Veli Saarikalle

From The D Archives

Veli Saarikalle is a famous religious nutter from Lappajärvi. This self-proclaimed "priest" runs and operates a ministry/church of his own, that has several members across the country. He is openly against all the usual stuff you'd think a religious zealot like him might be against : gay marriages, abortion, rights of adoptions for gay couples, popular culture etc.

The church, known as Sana ja Ylistys (word and praise), also does regular radio broadcasts and also publishes videos on their website. These videos, with their rather colorful and sometimes very offensive speakers, are known quite well by a large amount of Finnish internet users. It could be said, that Mr. Saarikalle and his associates borrow the american concept of teleevangelism quite strongly in the various activities of their church.

The church operates around the ideas of the so-called prosperity theology, in which one will be granted vast riches and good health as long as he/she believes in god and actively participates in the worship. The church, however, seems to also run largely on donations from its' members.