Can Religion Speak with a Common Voice about AIDS?

When speaking about the AIDS epidemic, religious voices often seem to spread mixed, or even contradictory, messages: AIDS is punishment for immoral behavior. We must comfort the sick, not judge them. Gay sex is contrary to God’s will. All of God’s children are created in His image, including LGBTQ persons. You should use a condom when you have sex. You should abstain from having sex. The religious response to HIV and AIDS would be much stronger and more helpful if we could speak together, but is that even possible given the great diversity of religious perspectives?  

Inspired by a conversation at a September 2017 strategy meeting of the World Council of Churches – Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a group of us attempted to answer that question.  We were about a dozen people, almost all Christian, but including people along the full spectrum between “liberal” and “conservative” Christian perspectives.  Our plan was to leave out the extreme positions at both ends and hope that there was enough left in the middle to be meaningful.  Looking back on the experience, I think the plan was sound and that our hopes were more than fulfilled.  The Common Voice Pledge that resulted from our work is available online.

We obviously had to deal with a variety of difficult issues.  For example, the pledge neither condones nor condemns same-sex relationships, but the pledge emphasizes a conviction that all human beings must be treated with dignity and respect, a rejection of judgmental attitudes, and a commitment to fighting stigma and discrimination.  As another example, although different religious traditions may emphasize or discourage different methods for preventing HIV transmission, the pledge includes a commitment to equipping members of our communities with knowledge about all HIV prevention methods.

Ultimately, I think the key to our success was something that wasn’t explicitly in the plan, but was probably in the backs of our minds: that our focus should be on ending the epidemic, not on doctrinal differences.  That focus made a very big difference.

So, based on our experience with the Common Voice initiative, my answer to the question is, “Yes.  It is possible for diverse religious traditions to speak with a common voice.”  My answer must be a little tentative, however, since our group was not as broadly diverse as we would have liked.  But the experience is nonetheless quite encouraging.

The Common Voice website (www.CommonVoiceAIDS.org) has a variety of materials to support the use of the pledge in worship services or other events related to the religious response to HIV and AIDS.