Religious Values, Beliefs Can Help Cure ManySocial Ills

Author: Pernell Johnson


I have been reading the paper and following the current state of affairs that relate to alcohol and other drug abuse. The situation appears to be getting worse instead of better with all the alleged drug treatment facilities and continuous research on the effects of drugs on the kids and violence in schools.

The news just reported that the number of AIDS deaths in New Jersey has risen 6 percent, according to a new report. Especially affected are Hispanic women and Black men. AIDS is a disease related to drug addiction. The report shows the number of Hispanic females dying of the disease rose 28 percent and the number of black males dying rose 10 percent Deaths of White males fell 9 percent. No one is exempt from drug addiction and AIDS but white males appear to have better health provisions and support groups.

The number one cause of death for black males between the ages of 15 and 35 is homicide, a byproduct of alcohol and other drugs of abuse. The average annual homicide rate for young black males has been 4 to 5 times
higher than for young black females,5 to 8 times higher than for young white males and 15 to 22 times higher than for white females.

The problems, particularly health problems come from lack of discipline.
We do not have the discipline we need. When I think about wellness and
health promotion, I think we personally and collectively can change much
of the health data that affects us. The greatest gift we have been given
is this human body and its spirit. This is our gift from God. What we do
with it, is our gift back to God. To many of us are abusing this human body. We need to take care of this body, when you take care of it, it takes care of you.

Let's take a look at the spiritual weakness of the youth who have been given material goods beyond the dreams of their parents in their youth. The parents who do not understand that these goods are only a means to and not the end of happiness and human worth. Let us also take a look at the fights against alcohol and other drugs abuse, HIV infections (AIDS)--these are not just intellectual battles, they are real. Nearly every family has been stricken by these problems and those that have not are still subject to the same social forces that can bring on such problems.

I propose to challenge the faith community (the churches) to take a more active part in reaching the addict, alcoholic and AIDS patients. Our mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers are affected and dying from this epidemic. The superior spiritual, moral and virtuous institution that touches most families is the church. It is my belief that this epidemic can be turned around if the spiritual leaders take a proactive stance against this social phenomena (sin).

It is the broken relationship between the addict and his/her spiritual connection that causes so much havoc and chaos in the lives of the family. A concerted effort by the faith community can have a profound impact on the addiction community. The values, ethics, reasoning and a belief in a higher power are the cure for these social ills