“The recent Markinor poll gave you 1% support. Why do you claim to be the only opposition party that’s growing?
We didn’t say we’re the only party that’s growing; we said we’re South Africa’s fastest-growing party. We base that on the 2000 Human Sciences Research Council poll. We believe the latest [Markinor] poll is political propaganda — the head of Markinor is an African National Congress supporter — and as we head for the election the propaganda is going to grow.
When the results are announced there are going to be such shocks that paramedics will have to be on standby to offer medical support. We’ll be surprised if we get less than 50 MPs. We’ve got eight at the moment, and the Democratic Party grew from seven in ’94 to 42 last time. If the DP can move like this, we can definitely do better. Many supporters of other parties have joined us, particularly black Christians in the ANC who believe their faith and beliefs are being undermined. We stand for family values, which other parties don’t promote as strongly as the ACDP.
You say your policies are based on the Bible, which is “inerrant” and “inspired by God”. The Old Testament sanctions polygamy and the keeping of concubines, while both the Old and the New Testament oppose divorce…
We are looking at the needs of the nation, at solutions that will make a better and more successful nation — we can’t adopt every biblical doctrine as policy. This means we’re open to members of other religious groups and even people who are not religious but share our values. We want to serve all South Africans.
Divorce should be dealt with by the church, rather than the state. The government’s job is to promote policies that safeguard marriage and don’t encourage divorce. For example, it doesn’t strengthen marriage if a government says a married woman can commit abortion without her husband’s consent, behind his back. We’d rather see the government doing everything possible to make counselling available to people who want to divorce.
St Paul tells Christians to treat their slaves well. Do you also accept slavery, providing slaves are well-treated?
No, we don’t support that. I believe St Paul is saying the same thing in this verse as when he calls on Christians to submit to government — that change, in this case to slavery, must be orderly and peaceful rather than coming through violent rebellion. I wasn’t involved in the ANC struggle because I’m opposed to violence.
The ACDP describes the homosexual lifestyle as “immoral, unnatural and sinful”. Would you criminalise homosexuality, or allow discrimination against gay people, for example in employment?
Not necessarily — we couldn’t criminalise it if we didn’t also criminalise adultery. But we don’t agree with the government saying something’s right when it’s wrong. If people want to commit adultery in private, that’s their business, but if we’re told to accept it, we’ve got a major problem. We object to the Constitution, which seems to legitimise the gay lifestyle.
On the discrimination issue, we believe people have the right to free association. If someone doesn’t want me around because I’m a reverend, I must respect that — the same should apply to homosexuals. It would not be possible to ask every job applicant whether he’s a homosexual, but if someone wants to promote the homosexual lifestyle and influence others, we would object to that.
Are women men’s equals in every sphere, including the home, or should they follow St Paul’s instruction and submit to their husbands?
Just before that verse St Paul calls on husbands and wives to submit to each other. I understand this paradox to mean: if you come to a stage where someone’s idea must prevail, let it be the husband’s idea, for the sake of order. That does not make women of lesser value; it helps to avoid unnecessary conflict.
There should be agreement on who makes decisions in which area. Women are better homemakers, so their voice would tend to prevail on those issues.
About 300 000 abortions have been performed since abortion on demand was legalised. Doesn’t that suggest South African women want this right?
If you make something freely available, people will access it. What we disagree with is using abortion as a form of contraception; there are other methods the government and NGOs should educate people about. There’s a high rate of violent crime in South Africa; many South Africans do not value life. The large number of abortions undermines respect for the lives of others. From an African point of view abortion is like putting one’s parents in an old age home — something I would never do. Our culture is being influenced by other cultures. We’re losing our values.
You want the death penalty restored. Why does the commandment “Thou shalt not kill” apply to foetuses and not to adult criminals?
An individual is not allowed to take another individual’s life, which is what happens in abortions. The state, on the other hand, was given the right to punish criminals and to impose the death penalty if that fits the crime. It’s the state’s job to bring order and justice in the land.
The ACDP believes parents and communities, rather than the state, should decide on religious observance in schools. Would a Christian majority be able to impose Christian observance on minorities of other faiths?
No — you’d have the same situation as you have in high schools and universities, where students go to different classes for different subjects. If Christian pupils are interested in religious instruction, they should not be denied because a minority doesn’t want it. Hindus or Muslims could go to the library or play soccer when it’s happening.
The purpose of Christian teaching is to shape the character of children, to give them a more sympathetic understanding when they deal with other people. Respect for your neighbour is not something that is taught in schools today.
On the economic front, you strongly support free-market capitalism. Some would say that system is based on the very non-Christian motives of greed and self-seeking.
There was an omission on our part —we meant to state our support for a free-market economy with a social conscience. God said to Abraham: “I will bless you so that you can be a blessing to others.” The rich should not be selfish, but a blessing to other people. Those who have should not close their ears to those in need.
You reject the constitutional right to artistic freedom because, you say, it includes pornography. Would you ban all nudity and sex from movies and television?
We would, because they promote promiscuity, particularly involving children. When there was no TV in South Africa we would never have thought of the rapes in primary schools that happen now. We want to promote sexual abstinence, particularly when there are so many HIV infections.
Children do what they see rather than what they are told. We want to stop them wanting to have sex by seeing others doing it.