Religion offers comfort and warmth to AIDS victims
EDITOR S S'OTE People with AIDS are
making their way to the nation ‘s houses
of worship, changing the churches anti
feeding their own faith In this, the set ■
ond of a three part series "AIDS-A Test of
Edith." they tell their stories
lane could hold her secret no longer
She told the people in her Bible study
( lass in n Southern Baptist Church in
Missouri that she had AIDS. One by one
they approached, hugging and comforting
her.
The next week, n woman was getting
into the pew next to Jane when her hus
band stopped her. When the woman per
sisted. her husband said in a voice loud
enough to be heard around the church:
“That woman has AIDS.”
The family marched to the other side of
the sanctuary. Her confidence and faith
shaken, Jane turned to her pastor He
advised her to find another church
As soon as she was able. Jane told the
pastor at her new church that she has
AIDS: "His reaction was to put his arms
around me and hug me and cry with me.
And I knew then I had found my church
home."
That Jane encountered discrimination
at her first church is no surprise - most
people with AIDS have become accus
tomed to slights and snubs and outright
rejection from those who fear their dis
ease.
What is worth noting is that Jane and
others with AIDS are persisting in finding
spiritual homes.
They are drawn by the same powerful
human need to find meaning in human
tragedy that has historically brought the
terminally ill to the doors of churches,
mosques and svnagogues 'That need is
overpowering the fears and prejudices
they might encounter there
Like the lepers of biblical times. with
whom they are often compared. AIDS
victims sinking solace in faith have t re
ated small moments of truth in congrega
tions. defining the religious response to
AIDS for the next generation
"Some day. in some cosmic context,
we will he judged by how we have han
dled or not handled this." said Kabbi
Joseph Edelheit of Minneapolis
Hut Cynthia. 2(>. no longer fowls she lias
to fa< e ihi' disease alone
"I’ve seen the response of tnv Christian
friends at i hurih, and it's been love.” she
said
Byron Kemie, « slight, physically
danionstrative 2‘>-year-old him k man
with AIDS, and Dora Cough, a gray
haired fifi year-old white woman who is a
portrait of Southern Baptist propriety
hug each .jjther fieri elv within walls of
Cynthia is a
young mother with
two small children
(both she and Jane
spoke on the condi
tion that their real
names not lie used).
She remembers
how hard it was to
confide in her
Southern Baptist
pastor that she had
AIMS, but she could
‘Some day, in some
cosmic context, we will
be judged by how we
have handled or not
handled this.'
Rabbi Joseph Edelheit
Ihn t irst Hnptist
Chun ft of Hous
ton
I in ft hours I
st urs of sot lotul
attitudes toward
AIDS, hut llit* two
have found t om
fort m twi.lt other's
arms in this flag
sltip t hurt h of
Southern Hnptist
t:onstirvalism
no longer handle the illness alone
"l was about to explode. I fullv expet t
ed to get kicked out." she said
Instead her pastor prayed with her, and
vowed to do something in the church
Within three months, the small Southern
Baptist Church held an AIDS education
seminar: 50 people were expected. 150
showed up.
"There is nothing heroic about this
This is human This is real I need some
one w ho w ill lx1 there with me." she said
Vet not all reat lions have l>een positive
for Cynthia; one person at the AIDS sem
inar said he thought everyone with the
HIV virus should wear armlwmds She has
to go to a larger church to miles away to
meet memliers of her AIDS i are team
Remit- told his mother of his illness,
hut she h.is not even told his sister or
stepfather, mui ll less ( unfilled in the
i hurch in their own small town that ins
baby" has AIDS
Mere at f irst Baptist, where Komie is
not a mem her, an AIMS rare team does
everything from < leaning the dead mat li
es out of Ins apartment to listing available
to talk at ans time of the day or night
With tears in Ins eyes. Kemiu looks at
Gutigli. svho is "like my second mom."
Gough's first experience with AIMS
came when her son called her up to I««11
her a friend had died of the disease
"Mama. Kenny died alone Mama, if I
gel HIV, sv ill I have to die alone7'' her son
asked her "I said. 'No way. "
When she let the church know that her
sou had AIDS, she ns eived no response
When Tom mine home October *1 instil
Tom died January t<>, not one of my
friends would come over to mv house '*
Before he died four years ago, her son
made one more request that she has not
forgotten
"He told me before he passed away.
Mother, don't forget ms friends,'" said
(lough, who struggles ssith tears .it every
mention of her son "Tor about two-and
a-half years. I took tare of 15 of his
friends "
Many of the people she cared for were
disowned by their families She tells of
one young man who told her the day Ills
good friend died. "I'm so glad you're
here It's like having my mama with me.”
Now that she is able to speak about her
involvement within her i htirrh, the tall,
thin woman i ries freely and she says I
feel 1 am where God wants me."
"Morn. I have AIDS and I want to die."
was the simple, harsh way Katherine
Mt < rat ken s son told her of his illness
Her oldest sister doesn't want
Mi Gnu ken's sou in her home, and the
Baptist i hurt lies that used to lie her spir
dual home offered no programs to help
her But the Ghristian Talieniat le ( hurcli
in Houston provided both mother and
sou w ith friends and support groups
"It s hard enough to lose a i told, hut
to svati h him deteriorate every day If
I didn't have the < hurt h and the people. I
don't think I could take it." she said in a
break from working in the kitchen ol Ben
(i s House, a i hurt h operated resident e
tor homeless people with AIDS I know
that if Jesus was here today. he would not
turn his back on these people I know
that."
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