NIGERIA: Multimillionaire Pastor Sends Planeload Of "Holy Water" To Cure Ebola

Multimillionaire faith-healer T.B. Joshua has sent a planeload of "holy water" to Sierra Leone because it will cure ebola. Via Vocative:

Sierra Leone just got a big gift from a strange man. To help the West African country fight the escalating Ebola crisis, Nigerian Christian preacher Temitope Joshua says he has sent the Sierra Leone government 4,000 bottles of his patented holy anointed water and $50,000 in cash in a private jet, which also cost $50,000 to charter. Sierra Leone will, one would assume, take every penny it can get to stem the Ebola outbreak, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives worldwide, with the majority of the victims in West African countries. Such odd largess does certainly beg the question, though: Who the hell is this guy? For starters, Joshua is a millionaire. Forbes reported that with an estimated net worth of $10 million to $15 million, Joshua is one of the richest pastors in Nigeria. He’s also one the most controversial. He’s the founder and head of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), and has been dubbed a prophet by some. Joshua has claimed for years that he has healing powers that can tackle a myriad of incurable diseases such as cancer and HIV—and that he can peek into the future.

Hemant Mehta weighs in at Friendly Atheist:

This isn’t just ineffective, it’s harmful. It’s possible that people suffering from the disease — who need to be quarantined and given whatever scientific treatment options are available — could “anoint” themselves with the water, wrongly think they’re cured, and then go out in public again, spreading the virus even further. I never thought I’d say this, but Joshua would be doing more for Ebola patients by praying for them, only because it would have no effect on them whatsoever.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG:  Four people were killed in Ghana in 2013 in a church stampede to get "AIDS-curing holy water" from T.B. Joshua. In 2011, three women died in London after pastors from Joshua's church convinced them to throw away their HIV medications.

European Union Grants Asylum Eligibility For LGBT Refugees From Anti-Gay Nations

Excellent news from the EU. The BBC has the story:

The EU's top court has ruled that homosexuals from Sierra Leone, Uganda and Senegal who fear imprisonment in their home country have grounds for asylum in EU member states. The Netherlands had asked the court for advice about three gay citizens of those countries seeking asylum. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) says asylum can be granted in cases where people are actually jailed for homosexuality in their home country. ECJ rulings apply to all EU members. Homosexual acts are illegal in most African countries, including key Western allies such as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and Botswana. In June a report by Amnesty International said homophobic attacks had reached dangerous levels in sub-Saharan Africa and must stop.

IMPORTANT: The ruling stipulates that it will be up to each EU nation to determine if imprisonment is "applied in practice" in the applicant's home country. The "mere existence" of a ban on homosexuality is not grounds in itself for eligibility. (Tipped by JMG reader Matthew)