‘Judge not’
World AIDS DAY
1 December 2009
The Australia Southern Territory urges it corps, centres and services to mark World AIDS Day on its calendars and in its diaries and commence planning outreach and commemorative activities—in an effort to be relevant to the needs of a broken world.
1 December 2009 will mark the 21st anniversary of World AIDS Day.
In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the first World AIDS Day in an effort to raise public awareness about HIV/AIDS issues, including the need for support and understanding for people living with HIV/AIDS. The day is also an opportunity to highlight the need for continued development of education and prevention initiatives.
Over the past 20 years, World AIDS Day has been established as one of the world’s most successful commemorative days. It is now recognised and observed by millions of people in more than 190 countries around the globe.
Craig Farrell asks how can Salvos respond to the HIV/AIDS pandemic.*
Across the globe there are an estimated 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
In Australia an estimated 0.2% of the population are infected with the virus. Throughout recent years the infection rate has risen by five percent, particularly among young people.
Since the mid to late 1980s, HIV/AIDS has been a significant issue on a global scale and the important message of prevention has been strongly communicated in Australia, as in other parts of the Western world. There is still work to be done, however.
Teaching young and older people about safe sex and safe drug use is a perennial responsibility. Education, along with the provision of condoms and syringes to the most marginalised people in our communities as harm minimisation measures, is attended by a marked degree of controversy.
We need to continue, in good faith, to create awareness and work towards the eradication of HIV/AIDS.
In 2008, I attended the 17th international AIDS conference in Mexico. I heard a call for a global, united response to tackle the issue. Scientific and medical experts, community organisations, people working on the ground with HIV/AIDS patients; we all have a part to play.
The conference slogan was ‘universal action now’—what does this mean for an international faith-based organisation such as The Salvation Army?
The response from faith groups has been significant; great work has and is being done, through relief work and through advocacy to governments on behalf AIDS sufferers.
Churches and para-church groups have maintained a practical, holistic response to communities and individuals affected by the virus. The Salvation Army continues to be part of this response, particularly in Africa and Asia, by deploying local health facilitation teams.
What is the current situation in terms of infection and treatment? The global percentage of people living with HIV has stabilised since 2000. However, the infection rate has risen, and is particularly high among women and children, mainly in Africa.
New health and social initiatives to combat the spread of the virus are beginning all the time. Our faith in Christ, and in his good news, compels us to continually pursue innovative ways to care for and prevent the disease.
However, what is very striking is the level of stigma still encountered by people living with HIV/AIDS. This is mostly true for people who are living on the margins of society: sex workers, intravenous drug users, and homosexual and bi-sexual people engaging in sexual activities with partners who have contracted AIDS.
Salvationists are called to respond to all people who are suffering in some way. The cause of their pain may stem from illness, discrimination, poverty or all three experiences.
But how should we respond? The truth is that our response, stemming from our understandings, beliefs and convictions, can make people’s lives better or worse.
I have listened to people at the Mexico conference who were living with HIV/AIDS, as well as Aussies who live with the virus, through my work in St Kilda, Melbourne.
I have found that those living with the virus are not always drawn to faith groups to find comfort, support and counsel, be it spiritual or otherwise.
Why not? Perhaps for many reasons. One fundamental issue is our response and reaction to this disease. For some people, AIDS is equivalent to a form of modern-day leprosy. And, worse, it is seen not as a medical condition but, erroneously, as a divine punishment.
This is akin to the worst, legalistic judgments rendered by the Pharisees of Christ’s day. Our response must continue to be like Christ’s—a straight-forward rejection of that attitude.
How we treat people has to do with our understanding of God and how much we value human dignity—one of our territorial core values.
As followers of Jesus we are called to be people of grace and compassion.
We seek to value and welcome each other, regardless of race, cultural background or sexual orientation. We look to love those whose lives are lived in an alternative manner to our own.
The theology and philosophy behind this concept are not new. At the centre of this idea of love we find Christ, as revealed throughout scripture.
Speaking at an ecumenical pre-conference in Mexico, Reverend Christo Greyling said ‘We must find wisdom from heaven, be compelled by the love of Christ, live as the body of Christ. We have a living hope.
‘We must help in practical ways. We must uphold the value and the dignity of all people…We must start to practise what we know that we need to do.’
For us to do this we need to face our own prejudices, individually and collectively. This means being honest, being willing to dialogue and being prepared to listen and engage with people who are living with HIV/AIDS.
It also translates to those people in your local community who may live on the margins; those who find themselves isolated and vulnerable. We as the Church, the collective ‘body of Christ’, need to be bold enough to discuss the issues that lead to discrimination and condemnation of people.
For example, with HIV/AIDS we cannot afford to remain silent about sex, gender violence and the issues around intravenous drug use. Moving forward with new prevention strategies and treatment options require this to be so.
Just as Jesus spoke out against injustices and addressed issues that were taboo, we also have an important role of advocacy and education; towards government, within local communities and in our faith communities.
Each faith community has the capacity to engage creatively and innovatively with their local people. Understanding the needs of the local community is a good beginning and, from such a beginning, the Church is in the best position to work with those who are suffering.
To make a difference, action must take place at the grass roots level. By beginning to talk a language without judgment, and familiarising ourselves with the issues at hand, a united response can take place. The gospel calls us to reconciliation with God and the whole of creation. That requires both prayer and action.
What works in Africa or Mexico may not necessarily work for us here in Australia. But what may be helpful and urgently needed is a focus on how we engage and reach out to those not part of our Sunday ‘get-togethers’.
How can we include the stranger in our community who is suffering in some way?
The issue of stigma is only one avenue of response to the HIV/AIDS crisis among other health, scientific, social and community responses. It remains important because it is an issue that underlies all responses. Addressing stigma will be a key element in working towards a unified response.
I pray we will all be willing, with the help of the Spirit, to venture into those areas (within our communities—local and global) that are unknown and fearful to us.
May we seek to reach out to our neighbours despite the fact that it may make us feel uncomfortable. May we be active in reducing stigma for the most discriminated against and vulnerable in our world.
* Captain Craig Farrell is a chaplain for the Army in one of Melbourne’s bayside suburbs, St Kilda. This article was originally published in the 29th Aug issue of Onfire
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