Bible for AIDS victims released in India

To bring hope and cheer in the lives of people afflicted with HIV/AIDS in India, the National Lutheran Health and Medical Board has published "Ronnie's Bible" – a 164–page collection of Biblical passages and the reflections of a HIV positive young man named Ronnie.

The series of biblical texts, which gives support to those who are HIV positiveas well as those who are terminally ill people, were released by the general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Rev. Dr. Samuel Kobia during celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Bangalore–based Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, February 15.

"This is an effort to give spiritual courage and inspiration to those living with diseases that can create a feeling of hopelessness," said the Rev. Daniel Premkumar, a Church of South India (CSI) pastor and consultant for the Lutheran medical programme, who compiled the Bible.

When one is diagnosed as HIV positive, one "starts questioning God. There is so much of silence from others who feel God has been cruel to them," Ecumenical News International (ENI) quoted Rev. Premkumar as saying.

"I faced this situation when a HIV positive Ronnie [a young Christian] came into contact with me. It was in trying to respond to his questions that I was inspired to compile the passages in the Bible that give meaning to such human suffering," said Rev. Premkumar.

Ronnie's Bible lists 136 passages from Genesis to the Book of Revelations which interpret human suffering as "part of God's creation", noted Rev. Premkumar, who was earlier director of Dalit and Tribal Concerns of the Church of South India Synod.

He said Jesus was "humiliated before his resurrection." The biblical compilation could provide hope and inspiration to people living with HIV and AIDS as each of the biblical passages is followed by reflections of Ronnie, who died of AIDS complications, aged 31.

According to Dr. K.M. Shyamaprasad, director of the National Lutheran Health and Medical Board under the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in India, his organization backed the initiative "as people living with AIDS find it difficult to believe that God loves all of his people."

"Just as Ronnie, our workers have found that most of the HIV affected and even their families face the same situation, a feeling of hopelessness spiritually," said Dr. Shyamaprasad. Experiences of the Lutheran AIDS workers have also gone into the reflections in the book.

The Lutheran official said that the Bible Society of India (BSI) is planning to translate "Ronnie's Bible" from English into five Indian languages as the AIDS epidemic is spreading fast. With 5.6 million people known to be HIV positive, India now has the most cases of any country in the world, according to UN statistics.

"This [Bible] will be handy for pastors, caregivers and doctors to give appropriate advice" to those with AIDS, Shymaprasad said.