pendeta Hedonis

Based on Wikipedia, hedonism is the philosophy that pleasure is of ultimate importance, the most important pursuit. The name derives from the Greek word for "delight". The basic idea behind hedonistic thought is that pleasure is the only thing that is good for a person. This is often used as a justification for evaluating actions in terms of how much pleasure and how little pain (i.e. suffering) they produce. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize this total pleasure (pleasure minus pain).

Biarkan saya menerjemahkannya secara bebas (baca: ngawur) untuk Anda: Menurut situs Wikipedia, hedonisme adalah filosofi; bahwa kesenangan adalah kepentingan yang terutama, dan sesuatu yang terpenting untuk dikejar. Secara etimologis, hedonis berasal dari kata Yunani, yang berarti “kesenangan”. Prinsip utama dari hedonisme yakni bahwa kesenangan adalah satu-satunya hal penting yang terbaik untuk seseorang. Prinsip ini kerap menjadi justifikasi untuk menilai suatu tindakan dalam terminologi di mana kesenangan dilebih-lebihkan, dan kesengsaraan diminimalisirkan. Intinya, penganut paham ini akan berusaha keras untuk memaksimalkan kesenangan yang bisa ia dapatkan (Jika Anda memiliki versi terjemahan yang lebih baik, jangan ragu untuk memberikan pencerahan; I’m totally open for any critics).

Selama ini, penganut paham hedonis kerap diidentikan dengan mereka yang gemar menghamburkan uang untuk berpelesir ke luar negeri (tentu dengan menggunakan layanan penerbangan nomor satu), menyambangi obyek-obyek wisata termoderen, sembari berbelanja barang-barang mewah yang harganya gila-gilaan. Atau, clubber yang gemar bergentayangan dari satu tempat hang out ke hang out lainnya. Dan, socialite yang setiap saat menghadiri acara pesta dengan tampilan yang termuktahir.Lambat-laun, filosofi hedon ternyata juga telah menjangkiti mereka yang berprofesi sebagai pendeta, atau dalam terminologi yang lebih kristiani, hamba Tuhan. Hamba, dalam bahasa Inggis (deacon), berarti orang yang melayani majikan. Dalam bahasa Yunani (doulos), hamba berarti orang yang mengabdikan diri kepada orang lain, dan tidak memiliki hak atas dirinya, alias tidak dapat memedulikan kepentingannya sendiri. Ini berarti, seorang hamba Tuhan adalah orang yang melayani Tuhan tanpa memedulikan kebutuhan dirinya sendiri, sebab ia tidak memiliki hak untuk dirinya sendiri.

Masalahnya, Tuhan adalah mahluk spiritual alias tidak memiliki perwujudan fisik (kecuali tatkala Ia melanglang buana di dunia dan mengambil rupa manusia bernama Yesus), jadi bagaimana seorang hamba Tuhan dapat melayani Tuhan, jika ia sendiri tidak dapat melihat Tuhan? Jawabannya, dengan melayani manusia, yang adalah representasi dari Sang Pencipta. Arti melayani di sini bukan seperti yang dilakukan seorang PRT terhadap majikannya, atau seorang pelayan restoran terhadap pengunjungnya. Melainkan, bagaimana hamba Tuhan dapat melayani kebutuhan rohani jemaatnya.

Sekarang kita masuk ke dalam masalah kedua: yakni perilaku hamba Tuhan yang sama sekali tidak mencerminkan perilaku sebagai hamba. Betapa tidak, tak jarang saat melayani, seorang hamba Tuhan penganut filosofi hedon, minta difasilitasi dengan mobil dan rumah mewah, hotel berbintang, penerbangan kelas bisnis, dan pelbagai kemewahan lainnya. Saya tahu secara pasti beberapa pendeta di Jakarta---kebanyakan jemaat dari gereja besar yang ternama--- yang kerap menuntut ini-itu (termasuk meminta perlakuan khusus bak VIP)---saat sedang melayani. Padahal, menjadi hamba sejatinya memastikan kebutuhan majikan atau orang yang dilayaninya terpenuhi, bukan sebaliknya!

Tak cukup hanya dengan memiliki pelbagai barang mewah, pendeta hedon beserta keluarganya ini, juga tak sungkan mempermak tubuh mereka dengan treatment bernilai jutaan rupiah; mulai dari mencangkok rambut (atau hair extension), memutihkan gigi, memuluskan wajah, dan lain-lain. Kemudian, mengenakan busana bermerek dengan tren termuktahir, termasuk pernak-perniknya: kacamata, tas, dan sepatu, dan gadget teranyar.

Seorang teman saya, yang berprofesi sebagai tour leader, pernah menyaksikan dengan mata kepala sendiri kelakuan seorang pendeta hedon dari Tanah Air, yang keranjingan memborong berlian saat memimpin tur pelayanan di Tanah Suci. Belum lagi, saat pendeta bersama keluarganya---dengan menaiki mobil Limousine---tiba di toko tersebut, seketika rombongan dari grup lain yang tengah berada di dalam toko, berhamburan ke luar demi menyediakan space bagi rombongan VIP itu.

Baik, saya tidak mau terus-menerus mengoceh soal kelakuan gendeng pendeta hedon dari negeri sendiri. Meski mulut saya gatal rasanya, ingin membeberkan jati diri para hamba Tuhan yang hedon ini. Tapi mohon maaf, saya tidak memiliki bekingan di aparat kepolisian ataupun lembaga pengadilan, yang dapat saya manfaatkan apabila hamba Tuhan yang saya maksud ternyata berniat menuntut saya di meja hijau atas dalil pencemaran nama baik.

Saya juga tidak ambil pusing dengan adagium: dilarang mempergunjingkan hamba Tuhan yang diurapi. Sebab, apa yang saya beberkan barusan adalah fakta, bukan desas-desus yang tak berdasar. Dan ini, menurut saya, perlu diungkapkan. Karena, bagaimana mungkin seorang hamba Tuhan di Indonesia bisa hidup mewah, sementara kebanyakan rakyat (mungkin termasuk jemaat) hidup pas-pasan. Jadi, siapakah yang sebetulnya menyandang predikat hamba dalam arti sebenarnya?