Share

ANC 'holy trinity' remark worries church

Johannesburg - The Dutch Reformed Church on Wednesday expressed concern over comments by a pastor who said the ANC, Cosatu and SA Communist Party were the holy trinity and that Jesus was a communist.

"While acknowledging our own history in this regard, as well as the same errors we have committed in the past, it is with a growing sense of concern that we as the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) take note of the public remarks clergy as well as political figures have recently made, claiming God's support for their political party," church spokesperson Ben du Toit said in a statement.

"The latest incident in this regard, in which a pastor ceremoniously anointed President Zuma and misused Rom 13 in an irresponsible way to forcefully compel voters to support the ANC, really oversteps the boundaries of responsible theology, the responsible use of the Bible, as well as the responsible lobbying of support for the political party in question."

Die Burger newspaper on Monday reported that a pastor, speaking at a Workers' Day rally in Athlone, Cape Town, said “Jesus was ’n kommunis” [Jesus was a communist], “God het Pres Jacob Zuma as staatshoof gesalf” [God anointed President Jacob Zuma] and the ANC, Cosatu and the SACP were the “heilige Drie-eenheid” [Holy Trinity].

Zuma was present at the rally.

The church appealed to Zuma and other political leaders to "discourage the opportunistic misuse of religion" and to distance themselves from these practices.

"Should political leaders fail to publicly announce their opposition of these practices in the build-up towards the municipal elections, the DRC will have no choice but to use its communication structures as effectively as possible to advise voters to rather support political parties that do not misuse religion to further their own cause."

Du Toit said to "appropriate God for a political purpose and agenda" impaired the integrity of the Christian faith and of God himself.

"We appeal to President Zuma to show true leadership by joining hands with us in guarding against the misuse of the name of God in this way."

Zuma has in the past come under fire for using religion in his political speeches, most recently for saying a vote for the ANC was to choose heaven, while a vote for the opposition amounted to choosing "hell".

This drew rebukes from opposition parties, church groups and other bodies. Some described the remarks as "blasphemous".
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 565 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 807 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.87
+0.3%
Rand - Pound
23.85
+0.2%
Rand - Euro
20.38
+0.3%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.32
+0.2%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+0.3%
Platinum
908.05
0.0%
Palladium
1,014.94
0.0%
Gold
2,232.75
-0.0%
Silver
24.95
-0.1%
Brent Crude
87.00
+1.8%
Top 40
68,346
0.0%
All Share
74,536
0.0%
Resource 10
57,251
0.0%
Industrial 25
103,936
0.0%
Financial 15
16,502
0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE