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    Churches Told Dying Patients They Were Cured

    At least six people have died in Britain after being told that they had been healed of HIV, and could stop taking their medication.

    There is evidence that evangelical churches in London, Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow are claiming to cure HIV through God.

    We sent three undercover reporters into the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) , which is based in Southwark, south London. 

    All of them told the pastors that they were HIV positive. All were told that they could be healed.

    Once a month the church has a prayer line, where people from across Europe come to be cured of all kinds of illness.

    At registration they have to hand over a doctor's letter as evidence of their condition

    They are filmed giving before and after testimonies, which are put on SCOAN's website.

    The healing process involves the pastor shouting, over the person being healed, for the devil to come out of their body, and spraying water in their face.

    One of the pastors, Rachel Holmes, told our reporter, Shatila, who is a genuine HIV sufferer, they had a 100% success rate.

    "We have many people that contract HIV. All are healed."

    She said if symptoms such as vomiting or diarrhoea persist, it is actually a sign of the virus leaving the body.

    "We've had people come back before saying 'Oh I'm not healed. The diarrhoea I had when I had HIV, I've got it again.' I have to stop them and say 'no, please, you are free.'"

    SCOAN told our reporters they would be able to discard their medication after their healing and that they would be free to start a family.

    Former health secretary Lord Fowler, who led the HIV/Aids awareness drive in the 1980s, says this message is dangerous.

    "It is foolish advice and it is tragic advice because the consequences of this kind of advice can only be that people pass on HIV and can only be seriously bad for the individual concerned - including death."

    Medical professionals have told Sky News of at least six patients who have died after being told by various churches to stop taking their HIV tablets.

    Emmanuel came off his medication a year ago, on the instructions of a pastor at his church in North London.

    "He told me I'd been healed: 'You've got to stop taking the medicine now. I'll keep praying for you. Once God forgives you then the disease will definitely go.'"

    Emmanuel admits he suspects he may have passed his HIV onto his boyfriend. 

    "Yeah, I think I've passed it on. He got ill. Physically he's lost some bit of weight. He's very small. I think he's worried... Yeah I feel guilty, if I'm the one who passed it onto him I'm feeling guilty. Yeah very much guilty."

    The Synagogue Church of All Nations is wealthy. It has branches across the globe and its own TV channel.

    On its website it promotes its anointing water, which is used during the healing, and it also makes money from merchandise, such as DVDs, CDs and books. 

    Church members are expected to give regular donations.

    It is also a registered UK charity. The Charity Commission is looking at our findings.

    The Department of Health says it is very concerned: "Our advice is clear that faith and prayer are not a substitute for any form of treatment, especially for HIV treatment."

    Sky News asked the church for its response to our investigation. Here is its statement:

    "We are not the Healer; God is the Healer. Never a sickness God cannot heal. Never a disease God cannot cure. Never a burden God cannot bear. Never a problem God cannot solve.

    "To His power, nothing is impossible. We have not done anything to bring about healing, deliverance or prosperity. If somebody is healed, it is God who heals.

    "We must have a genuine desire if we come to God. We are not in position to question anybody's genuine desire. Only God knows if one comes with true desire. Only God can determine this. 

    "That is why, if anybody comes in the name of God, we pray for them. The outcome of the prayer will determine if they come genuinely or not."

     

    1,193 comments

    • Patricia Cookson  •  6 months ago
      These religious frauds should be jailed and the keys thrown away. They are nothing but con-artists.
      • nutter 6 months ago
        charletans
      • nutter 6 months ago
        nycheerians
      • firefox2008 6 months ago
        If it is not the churches abusing young children and getting away with it, or enticing some kind of hatred and prejudice, they are now meddling again in things they do not have a clue about.
        Religious institutions are nothing but havens for the criminal and criminal insane. Christian churches have lied since the beginning of churches and have been controlled by corrupted, evil ego maniacs control freaks, together with all the other religions and cults in the world. They have caused more deaths and misery and pain throughout the centuries in the world than any war.
    • Carygrunt  •  6 months ago
      Con artists, pursuing the biggest lie ever perpetrated on man, trying to con people out of money. Hang the bestards.
      • Roger 6 months ago
        wow thats a long list then, the roman catholic church, church of england, yes hang a few rabbis, bishops, , ban religion, let people be free thinkers
      • dumb dumb 6 months ago
        well the anti christ is sertinly livid on these posts to night we must be doing some thing right, such venum
    • Jessie  •  6 months ago
      These people are nutters, you might as well tell people that Donald Duck can cure them. They should be imprisoned for a very long time.
      • nutter 6 months ago
        dont compare them to me, please
      • RiaJay 6 months ago
        You mean ... Donald Duck doesn't really cure diseases?

        I believe I have been lied to again.
      • Mass deporter 6 months ago
        They are all quacks..........
    • Barrythebrick  •  6 months ago
      More American religious extremists trying influence to try and get vulnerable people to give then cash. These people are worse than robbers, they should get life for trying to con people who are ill.
      • james allen 6 months ago
        Um, American religious extremists? How did you find a way to not even comprehend the first sentence in the story before making a comment.

        "At least six people have died in Britain after being told that they had been healed of HIV, and could stop taking their medication."
      • William 6 months ago
        Actually the belief comes from out of America. Azusa Pentecostalism. Having said that it has always been around. It was only brought together under the aforesaid. It is a bit like Marcian Arminianism; it was arong before John and Charles Wesley, only came to be centralised in this pair of heretics.
      • Carly 6 months ago
        Bollocks and #$%$ either way. Are you defending this hogwash?
    • Anon 1  •  6 months ago
      Over 40 years on I still feel that my mother would have survived breast cancer were it not for the intrusion of a Christian Scientist friend who said that by praying the tumor would be healed. My mother died.
      • *********1 6 months ago
        That would have to be between your mother and the other person, if your mother believed this person to be working what makes you think that it did not? I am sorry for your loss indeed and no loss can ever be easy but if you do understand who we are and where we come from then you would know that your mum is actually still with you probably depending on your acceptance. If you are full of guilt and or bitterness with regard her passing then you carry this forward and then the pain can only stop once you yourself have passed, which is a waste of energy and love. Try and let go of your feelings, be it pain or love.
      • neil m 6 months ago
        *******1 - 'what makes Anon 1 think the faith healing didn't work?' His mother died, ergo the 'healing' did not heal her. Pretty straightforward and clear cut. I find it astonishingly crass and callous that you would suggest his quite justified anger is in fact based on guilt. Why should he feel guilty? Your comments, to me, typify the smarmy, arrogant and uncaring attitude of fundamentalists.
      • chilli 6 months ago
        Breast cancer is very survivable with surgery and treatment, ignoring a tumour doesn't make it go away. Praying is not treatment it is a psychological comfort at best and in this case irresponsible lying. Anon 1 has every right to be angry.
    • Sean C  •  6 months ago
      Well, well. The religious nutters are at it again. God can cure these parasites claim. Give us your money and we will get God to cure your HIV, we get him to cure your cancer and any other disease you mention. Its all a bloody fraud. By any philosophical and material notions or facts, God fails to exist. God is an idea in the human mind, when the human dies so does the idea of God. These people are charlatans and should be arrested for fraud. Just sweep through the Sky channels, disgracefully they allow these con-artists to broadcast their lies and their begging for money, tithing, over their channels. There should be laws preventing these evil people from trying to con some very vulnerable people.
    • Scott  •  6 months ago
      That should be a manslaughter charge at the very least.

      By all means, allow them to believe what they want and allow people to go through the process if they think it'll help. But actually advising people that they stop taking medication is disgusting.
    • johnc  •  6 months ago
      People are so gullible.... I suppose his widow will be told that he did'nt have enough faith so he died....
    • Andrew  •  6 months ago
      Sounds like a cult. So to describe SCOAN as an evangelical church is simply wrong.
    • bored housewife  •  6 months ago
      My aunt who was a deaconess, gave most of her life savings to a church run hospice following her diagnosis with cancer, they specialised in cures...visiting faith healers etc....she was a woman of faith, and she had so much hope for a cure, which we knew would never happen...the upshot was that they not only took most of her money, they also, in her last dying days robbed her of her faith....In the end, she new she had been duped! and the story above is typical of how blind faith is really just thatl.... blind!....
      absolutely disgusting!
    • Paul  •  6 months ago
      Remove any state or charitable funding this organisation gets and close them down. They are taking advantage of the very people that churches profess to support, the vunerable.

      These victims have a belief in a God or higher being and these charlatons are abusing their position and exploiting the vunerability of these people.
    • vincent  •  6 months ago
      Fanatical religious BARMPOTS. Jail the stupid cretins
    • Pamela T  •  6 months ago
      I am a Complementary Therapist. If I was to proclaim that I could cure then I would be struck off my registration They get away with it because they preach religion, Which makes it OK!!!!!!!! I think not!!!!!
    • hootch732  •  6 months ago
      Just what the world needed...more nutters...
    • PJD  •  6 months ago
      SHEEP SPRINGS TO MIND?
    • Ray  •  6 months ago
      Their words are wonderful how could you argue with them. Their deeds however are cruel and border on being criminal.. Slick con artists.
    • Redted  •  6 months ago
      No evidence exists to the existence of God. These people are frauds. Frauds are put in jail, that is where these very evil people should be placed.
    • ThisHappyBreed  •  6 months ago
      Southwark. This will be a church of Ethnic African Christians. Their pastors will believe that HIV is a punishment from G*d for homosexuality and are deliberately condemning these people to death.

      I think that its crazy that religious organisations get a free pass for the consequences of their teachings.
    • RAkER JK  •  6 months ago
      SUCH CHURCHES SHOULD BE BANNED. PREYING ON SICK PEOPLE IS SICK!!!
    • dean  •  6 months ago
      Churches lying to people. Big surprise there then.