Faith leaders across England in 'HIV healing' claims

[Atheist-Lite]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-19656649

Faith leaders across England in 'HIV healing' claims

Dangerous cases of faith leaders who tell people with HIV to stop taking their life-saving drugs have been identified by African-led community groups in a number of locations across England.

Seven groups said there were instances of people being told by faith leaders they had been "healed" through prayer - and then pressured to stop taking antiretroviral medication, according to the charity African Health Policy Network (AHPN).

Cases were reported to have taken place in Finsbury Park, Tottenham, and Woolwich, in London, as well as in Manchester, Leeds and at a number of churches across the North West.

Last year, BBC London identified three people with HIV who died after they stopped taking antiretroviral drugs on the advice of their Evangelical Christian pastors.

AHPN, which tackles health inequalities for Africans living in the UK, called on the government to do more to prevent faith leaders encouraging people with HIV to stop taking their drugs.

"The government, the department of health, and local authorities are not doing enough to respond to this," said Jacqueline Stevenson, AHPN's head of policy.

(continued)

[JimC]

"The government, the department of health, and local authorities are not doing enough to respond to this," said Jacqueline Stevenson, AHPN's head of policy.

At the risk of getting a little Sethian, it shouldn't be the government's job to protect people from their own damn stupidity, in cases like this. Of course, the religious leaders involved are moronic arseholes, that goes without saying, but the AHPN seems a little whiny to me...

[Clinton Huxley]

Given that anyone stupid or deluded enough to believe the nonsense from these pastors will have a high viral load and be a potential danger to sexual partners, someone needs to make a fuss about it.

Maybe a Pastor could be infected, as an experiment, and asked to pray it away....

[Mysturji]

[Xamonas Chegwé]

I quite agree that it should be a primary role of any government to steer their populace away from primitive, religious mumbo-jumbo.

Somehow, I fear that I am in a minority in this instance.


Hopefully, this may one day change.

[JimC]

I quite agree that it should be a primary role of any government to steer their populace away from primitive, religious mumbo-jumbo.

Somehow, I fear that I am in a minority in this instance.


Hopefully, this may one day change.

Nope.

With Seth here...

No atheistical nanny stating!

[DaveDodo007]

You lot are so cynical so to prove you doubters wrong the person who had just been healed should be allowed to shag the faith healers, especially up the arse is male without a condom. That will show you elitist scientist god exist.

[Santa_Claus]

Given that anyone stupid or deluded enough to believe the nonsense from these pastors will have a high viral load and be a potential danger to sexual partners, someone needs to make a fuss about it.

Whilst I agree that someone (everyone?) needs to make a fuss (aka stand up and say "YOU ARE TALKING BOLLOCKS!") - I disagree that your above scenario should be the motivator. Unless someone has been living under a rock then they will know that every sexual encounter carries risk. How each manages that risk is up to them alone to decide - not the State.

[Rum]

Let them get on with it. Darwinism in action I say! :twisted: