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Martyn Oates
Political editor, South West
Divine healing advertisement controversy
Politics and religion have clashed in a controversy over adverts for divine healing
We can't really avoid breaking the classic social taboo of talking about politics at midday on BBC One every Sunday.
But we rarely compound the faux pas by throwing religion into the mix as well.
This week, though, we gave it both barrels.
The Advertising Standards Authority recently banned a leaflet promoting divine healing for conditions ranging from sleeping problems to multiple sclerosis and cancer.
The ASA says it doesn't wish to "disregard anyone's beliefs, but specific claims targeted at people who may be seriously ill must comply with the rules on substantiation and social responsibility that apply to all other advertising".
God's healing powerBut it has infuriated South West Devon MP, Gary Streeter, who chairs Christians in Parliament:
"The words the ASA objected to were that God can heal you physically, and what I say is, if you're not allowed to say that any longer, it's the same as saying God is not real, God does not exist.
"That's what they're really saying and that is not a decision for them to take, that's a matter for individual faith.
"It's been part of mainstream Christian tradition for 2,000 years that God can heal you...
"We should not be stopped from making that very modest claim - because it happens to be true."
We sent the Sunday Politics' Tamsin Melville to film a healing session on the streets of Truro, and Gary Streeter joined me in the studio along with Labour's Jude Robinson and Lib Dem peer Lord Burnett:
The Sunday Politics looks at the controversy over the advert for divine healing
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Fast Track
Comment number 1.
archtopopotamus1st May 2012 - 12:46
It is a claim with absolutely no proof. Belief does not make something true. Meditation may heal, but there's nobody listenting to prayers.
Link to this (Comment number 1)
Comment number 2.
madhatter1st May 2012 - 13:09
While I have reservations about this kind of advertising one cannot discredit the placebo effect.
People’s belief systems can have a significant effect on their ability to fight disease and disability.
However it is very important that vulnerable people are not mislead, especially if it leads them to avoid mainstream medical help.
Link to this (Comment number 2)
Comment number 3.
Mark1st May 2012 - 15:01
@archtopopotamus
Lack of belief does not make something untrue either.
Link to this (Comment number 3)
Comment number 4.
John1st May 2012 - 15:25
@Mark
No, but if people are going to bandy about words like "real" and "exist" when referring to a god, then the onus is on them to demonstrate the reality or existence of that god. Just saying "I believe it to be true" isn't evidence at all.
Link to this (Comment number 4)
Comment number 5.
Mark1st May 2012 - 17:48
@John
I agree, belief is not evidence; generally, Christians would point to evidence other than faith alone.
But this is about censorship, not belief. If you need absolute proof in order to say 'God can heal', then will you need absolute proof before you can publish an ad saying 'there is no God'? Will scientists be banned from publishing works on, e.g., black matter or black energy?
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Comments 5 of 8