2 Peter 2:1 [Amp] – 1 BUT ALSO [in those days] there arose false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among yourselves, who will subtly and stealthily introduce heretical doctrines (destructive heresies), even denying and disowning the Master Who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
This is how the sheep get slaughtered when a charismatic Pastor Xola Skosana gives this as a title to his sermon…
Jesus was HIV-positive, claims pastor
September 03 2010
Cape Town – A churchman in Cape Town has angered Christians in his community by preaching that Jesus Christ was HIV-positive, South Africa’s Mail & Guardian newspaper reported on Friday.
Reverend Xola Skosana of the charismatic Way of Life church said he had decided to tackle the issue of HIV and Aids head-on to end the stigma surrounding the disease.
In a sermon entitled “Jesus was HIV positive” he told his congregation in Khayelitsha township that God was present in everyone, sick and healthy.
“In many parts of the Bible God put himself in the position of the sick, the marginalized,” the 43-year-old pastor said.
“When we attend to those who are sick, we are attending to him. When we ignore people who are sick, we are ignoring him,” he argued.
His remarks have sparked an outcry among many Christians in the township, who accuse him of portraying Jesus as sexually promiscuous by drawing a link between the son of God and HIV and Aids.
The virus is mainly transmitted through sex, but can also be spread through needle-sharing, contaminated blood, pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Sosana told the paper he was mystified by the controversy.
“It baffles me why in the church this is the most untalked-about subject,” he said.
The Catholic Church has been particularly reticent on the pandemic, which kills nearly 1Â 000 people daily in South Africa, the country with the biggest caseload.
Skosana, who lost two sisters to Aids, has encouraged his congregation to know their HIV status by taking a test in front of them.
Hundred other young men followed suit, the report said.
South Africa’s National Aids Council has welcomed his stance.
“There are many churches that have done a lot to combat HIV,” SANAC’s Mark Heywood said. “The problem is that the church as a whole has not been vocal enough.” -
- Sapa-dpa
Source: IOL
You can read the Arikaans version here: http://www.nuus24.com/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Pastoor-Jesus-was-MIV-positief-20100903
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This was also publicized on SKY NEWS:
African Pastor: ‘Jesus Was An Aids Victim’
3:12pm UK, Friday September 03, 2010,
by Emma Hurd, Africa correspondent
A South African pastor has caused outrage by preaching a sermon entitled “Jesus was HIV positive”.
Reverend Xola Skosana said his sermon was designed to combat the stigma surrounding HIV and Aids.
“My responsibility as a pastor is to paint a picture of a God who cares for people and wants the best for them, not who judges them and is ashamed of them,” he told the Daily Mail and The Guardian.
The reverend preaches at the non-denominational Way of Life church in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, a township with one of the highest rates of HIV in South Africa.
Last month Skosana, who has lost two of his sisters to Aids, underwent an HIV test in front of his congregation, along with more than 100 young people from the township.
His approach has been praised by Aids campaigners in South Africa.
But some Christians have accused him of portraying Jesus as sexually promiscuous.
“They’re saying you can’t reconcile Jesus and Aids,” he said.
“But in many parts of the Bible God put himself in the position of the sick and the marginalised,” the reverend said.
He has called for more churches to address the issue of HIV in their sermons to try to end the stigma surrounding the virus.
The Catholic Church in the country has avoided discussion of Aids, while continuing to oppose the use of condoms.
An estimated 1,000 people a day die of Aids-related illnesses in South Africa.
The nation is still working to correct the damage done by the years of “Aids denialism” under the leadership of former president Thabo Mbeki.
Mr Mbeki, who was ousted from office in 2008, delayed the roll out of life-saving anti retro-viral drugs, while his health minister suggested a diet of beetroot and garlic could cure the virus.
Source: SkyNews
[...] Xola Skosana, a South African pastor, preaches that 7.6 lb. baby Jesus, with his cute little eyes of indiscriminate color, his hair of questionable thickness, and his nose of a varying size grew up and contracted the HI virus (a.k.a. HIV). [...]