Pastor gives congregants dog 'meat and blood' to 'heal' HIV & cancer

[tripleseven]

(apologies if this is under the wrong section - please move if required)

This type of "denomination" an all too common occurrence. How do we as Christians combat this? These charlatans are the reason the world sees Christians as gullible fools and Christianity itself as evil.

How do we as a Christian community respond to reports like this as something that needs to be censored or banned. I am at a loss on how to respond to people other than to say he is not a real Christian. But with so many times these types of Churches appear in the media it is near impossible to convince the non-Christians that I know that this is not typical and they just retort back with "see how stupid Christians are". Sigh why to these so called pastors exist.

How would you approach someone who tells you this is why they refuse to be Christians.

(PS: warning, there are some unpleasant animal pics in the article).

Snake pastor gives congregants dog 'meat and blood' to 'heal' HIV & cancer

 

[Southernscotty]

Unfortunately there are "people" like this in the world that are so deranged that you wonder if there is even any hope? However there is always hope with prayer and that is where we must start.

God is not the Author of confusion, So we know where it's from.

 

[Basil the Great]

All it takes is for a few "unusual" Christians to give the Church a bad name.

 

[Tolworth John]

How would you approach someone who tells you this is why they refuse to be Christians.

This has nothing todo with Christian teaching and everything to do with the mixing of native beliefs with Christianity, together with a lack of education.

Hiv and aids are endemic in South Africa and the culture will not accept that it is spread by sex.

 

[RaymondG]

You respond by presenting something better. Did the dog meat work? Was any cancer or HIV cases healed as a result?

 

[Phil 1:21]

I'm actually glad when nonbelievers bring up people like this. It gives me a perfect opening to share the word with them.

How would you approach someone who tells you this is why they refuse to be Christians.

Ask them if they refuse to get married because some people beat their spouses, or if they refuse to have children because some people abuse their children. Do they get rid of their car because someone else drives drunk? Just because someone else abuses something does not make that thing bad.

 

[Albion]

This type of "denomination" an all too common occurrence.

Is it??

There are charlatans and oddballs in every occupation or movement. The idea that pastors serving up dog meat is either commonplace or typical of Christianity is ridiculous.

Most likely, anyone who would seriously offer that as a criticism had long since given up having an open mind about religion and religious organizations.

 

[tripleseven]

In my country it is. "Zion Christianity", which is the mixing of ancestral beliefs and Christianity is one of the biggest religions here, numbering in the millions.

There have been many reports of the various pastors driving over people or making them eat grass or spraying insecticide in their faces etc for "healing" and "to connect to God".

Zion Christian Church - Wikipedia

Is it??

There are charlatans and oddballs in every occupation or movement. The idea that pastors serving up dog meat is either commonplace or typical of Christianity is ridiculous.

Most likely, anyone who would seriously offer that as a criticism had long since given up having an open mind about religion and religious organizations.