Cultural Beliefs and Religious Values Related to HIV / AIDS

Collaborative Learning Community on Issues Related to HIV / AIDS

Culture refers to a complex set of material, intellectual, spiritual and emotional characteristics that define a social group or a society. It comprises of fundamental rights, ways of life, traditional beliefs, and value systems in society. Some cultural beliefs, practices, and norms related to sexuality contribute to the spread and increased risk of HIV acquisition. Cultural beliefs such as negative attitudes towards the use of protective mechanisms such as condoms as well discussing its use among societies is one among the contributing factors. For example, men in some communities do not prefer using condoms because they consider flesh-flesh sex with masculinity and promotion of health.

Practices such as the male circumcision influence the risk of HIV disease. Studies show that the social practice significantly reduces the risks of HIV disease among them male during penile vaginal sex. Social practices embedded in the culture like alcoholism predisposes alcohol abusers to sexual assault, more so among the young people. This may result to the disease. Social characteristics such as gender inequality and dominance of the society by the male predispose the female to the risks of HIV disease. Male dominated society predisposes women to social injustices such as sex harassment and lack of their contributions to matters related to the sexuality resulting in the predisposition (Hall, Hall, & Cockerell, 2011).

Cultural practices like female genital mutilation (FGM) among various societies predispose women to HIV disease. This occurs due to poor hygiene related to the practice. Commercialization of sex in some societies contributes to the spread of the disease. This often occurs in communities that view sex as an economic resource. As such, this contributes to the massive spread of HIV among the population. Cultural practices like dry sex cause injuries to the vaginal walls, thereby predisposing individuals to the disease. The cultural norm that young women should prove their fertility before marriage increases the risks of disease. Such individuals engage in unprotected sex with the aim of getting pregnant to prove their fertility. Cultural practices such as polygamy and wife inheritance increase the risk of spread and disease of HIV (Jenkins et al., 2003).

Religious/spiritual beliefs and values related to HIV / AIDS

Various religious beliefs influence the spread and the quality of life of the victims in different countries around the globe. Traditionally, religious bodies viewed the infected and their families as "sinners who deviated from the God's teachings." The victims of HIV / AIDS were seen in the society s harbingers of the society apocalypse, and a combination of God's penalty for their evil behaviors. This belief operates on the premise that, failure of the society members to comply with the societal/community norms of issues related to sexuality resulted in death as a penalty (World Bank, 2001).

Religious/spiritual bodies defined HIV / AIDS basing on the individual's morality and failure to adhere to societal norms. Therefore, this considers the disease as an extension of a sinful character associated with evil behaviors and promiscuity. According to the Christian Bible, God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah because of evil behaviors witnessed among the people of these cities. Similarly, religious bodies considered HIV / AIDS as a penalty sent from God due to the high evil behaviors witnessed around the world (Stolley & Glass, 2009).

However, the recent past witnessed a significant change in the ways in which the religious bodies viewed the disease. For example, churches in the past few years have changed their beliefs and adopted strategies such as discussing issues related to HIV / AIDS with their congregations. Belief-based organizations have changed supported the religious bodies by providing HIV related services such as education and provision of care to those in need. Religious values such as that of the Catholic Church influence the spread of the disease across the world. For example, Pope Benedict XVI statements such as stressing that abstinence and faithfulness are the only methods of preventing HIV in Africa hinders the strategies adopted to curb the disease in the continent. Interplay between the religious beliefs, cultural beliefs, traditional and scientific facts influence the perception and the spread of the disease among the global population (World Bank, 2001).

Ways in which religious values and beliefs have influenced progress in addressing HIV / AIDS

Religion has largely been used as a resource for facilitating coping with all types of physical, social, emotional illnesses. Similarly, changes in the religious values and beliefs about HIV / AIDS proven to improve the health and health outcomes of those infected with the disease. Religion provides the victims with coping strategies, which confront the negative events that might have contributed to their status. People living with HIV / AIDS have inabilities to regulate their emotions and other cognitive related processes. As such, religion proves to be their most effective solution in providing them with the desired coping strategies for managing the difficulties associated with emotion's management.

Changes in religious beliefs have facilitated compliance to treatment in patients infected with HIV / AIDS. For example, a change in the traditional belief that God could heal the infected from the disease has made people recognize the need for compliance with the management of the disease to improve their health outcomes. The change in religious beliefs and values resulted in the provision of support to the belief-based organizations involved in providing services for managing HIV related conditions. As such, this has contributed greatly to the adoption of strategies aiming at fighting the disease (Stolley & Glass, 2009).

Traditional religious beliefs like the view that people infected with HIV / AIDS are sinners before God hampered the progress adopted globally in addressing the problem. The beliefs subjected the victims to social rejection and isolation. It resulted in lack of provisions of social support to the victims of HIV / AIDS in the society. As a result, it subjected the victims and their families to emotional trauma, which affected their health and well-being negatively. Religious beliefs like those held by the Catholic Church hinder the realization of the goals of the strategies adopted to prevent and to minimize the spread of HIV / AIDS. The church discourages the use of condoms as a means of protection against HIV, thereby, providing great challenges to the strategies adopted globally to address the issue of HIV / AIDS (Jenkins et al., 2003).