AIDS and HIV not instruments of God's wrath
Troy Martin
Staff Writer
All sinners beware! God is out
for revenge and this time He's
serious. No more frogs and lo
custs. Those are outdated and
primitive methods of punishing
sinners. God has been reading
His biology textbooks, and
though He tore outall of the pages
on evolution, He's become a
scholar on viruses. I think He
was particularly impressed with
Human Immune Deficiency Vi
ruses (HIV), and it really didn't
take a very spectacular miracle to
create one. We call it AIDS.
Habitat for Humanity makes a difference in Greensboro
Graham Lashley
Staff Writer
I
QUILFORDIAN
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The Guilfordian is the student newspaper of Guilford College, Greensboro,
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2
. THE GUILFORDIAN September 25,1989
Yes, my friends, amongst us
are fundamental Christians who
say God sent AIDS to America as
punishment for those "evil"
homosexuals, "hell-bound" drug
users, and "immoral" prostitutes.
Should we thank these Chris
tians? Though they have not
found the cure for AIDS, they
have discovered the purpose of
AIDS. Maybe next time they'll
let us in on the purpose of the
common cold or allergies (I know
I can't wait).
Well, I'm sorry, but I just can't
accept the purpose of the AIDS
virus as a militant tour de force,
killing for the benefit of Christi
anity. The purpose of the AIDS
virus is to live in conditions best
Habitat for Humanity is an international
organization that was started by Millard
Fuller in 1976. Greensboro formed one of
the current three hundred partnerships in
=1
PERSPECTIVES
suited for its survival (fluids such
as blood or semen) and to repro
duce. Its objectives in life arc the
same as any other HIV or any
other animal or life form on earth.
But for those who insist that ADDS
is a cruel but necessary divine
method of eliminating some of
the world's sinners, I will most
gladly present several reasons in
refutation.
If God has decided to "clean
house" in America (or on earth
for that matter), why would He
choose a virus that can kill inno
cent humans? (We're assuming
that He's mellowed in His old
age and doesn't kill the innocent
anymore like in the Old Testa
ment.) Let's take a look at God's
credentials. He is credited with
parting oceans, turning seas to
blood, and creating everything
that we perceive as reality in seven
days. Why doesn't He just va
porize the people with whom He's
not happy? Or is God trying to
keep a low-profile these days?
Secondly, AIDS began in Af
rica. Why is this important? Well,
God is obviously not aware of
Africa's existence. If He were
aware of the continent, I'm sure
He wouldn't allow small chil
dren to die of starvation without
a chance of life. Aren't you???
Finally, if it took any kind of
god to get things started on this
planet millions of years ago, it
doesn't anymore. Nature takes
1987. Habitat is a non-profit organization
whose purpose is to provide low income
families the opportunity for affordable
housing. Millard Fuller believes that it is
Habitat's "theology of the hammer" that
builds homes, bringing together people
from varied social, political and religious
backgrounds to create housing for needy
families.
The homes are built with donated mate
rial, labor, and money. The labor expense
in the current home market causes the
price of the homes to be out of most low
income families' reach. Habitat provides
the mortages allowing the family to repay
over a twenty year period with no interest.
The catch to this interest-free loan is that
the family must help build their home by
volunteering two hundred hours, and they
must be able to repay the loan. The cost of
a current Greensboro Habitat house is
about $24,000. The Greensboro partner
ship must raise $34,000 to build this house
because for every house it builds it must
donate SIO,OOO to Habitat International.
The money donated will go to build two
homes in a Third World country; and
Habitat currently has built or has under
consturction houses in twenty-six nations.
Habitat of Greensboro has already built
seven homes and has just received six new
lots from the City. Joy Becker, who heads
up the volunteers for Greensboro, always
needs work crews and volunteers because
of the current goal to complete a house per
month, and said," I would like to see the
school (students) get involved and be
available to do work during the week and
on weekends." No experience is neces
sary but one must want to help others to
care of herself. God quit playing
around with the earth a long time
ago. Biology can explain the
sustenance of life, and nature is
God to herself. Man is nature's
only obstacle.
Perhaps AIDS is in some
mysterious way nature's method
of getting back at man. Nature
doesn't know prejudice and nei
ther does AIDS. But as long as
man continues to poison the
waters, destroy the ozone and
spend $1550 for a mink's fur,
nature has ample cause for aveng
ing herself. As far as God is
concerned, maybe in a round
about way He did send AIDS to
earth. Think about it.
get the full benefit of Habitat.
Guilford will have the option of form
ing the nextavailable work crew that conies
open if students are interested, but until
then there is always a need for extra help.
College President Bill Rogers has ex
pressed interest in the Greensboro Habitat
Project since it was started and would like
to see the student body get involved. He
said that Habitat for Humanity is, "a proj
ect that serves as a material and direct
expression of Guilford's commitment to
serve the student and the community."
President Rogers who will serve on the
crew, has skill in construction are glazing,
wiring, foundations, and rough carpentry.
Rogers said that "the skills that a project
like Habitat allows the participant to de
velop and the friendships that are formed
are to the benefit of the student and the life
of the community in general."
Habitat for Humanity cannot change the
problem of poor housing and living condi
tion across the world without the support
of its volunteer. Involvement from the
community is a must and Guilford stu
dents should participate. There will also
be opportunities for interested groups to
travel to different work sites in the United
States and other countries during school
breaks to build homes. Habitat requires a
crew to be available one Saturday a month
and it is not necessary for every member to
be present each time the crew works.
I am a student at Guilford and have
worked with Habitat for the last two years
on a roofing and flooring crew. The house
sites are near downtown and most of the
see HABITAT page 3 >■