CONDUCT, NOT CONDOM

Dearly Beloved,

On December 3, 2006, I first sent out the message below to commemorate that year’s World AIDS Day. There were many reactions both for and against the message. However, I decide to resend it again to commemorate year’s World AIDS Day. Here is it:

CONDUCT, NOT CONDOM

"It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable" (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4, NIV).

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), a clinical syndrome (a group of various illnesses that together characterize a disease) resulting from damage to the immune system caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), has been on the rampage since early 1980s. The unfortunate thing about it is that no cure has been found for it. Therefore, there have been many campaigns to prevent it and to manage it in the lives of those that it has infected or affected.

Because it is contacted mainly by sexual intercourse, the use of condom has been one of the ways advocated by many people to prevent the spread of this deadly disease. This has made many people to be more promiscuous. It even seems that people are promoting the use of condom to the detriment of being faithful to one’s spouse, or total abstinence from sexual intercourse till marriage, which is the original will and purpose of God. However, research has shown that the use of condom is not totally safe to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. This new discovery has vindicated some religious organizations that preach total abstinence for unmarried people or faithfulness to one’s spouse for married people as one of the ways to prevent the spread of the virus.

Recently, I was in a gathering where some representatives of an organization came to enlighten us more about the prevention and management of HIV/AIDS. These people were the first non-religious people to say it openly to my hearing that they do not advocate condom but conduct as a way of preventing the spread of the virus. To them, since condom is not totally safe, it is better to switch from condom to conduct – a manner in which an unmarried person will totally abstain from sexual intercourse, and where a married person will be faithful to his/her spouse.

Yes! Conduct is better than condom because apart from preventing you from that deadly virus and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), it will make you to do according to the will and purpose of God (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:20; 20:10; Proverbs 6:24-35; Matthew 5:27-28; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Ephesians 5:3-5; Colossians 3:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; Hebrews 12:16; 13:4).

HIV/AIDS is real! Conduct yourself in godly ways and take note of other prevention of its spread so that you will not be infected by it.

In His service,

Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor).