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South Africa's advertising authority has ordered Christ Embassy, a charismatic church based in Nigeria, to stop making claims on national television that it can treat diseases such as AIDS through faith healing. The ruling came after the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC), South Africa's main HIV/AIDS lobby group, filed a complaint against the church, which has paid programming on the private e.tv channel featuring people recounting how they have been cured by Christ Embassy. The church was ordered to withdraw the advertisement from the station immediately.
"The message that is communicated to the e.tv audiences/viewers is that joining the Christ Embassy or its Healing School, or associating with it or attending its 'faith healing sessions' will lead to its pastor(s) transferring God's healing powers to anyone who suffers from the list of diseases that are read out or announced in the program," said the authority in its ruling.
According to TAC, it lodged a complaint after receiving a report that a woman with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB), who had made significant progress on her medical treatment, gave it up because she believed Christ Embassy had cured her. "She consequently became ill with XDR TB again and died, but only after transmitting the disease to her children," said TAC.
"Faith-based organizations can and do play an important role in supporting HIV-infected people in accessing and taking such treatments," said the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society. "However, organizations that offer miracle cures seek to mislead people that are sick and vulnerable down a path that often costs them their lives, and potentially leads to the infection of others."
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
