Open Democracy reported Emmanuel TV for performing deliverance on gay people
A United Kingdom-based media organisation identified as ‘OpenDemocracy’ has claimed responsibility for the suspension of popular evangelical channel, Emmanuel TV by YouTube.
The channel which is owned by world renowned preacher, Prophet TB Joshua had over 1,800,000 subscribers and 600,000,000 views before it’s closure.
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The group explained how it reported the channel in an article titled ‘YouTube closes African channel promoting televangelist’s violent conversion therapy’ published on its website.
Kerry Cullinan, author of the article explains the American video-sharing site terminated Emmanuel TV “in response to our enquiries about TB Joshua’s controversial exorcisms”.
The report stated Emmanuel TV had posted a minimum of seven video clips showing “the charismatic Christian televangelist engaging in exorcism to ‘cure’ gay and lesbian congregants of their sexual orientation by casting out ‘the demon of homosexuality’.”
However, the report acknowledged individuals concerned with the deliverance exercises all testified that they no longer experienced same-sex attraction after the prayers by the Prophet.
“YouTube’s Community Guidelines prohibit hate speech and we remove flagged videos and comments that violate these policies. In this case we have terminated the channel,” a YouTube spokesperson told openDemocracy after they reported Joshua to the social media giant.
TB Joshua in his statement announcing the suspension of the Emmanuel TV by Youtube, denied the allegations of ‘Hate Speech’.
He said;
“Our mission is to share the love of God with everyone – irrespective of race or religion – and we strongly oppose all forms of hate speech,” he wrote on Twitter.
The description of the video which triggered the suspension, reads “God hates sin, not sinners. When the Bible says, ‘Do not judge so that you will not be judged’, it means we should hate sin, not the sinner because sinners can change… We should hate the act, not the people because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the ‘spirit beings’ that cause all these acts.”
For two days, YouTube’s official Facebook Page has been inundated with requests to restore the popular Christian channel and complaints about the suspension.
openDemocracy, which describes itself as an “independent global media organisation” whose projects include championing “women’s and LGBTIQ voices”, also revealed they reported Joshua’s activities to Facebook and DSTV, which hosts Emmanuel TV on satellite in Africa.