Concerned Malawians query ‘misleading’ Soul Winners Church advert
Nation Publications Limited has been queried for publishing adverts whose contents some readers believe are at times false and grossly misleading to the public.
In a letter to the publishers, ‘concerned Malawians’ including University of Malawi academics Boniface Dulani, Blessings Chinsinga and Jimmy Kainja queried an advert appeared on page 7 of the Weekend Nation of Saturday, 27 December 2014 by ‘Soul Winners Church’.
In the advert, Soul Winners Church’ is promising healing miracles from various ailments, including cancer, HIV/AIDS, barrenness and blindness.
“While it is by no means our intention to impugn the value of faith healing, we are motivated purely by the desire to guard against the publication of messages that have the potential to put the public in danger,” reads the letter by concerned Malawians.
Other signatories of the letter include journalist Idriss Nassah, George Mkandawire, spokesman of Ministry of Health Henry Chimbali, Pearson Nkhoma and Australia based Andrew Likaka.
“ By publishing these types of adverts, whose veracity is nothing more than the word of those who place them, you might inadvertently be giving credibility to conmen that seek to trick people at their most vulnerable time,” reads the letter in part.
“At a time when the country is making progress in containing HIV/AIDS, the advert cited above quotes ‘testimony’ from an HIV/AIDS patient claiming taking anti-retroviral drugs made her life ‘miserable.’ To our knowledge, anti-retroviral drugs remain the only effective remedy for HIV/AIDS.
“We are thus hugely disappointed that a newspaper of high repute like yours can publish unsubstantiated claims that the lives of HIV/AIDS patients will get better after they stop taking their drugs as the advert seems to suggest.”
The concerned Malawians also noted that it is “archaic and outdated” thinking that women who are unable to have children are portrayed in the advert as living a life of “shame.”
Reads the letter: “While we acknowledge that newspapers need to generate advertising revenue to survive and to deliver news at affordable cost, we strongly believe that this has to be balanced with the equally important duty of educating and informing the public in a manner that does not mislead. This includes the responsibility to ensure that material that appears in the newspaper, including advertisements, are neither false nor misleading.”
The concerned Malawians pointed out that that they are aware that other media houses publish and broadcast similar messages, but queried Nation publications for their “ unique position as the country’s leading print media house.”
Follow and Subscribe Nyasa TV :
If the blind can see,the lame can why hiv. the unbelieve generation.
There is truly divine healing,koma chinthu chimodzi chomwe ndinganene ndichoti zauzimu sizisoweka intelligence koma wisdom ndipo akanakhala kuti nzeru za munthu ndi zomwe zimamutengera kwa AMBUYE bwezi ma professor onse ali opulumutsidwa.Ife tachirachira nthenda zambirimbiri ndipo sitivutikanso ndi ma side effects drugs would bring in our bodies.praise JEHOVAH RALPHA!
There are a lot of articles published in the newspapers including the Nation, but I don`t remember the time a query was raised except on political issues. I don`t think those who queried the advert had done there home work right. Did they go to Soul Winners to find out examples of people who were healed from those diseases or people who were barren but now have children after been prayed for? Otherwise their queries are just executive noise. They just used their position to raise that query but not basing on substance. The problem is when one is on… Read more »
Total idiots, these so called faith healers! Where is your evidence? Please do not mislead people – the politicians are going a great job of that.
Obey God and keep His 10 commandments,that is the best preventive measure of all problems.and for those who are positive believe in Him for. Both your physical and spirit
ual needs,don’t go church jst bcoz u r sick,seek the kingdom of God First and all things……
No media house should advertize such silly and dangerous messages in the media. This will lead to so many deaths in the country. Look at what other false prophets like Pastor Salanje, Pastor Ziba, Ndovi, Mbewe, Bushiri among others are doing. They are behaving as if they have the power of healing like Jesus. This must stop forthwith. It is only God who has the powers to heal and NOT THIEVES WHO STEAL MONEY BY CLAIMING THAT THEY HAVE THE POWERS TO HEAL. STOP IT NOW OTHERWISE YOUR REPUTATION IS GONE AND NAMES AS LIERS AND THIEVES.
It is very sad to learn that certain organizations and individuals deliberately choose to be deaf and blind about the healing power of God. They insist that we preach there is no cure for AIDS/HIV. They would rather say they have no drugs. For those that believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no limit for God. He can do anything except sinning. He does not depend on the use of drugs. Many experiences in Malawi indicate that some do not want us to reveal we have a healer. This also what we find in Acts 4:17. the main… Read more »
Mr chimbali or what, why do you pray before going to bed. if you think that God can not change a situation. My friend just go direct to pastor Morise if you know you have some differences with him. Dan publishing these makwuti makwuti on media
Indeed you would first question the truth-value of the Asing’anga adverts before you do the same to Christian material.If Asing’anga claim they cure ailments like cancer then a Christian God can just heal all what is called disease plus even death. May the good Lord give sound reasoning to these baseless arguers of the cross.
Unbelievers….dont impinge Gods work