Issue 17
Kingdom Knowledge & Practice

Restoring God’s Blueprint

The battle of cultural beliefs against AIDS

▲Only by restoring God’s beautiful blueprint for sexual relations at the beginning of creation, promoting chastity and fidelity among couples, and teaching men to respect women and children, can we possibly fight against the disease of AIDS! (Excerpted from the Internet http://www.flickr.com/photos)

Sex is the action and relationship between soul and body.
At the beginning of creation, God originally intended such intimacy to belong to husband and wife, so as to nurture precious life.
However, in many places today, sex has become a deadly weapon.

Uganda did it


The most brutal battle of the century against AIDS is in the African continent south of the Sahara Desert; and the most talked-about battle is in Uganda, where the prevalence of AIDS dropped from its peak of 15% in 1991 to 2003. 4% of the year. 1 In order to unlock the code of combating AIDS, this country has become the focus of many medical and scientific researches. 2


In 1986, after the civil war in Uganda ended and President Yoweri Museveni's regime was stabilized, an AIDS control project was established and the ABC strategy was adopted - Abstinence, Be faithful, Condoms, 3 Through active media promotion, including print advertisements, radio broadcasts, billboards, and grassroots community promotion, we will convey the lethality of AIDS and prevention methods. Surveys in the mid-1990s showed that 99.2% Ugandans received AIDS-related information from relatives and friends or community gatherings. 4


There is no cure for AIDS, and there is no anti-disease vaccine to prevent the onset of the disease. Preventing the spread of the virus has become the only way to eliminate the disease, and it is also the strategic focus of Uganda. Which part of the strategy worked so well that the prevalence dropped significantly?


A closer look shows that the use of condoms did not become more common until the late 1990s, when large amounts of foreign aid were used to purchase and distribute condoms. By then, the prevalence of AIDS had already declined.


As for chastity and fidelity, according to a survey by the World Health Organization's Global Program on AIDS, the rate of premarital sex among single men aged 15 to 24 in Uganda dropped from 60% in 1989. 23% in 1995. 5


It can also be found from the Demographic and Health Surveys report that compared with countries such as Kenya, Zambia, and Malawi, Uganda has no regular sexual partners. The ratio is much lower. 6


Although there are other interrelated political and social factors that are unique to Uganda and why the AIDS prevalence rate has dropped so significantly, the behavioral changes shown in the survey data cannot be ignored.

The battle of cultures and beliefs


In addition to sexual intercourse, AIDS is also transmitted through sharing needles and injecting drugs, as well as from mother to fetus through the placenta during pregnancy, through the birth canal during delivery, or through breastfeeding of newborns. 7 However, these other pathways are only a minority, not to mention the invention of antiretroviral treatment in the past decade, which has reduced the chance of maternal transmission to the fetus. Limited by the local medical and health environment, caesarean sections and formula feeding are still not very popular. 8 The performance in preventing maternal infection of infants is limited and is not enough to affect the decline in the prevalence of AIDS in Uganda.


Since AIDS is mainly spread through sexual intercourse, the fight against AIDS should start from this point. The behavioral change part of the "Uganda Model" has achieved remarkable results. If it were applied to other African countries and worked together to fight against the rampant AIDS, wouldn't it be the most reasonable and biblical strategy?


Zimbabwean researcher David Wilson emphasized in the British Medical Journal in 2004 that "reducing sexual partners is good epidemiology, not good ideology. 9"


However, since this century, the method of fighting AIDS has gradually shifted to the development of drugs and vaccines to treat the virus, and the distribution of free condoms. As various institutions and policies compete for media attention and financial support, which one is based on epidemiology and which one is based on ideology?


From UNAIDS to prevention programs from large foundations such as the William J. Clinton Foundation or The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "reducing risky sexual behavior" is simply One of many strategies that requires the addition of an ambiguous proviso. For example, "Cultural norms and beliefs may play a key role in helping to prevent AIDS and promote the possibility of AIDS transmission. 10"


After more than 20 years of fighting against AIDS, the "Uganda model" seems to still be stuck in the country, retaining the sole status of "miracle". Are "chastity" and "loyalty" just lofty ideals of Christian wishful thinking? Or is it a moral assertion that secularism avoids?


From the numbers and events in relevant investigative reports, another possible explanation emerges: For African countries south of the Sahara Desert, resisting AIDS is not just a battle between medicine and science, but also a battle between culture and belief!

▲For African countries south of the Sahara Desert, fighting against AIDS is not just a battle between medicine and science, but also a battle between culture and belief!

Deadly Culture and Beliefs


The African night is strange.


There is no buzzing TV, no rushing vehicles, the land is peaceful, only the chirping of insects can be heard.


No, there's still the sound of holding one's breath. It is a lying hunter, waiting for a weak prey that relaxes its vigilance a little. The hidden place covered by the black curtain is darker than the night.


Bawa, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa, was raped by her uncle when she was fourteen years old,11 but she is not an exception. In South Africa, there have been many cases of rape of infants or young children. The University of South Africa reported in 2002 that one million women and children were sexually assaulted in one year. 12 A recent survey by the Medical Research Council showed that one in four men admitted to raping someone, many of whom were HIV positive. 13


Like Bawa's uncle, many men who abuse young women and even children believe that the cure for AIDS is to have sex with virgins or children. Even though the price of anti-AIDS drugs has dropped significantly, the vast majority of African families are still unable to afford them. The fight between trapped animals that people engage in when they are desperate has exceeded the constraints of ethics and conscience!


In addition to the myths about AIDS that cause harm to women and children, due to the narrow living space, an 8×10-foot room is often the place where more than ten people live and rest in a family. Relatives and friends sleep with the children or share childcare duties. Being in such close proximity gives impulsive men an opportunity to take advantage of them. For children who are disadvantaged in terms of strength and status, going to the latrine at night and going to and from school during the day become an adventure.


Not only are women and children in a precarious situation, but they also have such a wrong belief: No matter whether the other person is a husband, a blood relative, a boyfriend, or whether he is infected with HIV or not, women cannot refuse a man's request. They also regard this as their natural right.


There are not enough police forces to investigate rape, and the offender is likely to be the main breadwinner of the family. The victim neither has the resources to hire a lawyer to pursue the case, nor is he willing to lose the person who provides him with food and clothing because of the accusation. Therefore, the law sanctioning the crime of rape is ineffective. 14


Due to social and legal failure, protection and justice cannot be provided to these women and children who are violently attacked. They have no way to complain, suffer physical and mental injuries, and are likely to be infected with the fatal HIV virus. 15 Many young women do not know they are infected and continue to get married and have children, thus continuing to spread AIDS...


It is hoped that through behavioral changes, chastity and faithfulness can reduce or even prevent the spread of AIDS. This reasonable and spiritual strategy encounters many obstacles due to patriarchal culture and erroneous medical beliefs passed down from generation to generation.


Sex is no longer an intimate behavior and relationship that combines body, mind and soul, but has become a release of violence and power, and a way to breed deadly viruses!

▲Uganda’s AIDS control project adopts ABC strategy-Abstinence, Be faithful (loyal to your partner), Condoms (use of condoms), through active media promotion, promote the lethality of AIDS and prevention methods.

Surrender to the call and take action


Culture and beliefs have a vast and far-reaching influence. How should we fight this battle? The forced cultural and even religious changes during the colonial period were wiped out after the decline of the great empire, leaving behind many political and economic remnants, making this land underdeveloped and the people living in poverty. Nowadays, in order to fight against AIDS, many charities and missionary organizations have invested huge human and financial resources to try to alleviate the suffering of AIDS patients from the medical and scientific level, or to subtly convey the correct message based on cultural beliefs.


No matter where we are fighting AIDS, we face great resistance and minimal results.


Could it be that these difficulties are enough excuses for Christians to avoid joining this battle?


Kay Warren's book "Brave Surrender" 16 opens with a description of how she flipped through a news magazine and saw photos of faces and human figures ravaged by love in Africa.


Africa feels far away, and even though she knew about these problems, she still felt helpless. But from that moment on, these images were imprinted on her mind and shocked her soul. This report turned her life upside down. After crying to God and wrestling with God, Hua Kaiyi finally decided "I do" and responded to God's call to devote herself to AIDS ministry.


Today, on her website (www.kaywarren.com), you can find a lot of information, including ways for the church to care for people with AIDS (read more in this community section) and strategies to stop the spread of AIDS. It not only promotes chastity and loyalty, but also covers teaching men to respect women and children. 17 After all, only by restoring God’s beautiful blueprint for sexual relationships from the beginning of creation can we possibly fight against the AIDS disease!


Hua Kaiyi's surrender to God leads to action. The results may be minimal, and it may not be able to overcome all difficulties, but it is a beginning after all.


So what should you and me do?

Note
1.www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/aids/Countries/africa/uganda_report.pdf
2. www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.gcgi?artid+1544373
3. www.avert.org/aidsuganda.htm
4. Same as note 2.
5. Same as note 2.
6. Same as note 1.
7.http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%89%BE%E6%BB%8B%E7%97%85
8. www.avert.org/motherchild.htm
9. Same as note 2.
10. www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/Prevention/default.asp
11. mobile.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/107036097535.htm
12. www.medscape.com/viewarticle/444213
13.www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009jun/17/south-africa-rape-survey/print
14. Same as note 12.
15.www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081300716.pf.html
16. "Dangerous Surrender," by Kay Warren, Messenger Publishing, 2009.
17.www.hivandthechurch.com/en-US/SLOW_and_STOP/How_to_Stop_AIDS.htm

Further reading and video appreciation

If you want to know more about African culture or missionary testimony, the following reports, books and movies can help you open up your "horizon" of Africa.
1. Historian Ahead of His Time, Christianity Today
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/
February/34.87.html
2. Witchcraft in Uganda
http://www.iheu.org/node/1565
3. HIV/AIDS in Uganda,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hiv/aids_in_Uganda
4. "Love Staying in West Africa Lengaen - Notes of a Little Doctor at 45 Degrees Celsius", Yuanshen Publishing House, first edition in 2003.

About African-themed movies:

1. Blood Diamond, translated as "Blood Diamond" in Chinese, talks about child soldiers.
2. Hotel Rwanda, translated as "Rwanda Hotel" in Chinese, explores genocide.
3. The Last King of Scotland, translated as "The Last King of Scotland" in Chinese, talks about the dictatorship of a tyrant.
4. War Dance, "Uganda Skies", documentary.
5. Mama Heidi, temporarily translated as "Mother Heidi", is the testimony of South Africa's mother Heidi who adopted orphans.
6. Faith Like a Potato, temporarily translated as "Potato Faith", a young farmer opened a children's home in South Africa.


Author profile

Lin Minwen loves reading and listening to classical music, and most admires Miura Ayako and Beethoven. She is committed to writing and serving God.