HIV Class
by William Hill
Filed under: Christianity, Sexual Purity, HIV/AIDS

NOTE: This is a VERY serious issue. Please read it completely

This past week I was in Fairfax, Virginia attending training meetings for my company, Harris Teeter. On Tuesday morning I attended a "Managing HIV at Work" workshop where I sat through 4 hours of HIV and AIDS related information. Going into this class I thought that I knew pretty much all there was to know about HIV and AIDS however I did learn some interesting facts:

» The two most common ways for HIV to infect a person is through unprotected sex and sharing an infected needle. This accounts for 95 percent of all infections in the United States.

» Each year over 63,000 Americans become newly infected with HIV, a rate unchanged since the beginning of the epidemic.

» Every hour at least two Americans under the age of 27 become infected with HIV.

» HIV can be transmitted during oral sex.

» The groups with the highest rate of increases in cases of AIDS are adolescents and women. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death among Americans from ages 15-24.

» The estimated rate of infection in the United States is 1 in 250 people. This rate, however, is likely lower since New York and California do not report new infections to the Center for Disease Control.

This class was about facts and prevention. Certainly there are number of other facts of interest but I have highlighted these above for a particular reason which I will get to in a moment. Our instructor told the class prior to starting that this class was not about "opinion" but it was about "facts" and certainly there were a lot of facts given in the class -- many of them quite startling. However, as I sat there thinking through the material I could not help but think about the moral issue that lies behind HIV. If it is a FACT that having unprotected sex (heterosexual or homosexual) and sharing an infected needle accounts for 95 percent of all infection then it seems to me that we can eliminate all but 5 percent of the cases by talking about these two issues. Let's do that.

First, it is a lie from the pit of hell that having protected sex somehow protects you from HIV. It doesn't. Yes, the possibility of infection is greatly reduced. According to one study you are 10,000 times less likely to contract the HIV virus while using a condom than when you don't. Okay, that is a really nice number (and I wonder where they get that number) but what if I were to tell you that I had a gun and that gun had the potential to hold 10,000 bullets but at this time it only had one. Would you put the gun to your head and pull the trigger? You see, this is exactly what happens when two people engage in protected sex. There is no guarantee for prevention other than abstaining from sex until marriage and that with a non-HIV infected person. The facts are that if you contract HIV with or without protection during sex you will run a huge risk of it leading to AIDS. Yes, that one bullet could be in the chamber.

Second, sharing an infected needle is simply a major risk that people need to carefully avoid and this does not apply to only drug users. 30 percent of all infections in the United States comes from sharing an infected needle. Anyone that is interested in getting a tattoo needs to be very careful about this matter. Any tattoo parlor that uses "hollow-head" needles should be avoided at all costs. What they are doing is re-using the needles after apparently cleaning them off before they re-use them on a new customer. If you are interested in getting a tattoo then be sure the artist unwraps a brand new needle in front of you.

Third, if you take a look at the facts listed above you will notice that one of the groups that is showing the highest rate of increased infections in the United States is adolescents. The reason is that adolescents are sexually active and not necessarily via intercourse. Teenagers today believe that it is impossible to be infected with HIV through oral sex. Well, this is simply not true. HIV can enter any mucous membrane (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.). Oral sex does not guarantee protection from HIV. Sperm and vaginal secretions are key elements necessary for the transmission of HIV. If you are practicing oral sex (and you are not married to a non-HIV infected person) you are running a huge risk for infection. Furthermore, it is possible to contract HIV through deep kissing if blood mingles with the saliva and is passed from one mouth to the other. So the next time you want to kiss someone ask them to open their mouth and inspect it for sores or other blood related items (like bleeding gums).

Fourth, for every 250 people you meet or come in contact with, statistically speaking, one of them has HIV. This means when you go to your local mall it is very likely that at least one person in that mall is HIV positive. So the next time you are out at the bar or the local club and run into that cute girl or cute boy consider this: there is a 1 in 250 chance that this cutie pie you have just met has HIV. Would you like me to hand you a gun and tell you this gun can hold 250 bullets in it but only has one? Okay, I think we established this earlier that not to many people are going to put it to their head and pull the trigger.

I firmly believe, based on my worldview, that morality is driving this issue and this is why the rate of infection has not changed since the onset of the epidemic. God's word is plain on this matter and He will not be mocked by his creatures. If you want to go around willfully breaking God's law then be prepared to suffer the consequences. God's perfect design for his people was that one man and one woman would remain virgins until such time as they meet their spouse and marry. At this point the marriage would be consummated, that is, they would have sex and this for the first time in their lives. Now maybe I am not too quick on my feet but it seems to me that if a man and a women remain virgins until they marry (and I assume that they are not sharing infected needles) then it is impossible for them to contract HIV except through some freak accident (like infected blood transfusions which, by the way, is about a 1 in 1 million chance). God's design for his creatures was that one man and one woman would marry. Not two men or two women.

Sadly, based on the statistics offered above our children are not remaining abstinent.  They are engaging in sexual acts and running the risk of HIV infection.  I know, this only applies to those non-Christian teens, the ones that are really sinful, right?  Wrong!  The leaders of our Churches need to pay attention and if they think that their teenagers are not capable of doing things they ought not be doing they are extremely naive and need to get another job shoveling garbage or something.  Yes!  Our Christian teenagers are as capable as any other teenager to engage in all sorts of immoral and sexually related activity that the word of God denounces. The Church should not sit by and say nothing or do nothing about it.  When was the last time you heard a sermon on the subject of sexual purity in frank and plain terms, especially directed at the youth?  Look, the numbers do not lie:  our teens are included in the group that is showing the largest increase of HIV infection.  If you are parent or a youth leader or have some impact on this culture then stop sitting there thinking it is not your problem.  It is!  Talk to your kids about this issue.

Another note: education does not appear to be working or doing much to slow down the rate of infection. Perhaps education has helped keep the rate from getting higher but it has not decreased since the beginning of the epidemic. In the United States we are still seeing 63,000 new infections each year and that is because education alone cannot stop this problem. Look, people need the gospel. This is absolutely a moral issue. It is an issue that is rooted in the hearts of men. Actions have consequences but man wants to have fun and not suffer the consequences for it. Yet, real life simply does not work this way. If you play with fire you will get burned and with this fire you have a 1 in 250 chance of playing with an HIV infected person.

Talk to your kids, parents! Start when they are young and teach them the way God has designed a perfect method for preventing HIV. Now if they would only listen...

True love waits! Consider the following scenario. Let's say your tennager is engaging in sexual and riskful behavior (and the statistics say they are!) and introduce themselves to HIV (which is a 1 and 250 chance). Let's further assume that they do not get an HIV test at any time in the next 7-10 years (and the chronic symptoms of HIV can lie dormant for this long). During this time they meet and fall in love with tha man or woman of their dreams. They get married and, of course, have sex. What has just happened? Unknowingly your child has just infected their spouse, the one of their dreams, with HIV. Is that love? True love absolutely waits til marriage.

Why am I so passionate about this topic. Well, it hits close to home for me. I have three children ranging in ages of 21 down to 16. I have always taught my children to wait and to abstain and to marry a man or woman of like minded thinking in this area. Why? Because this is the way God set things up. No parent wants to believe or acknowledge that their children could be sexually active, especially no Christian parent. However, ignorance and assumption is the mother of all screw ups and we ought not be so reckless with the lives of our children as to think they are not active. Yes, we must talk to our kids about the facts. We must be vigilant. Do you love your children? Then you will sit down with them now (not tomorrow, not next week) and talk candidly with them on this matter. The web has plenty of good information on this topic and I encourage everyone to read and learn and share it with their children.

Furthermore, if this subject concerns you (and it really should!) then petition the leaders, elders, and teachers in your church to have a small seminar or class on this topic. This class should be candid and frank and should be done in a way that highlights the dangers of HIV and present the biblical worldview in this issue. Let's not be fool hearty and think our Christian children do not have this problem to face. For most of us we grew up in a world without HIV but that is simply not the case for our children. A class discussing the nature of HIV and all the facts might help save one of the lives of our Christian youth.

For Further Study: (please note that most of these articles and media do not come from a Christian worldview. They are for informational purposes only).

HIV Replication Process (YouTube video)
10 Common Myths about HIV/AIDS (YouTube Video)
Introduction to HIV/AIDS (YouTube Video)
Wikipedia Article on HIV
HIV.com
HIV Symptons
Christianity Today Editorials
A Christian View on the Cure of HIV/AIDS