RELIGION AND HIV/AIDS FROM THE CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
By The Revd Dr I. U. Ibeme MB. BS, Dip. Theol.
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CONTENTS
Christ and the Caring and Healing Ministries
Christian Response to Modern Attitudes towards Sexuality
A PRESENTATION AT THE 2006 CONFERENCE OF THE
ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF INTERPLAY BETWEEN RELIGION AND SCIENCE (ASIRS),
THE
30th
MAY 2006.
What interplay is there between Religion and Science
as it concerns HIV/AIDS?
I am grateful to the Association for the Study of
the Interplay between Religions and Science (ASIRS),
I have been a Medical Practitioner for the past 21
years and an ordained Priest and theologian for the past 13 years. Though I was
born and brought up as a Christian, the real revelation of the saving-power of
the Gospel of Christ dawned on me 26 years ago. With this revelation came the
unavoidable necessity for me to humbly commit myself to Christ Jesus as the
risen Lord and as my Saviour from the corruption of sin and condemnation of
death. Back to Contents
The root meaning of the word “religion” is
“reverence”. Religion is the human perception of, and response to the Ultimate
Divinity (God) or other numinous entities (spirits, gods). The Abrahamic Religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) are
monotheistic. Religion is a sacred relation to the supernatural and is
expressed in worship and reverential awe, right and authentic belief, moral
conduct and participation in the religious community to which one belongs. Back to Contents
The root meaning of the word “science” is
“knowledge”. Science is the pursuit of systemized knowledge of both the general
laws and the general truths about life and nature, which has been subjected to
the empirical scientific method. This is called Pure Science.
Application of scientific knowledge for practical uses is called Applied
Science. On the other hand, Technology is the processes by which
tools are crafted to control the material environment to specific advantage.
Technology may derive from pure and applied sciences, from instincts or from
trial and error; on the other hand it may lead to the unfolding of scientific
knowledge. Back to Contents
“Science
without Religion is blind, Religion without Science is lame.”¾
Albert
Einstein
Religion gave birth to Philosophy; Philosophy gave
birth to Science. Science is therefore Religion Minus and Religion is Science
Plus. However, Science seems to boost human pride but Religion is the
humility of humanity hence their tendency to antagonise each other. The
scientific method is based on objectivity of investigation and acceptability of
results as repeatable. Scientific enquiries may be inductive (Theory
derived from Results) or deductive (Results deduced from Theory).
Religions on the other hand are based on voluntary
conviction about the authority of their founders (the Messiah/Christ, Prophets,
Elders/Fathers, Sages) and the authenticity of the tenets that are handed down.
Religion is both objective and subjective. Science stops at seeking the
knowable and measurable HOW of things (i.e. METHODS & MECHANISMS). Religion
goes further than Science to seek the unknowable and immeasurable HOW (i.e.
MIRACULOUS & MARVELLOUS) as well as the knowable and unknowable WHY of
things (i.e. MEANING & MESSAGE). Science is therefore a subset not an
antagonist of Religion as many have tried to portray in recent times.
As a Physician and Theologian, I have found
scientific knowledge (within its limited dimensions of knowable and measurable
HOW) useful for appreciating the wonders and wisdom of Theology. Even Theology
employs the scientific method in systematising its dogmatics.
Religion should give meaning to Science, and Science should enhance religious
awe. I have found Science and Religion interplay to be Symbiotic. There are other models of this interplay:
How do all these come to play in our discussion on
Religion and HIV/AIDS? Back to Contents
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) ¾ a Retrovirus ¾ attacks the CD4
T-Lymphocytes that are responsible for cellular immunity in humans. The result
is the depletion of these immune cells and the vulnerability of the affected
person to diseases that are normally fought by human cellular immune system
e.g. pneumocystic pneumonia, candidiasis,
herpetic viral infections, certain cancers, tuberculosis, e.t.c.
A scientifically determined combination or
conglomeration of some of these diseases is called Acquired Immune Deficiency
Syndrome (AIDS). Scientifically speaking therefore, it is possible to have an
AIDS-like illness if one’s cellular immunity is destroyed by other conditions
than HIV infection. The application of the scientific knowledge about the
effect of HIV on humans has led to the development of technologies and measures
to combat the scourge. These technologies include diagnostic techniques for
early detection of HIV and anti-HIV antibodies in the blood, Anti-Retroviral
Therapeutic drugs (ART’s) and measures to prevent the
transmission of the virus as well as detect and treat concomitant opportunistic
infections early.
HIV is known to be transmissible when body fluids
(such as blood, wound discharges, genital secretions and emission) of an
infected person gain direct access into another’s bloodstream or raw tissue
surface. This usually occurs during sexual contact, or exchange of
non-sterilised injection needles as among drug addicts; the same also applies
to tattooing implements. Sexual contact remains the single most important means
of spread for HIV/AIDS. Homosexual, prostitutes, and promiscuous persons are
usually mostly affected. On the other hand, abstainers and faithfully married
couples are usually least affected. Back to Contents
Apart from diagnosis and drug therapy, the next most
significant control measure against HIV/AIDS is modification of sexual
behaviour especially towards abstinence and sex exclusively within a faithful
monogamous marriage, but also towards condom use (so called “Safe-Sex”).
Modification or regulation of sexual behaviour is not yet in the realm of
Science as at today. Rather it has been in the domain of Religion to control or
regulate sexual behaviour over the ages. In view of this, Science must join
hands with Religion in order to succeed in the war against HIV/AIDS.
Indeed adherents to the Christian faith both at
local Church and at wider denominational levels have long been involved in care
ministries to HIV/AIDS victims. Not only have Christians formed Faith-based
groups, they have also reached out to other non-Christian religious bodies to
form Inter-Faith networks to fight HIV/AIDS. This was started in the
By 1993, in an effort to develop an appropriate
response to HIV/AIDS from the faith community, the Council of National
Religious AIDS Networks, an interfaith coalition, came together to develop a
statement declaring their commitment to promote prevention, global
response, tolerance and poverty elimination based on the principles of love,
compassion and justice. By 2001 when it has become clear that
Faith-based initiatives is of major significance and a strong force in the
fight against HIV/AIDS, President Bush had no choice than to start supporting
such groups financially without discrimination, for the purpose of caring and
healing initiatives. This idea has gained global acclaim as most nations have
now copied this model.
In
Through Faith-based groups, the Christian
Church has been involved in a barrage of approach to combating the HIV/AIDS plague,
which include:
1.
Prevention:
e.g. Health Education and Sexual reorientation campaign.
2. Primary Care:
e.g. Hospices and Clinics.
3.
Support
Services: e.g. - Provision of food and shelter for the infected or affected;
- Advocacy against stigmatisation and for concerted effort against AIDS;
- Training
of Care Providers;
- Counselling
for those affected or infected.
4.
Cooperation:
e.g. Networking with groups within the Christian Faith and across with groups
from other Faiths.
The aim in all these is to do good and
show compassion in order to bring healing and hope to those infected and those
affected by HIV/AIDS. Back to Contents
No Christian has any excuse for not rising to the challenge of HIV/AIDS pandemic. The Scriptures record that Jesus Christ went about in the power of the Holy Spirit:
“...
doing good, and healing all ….” ¾
(Acts. 10:38)
The Scriptures also report that Jesus
Christ empowered His 12 Apostles to heal:
“And when he had called unto him his
twelve disciples, he gave them power against
unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease.”¾
(Mat 10:1)
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and
gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he
sent them to preach the
(Luk
9:1-2)
So for the Christian Faith healing is not only divine but also divinely
commissioned, being inseparable from the Gospel of Christ.
“Who his own self bare our sins in his own body
on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by
whose stripes ye were healed.”¾
(1Pe 2:24)
The Gospel of Christ offers salvation from the burden of sin and death
for the whole world, and healing from the concomitant diseases and sicknesses.
In this vicious cycle of “sin-disease-death-damnation”, sexual behaviour is again of great significance as is the case with HIV/AIDS. To a large
extent therefore, sexuality stands between humanity and her destiny especially
as far as HIV/AIDS is concerned. Back to Contents
Sexuality concerns
male-female psychophysical relations and expressions as well as physiological
constitution. Sexual preference and desire as well as sexual identity and
capacity belong to human sexuality. This needs to be distinguished from Gender
relations, which concerns male-female social roles and cultural expectations.
For the Christian Religion,
sexuality issues border on morality and immorality of relations while Gender
issues border on equality and inequality of the sexes.
What could the Christian
Faith contribute in dealing with the sexuality issue that contribute to the
spread of HIV/AIDS? These are usually non-marital sexual orientations and
involvements such as homosexual relations, premarital and extramarital sex,
multiple and indiscriminate sex, bestiality, paedophilia and the like. This
must be examined in the context of prevalence of science-based post-modern
ideas of sexual freedom. Back to Contents
Scientific ideas, unable to
venture into morality matters for which there are no empirical formulae yet,
prefer to insist that there is no immorality, though they would accept that
there is insecurity. Is this not “valuephobia”?
The argument is that one man’s morality may be another man’s immorality. Yet,
the same applies to security, for one man’s security may be another man’s
insecurity. So Science-based ideas insist that no one should be intimidated
with any moral judgement for doing what one feels happy doing with oneself.
However, due to the fact of the “danger” of contracting HIV, Scientific
ideologists feel that the option of using condom as a partial protection
(called “Safe Sex” or “Safer Sex”) should be offered, if one cared about the
“risk”. Strangely, such precautionary advice against “dangers” and “risks” is
not seen as intimidating, i.e. scientifically speaking!
So far, scientific studies
have shown that where religious values of abstinence and heterosexual
intra-marital sex are propagated and accepted, sexual behaviour is modified and
the spread of HIV/AIDS is reduced. Religion has power to modify sexual
behaviour where Science is hesitant. Christian Religion, which has the safest
sexual moral standardrds of allowing sex only within
a monogamous life-long marriage, serves the best purpose in protection against
and prevention of spread of HIV/AIDS, for everyone who believes the Gospel.
Science is about what works
and how things work, but religion is about what is right or wrong and what is
good or bad. The mistake of using
Science in place of Religion has led to the laiser-faire
ideas about sexuality. However, Science is for information on matter not for
instruction on character. Science is for know-how not for ethics. Science is
for the intellect not for the conscience. Religious claims provoke scientific
enquiry, while scientific research confirms religious convictions. Religion and
Science then, are complimentary and more so symbiotic. Science should be the
handmaid of Religion.
Those who make Science a
religion end up becoming unscientific. For instance, those who turn the
hypothetical assumption called the “theory” of evolution into a dogma of
origins antithetical to the religious doctrine of creation are really misusing
Science. That complex forms evolved out of simpler forms is an assumption
contrary to the scientifically established thermodynamic Law of Entropy; and in
Science, laws overrides theoretical assumptions. In fact, recent developments
have shown that the Intelligent Design Theory (IDT) of evolution accords more
with natural scientific laws, logic and mathematics than the Darwinian Random
Selection theory of evolution. However, because Science has not been able to
quantify intelligence in absolute terms nor does Science wish to be tele-guided by a superior Intelligence, it is in a fix as
to which way to go. Is this “Theophobia”? Back to Contents
Christian Response to Modern Attitudes towards Sexuality
Most people including
homosexuals agree that homosexuality is abnormal or unnatural and that
extramarital and promiscuous sex is unsafe. The contentions are about Values
and Choice, about Morality and Freedom:
1. Should anyone be told what to do (or not do)
based on any moral values in matters of personal choice and desire?
2. Is homosexuality and other non-marital sex
acts of choice (i.e. modifiable) or an inevitable result of a variant natural
physiologic constitution (i.e. non-modifiable)?
3. Should homosexuality and other non-marital
sex be condemned or condoned, corrected or canvassed?
4. Where does personal freedom end and general
morality begin?
From the point of view of
Science, no one should be restrained from any scientifically feasible
indulgence as long as such indulgences are private and the involved parties are
consenting. From the Christian perspective, such people should be appealed to
or be persuaded to reconsider their choices and play down on their desires,
depending on the saving power of Christ to help them through. The basis should
be the safety and good of the entire human race, the sanctity of life, the
revelation from God in the Biblical Scriptures and the salvation accomplished
in Christ. This has been found to work through the ages for those who believe.
Christianity’s basic call is to metanoia i.e.
“repentance” or “change of mind”. Christian Religion can offer this message not
only to those with unhealthy sexual behaviour but also to those with uncaring
attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS.
Science has not shown any
empirical proof for any claims to genetic or other irreversible constitutional
basis for homosexual or promiscuous inclination. According to the Christian
Religion, homosexuality and other promiscuous sexual behaviour, just
like all unhelpful behaviours, are reversible through metanoia
by the power of the Word and the Spirit of God for anyone who believes.
Therefore, unnatural and unhealthy sexual involvements should not be condoned
but condemned. Nevertheless, those involved should not themselves be condemned,
rather they should be corrected and encouraged to abandon or overcome their
unfruitful and unprofitable behaviour through metanoia
or Repentance, for their own good.
“Because they do
this, God has given them over to shameful passions. Even the women pervert the
natural use of their sex by unnatural acts. In the same way the men give up
natural sexual relations with women and burn with passion for each other. Men
do shameful things with each other, and as a result they bring upon themselves
the punishment they deserve for their wrongdoing. Because those people refuse
to keep in mind the true knowledge about God, he has given them over to
corrupted minds, so that they do the things that they should not do. They are
filled with all kinds of wickedness, evil, greed, and vice; they are full of
jealousy, murder, fighting, deceit, and malice. They gossip and speak evil of
one another; they are hateful to God, insolent, proud, and boastful; they think
of more ways to do evil; they disobey their parents; they have no conscience;
they do not keep their promises, and they show no kindness or pity for others.
They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death.
Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve
of others who do them.”¾
(Rom 1:26-32)
The Christian Religion
categorises homosexuality and other no-marital sex as the decadent sin of
sexual immorality, dangerous for humanity and unacceptable before God. Personal
freedom starts where the good of others stops. Personal freedom ends where the
interest of humanity is at stake. God’s choice is the best freedom. Back to Contents
Hash experiences of life such as deprivation,
disease, death, disaster and despair may push one to what I call Theophobia (hating the idea of Ultimate
Divinity ¾ God) or Valuephobia
(hating the idea of moral values), as well as get involved with unhelpful
behaviour. Yet the Christian must reach out with love as the agent of
reconciliation in the face contentious issues; identifying with the suffering
and helping to find a way out and bringing hope by the example and the power of
Christ.
For those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS with all
the attendant perplexities we must share our eschatological concept of human
history with an optimistic end for humanity through the grace of redemption in
Christ. Anyone who has the knowledge of salvation in Christ knows that he or
she is equipped and called to bring comfort and care for the bereaved and
abandoned; show faith in God and moral uprightness for others to see and copy;
and ensure social justice in place of inequity and prejudice.
I agree with Professor Anne Bayley
of Lusaka University Teaching Hospital that the Christian religion has a lot to
offer, one of which is this:
“A
faith that God exists and is personal, not impersonal; hospitable not hostile,
and involved-with not indifferent to humankind – a faith which is supported by
historical and contemporary evidence, although not ‘provable’ or ‘disprovable’
in scientific terms”¾ (One New Humanity, p.126) Back to Contents
HEFLEY, James C, Life
In The Balance, Victor Books,
STOTT, John, Issues
Facing Christians Today. Marshall Pickering,
BAYLEY, Anne, 0ne
New Humanity: The Challenge of AIDS, SPCK,
AIDS
ACTION COUNCIL, Policy Facts: Faith-Based
and Community Response to HIV/AIDS, The Body, 2003
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR WORLD HEALTH, Fact Sheets: The Faith Community & HIV/AIDS and An Interfaith Declaration, The Body, 1999
New Dictionary
of Theology,
IVP,
Encyclopaedias
Britannica 2001, Software.
Microsoft
Encarta 2005,
Software.
The Holy Bible. Back to Contents
Last Updated July 6, 2006
By The Revd Dr. I. U. Ibeme
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