A contemporary reading of Romans 1:27 was disguised as a saying by Paul Benjamin, AD 58 and administered to 275 randomly selected members of a private Christian university community in south western Nigeria in West Africa. Participants were asked to respond to a two-item questionnaire on their perception of the cause of HIV/AIDS either as a judgment from God or consequence of individual lifestyle choices. The apparent consensus drifted in the direction of God as the culprit handing down his judgment to perpetrators of evil who engage in the homosexual lifestyle. The goal of this paper was to examine the implications of a judgmental stance on addressing the psychosocial needs of Persons Living with HIV/AIDS in religious environments. It also explores how service providers in faith-based environments can work around the Judgment versus Consequence tussle in providing non-discriminatory services to persons diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.
This chapter highlights the voice, visibility, and value of women in African marriages under the themes of bride price, the communal nature of weddings, and response to marital infidelity. Women feature in marriages in Africa in unique yet ambivalent ways, both in how marriages are contracted and in the expectations of marital relationships. They struggle to be heard, seen, and respected, which undermines their voice, visibility, and value. This tripod comprises of about five articles in the 2003 Maputo Protocol which seeks to protect and advance the rights of women. Unfortunately, within domestic frames such as cost of weddings, bride price, and marital infidelity, these rights are hitherto lost to a dominant patriarchal structure, making the Maputo Protocol and other relevant laws seem so weak to address the challenges. Therefore, there is need to commence conversations especially by women on scaling up the voice, visibility, and value of women in marital concerns. The voicelessness of women in traditional communities is seen in their exemption from the gathering that sets the bridal price, wedding dates, and even the betrothal. Also, there is a gendered
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