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Bi-weekly Christian News 15 September 2000 * IGNORANCE ABOUT ABORTION PILL - Hundreds of women still land up in hospital due to wrong use of the so-called abortion pill. One provincial hospital in Johannesburg treats more than 100 cases per month of women with life-endangering complications caused by use of this pill. The medication is registered in South Africa to be used with painkillers to prevent the patient from getting stomach ulcers and is only available on prescription. A side-effect is that it causes abortions. After an extended study at Kalafong hospital (Pretoria) the Department of Health gave permission for the medication to be used to this purpose in private and state institutions. "Unfortunately the use of this out of control and people who do backstreet abortions often administer high dosages without the necessary medical observation", says Mr Paul Cornelissen, head of Marie Stopes. "The women are sent home to abort there on their own and often they start haemorrhaging profusely". According to Cornelissen women are not always examined properly and are given the medication at a far too late stage of pregnancy. "The medication is freely available and quite a few people are making a lot of money by prescribing it". (Beeld, 9 September) * SA PRESIDENT QUESTIONS WHETHER HIV SPREADS AIDS - Sipho Pityana, director general of foreign affairs, has called for tolerance of unconventional views about the HIV/Aids. Speaking on a media information session of the UN's millennium deliberation, he repeated aspects of pres. Thabo Mbeki's stand in the latest edition of "Time". On being questioned whether he would admit that there's a connection between HIV and Aids, Mbeki said: "that's where the problem starts. No, I don't say that you can ascribe an immune deficiency solely to a virus." According to Mbeki problems such poverty, malnutrition, poor water resources and diseases such as malaria and STD's also cause immune deficiency. Dr Kobus Gous, DA spokesman on Aids, said in a statement that Mbeki's and the minister of health's unwillingness to accept the relationship between the HI virus and Aids - "inspite overwhelming scientific evidence" - is making SA the laughing stock of the world. "All that the community knows is that the president has a problem with HIV spreading Aids, and that's enough to let them believe that the disease is not a threat". (Beeld, 12 September) * POLYGAMY IN INTERNATIONAL PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH (IPHC) - More than 300 couples who are members of the IPHC were married collectively at the church's headquarters in Zuurbekom, West Rand, on 3 September. Most of the bridegrooms had married before in the same church hall, some doing it for the fourth, fifth or sixth time. Reverend Rantsane Mphaka of Mogotlhwaneng, marrying his sixth wife, considers polygamy to be "constitutionally and biblically lawful". He argues that "Abraham married three wives, Jacob four and Isaac two". Mphaka also emphasised that it was not about marrying illiterate women who couldn't think critically, because two of his wives were nurses and he was marrying another graduate. IPHC spokesman Rev. Mmatli said polygamy was an acceptable practice in the church. (Sowetan, 4 September 2000) * FATAL MITSUBISHI DRUG NOW IN SA - Sinoville police in co-operation with SANAB found the first Mitsubishi tablet, a very dangerous drug, in a night club in the Sinoville area on 26 August. The drug has been in circulation for about a month in South Africa. In the first week since its arrival in SA, six people died after taking the drug. The tablet, coming from Singapore, looks like an Ecstasy tablet. A young boy of 16 was arrested in connection with the incident. The same weekend two more people died after taking the tablets. (Record Centurion, 1 September 2000) * GAY MARRIAGE BILL PASSED IN NETHERLANDS PARLIAMENT - The Netherlands, long among
the gay rights vanguard, has solidified that position with the passing of a bill
converting the country's "registered same-sex partnerships" into * HARRY POTTER BOOKS - A SATANIC ATTACK ON CHILDREN - The Harry Potter Books have
become a best-selling children's series. Harry is a 13-year old 'wizard'. According to
Roger Lynn the books openly blasphemes Jesus and God and promotes sorcery and seeking
revenge, it gives examples of spells, rituals and demonic powers, opening a doorway to
darkness for children. Allegedly educators, and even Christian teachers are excited about
the increase in reading enthusiasm that the series has brought about. Lynn makes mention
of quoted comments from children who have read the books: "The Harry Potter books are
cool, 'cause they teach you all about magic and how you can use it to control people and
get revenge on your enemies," said 10-year-old Craig Nowell, a recent convert to the
New Satanic Order Of The Black Circle. "I want to learn the Cruciatus Curse, to make
my muggle science teacher suffer for giving me a D." According to six-year-old
Jessica Lehman, 'Hermione' is her favourite, "because she's smart and has a kitty.
Jesus died because He was weak and stupid." Ashley, conjuring up an ancient spell to
summon Cerebus, the three-headed hound of hell, says: "I used to believe in what they
taught us at Sunday School. But the Harry Potter books showed me that magic is real,
something I can learn and use right now, and that the Bible is nothing but boring
lies."
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