Abstract

Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) as God’s directive aimed at investigating the tenet that HIV/AIDS is God’s punishment for those who engage in sexual intercourse outside the institution of marriage. A quantitative method in the form of descriptive statistics comprising frequency, percentage, chi-square and probability was used for data analysis. The sample comprised a diverse sample of 581 high school and university students drawn from America, Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania. Statistically, the majority of participants did not subscribe to the tenet that HIV/AIDS is God’s directive for punishment for those who engage in sexual behaviour outside the holy matrimony. It was concluded that such tenet must be rejected and combated through public education, as it does not contribute to the prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission and deprive those infected from seeking relief for their physical, social, and spiritual painful suffering.

Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), transmission, God’s intervention. God’s judgement, forgiveness, compassion