2007年VOA标准英语-Ugandan Pastors Accused of Weakening the Fight

By Peterson Ssendi
Kampala,Uganda
02 June 2007

Many Pentecostal churches in Kampala invite the afflicted¹ to be cured.  

Mrs. Frances Adroa, who is HIV-positive, took them up on the offer.

“I am a sick person (I have HIV AIDS) so," she explains, " I was promised that if I sacrificed then I would be healed.  I sacrificed my car and soon after that, I fell very sick.  I was actually sick toward the end of 2005 and most of last year.  When I got better, I came back to claim my car because I was still sick anyway.  What they had promised had not come to pass.  So, when I came to claim it back they just turned around and started blaming me."

That’s when she contacted a Pentecostal pastor², Solomon Male.  Pastor Male is also the director of Arising for Christ Ministries³ in Kampala.  It’s a local Christian⁴ group dedicated⁵ to fighting what it says are false Christian teachings in Pentecostal churches.

The ministry⁶ worked with Adroa to retrieve⁷ a car that she had given to a local church in exchange for being healed of HIV AIDS.

Pastor Male says the church misled her.

He said, "This lady comes to me in great pain.  They [said] if she gives her vehicle as a sacrifice for her ailment⁸ she will be healed of HIV.  She gave the vehicle, she was not healed.  She went to [re-claim it].  They told her “you [owe] Ug. shs 2,050,000. [ or US $ 1,216.620]. she refused because she did not have the money after one year being bedridden. "

The head of the church said he did not promise to cure her, but only promised her God’s healing.

Those who do complain say they’re told that in order for a miracle to occur, one must not confront pastors⁹, who the Bible says are “men of God” and “anointed ones.”

The church eventually returned the car, but with over one thousand dollars worth repairs needed that the church will not pay.

According to Frances Adroa,  Pentacostal churches like her own emphasize the name of God and promises miracles in exchange for valuables.

She said, "They come and say 'You have to sacrifice your best.'  And you really believe that what they are telling you is the truth so, that’s what I did.  They even asked us (for) requests, which they are going to take to Mount Sinai and pray (over). They are using God’s name to cheat people. I did not believe that they could do that to me. You believe pastors to be on a certain level that’s how every body looks at them."

Francis Adroa is not the only one to complain of misbehavior by certain Pentecostal church leaders.

Susan Walusimbi is another who has put her case in the hands of Pastor Solomon Male.

The young woman accuses her former pastor of encouraging her to enter into a relationship with a man who she says later died of AIDS.  Walusimbi says she, too, is now infected, and is staying healthy thanks to anti-retrovirals.

The church official allegedly told her that the man had been cured of HIV/AIDS and showed her an HIV status report for him – signed by the pastor’s doctor – saying he was HIV-negative. 

Walusimbi said the church supported the couple – and others – by providing them with a one-night “accommodation” at a local hotel before marriage.  It was here, says Walusimbi, that she and her proposed husband began their relationship.

A spokesman for the church maintains that the man was not infected with the HIV virus and there is no proof that he died of AIDS.  Walusimbi says tests taken by her future husband after he fell sick showed he was indeed infected.  He died before the two could be married.

Dr. Sam Okware is the deputy director of Clinical Services for the Ministry of Health. He says it is investigating the reported spiritual healings. 

He said, “I think it should be investigated and am talking about everything even if it is just prayers or spiritual healing or something like that there is some investigation¹⁰ carried out.”

Pastor Solomon Male of Arising for Christ Ministry says that probe is not enough – because, he says, it is not a judicial¹¹ investigation.  Male says he wants a judicial investigation, but the government has not yet responded.

Pentecostal pastor Bishop¹² David Kiganda is the chairman of the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches (NFBC) in charge of Kampala District. He says it’s only a minority of Pentecostal pastors who are involved in questionable¹³ activities.  He says all groups have members who stray or fail to uphold standards, and his denomination¹⁴ is no different.  He and the National Fellowship of Born Again Churches led an effort called Operation Clean the House to rid the denomination of dishonest preachers. At the end of the effort, he declared 15 of his fellow churches to be “cults.” 

Health advocates are also reacting to the controversy¹⁵.

In an e-mailed comment in April, Craig McClure, the executive director of the International AIDS Society, denounced churches that attribute HIV / AIDS to “demons.” He said, “The use of this terminology¹⁷, specifically referring to HIV as a demon¹⁶, serves only to fuel the stigma¹⁸ and discrimination related to HIV infection. He says HIV/AIDS is not a demon. It is a biological and medical condition.”

He emphasizes that anti-retroviral treatments are scientifically proven to prolong the lives of people living with HIV. He says it’s irresponsible to urge people to stop this treatment as a show of faith.

1 afflicted   

使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• About 40% of the country's population is afflicted with the disease. 全国40%左右的人口患有这种疾病。
• A terrible restlessness that was like to hunger afflicted Martin Eden. 一阵可怕的、跟饥饿差不多的不安情绪折磨着马丁·伊登。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

4 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

5 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

8 ailment   

n.疾病，小病

参考例句：

• I don't have even the slightest ailment.我什么毛病也没有。
• He got timely treatment for his ailment.他的病得到了及时治疗。

9 pastors   

n.（基督教的）牧师( pastor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Do we show respect to our pastors, missionaries, Sunday school teachers? 我们有没有尊敬牧师、宣教士，以及主日学的老师？ 来自互联网
• Should pastors or elders be paid, or serve as a volunteer? 牧师或长老需要付给酬劳，还是志愿的事奉呢？ 来自互联网

10 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

11 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

12 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

13 questionable   

adj.可疑的，有问题的

参考例句：

• There are still a few questionable points in the case.这个案件还有几个疑点。
• Your argument is based on a set of questionable assumptions.你的论证建立在一套有问题的假设上。

14 denomination   

n.命名，取名，(度量衡、货币等的)单位

参考例句：

• The firm is still operating under another denomination.这家公司改用了名称仍在继续营业。
• Litre is a metric denomination.升是公制单位。

15 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

16 demon   

n.魔鬼，恶魔

参考例句：

• The demon of greed ruined the miser's happiness.贪得无厌的恶习毁掉了那个守财奴的幸福。
• He has been possessed by the demon of disease for years.他多年来病魔缠身。

17 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

18 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。