HIV Child rejected

[Guest Benjamin15]

Hey, this is my first post

Im 15 and, looking at this, i can understand the decision to reject this boy, I would be terified of contracting this disease. In our day and age, HIV is an immediate death sentence.

However, i believe as a christian, that we are called to display God's love for us through our actions towards others. Because of this, I think that the decision was wrong. Jesus is our ultimate role model and he ate with sinners, spoke to prostitutes and came near lepers and spoke with them. He was not afraid because he had more love than fear for these people. That is exactly what we are called to have.

Its sad, but all we can do is pray.

God Bless

Ben

[Scarletprayers]

The following passage comes to mind:

" Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, "Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor." Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, "Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me."

Matthew 26:6-11

Now look at that passage. Jesus and the disciples are in the home of a leper, a social outcast at the time with a highly contagious disease. He then told the disciples that the poor you will always have with you. He did not mean just that poverty was a condition of society that would never be fully overcome. He also meant that Christians would always be with the poor and would never make outcasts out of others. The point was the poor and the sick you will always have with you because Christians will always be with the poor and the sick.

As Christians we ought not be in the business of making outcasts out of children with HIV or other diseases that which simple precautions can be taken to prevent their transmission. If Jesus and the disciples could dine with lepers 2000 years ago, then we can certainly allow our children to play with other children who might be HIV positive.

forrest for once, I wholly agree with you! Excellent post!

[georgesbluegirl]

The following passage comes to mind:

" Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on his head while he was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, "Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor." Since Jesus knew this, he said to them, "Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me."

Matthew 26:6-11

Now look at that passage. Jesus and the disciples are in the home of a leper, a social outcast at the time with a highly contagious disease. He then told the disciples that the poor you will always have with you. He did not mean just that poverty was a condition of society that would never be fully overcome. He also meant that Christians would always be with the poor and would never make outcasts out of others. The point was the poor and the sick you will always have with you because Christians will always be with the poor and the sick.

As Christians we ought not be in the business of making outcasts out of children with HIV or other diseases that which simple precautions can be taken to prevent their transmission. If Jesus and the disciples could dine with lepers 2000 years ago, then we can certainly allow our children to play with other children who might be HIV positive.

forrest for once, I wholly agree with you! Excellent post!

from me as well!

Also:

In our day and age, HIV is an immediate death sentence.

Actually it's the opposite - in the developed world it's coming to be seen more of a chronic illness rather than a "death sentence." There are a lot of antiretroviral drugs and newer treatments that essentially mean that you can live a fairly normal life as an HIV-positive person. Unfortunately, those treatments aren't as available in AIDS-stricken places worldwide, but here, a recently diagnosed HIV patient with good medical care has a good chance of living out a pretty healthy life.

[ladypeartree]

Just one question comes to mind ....WHY did the foster parents actually tell anyone

[tigger398]

Just one question comes to mind ....WHY did the foster parents actually tell anyone

I think by law they have to, or if someone finds out because they didn't know they could get sued.

I was in a bad car accident along time ago. a person in other car was not hurt and was not bleeding thank goodness for that, later I found out this person had full blown aids, now what if he was bleeding and I ran over and helped him before abulance arrived. What if i was bleeding and ran over and helped him because he was bleeding, I never knew he had aids the officer that was on scene knew he had aids, he never told me about it untill later.

[Guest Biblicist]

How long will this sweet child live, if he already has HIV at the age of 2?

I think SP and Forrest are correct. Love them, hold them, be with them and let our Sovereign Lord sort out the rest. If Jesus was not afraid to be with lepors, and that IS contagious through contact, how much more should we be unafraid to be with a person suffering with HIV?

Welcome Benjamin15!

[Qun Mang]

Just one question comes to mind ....WHY did the foster parents actually tell anyone

Silvia Glover said this week's RV park incident will make her eluctant to discuss his condition.

"From now on, I will keep my mouth shut, because I don't want him to get hurt," she said.

Who knows why they told this time- concern? honesty? It looks like they won't be telling any more though. It really is a tough call though. It's pretty much a guarantee the park owners (along with the family of course) would be sued for a hefty sum if they allowed the boy access knowing about his HIV, then against all odds someone was infected as a result.

I do agree we must be compassionate, and indeed we are commanded to do so. I just wish I knew what choice I would have made in the owners' place. It seems they weren't denying access completely, but until the family provided a doctor's note, hence removing liability.

[Leonard]

Of course our decision should be to love the people. But Christian love would also require to have a concern for PUBLIC HEALTH. Is it Christian 'love' to expose EVERYBODY to a deadly disease, because we don't want to make the ONE feel 'hurtie-poo'?

WHAT AN UNLOVING AND FOOLISH EXCUSE FOR 'CHRISTIAN' LOVE!

By the way, the claim by our CDC is there is not one instance of the spread of HIV by casual contact, however the French equivalent of our CDC, says they have recorded several such incidences. It seems to me that with a truly awful disease, we need to err on the side of caution when it comes to PUBLIC health.

[undone]

Now here is my take on this. This disease while difficult to transmit still can be transmitted under certain circumstances such a cut and blood. Knowing how children play and interact If there is ANY possible way for another child to get this in daily contact then I would not want any child to be in direct contact with one who has HIV. This includes church day care and church nurseries. I don't even want my child in the same room with another child with a cold, much less one that has HIV! In my opinion it is totally selfish and uncaring for the health of others when any parent brings a child to be in contact with other children when there is ANY possibility of contacting that or any other disease! I feel that the park owners did correctly. I am not against making a separate place to handle such a child where there is no contact with others who do not already have this disease and allow anyone who wants to care for them to be allowed, but never in with the regular population of children. Like I said even if there is only one chance on a million I would not want them with my child in a day setting. How should the church deal with these things and does your church have a policy on such?

What do you say?

There has never been even a single recorded instance of anyone passing HIV to another individual by casual contact. There has never been a single instance of children passing it between themselves through any type of play.

So its not selfish on the part of the foster parents, its simply ignorance on the part of others and the park owners.

There was no reason at all for the child's foster parents to tell anyone other than the child's doctor that the child was HIV positive, so they really just brought this on themselves.

I once had a boss that made me fire someone because she suspected they had HIV. It was one of the saddest things I ever did.

It was one of the things that led me to hate being led around by the lure of money. I was a manager making some pretty good money.

[georgesbluegirl]

I once had a boss that made me fire someone because she suspected they had HIV.

Isn't that highly illegal?