AN evangelical church in Hamilton that used donor money to pay for gym memberships, Gucci fashion accessories and trips to Hawaii and elsewhere for its directors has been stripped of its charitable licence by the federal government.
- High-living Pastor Rigo
According to this report, the Dominion Christian Centre of Canada was set up in Hamilton by Peter Rigo, a former decorator who was raised in Hamilton.
Rigo, like so many of his ilk, had delusions of grandeur, claiming here that his church was better than any other:
Our God is better than yours. Our girls give better blow-jobs, that’s right, we get laid twice as quick … For the most part, church is just a nice outhouse. You simply go once a week, move your conscience bowels, get a little relief and go back out and eat like a pig for another seven days. That’s why churches mainly stink.
The church is also at the centre of a high-profile kidnapping case. In 2005, police accused Dr Renato Brun Del Re of Milton of kidnapping and forcible confinement after he was allegedly involved in abducting his adult daughter in an attempt to remove her from the church, which he labeled a cult. His wife Lucie, a French teacher, has been charged with forcible confinement.
Several families with grown children who attended the church complained to the charity regulator in 2007.
After an audit of the church’s books, the federal charity regulator has told the Dominion group that its assets have been misused, spent for the “private benefit” of Rigo, his wife Peggy (also a pastor) and assistant pastor Dave Barhouma.
The regulator found that money contributed by donors and destined for good works was instead paid to fund
Numerous personal trips, payments for privately used vehicles, gym memberships, food, lodging and other unsubstantiated payments.
Among the expenses that raised eyebrows, auditors say, were numerous purchases at expensive fashion outlets such as Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana.
In Canada, most churches are charities. This lets them raise donations by providing an income tax receipt to donors and also lets them operate without paying any taxes.
Losing charitable status for the Dominion church does not close it down, but it makes it more difficult to raise money and means they will have to start paying property and other taxes.
The auditors also found that the church had issued bogus tax receipts inflating the value of land it owns in Hamilton. The audit does not identify the people who benefited from this arrangement.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
February 19th, 2009 at 10:07 am
In other news, a controversial global cult that raises money from the world’s poorest millions to allow old men in frocks to live in palaces and talk tripe on Radio 4 in the mornings continues to enjoy charitable status. Can’t remember if it’s called Catholicism or Anglicanism. It’s got an ‘ism’, I know that.
February 19th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Jism
February 19th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Hahaha!
February 19th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
Well said valdemar.
What about the Televangelists in the US? Surely they should get the same treatment, with their private jets, mansions etc.
Oh and doesn’t the Poop have a private jet?
The whole bloody lot of them should have their charitable status removed, and be made to pay tax.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
The followers of all these religious cults must be pretty dim: report after report exposes the frauds and cons but still the gullible sign up for more. Baaaa – gives sheep a bad name.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Hullo! Mormons, anyone?
February 19th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Personal Failure: Not today, thank you, I’m trying to give them up.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Good move by the Canadian government. Now it’s the U.S. government’s turn. Let’s start with Saddleback, the Mormon Church, Focus on the Family and go on from there. If they are so bold as to become politically active, then we should be bolder and yank their charitable organization paperwork. Then they can pay taxes and spend their money however they choose.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Church directors: “Oh well, we’ll just have to fall back on the old methods. Crank up the hellfire in the sermons, and remind people that money is the root of all evil so it ought to be given to the church”
February 19th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
All churches are businesses and should be treated as such. Be interesting to see how long each sect would survive in a commercial environment. You’ll probably get some odd interpretations of scripture as they wriggle to appeal to a dwindling patronage.
February 20th, 2009 at 5:23 am
I say tax them all and end the “Faith Based Initiative” crap here in the US. Churches are nothing more than businesses regardless of any other pretenses and they should be treated as such. Why people can’t grasp that “god” doesn’t wads of cash and spokespersons wearing Prada shoes, Armani suits and the like is beyond me. (Then again, the fact that religion makes people stupid and keeps them stupid is probably largely responsible for most of that.)