Religion and infectious diseases

"The House of Mercy was established in 1991 by the Sisters of Mercy to provide compassionate nursing care to persons living with advanced AIDS. Residents are accepted with unconditional love and are cared for 24 hours a day by highly trained nurses and caregivers." http://www.thehouseofmercy.org/

"It has been stated many times by many different religious leaders that infectious diseases are a curse from above for the ungodly behavior-but in fact these diseases are but a test, for those who believe, to see if they (the believers) have compassion in their heart's for those infected." J Hoyt

BOOK RELEASE THAT IS COMING IN LATE SEPTEMBER- published with Trafford Publishing and will be available in Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and other book stores:

I'm Still Here-By V. Perez-Website: www.venusperez.com

Perspective: Living with AIDS

All types of Faith-based organizations have an influence on our daily lives. Each organization touches thousands of individuals daily-they have the power to influence even more with their actions as well as their words. Religious groups can either offer compassion or condemnation to those who are positive. Religious beliefs taken to the extreme can be viewed by many as types of cults. "Believe what I believe or suffer the consequences!" As Mohammad Ali (The Worlds' Boxing Professional) stated, "All of the Religions of the World are but rivers that flow into the same ocean."

Good Samaritan Metropolitan Community Church
http://www.goodsammcc.org/
Come be celebrated, not just tolerated!

Below are examples of both, (positive and negative responses to HIV/AIDS) with an extended listing of other articles at the bottom of this page.

"Some people of faith, however, not only believe for themselves, but force on others the notion that there is only "one way" on the spiritual journey to meaning. For those of us involved in the day to day life of AIDS ministry it is clear that much harm has been done to persons with AIDS by segments of American religion. Homophobic campaigns of hate, bigotry and discrimination have caused serious damage to the hearts and souls of people already stigmatized by a fatal disease. It is completely understandable why some individuals want to distance themselves from "the church" because of the acute amount of pain inflected on them by church leaders who condemn them to hell or consider them "intrinsically evil" because their God-given sexual orientation happens to be homosexual. For many who work in the AIDS community the church has become the enemy. In recognition of this reality, the AIDS National Interfaith Network has sought to be "the AIDS people to the religious community and the religious people to the AIDS community" - not an easy task. The advent of AIDS has also, however, provided a means for a re-examination of what faith means for us, how we find it, how we nurture it and how we can share it with others. A quote from The Color of Light, a helpful daily AIDS meditation book from Hazelden Press, says, "the real test is not whether faith makes more sense than fear. The real test is how our lives change. Is life better when we trust in a force for good?" http://www.aidsfaith.com/

"The Reverend Billy Graham cried out that 'AIDS is a judgment of God.' Television evangelist and leader of the Moral Majority Jerry Falwell denounced 'perverted lifestyles,' saying in a nationally televised sermon...'AIDS is God's punishment,' Falwell concluded. 'The scripture is clear: We do reap it in our flesh when we violate the laws of God.'" from The Coming Plague by Laurie Garrett

"My soul also cried out at the signs, completely unrelated and pointless, which proclaimed: "AIDS cures gays." This is especially cruel. In this country AIDS "cures" many heterosexuals and newborn infants too young to know what they are. Until this year, AIDS had been the leading single "cure" of young people, men and women, gay and straight, in this country. In large parts of Africa, it is the single most common "cure" of sinful humans in general, killing more people each year than any other individual disease or condition. Since when has it been part of our mandate as followers of Christ to show such insensitivity, such intentional cruelty, to so many suffering humans in all parts of the globe? We are not commanded by God to jab a knife into the heart of the father whose confused son has just died after months of misery, or to emotionally kick the old woman who was a grandmother for less than twelve grief-filled months." http://www.celtic-catholic-church.org/oak_tree/does-God-hate-gays.html

"On September 11, 2001, God Almighty struck the United States of America with the worst terrorist attack in her history. Thousands died, millions, even billions of dollars lost and spent in subsequent recovery, cleanup, and security measures, and what has changed? Nothing. One week after America is struck by God's Hand, the Pervert in Chief George W. Bush swears in an out of the closet, militant homosexual, Michael Guest to be Ambassador to Romania! The representative face of America to Europe is an out of the closet fag! Guest, along with his fag lover, live as husband and wife in the American Embassy in Bucharest, flaunting their perversion at every opportunity, representing America as a fag nation!!" http://www.godhatesamerica.com/html/91101.html

Demonstration by The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA-expressing the Church's beliefs. http://www.godhatesamerica.com/ghfmir/main/faq.html

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:

Religion and infectious diseases (A thru H)

Religion and infectious diseases (I thru Z)

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