In one of the listserv someone posted this
message: ‘If I got HIV facts on anal sex
and safe sex at 17, I would not have turned HIV+.’ It got me thinking - I
do not know how it is like to be a teenager in today’s world, but one thing I
know is we shall not get anywhere in our health and human rights struggle
without talking to faith leaders – and in a language they understand or relate
to.
True the faith leaders too, have to “read
the signs of the times” and speak in a language the people of today can
understand or relate to. Indeed I came across this article that is urging faith
leaders and their nemesis in America to do pretty much that. – Entitled Religious
Liberty and the Culture Wars, the full article is available here... http://illinoislawreview.org/wp-content/ilr-content/articles/2014/3/Laycock.pdf
But someone has to take the first step – I think
we can do that. We can translate our daily struggles into stories – perhaps even
look for parallels in the books of scripture. For example, look at this guy in
this video clip being beaten up – https://www.facebook.com/peter.bagaka/videos/10152786528396173/?pnref=story
does it not resonate with a famous story in the Bible – and perhaps other
Scriptures (Koran, Gitta etc)?
It takes humility to wait for your turn to
speak – and when the door is relentlessly banged against your face, it takes even
greater humility and patience. But like that story in the Bible, Luke 11:5-13 where
the fellow is repeatedly told “Do not
bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot
get up and give you anything.....”
This story might well be relevant to both the
faith leaders, - that we will be relentless about asking for them to listen to
our story – our perspective; but also to us – that if the faith leaders do not listen
because our story is interesting or our perspective relevant, then it will be
out of inconveniencing persistence.... (And an additional way to make our
persistence inconveniencing is to use stories and language that is familiar to
them).
For the sake of the teenagers growing up during these difficult times – many of whom may be related to us either directly or as they say, ‘families of choice’ let us do it!
