AIDS

Nomodiphas: I have a question. How should the governments of the world respond to the current AIDS epidemic?

Philosophos: Epidemic? First off, I wouldn’t call it that. It is true that many people around the world are calling for the world’s governments to get involved and ‘solve’ the AIDS problem. I am of the opinion that governments of the world are doing too much, rather than not enough to stem the spread of and cure this disease. In my opinion the government should ensure that innocent people do not contract the disease (by inspecting blood used in transfusions and protecting people from rape) and no more.

AIDS is a natural consequence of disobeying God’s revealed commands in the area of sexuality. The vast majority of people who contract AIDS do so because they engage in sex outside of marriage. They leave behind orphans and widows and bring suffering and hardship to their communities. In one sense this is a good thing. We have been living for far too long in the mistaken belief that we can operate outside of God’s boundaries without any consequences. AIDS is a stark reminder that there are consequences to our disobedience of God. I for one would rather experience God’s temporal punishment for my sins on this earth, be made aware of my transgressions, and have an opportunity to repent rather than live comfortably in my sin and only be reminded of the wrongness of my actions after my death. I believe that in this way AIDS is a testimony to God’s mercy.

Nomodiphas: A testimony to God’s mercy, aren’t you exaggerating?

Philosophos: Not at all. Think of it like this. You have a tumor in your arm that you are unaware of. If you do nothing about that tumor it will spread and kill you. You slip on some ice and sprain your arm. You are in a lot of pain, so you go to the doctor. While at the doctor’s office, the doctor discovers your tumor. The pain of the sprained arm would be minor compared to the damage the tumor would do if it was left undiscovered. If you could somehow know that God had allowed you to fall on the ice, would you not call this an act of mercy? For even though it produced temporary pain it brought knowledge of and allowed you to fix a much more serious problem.

The same is true of AIDS. AIDS manifests physically the hurt, death, and destruction that illicit sex always brings. The destruction of sexual sin (since the advent of birth control) is usually hidden and only contained in the emotional and spiritual realm. AIDS has changed that. It is a stark reminder of the consequences of sin. AIDS is a physical manifestation of the consequences of sin that is all too often invisible to us. It is a wake up call; a call to repent. It is a sign to those that contract it that the lifestyle they are living is wrong (a life without God and outside of God’s boundaries) and if left unchecked this lifestyle bring death to them and devastation to their families and communities. And in that it is an act of God’s mercy. It reminds us of the consequences of sin that are all too often hidden and forgotten by us.

As Christ said, it is better that a man lose an eye or a hand and enter the kingdom of God than to enter Hell whole and healthy, for what good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet forfeit his soul? In the same way it is better for a man to be infected with AIDS and find Christ than to live happy and healthy in ignorance to the Truth.

All that being said we should not sit on hands and watch others suffer, rather we should take advantage of the destruction and hardship that AIDS brings and use it as an opportunity to serve others and spread God’s mercy. AIDS provides for the church an opportunity to give mercy to those in great need of it. We must remember that we are no better than those with AIDS. We too have sinned and thereby deserve death. But God did not leave us as we were with the eternal consequences of our sins; rather He provided a way that we may be saved. In the same way the church should not be smug and tell people they deserve what they got, but should instead be quick to offer mercy to those in need of it.

Returning briefly to the role of the government, AIDS is a self induced hardship. Those with it have no right to help, so the government should not be involved in helping them, for mercy is not within the realm of the government’s duties. Mercy is the duty of the church and the church need not spend anymore time reminding those with AIDS that they deserve it. Christians must be merciful just as God has been and continues to be merciful to them.