A South African Indian politician has incurred the ire of Christian leaders after a remark that Jesus would vote for the ANC in the forthcoming local elections scheduled for next month.
African National Congress Councillor Visvin Reddy admitted making the comment at a rally at a local community hall, where several religious leaders reportedly walked out, considering his remarks to be blasphemous.
"If Jesus were here on Election Day, he would vote ANC", Reddy conceded to having said as he defended his statement to be analogous
rather than blasphemous.
In the Book of Luke (in the Bible) it says when Jesus came to Earth he fed the poor, clothed the naked and sheltered the homeless, Reddy told the 'Daily News'.
His aim was to uplift the downtrodden and the ANC is doing that today. But Christian leaders vehemently disagreed with Reddy's
explanation.
Dr Ronald Veerapen of the Phaphos Fellowship condemned Reddy's statement, saying that he should rather have used the country's iconic first President Nelson Mandela as an example than a Biblical reference to compare the work of the ANC.
The mission of the Lord (Jesus) and the mission of the ANC are not the same, South African Council of Churches general secretary
Reverend Nautji Pataki told the daily.
The two are not comparable. From the position of the church we
condemn it, Pataki said.
Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Archbishop of Durban, refused to comment on the matter.
"When people start talking about the things Jesus would do if he were alive, its stupid", the Cardinal said, refusing to say whether he considered Reddy's statement to be blasphemous.
Even the Hindu Maha Sabha of South Africa came out against the statement by Reddy. Religious leaders have no political leaning.
"Reddy has it all wrong and has made a cardinal error", said Sabha President Ashwin Trikamjee.
Provincial ANC spokesman Sihle Zikalala said "Reddy's statement should not be taken literally: Such a comment reflects a comparison; it is not saying we are Jesus".