• Published date: 21 April 2024
• Publication title: Herald on Sunday

Gary Hollis wrote what most of us are totally in agreement with (HoS, April 14)

Who in their right mind would allow taxpayers’ funds being “donated” towards a church with billions of dollars tied up in property and other assets, originating from working class citizens’ donations?

To add to Gary’s story, we desperately need to add a clause in any building consent’s legal requirement, that no church, cult or separatists’ ideological group is allowed to build a building which exceeds the height of neighbouring buildings and must keep in tune with the overall building style of its street.

Historically, most wars have been started by skewed ideologies and self-centred agendas or greed.

So, the last thing we should allow is to have these self-centred ideologies of religion to get attention and flourish.

Rene Blezer, Taupō.

Unhealthy pleasures

“Time to cut out the cancer of Gloriavale” has been brought back to the attention of readers thanks to Shane Te Pou (HoS, April 14).

The documentary uncovered unsavoury and despicable behaviour by men in control as they live the dream under the guise of one absolute God and his shepherds. We saw it, noted it, tut-tutted then put it aside.

In all decency, why hasn’t something been done before now? How can we all live alongside such dictatorship within a democracy?

It seems our Governments over the past decades have ignored the goings on, thereby allowing it to continue. It’s utter slavery and sexist in its delivery, as though the men in charge have read The Handmaid’s Tale and based their lifestyle upon it.

It has been a long fight for New Zealand women to win equal rights with men in this country and we know it’s still an ongoing challenge, but surely this step so far back in time is an unhealthy, sadistic and degrading control of the many for the unhealthy pleasures of the few.

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