<TABLE id=msgUN border=0 cellSpacing=3 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD id=msgUNsubj vAlign=top>
Coffeeshop Chit Chat - CHC deletes all negatives from wiki refs</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF width="1%" noWrap align=right>From: </TD><TD class=msgFname width="68%" noWrap>kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate width="30%" noWrap align=right>Jul-3 8:35 pm </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT height=20 width="1%" noWrap align=right>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname width="68%" noWrap>ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 10) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft rowSpan=4 width="1%"> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>16382.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt>Just checked Wiki just now, looks like there is another fight between CHC members (Kong Hee's church) and the critics of CHC and CHC is winning. Whole controversy section of CHC was successfully removed.... obviously by CHC members.
I think after I finished with Joseph Prince, I'm going to focus on CHC.... all these fucking deletions of negatives is an infringement of free speech, esp if the negatives are verifiable. Both pros and cons should be left in the wiki entry for readers to decide for themselves what they want to believe...
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Obviously, CHC people dont want to hear what the critics say. Here's the whole section being deleted from CHC wiki entry:
_______________________________________________________________
== Controversies ==
- On January, 2003, Sun Ho, wife of City Harvest Founder, Sun Ho, was informed about the uneasiness that some church members felt over the support of her pop career through City Harvest's support. According to church members, Reverend Kong Hee was described as giving updates of his wife's singing and promotional activities during church service, much to the discontent of many church devotees. ACcording to the Straits Times, one church member was quoted as complaining, "Even before the name of God is glorified, the husband always praises her first and shows her video."
-
- The report was also said there were suggestions that the church was being used to drum up votes for Ho at the MTV Asia Awards. She was up against Urban Xchange, Stefanie Sun, A-do and Kit Chan for the coveted award.
-
- Besides being asked to vote, a member said that church-goers were persuaded to buy Sun Ho's new album, Sun*day, while another said the reputable megachurch was fast becoming a 'personality cult thing'. Sun Ho reacted to this in tears, telling Life!,"I really don't need this. At first, I was quite affected and wanted to give up everything and just go home. Then I thought, Hey, my conscience is clear, and I've not done anything wrong. So, I'll still come back to sing during the show."
-
- While a select few felt that this was inappropriate viral marketing, Revered Kong told Life! that "there is nothing exceptional about rallying behind Ho", much to the disgust of some church-goers.
-
- "We did announce that Sun had been nominated and that members can vote for her if they want to. But it's different from saying that we're actively asking them to do it,' said a spokesperson from the church.
-
- "Anyway, what's so wrong if my church members want to support me voluntarily?" questioned Ho.
- The spokesperson also claimed that parishioners were not pressured to buy her two albums.
- When probed about the exact speech given to church members regarding the support of Ho, however, the spokesperson said that he "could not remember the exact words used".
- According to a former City Harvest Church member, John, "persuasive language" was used to influence the church attendees in purchasing and supporting Sun's career in the pop music industry.
-
- Of 10 City Harvest members contacted by Life!, 8 said that there was no compulsion for them to buy the albums or to vote for Ho. Senior account executive Stella Gwee, 27, said the matter was one of interpretation.
-
- "It is true Pastor Kong will share about what Pastor Sun has been doing. But it depends on how people read that. We do not see her very much these days, so it is interesting to know what she is up to. We do not take it as a promotion of her CD per se,' she said.
-
- In any event, senior programming executive Lynette Tan, 28, said that Ho does not gain from album sales because all proceeds go to charity. It was confirmed by a spokesman for the church that Ho does not pocket any of the takings from the album sales. The vague use of words like "proceeds are given to charity" without detailed elaboration has cast some doubts over the authenticity of the claim.
-
- Not everyone in City Harvest's 24,000-strong congregation is comfortable with these explanations. Businessman Roland Poon Swee Kay, 39, for one, had called up and written to The Straits Times about the alleged impropriety. He said mixing religion with secular matters was 'unethical'. Mr Poon, who has been attending the church for six years, alleged that he was 'encouraged' by his cell group leader to buy both her albums, so he bought five of each at one go. He also claimed that church funds were used for Ho's publicity and promotional campaign. He said that the only reason he was staying on in the church was because he felt he had invested 'too much money' towards the $48.7 million used for the construction of the church building at Jurong West. In response, Reverend Kong said that not a single cent from church funds was used to buy or to promote Sun's albums. Integrity, he added, was a core value of the church. This brings up a question to the critics: Who is to know what happens to the funds obtained from the album sales?
-
- 'We always try to be as transparent as we can in all our activities. Our accounts are audited yearly by a public accounting firm,' Reverend Kong defended.
-
- Since the incident, it has been requested that City Harvest Church allows for greater transparency in the channels for which the funds collected go to, including the voluntary donations collected weekly from church members.
-
- While City Harvest Church has declined to comment about the detailed uses of church funds, a spokesperson has hinted plans of 'constructing beneficial recreational facilities' to 'enhance divine revelation for the evergrowing congregation'.
[email protected]
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I think after I finished with Joseph Prince, I'm going to focus on CHC.... all these fucking deletions of negatives is an infringement of free speech, esp if the negatives are verifiable. Both pros and cons should be left in the wiki entry for readers to decide for themselves what they want to believe...
“I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”
Obviously, CHC people dont want to hear what the critics say. Here's the whole section being deleted from CHC wiki entry:
_______________________________________________________________
== Controversies ==
- On January, 2003, Sun Ho, wife of City Harvest Founder, Sun Ho, was informed about the uneasiness that some church members felt over the support of her pop career through City Harvest's support. According to church members, Reverend Kong Hee was described as giving updates of his wife's singing and promotional activities during church service, much to the discontent of many church devotees. ACcording to the Straits Times, one church member was quoted as complaining, "Even before the name of God is glorified, the husband always praises her first and shows her video."
-
- The report was also said there were suggestions that the church was being used to drum up votes for Ho at the MTV Asia Awards. She was up against Urban Xchange, Stefanie Sun, A-do and Kit Chan for the coveted award.
-
- Besides being asked to vote, a member said that church-goers were persuaded to buy Sun Ho's new album, Sun*day, while another said the reputable megachurch was fast becoming a 'personality cult thing'. Sun Ho reacted to this in tears, telling Life!,"I really don't need this. At first, I was quite affected and wanted to give up everything and just go home. Then I thought, Hey, my conscience is clear, and I've not done anything wrong. So, I'll still come back to sing during the show."
-
- While a select few felt that this was inappropriate viral marketing, Revered Kong told Life! that "there is nothing exceptional about rallying behind Ho", much to the disgust of some church-goers.
-
- "We did announce that Sun had been nominated and that members can vote for her if they want to. But it's different from saying that we're actively asking them to do it,' said a spokesperson from the church.
-
- "Anyway, what's so wrong if my church members want to support me voluntarily?" questioned Ho.
- The spokesperson also claimed that parishioners were not pressured to buy her two albums.
- When probed about the exact speech given to church members regarding the support of Ho, however, the spokesperson said that he "could not remember the exact words used".
- According to a former City Harvest Church member, John, "persuasive language" was used to influence the church attendees in purchasing and supporting Sun's career in the pop music industry.
-
- Of 10 City Harvest members contacted by Life!, 8 said that there was no compulsion for them to buy the albums or to vote for Ho. Senior account executive Stella Gwee, 27, said the matter was one of interpretation.
-
- "It is true Pastor Kong will share about what Pastor Sun has been doing. But it depends on how people read that. We do not see her very much these days, so it is interesting to know what she is up to. We do not take it as a promotion of her CD per se,' she said.
-
- In any event, senior programming executive Lynette Tan, 28, said that Ho does not gain from album sales because all proceeds go to charity. It was confirmed by a spokesman for the church that Ho does not pocket any of the takings from the album sales. The vague use of words like "proceeds are given to charity" without detailed elaboration has cast some doubts over the authenticity of the claim.
-
- Not everyone in City Harvest's 24,000-strong congregation is comfortable with these explanations. Businessman Roland Poon Swee Kay, 39, for one, had called up and written to The Straits Times about the alleged impropriety. He said mixing religion with secular matters was 'unethical'. Mr Poon, who has been attending the church for six years, alleged that he was 'encouraged' by his cell group leader to buy both her albums, so he bought five of each at one go. He also claimed that church funds were used for Ho's publicity and promotional campaign. He said that the only reason he was staying on in the church was because he felt he had invested 'too much money' towards the $48.7 million used for the construction of the church building at Jurong West. In response, Reverend Kong said that not a single cent from church funds was used to buy or to promote Sun's albums. Integrity, he added, was a core value of the church. This brings up a question to the critics: Who is to know what happens to the funds obtained from the album sales?
-
- 'We always try to be as transparent as we can in all our activities. Our accounts are audited yearly by a public accounting firm,' Reverend Kong defended.
-
- Since the incident, it has been requested that City Harvest Church allows for greater transparency in the channels for which the funds collected go to, including the voluntary donations collected weekly from church members.
-
- While City Harvest Church has declined to comment about the detailed uses of church funds, a spokesperson has hinted plans of 'constructing beneficial recreational facilities' to 'enhance divine revelation for the evergrowing congregation'.
[email protected]
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