Coping With HIV/AIDS: Getting Support From Religion/Spirtuality

See also: Coping With HIV/AIDS | Religion & HIV/AIDS

Monday Reflection: Moving Toward 2012 -- Silence Your Worst Critic! A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (December 12, 2011)
"I know I've said it often, if God had told me that my life would be what it is today, I would have told God to go sit down somewhere with that craziness. For Real! This is especially true when I made a transition to AIDS and there was no hope for a future."
From The Body
Be the Best You Can Be for 2012! I Will! A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (December 2, 2011)
From The Body
Sometimes I Wanta HOLLER! A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (November 18, 2011)
"Magic is a millionaire already and pharmaceutical companies continue to give him contracts. Great for him, but I think I have the same value. ... But in the end, every wonderful e-mail I get that says I've touched them, that I've prepared them in some way for something, is worth the hard work."
From The Body
Monday Reflection: I Wanted to Give Up ... But God and Twitter -- A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (September 12, 2011)
From The Body
Shines the Sun: A Blog Entry by Shana Cozad (August 17, 2011)
"We all have cloudy days. But the sunshine is always there. Other people may think of this in other ways, such as Jesus, God or other religious interpretation. I think about my connection to God every day too. Yet, I am clear in acknowledging the other elements of our Universe and my connection to them."
From The Body
Curing Your Spirit of HIV: A Blog Entry by Ibrahim (June 22, 2011)
"'It's written,' a beautiful Islamic philosophy that indicates, 'everything in our life is written in the book of God, our story from birth to death.' No way that you could have changed what happened in the past. Do not dwell. This lifts the weight of why you were infected, how and then what."
From The Body
Monday Reflection: Lives Can Be Changed Through Pain ... A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (June 6, 2011)
"My life is a ministry in its entirely! While I want private space and should have private space, ministry does not mean that you shut down in that private space. If you can't minister to those closest to you, then who can you minister to?"
From The Body
Monday Reflection: Remember! A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (March 21, 2011)
"I get asked often, how I do it. How do I take hit after hit and seem to keep it moving in spite of it all? How do I get out of bed when literally, the pain is almost unbearable."
From The Body
Tea With Rae: Get Out of God's Way! A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (February 9, 2011)
"Yesterday, I grabbed the opportunity to introduce two 8th graders to my tea ritual. They were actually here to interview me for their school project. ... They even hung around and edited my first video."
From The Body
Hold Tight ...: A Blog Entry by Rae Lewis-Thornton (October 13, 2010)
I was encouraged by [rescued Chilean miner] Mario. His spirit is phenomenal. He emerged from that mine as if he was at a pep rally. ... It reminded me that God has a purpose for my life and it should always be at the forefront no matter what is going on with my health.
From The Body
Is There "Something Greater" Out There? A Blog Entry by Enrique Franco (August 4, 2010)
God didn't force the Holocaust on the Jews during WWII. He didn't throw down His gauntlet at Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. And, most important, He did not create HIV/AIDS to punish homosexuals.
From The Body
The Spiritual Lessons of HIV (Summer 2009)
To read PDF, click here.
In Being Alive Newsletter, from Being Alive
Burning Away the Sorrow: How an HIVer Found Himself Again (March/April 2007)
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Taking It on Faith: How Spirituality Can Heal What Meds Aren't Made to Mend (July/August 2005)
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
On the Path Toward Reclaiming Your Spirituality, Expect Some Bumps Along the Way (March/April 2005)
Jeff Berry on his journey from diagnosis to disclosure to acceptance -- and the role that spirituality can play, even for someone who isn't religious.
To read PDF, click here.
In Positively Aware, from Test Positive Aware Network
Spirituality and Living With HIV (March/April 2005)
Spirituality can affect our bodies as much as medications can, writes Guy Pujol, D.Min.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
AIDS Is not a Punishment: Overcoming Guilt and Shame (December 20, 2003)
To read PDF, click here.
From PositiveWords
Treatment by Retreat (August 1999)
A report from a religious healing retreat for people with HIV.
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
With a Song in My Heart (December 1998)
A report from the Atlanta area HIV/AIDS spiritual retreat "Heartsong".
In Survival News, from AIDS Survival Project
What's Spirit Got to Do With It? (July 1998)
In Body Positive, from Body Positive
Choose Life! Taking Action to Be Fully Alive With HIV/AIDS (1994)
From Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches AIDS Ministry
HIV/AIDS: Is It God's Judgment? (1994)
From Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches AIDS Ministry
Spiritual Strength for Survival: Finding Hope to Be Fully Alive With HIV/AIDS (1989)
From Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches AIDS Ministry