From Geoffrey to you; Aids, the gay mans curse right? WRONG

Wednesday May 21, 2009

AIDS the gay mans curse… right? WRONG!

I remember in ninth grade at the awards ceremony for the Junior ROTC at Mayfair high school. As the highly decorated and honored Vietnam veteran read off my name for my new ribbon, my mom leaped from her chair and started hooting and hollering “THAT’S MY BOY!” Overtime I found that the proud bellowing cries of my mother was one the easiest ways to get a massive amount of blood to rush to my cheeks and for me to bury my face in my hands out of embarrassment. Nothing brings out embarrassment in a child’s life like a proud parent. I feel the same way about overzealous and condemning Christians that claim that AIDS is God’s punishment for homosexuals and spend their free time holding up signs and denouncing and condemning the two worst sinners in their eyes; homosexuals and those who have gotten an abortion. Nothing gets a massive amount of blood to rush to my cheeks and forces me to bury my face in my hands in sheer embarrassment then when they open their trap and rant on about how God hates these people. They represent Christ in such a way that makes me not want to follow him if he is the type of God that their actions represent him as. The sad truth is that I have unfortunately heard Christians claim that AIDS is God’s wrath on homosexuals time and time again. Nothing opens up my eyes to the ignorance and misrepresentation of my faith by some people like these arrogant and egotistical people. I guess it is the American Christian way to put the blame on someone else. It is their fault and not mine, right?

I guess we can blame those dang homosexuals for the 1,000 people who die each week in Northern Uganda from AIDS, malaria and starvation. I guess it is also their fault that in Uganda AIDS has orphaned one million children. It is the fault of homosexuals that the Lords Resistance Army, where young female children are raped and forced into sexual slavery causing them to contract this disease, has abducted over twenty five thousand children. I guess we can also blame homosexuals for the 500,000 Tutsi women that were systematically raped by men who knew they were HIV positive during the tragic Rwandan genocide. Once again let’s point the finger at that homosexuals for the two million children that have been orphaned by AIDS living in Kenya. Apparently it is their fault that the millions upon millions of people have died from this disease and for the millions who still have it. If it wasn’t for those homosexuals AIDS never would have been sent down by God, right? WRONG!

Though these statistics make a pretty strong argument against the homosexuals, this little voice in my head is telling me that instead of pointing the finger and blaming others for this disease we should be blaming ourselves. Instead of putting the responsibility on a certain group and being the stereotypical Christians we should do our part. If someone were dying in my arms and I had the power to save them, how cruel would it be for me to allow them to die a slow and painful death? If I have the ability to end the suffering of someone and to give someone hope, how cruel is it for me to deprive them of it?

A woman named Kitty Genovese was brutally attacked as she returned to her home late one night. She cried out for help and fought with every ounce of strength she had for thirty minutes. Thirty-eight people watched this woman fight for her life and heard her cries for help, but not one of them was willing to even called the police. Kitty died as thirty-eight people watched.

It amazes me that these thirty-eight people watched and did nothing, all they had to do was dial three numbers and this woman’s life would have been saved. All they had to do was start yelling to stop or throw something to get the attackers attention, but they didn’t. Instead they returned to their television shows and beds and lived life as if nothing were happening at all. They all had the power to help, but not one lifted a finger. I wish I could hear their excuses, “I thought someone else had called the police,” or, “it isn’t my fault, it was someone else’s responsibility.”

How tragic was 9/11? What was the response of the nation? People were outraged! Tears were shed. Hearts broke as families were torn apart. It truly was a tragic day, a day that we shall never forget. This was one of the biggest and most horrendous things to happen to our country and it impacted every American citizen in one way or another. How would you respond if I told you that in one day five fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes filled with American citizens would crash? Think of the lives that would be impacted and families torn apart. What if it were twenty fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes in one day? What if it were twenty Boeing 747 airplanes filled with American children, and they crashed each day for an entire month, meaning that 600 planes crashed, what would your reaction be? What if I told you that every day for an entire year twenty Boeing 747 airplanes completely filled with American citizens were crashed, leaving three million people dead, what would your reaction be? What if I told you that we had the ability to stop it but we did nothing at all, would you be outraged? Three million young and innocent American children, women, men, grandparents would all be dead… how tragic. Wouldn’t you want our government to do something? Wouldn’t you want action and someone to step up and stop this tragedy? What if you knew it was happening would you try to do anything to stop it? How would you respond if everyone said, “it isn’t my responsibility,” and waited for someone else to step up to the plate and take action in this matter. What if I told you that this year a total of three million people would died from AIDS. This staggering number is compared to twenty fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes crashing every single day for a year. Why does our reaction change when we go from American citizens to African?

I was pretty shocked when I first heard about Kitty Genovese. I was outraged that so many people watched and did nothing at all, so many people had the ability to help but didn’t. I think about what they are going to say to God on judgment day and whether or not they are going to point the finger at someone else. The sad reality of the situation is that they had the power to help and to save a life and they didn’t. I am sure that if any of them could go back and relive the situation they all would, but there is no rewind button on life. The sad reality of AIDS is that we have been given the ability to make a difference, but we don’t. Do you realize that if each church in America sponsored forty-two AIDS orphans that every child would be taken care of? If we found forty-two people in each church to contribute less than a dollar per day, the AIDS epidemic would be significantly impacted. Unfortunately we look past the young sex slaves, rape victims and children born with this disease and blame the homosexuals. Instead of using those resources that God has given us we put the blame on someone else and assume it is someone else’s responsibility.

It seems like most Christians believe that the two worst sins are homosexuality and getting an abortion. Whenever I see someone holding up a sign with one hand and a blow horn in the other, words of hatred towards these two groups of people are always being vomited from their mouths. It is just like us Christians to put our entire focus on an issue mentioned six times in the bible and completely over look the issue mentioned over 2,100 times. It amazes me how we claim these are the two worst sins, when in actuality I would think that us disobeying the 2,100 commandments to meet the needs of others would be a little more offensive to God, but what do I know I am just a rambling mzungu in Kenya…

I am told over 2,100 times that I need to help widows, orphans and those in bad situations. Over 2,100 times I am told to not just say I am a Christian but to put my money where my mouth is and to use what I have been given to meet the needs of others. Over 2,100 times I am told that if there is someone in need and I have the ability to help I must or else the love of God isn’t in me. Over 2,100 times I am commanded to use what I have been entrusted with to meet the needs of others. Over 2,100 times I am told that if I am a true believer and see someone in Christ then I will help meet his or her physical needs. God makes his point loud and clear over 2,100 times, but I guess these are the parts that we over look. I guess it was just a mistake; he really meant to write stuff about homosexuality and abortions 2,100 times. Why is it that I always see people condemning gays and those who have gotten abortions, but not once have I seen someone holding up a sign confronting those people who are standing on the sidelines with the ability to help but don’t?

When I look at the AIDS epidemic I realize that I can respond in one of two ways. I can knock the dust off of my feet in its general direction, point the finger on the gays, and claim that the responsibility is of other people, meaning I can react like a stereotypical Christian OR I can do the Christ-like thing. I can see the millions upon millions of people suffering because of this disease and look at it as one of the greatest opportunities of the Christian faith to put their money where their mouth is and prove their faith in God through their actions. I can be like Christ and care less about how someone becomes sick and focus my attention on healing him or her instead of condemning him or her. I can take what has been entrusted to me and use it in a God-honoring way. I can love someone as much as I love myself. Instead of putting on my Christian front instead of people I can read the 2,100 different bible verses and obey them. We have enough of the stereotypical Christians, let’s be the real thing.

I have SOO much more to say about this and figure it is going to take another blog or two, so I am going to stop here for today… I ranted on long enough

Asante Sana,

Mwendwa

Prayer Requests:
Funds for a Generator
Tumaini Medical Center, we are still dotting our “I”s and crossing our “T”s and finishing up the final touches
Betty is having bad medical problems, we visited her today

RANDOMS:
I love how little kids eat. I was sitting next to this three year old as she ate a cookie-like thing. She grabbed a handful and tried to eat it, half made it into her mouth an the other half made it onto her face. Her hands were covered in saliva which also ended up on her cheeks, nose and forehead.
We went to the biggest house in Masii… they have grass.. not savannah grass but like U.S. grass, it was pretty cool. They also had the only play ground I had seen since I came here.
Ndengu is INCREDIBLE
A man committed suicide on Saturday
I bought baked beans the other day in town… they are beans and tomato sauce… they look nasty
I saw an advertisement for soft ice cream machines… it reminded me of my other half… frozen yogurt I can’t wait to each ten pounds of it from yogurt land

WORD OF THE DAY
Mungu Anakupenda
Moon-goo ana-coo-pen-duh
GOD LOVES YOU

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