DEATH BY FAITH HEALING

Several years ago, there was a young woman at 3 Angels Care who

was in final stage of AIDS. In those days, there was no antiretroviral

treatment and she was skeleton-thin with hair falling out and chronic

diarrhoea.

One weekend, she went home and attended church with her family.

At the end of the service, she met the pastor who had her kneel as

he laid hands on her.

He prayed and told her to go home and rejoice as God had cured her.

She came back to 3 Angels Care about a week later with cigarette in

her mouth to announce wonderful news. She died the following week.

This practice has occurred several times in Papua New Guinea with
the laying on of hands of foolish pastors. At another church, a pastor
would announce to the congregation that he had cured in the name
of Jesus all those with HIV/AIDS.

Then he would send them home to die. His responsibility was ended.

Now he could sit under a tree and chew betel nut, his work finished.

Such pastors have the approach wrong. Best they can do is to pray

with the sufferer and thank God for life. He would thank God that the

person is living in a loving family that cares. He thanks God for ARV

drugs and that the person’s life goes on. God works through people.

At very best, he could ask God that if it is His will the young woman

be cured. Then the onus is placed on the will of God. If a pastor tells

a sufferer of a cure and a cure does not come, there can be several

outcomes.

The young person may not believe anyway. There can be a loss of

faith or a sense of guilt for faith not strong enough to have God give

a cure. There would be a loss of trust by a family or a congregation

of families in the work of the pastor.

If a person is told they are cured in the name of God and on ARV

drugs, they may be tempted to cease the treatment. Then they will

die, killed by a foolish pastor. The person was obviously not strong

in faith. Pastors are never wrong.