Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Rule 12.2 prohibits marketers from discouraging essential treatment for conditions for which medical supervision should be sought (Emmanuel Church, 26 August 2009). They should not offer specific advice on, diagnosis of or treatment for such conditions unless that advice, diagnosis or treatment is conducted under the supervision of a suitably qualified health professional. Marketers offering religious or spiritual healing should therefore ensure that they do not state or imply they can treat or cure those conditions listed in the Help Note on Health, Beauty and Slimming Marketing Communications that refer to Medical Conditions. They should avoid referring to conditions such as brain tumors, infertility (Kings Church Salisbury, 25 March 2009), cancer (Mount Zion Restoration Ministries, 2 June 2010), HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, depression, leukemia (All Nations Church, 11 February 2009) broken vertebrae and autism (Medway Revival Fellowship, 8 June 2011).
As well as steering clear of “serious” medical conditions, marketers should note that the ASA has upheld complaints that ads claiming to heal adverse physical conditions were irresponsible. One ad claimed “local ordinary people who have been healed as a result of Christian prayer. I am a medical doctor with over thirty-five year’s experience, more than twenty locally. I have checked all the stories written here and can vouch that they are true ...” Underneath were testimonials from people who had apparently been cured by the church and claims such as “[one] man who had destroyed the veins in his arms through heroin abuse was touched by Jesus and received new veins and a restoring of the circulation in his arms and hands”. The ASA considered that the marketing communication was irresponsible for referring to, and implying attendance at the service could help treat or prevent the occurrence of, medical conditions (Rule 1.3 and North Shrewsbury Community Church, 30 July 2008).
In 2011, the ASA upheld a complaint about a circular for a Christian fellowship meeting, headlined “Your invitation to come and see”. The circular included the stories of people who had benefitted physically and emotionally from the support offered by the advertiser. The ASA considered that the circular, which included references to healing through prayer and baptism, to be an invitation to attend a meeting in the expectation of receiving healing of the medical conditions and symptoms listed. It concluded that the leaflet was misleading and could exploit vulnerable readers (Medway Revival Fellowship, 8 June 2011). Marketers should also bear in mind rule 12.6, which states “Marketers should not falsely claim that a product is able to cure illness, dysfunction or malformations”. And rule 3.7 states that “Before distributing or submitting a marketing communication for publication, marketers must hold documentary evidence to prove claims that consumers are likely to regard as objective substantiation. The ASA may regard claims as misleading the absence of adequate substantiation”.
Therefore, religious organisations should not make healing claims that refer to “serious” or specific conditions. Nor should they exploit vulnerable readers or make claims that might be irresponsible. Moreover, the ASA might seek evidence if marketing claims are considered capable of objective substantiation and marketers should be aware that testimonials alone are unlikely to suffice as adequate substantiation.
In 2005, the ASA rejected a complaint about a poster headlined “Miracles Healing Faith” because it judged that readers would understand the poster to refer to spiritual, not physical, miracles and healing (Peniel Pentecostal Church t/a Michael Reid Ministries, 5 October 2005). This would suggest that claims that are either non-specific, clearly relate to spiritual or emotional healing, or that are likely to be seen by readers, including those that might be more vulnerable because of ill-health, as merely a manifestation of faith, are likely to be acceptable. Marketers are likely to be able to make claims about spiritual or emotional well-being or describe the comfort and support that prayer or faith has offered sufferers and their families. Claims that go beyond that and which refer to physical or mental healing (but do not mention specific conditions or symptoms) have not been tested by an ASA investigation or adjudication.
So CAP’s Copy Advice team would recommend, in order to ensure compliance with the code, that marketers make claims about healing only if it is clear that they are referring to spiritual or emotional, not physical, healing.
See ‘Taste and Decency: Religion’ and 'Substantiation'.
Last modified : 30 December 2011