AIDS or Swine Flu: No Hand Shakes, No Hugs...

...And No Fags

The swine flu is bringing certain people out of the "compassion closet." An article by Kelly Jasper in her blog on "faith and values" (August, GA), outlines the efforts of the Southern Baptists to help churches and victims of the epidemic. It was so concise, thorough and compassionate that it brought tears to my eyes.

But not because of the valiant churchgoers and volunteers.

I have an unfortunately long memory when it comes to disease and death. When AIDS first reared its ugly head, doctors and researches could not reach conclusions as to how it was transmitted, so wild assumptions of the toilet seat variety made their way into every corner of the country. The more sophisticated areas of the country were quicker to respond than rural areas. San Francisco was the first to tend to AIDS victims (contagious or not), then the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles - about 4 years later. By about 1996 (15 years after the first diagnosis!), many churches and their districts had AIDS programs, agencies and financial relief programs.

Except the Southern Baptist Convention: 0; nothing; jack sh*t. Their focus is now on AIDS in Africa; more distance = less hypocrasy is, that's their tortured logic. I wonder how many Mexican immigrants are being treated at the boarder states. The exceptional amount of humanitarian effort of the Southern Baptist Convention's group of churches should not go unnoticed. However, for some people, they're too late:


Will they help illegal immigrants?
Will they help lesbians and gay men?
Will they help women who have had abortions?

And if they don't help those people, when will they apologize? It took them over 150 years to apologize for slavery!

It won't be long befor some Southern Baptist organization hollers "Swine Flu is a scourge of God." In fact, I'll bet Fred Phelps already has his picket sign pinted up.

Just a thought.