good for them

the sooner the population of the ***-hole called Africa dies off from
self-inflicted STD's, the better


"weagle" <weagle@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1180370707.448815.92550@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ugandan Pastors Accused of Weakening the Fight against HIV/ AIDS
By Peterson Ssendi
Kampala, Uganda
27 May 2007

report on AIDS controversy in Uganda (MP3) audio clip
Listen to report on AIDS controversy in Uganda (MP3) audio clip

Recent statistics show that HIV/AIDS in Uganda is again on the rise.
Some say the public has grown complacent, in part because of a false
sense of security. Critics say that sense of security may be due in
part to certain groups that say prayer cures AIDS and that blood tests
for the disease show mistrust in God. From Kampala, VOA's Peterson
Ssendi has this report.

Many Pentecostal churches in Kampala invite the afflicted to be
cured.

Mrs. Frances Adroa, who is HIV-positive, took them up on the offer.

She said, "I am a sick person (I have HIV AIDS) so, I was promised
that if I sacrificed then I would be healed. I sacrificed my car and
soon after that, I fell very sick. I was actually sick toward the end
of 2005 and most of last year. When I got better, I came back to
claim my car because I was still sick anyway. What they had promised
had not come to pass. So, when I came to claim it back they just
turned around and started blaming me."

That's when she contacted a Pentecostal pastor, Solomon Male. Pastor
Male is also the director of Arising for Christ Ministries in
Kampala. It's a local Christian group dedicated to fighting what it
says are false Christian teachings in Pentecostal churches.

The ministry worked with Adroa to retrieve a car that she had given to
a local church in exchange for being healed of HIV AIDS.

Pastor Male says the church misled her.

"This lady," he explains, "comes to me in great pain. They [said] if
she gives her vehicle as a sacrifice for her ailment she will be
healed of HIV. She gave the vehicle, she was not healed. She went to
[re-claim it]. They told her "you [owe] Ug. shs 2,050,000. [ or US $
1,216.620]. she refused because she did not have the money after one
year being bedridden. "

The head of the church said he did not promise to cure her, but only
promised her God's healing.

Those who do complain say they're told that in order for a miracle to
occur, one must not confront pastors, who the Bible says are "men of
God" and "anointed ones."

The church eventually returned the car, but with over one thousand
dollars worth repairs needed that the church will not pay.

According to Frances Adroa, Pentacostal churches like her own
emphasize the name of God and promises miracles in exchange for
valuables.

She said, " They come and say 'You have to sacrifice your best.' And
you really believe that what they are telling you is the truth so,
that's what I did. They even asked us (for) requests, which they are
going to take to Mount Sinai and pray (over). They are using God's
name to cheat people. I did not believe that they could do that to me.
You believe pastors to be on a certain level that's how every body
looks at them."

Francis Adroa is not the only one to complain of misbehavior by
certain Pentecostal church leaders.

Susan Walusimbi is another who has put her case in the hands of Pastor
Solomon Male.

The young woman accuses a former pastor of encouraging her to enter
into a relationship with a man who she says later died of AIDS.
Walusimbi says she, too, is now infected, and is staying healthy
thanks to anti-retrovirals.

The church official allegedly told her that the man had been cured of
HIV/AIDS and showed her an HIV status report for him - signed by the
pastor's doctor - saying he was HIV-negative.

Walusimbi said the church supported the couple - and others - by
providing them with a one-night "accommodation" at a local hotel
before marriage. It was here, says Walusimbi, that she and her
proposed husband began their relationship.

A spokesman for the church maintains that the man was not infected
with the HIV virus and there is no proof that he died of AIDS.
Walusimbi says tests taken by her future husband after he fell sick
showed he was indeed infected. He died before the two could be
married.

Dr. Sam Okware is the deputy director of Clinical Services for the
Ministry of Health. He says it is investigating the reported spiritual
healings.

"I think it should be investigated and am talking about everything
even if it is just prayers or spiritual healing or something like that
there is some investigation carried out," he said.

Pastor Solomon Male of Arising for Christ Ministry says that probe is
not enough - because, he says, it is not a judicial investigation.
Male says he wants a judicial investigation, but the government has
not yet responded.

Pentecostal pastor Bishop David Kiganda is the chairman of the
National Fellowship of Born Again Churches (NFBC) in charge of Kampala
District. He says it's only a minority of Pentecostal pastors who are
involved in questionable activities. He says all groups have members
who stray or fail to uphold standards, and his denomination is no
different. He and the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches led
an effort called Operation Clean the House to rid the denomination of
dishonest preachers. At the end of the effort, he declared 15 of his
fellow churches to be "cults."

Health advocates are also reacting to the controversy.

In an e-mailed comment in April, Craig McClure, the executive director
of the International AIDS Society, denounced churches that attribute
HIV / AIDS to "demons." He said, "The use of this terminology,
specifically referring to HIV as a demon, serves only to fuel the
stigma and discrimination related to HIV infection. He says HIV/AIDS
is not a demon. It is a biological and medical condition."

He emphasizes that anti-retroviral treatments are scientifically
proven to prolong the lives of people living with HIV. He says it's
irresponsible to urge people to stop this treatment as a show of
faith.



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