Outspoken celebrity Somizi Mhlongo has placed a Ghanaian bishop at the centre of a social media storm after he broadcast the preacher's homophobic comments across various online platforms.
During Bishop Dag Heward-Mills’s sermon at the Grace Bible Church in Soweto, the bishop said animals have multiple partners, but one would never see creatures of the same sex partnering up.
“Dogs, cats, leopards mention the animal. Which one has one partner? It is just like homosexuality you don’t have male and male," he said to the congregation.
“If you use that reasoning, you will find that homosexuality is not natural. You don’t find two male dogs, two male lions, two male impalas, two male cats, even lizards, two elephants... It is unnatural.
It was during this point of the sermon that Somizi, who was in the congregation, dramatically made his exit from the church.
“I just stood up. The lady next to me was begging me not to leave. And I asked her why?" says Somizi.
“It’s like going to a seminar, and the person who is supposed to be motivating you is being racist."
What also disappointed him was when he heard the congregants cheering the bishop when he made the comments on homosexuals.
“There are so many gay people in the church, and they sat there throughout the whole service. I just thought I am not going to sit there and listen to somebody offending me,” he said.
The enraged and emotional entertainer then expressed his outrage in two videos he posted on Instagram on Sunday. He made it clear his soul was right with God and that what others thought of him was none of his business.
No opinion or advice needed. I'm just venting. @grace_bible_church
A video posted by Somizi (@somizi) on Jan 22, 2017 at 1:16am PST
A video posted by Somizi (@somizi) on Jan 22, 2017 at 1:18am PST
Somizi told The Star he had been a member of the church since 1995 and always felt comfortable there. This was no longer the case after Heward-Mills’s offensive speech, and he was planning to boycott the church, he said.
“The topic was fine; it was about why the soul was important. Then all of a sudden he switched and started speaking about homosexuality. How homosexuality is disgusting, and even animals don’t do it.
“I just thought to myself, why would I sit through this,” says Somizi.
By Monday morning, the Idols SA judge’s videos had been viewed more than 100 000 times, with hundreds of comments, and the hashtag #GraceBibleChurch trended for much of Sunday afternoon.
Many who commented on the videos said a church should not be the place of judgment, but rather of love.
But not everyone agreed with Somizi's point of view.
“The bishop wasn’t judging anyone, but preaching the word. BUT WE ALL KNOW THE TRUTH HURTS,” wrote _thando.lwethu.
Pastor Ezekiel Mathole, from the church, dismissed claims that there is discrimination against homosexuals at the institution.
“Grace Bible Church welcomes everybody and does not discriminate against anyone, regardless of their sexual orientation. And it is the right of the individuals to sit through them or decide to walk out,” he said.
*Watch the full sermon on
.