Editorial May 1, 1995 Issue

The omnipotent God—and the AIDS threat

Mary Metzner Trammell

Ordinarily it's a good thing to be "easy"—to be an agreeable, cooperative person. But there are times when it's important to dis-agree, to refuse to go along with a general belief because you feel it's wrong. And this is especially true when—as with the current worldwide AIDS crisis—millions of lives are at stake.

According to recent figures from the World Health Organization, an agency of the United Nations, the global AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) "epidemic" has accelerated alarmingly during the past year, particularly in Asia. The World Health Organization predicts that this trend will continue—and that fatalities will escalate in all segments of the world populace: young and old, male and female, heterosexual and homosexual (Reuters, "AIDS global cases up 60 per cent, Asia hit hard," July 1, 1994).

Predictions like these seem so final, so inexorable, so undefeatable. But the fact is, they're not, and we shouldn't agree with such conclusions. Why? Because they overlook one absolutely fundamental consideration: God's omnipotence. The grim AIDS predictions fail to take into account the great, triumphant theme of the Bible—"the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6). These five words alone call for a total reassessment of the AIDS threat. And they hold out a glorious, overarching rainbow of hope to humanity as it faces the dark claims of terminal disease.

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