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churches generally depend on resources from the western countries for their projects. He warns that depending on external countries prevents them from maximising local resources in responding to HIV and AIDS. He also observes that HIV and AIDS successful projects are not necessarily those using ‗big money‘ but that a modest sum of money can help achieving important objectives.
This latter idea of Chitando also resonates with the development strategy ‘Asset-Based Community Development‘ (ABCD) proposed by Kretzmann and McNight (1993). This strategy is an alternative to the Needs-Based Development Approach (NBDA) which communities use to define their project proposals on the basis of what is lacking. In order to attract substantial amounts of money from donors, they try their best to define the community in a negative way.
Kretzmann and McNight (1993) therefore argue that one cannot build a community on what people do not have. They further demonstrate that communities have all the required assets for their own development. These may include human resources, infrastructures; land, water and climate (see also de Gruchy, 2003:21; Kajumulo, 2003:2; Mathie and Cunningham, 200:1-2). The results of this study confirm that the FMCSA (thus the FMSKZN) was not wise to evaluate its existing assets in order to respond to HIV and AIDS but relied on external donors who are not even responding.
In concluding this section, it is noteworthy that the FMSKZN has not initiated programmes that support the prevention of HIV infection or the care for people infected or affected of HIV. The justifications offered by participants that there are no PLWHA in the Church and that the government is already involved in this action do not find support in the literature and South African perspectives of health. Likewise, the lack of monitoring of potential initiatives in the Church marks its incompetence in responding to the challenge of HIV and AIDS. Furthermore, it was found that this Church has fallen into the trap of depending on external donors and therefore undermining the harnessing of local resources. Since the initiation of the study was motivated by the context of gender-based violence and its link with the spread of HIV and AIDS, the question to explore is, how has the FMSKZN responded to the gendered nature of this pandemic? The next section responds to this question.
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the gendered nature of HIV? Question 17: How can the Wesleyan Healthcare ministry be a gender-sensitive resource of this Church in responding to HIV and AIDS?104 Responses to these questions contain two ideas. Firstly, the Church has not responded to the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS. Here, the main reason for this failure is the domination of an oppressive patriarchal culture. Secondly, the Church has a project designed to address gender issues but does not extend this to addressing HIV and AIDS.
6.4.1 Domination of Oppressive Patriarchal Culture
Participants do not see what the Church is doing or has done in addressing the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS. Some are desperate because they think that the Church cannot do anything.
The excerpt from the interview of one young female caregiver, CG8:3-4, displays this despair:
CG8:3-4: It is very difficult for the Church to assist in terms of gender. Because what I have observed is that [...] our church leaders are scared of women. They are scared of women‟s power. They do not want to empower women. You know when a woman is in leadership position, she is intimidated.
Interviewer: Even in our Church?
CG8:3-4: Yes. They are always reminded – you know when you go to the pulpit and then you remind the women that Jesus didn‟t have female followers, among the twelve apostles it was only men, no women nor children. You know that feeling that you are reminding that „okay as much as you are given this opportunity but [silence] – you understand. So, the problem is that, I am [sure] this is my belief. From what I have experienced within the Church, our leaders are intimidated by women. And I think it will be difficult for them to make women understand that they have a say even in relationship for that matter. Because they will feel that okay, if they [women] realize that they have a say in relationship and then they realize that they have a say in the Church, and then they will not succumb to whatever is being said. So, I am not sure if the Church is at that stage of [addressing the problem of gender and HIV].
This young woman does not expect church leaders to address the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS because they are not willing to empower women. Other participants‘ views are categorical and support the status quo. Such view is, for example, expressed by the male caregiver, CG15:4 in the following excerpt of his interview,
Interviewer: I think in my mind that maybe we can empower these women to be able to decide;
even to have money.
CG15:4: How do you empower them now?
Interviewer: I don‟t know; this is what I want to ask you; but to make them able to have a say when maybe it is time to do sex, or it is time to decide what to do, things like that.
104 See appendices 4 and 5.
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CG15:4: [Laughter] You see brother these things – in this there is a culture thing that a man will always be a man. You see. So, no matter what; and then my wife will have to respect me, whether I am wrong or right. Yeah. Culture is culture, you can‟t deny that. You see that‟s why they will always be vulnerable. That‟s what I can say because cultural thing goes there. [The woman will say] “No I am respecting my husband. He is buying food, he is buying everything, he is giving me this,” so [it‟s not easy].
This man is surprised to hear that women should be empowered. For him, issues related to gender are not only difficult to address but they cannot be addressed, because ―women will always be vulnerable,‖ therefore, the Church cannot change this order.
Some participants do not understand why the Church should enter into a debate on male and female relationships. They think that it has no role to play here. This thinking is evident in the excerpt of the FGD12-5.
Interviewer: What do you think the Church can do to respond to those issues of power relation between men and women?
FGD12:5: Sorry, do you think the Church can interfere to the family matters? [...] [Laughter]
I think it‟s not easy.
Interviewer: Why do you say that it is not easy?
FGD12:5: How can you talk about somebody‟s family matters? Those are family matters. He or she must talk with the family [...] [She] must report to the eldest. That‟s all [...]
[It is reported] in the family, not in the Church [...] I think we must not interfere to that family matters. So, if the family has got this problem, they must talk to the family and tell the eldest to discuss. They must sit down and discuss [...]. At Church you put your problem that if I have a problem like that so we must pray for this problem. But you can‟t discuss the family matters [in the Church]. You must discuss it at home in the family.
This FGD comprised eight women and two men. But in this excerpt only women voice their opinions. According to them, not only does the Church not do anything about relationship between men and women, but it is not even supposed to become involved as these are family matters.
With regard to this, no-one amongst the church leaders and lay members who participated in the study realised that although men dominate, they are also exposed to the risk of HIV infection.105 And none was sure whether gender inequality can be addressed through the Church, especially when it comes to allowing women to decide on their sexuality.
105 See Chapter 2.
158 6.4.2 The Haven Shelter Project
This study has found that throughout Southern Africa, the FMCSA has one formal gender- related programme which indirectly touches on HIV and AIDS. This is the Haven Shelter Project registered as a non-profit organisation (NPO) and based in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu- Natal Province This project was established in 1996 as an emergency shelter for women and children survivors of domestic violence (The Haven, 2008). The overall objective of this project as stipulated in its Constitution is, ―to provide a secure, short term crisis shelter for women and their children who are victims of violence and sexual assault and who can no longer live safely in their own environment‖ (:3). In its nine secondary objectives, one relates to HIV and AIDS. It reads, ―To provide education regarding HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, as well as emotional support for those infected and affected‖ (:3).
One acknowledges the importance of this project in addressing gender challenges since it assists survivors of gender-based violence. Nevertheless, in spite of its objective on HIV and AIDS, practical actions addressing the pandemic are not in evidence. One church leader in Pietermaritzburg, CL37:7, seeks some response to HIV and AIDS in this project but does not find any evidence thereof. He states:
The [...] way in which I can say that we, as a Church at Ubunye particularly, we are doing that is that we have a centre which is a shelter, specifically for women and their children [...].Which actually raises also our sensitivity to realize that these women are not only victims of violence, but [also of HIV]. Even when you look at the objectives of The Haven, HIV and AIDS is one of the objectives that are raised there as our concern. So, it‟s our own way so far to try to deal with that issue by bringing these women in the shelter, and although we don‟t provide full counselling in terms of HIV and AIDS but we are related to other social organizations like FAMSA, Life Line, and so on that are providing those kinds of counselling. So that‟s our own way also of dealing with the issue of HIV and AIDS and particularly, trying to support those who are the most vulnerable in the society who are women and the children (CL37:7).
The explanation of this church leader does not clearly show how HIV and AIDS is addressed.
He only affirms that they respond to it by relating to other social organisations such as FAMSA (Family and Marriage Society of South Africa) and Life Line. He does not say whether the Church knows what these organisations do about these women in terms of addressing HIV and AIDS issues or whether it follows up to make sure that they address it.
Therefore, participants in this study observe that the FMSKZN is not responding to the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS and is not in a position to address it. Only one action was initiated to address this matter but failed to achieve this objective. What, therefore, do these results indicate?
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6.4.3 Reflection on the FMSKZN’s Response to the Gendered Nature of HIV and AIDS 6.4.3.1 Influence of Imago Dei and Mind-Body Dualism
According to the literature, the church leader‘s tolerance or support of women‘s subordination or violence may result from the doctrines of imago Dei and mind-body dualism as developed in the religious field. For Bongmba (2007:44) the imago Dei doctrine is mostly based on the first two chapters of the Book of Genesis where human beings are said to be created in God‘s image.
Rakoczi (2004:33) specifies here that with this doctrine, men appropriate unto themselves the image of God, a behaviour that she qualifies as ‗arrogant.‘ She finds source of the church fathers‘
attitude inherited from Greek philosophers such as Western Augustine of Hippo (430) (:34). As to mind-body dualism, Rakoczi (2004) explains that it was also influenced by Greek philosophy which considered the spiritual reality as good while associating the matter with evil and danger.
Within this dualism, men are identified with the spirit and women with the matter (:32-33).
Considering both doctrines, Rakoczi elucidates that, ―The divine archetype refers only to the spirit, and humanity‘s bodily nature is not in God‘s image‖ (:33). This combination removes the woman from the likeness of God and from any form of worthiness.
The danger of these doctrines is that they continue to guide the church, especially in encouraging women‘s exclusion and negation of their rights. In highlighting this, African women theologians such as Phiri (2000; 2002a; 2002b; 2011) and Nadar (2002; 2005) show how these doctrines hinder the partnership between women and men in church leadership and the Christian women‘s family well-being in South Africa. In the context of HIV and AIDS, these doctrines manifest themselves in the church‘s insensitivity towards women‘s oppression and vulnerability to HIV infection (Haddad, 2003:155). It is therefore not surprising to learn that FMSKZN pastors may have embraced the same life-denying behaviour.
6.4.3.2 Influence of the Free Methodist Church’s Doctrine on Marriage and Family Another factor which may lead the FMSKZN‘s leaders to condone or remain silent about domestic abuses is the doctrine of marriage and family as defined in the Book of Discipline of the FMCNA (FMCNA, 2000) which is also that used by the FMCSA. In this document, the only recognised form of marriage is the heterosexual monogamous union solemnised by both church and State rites (:53-54). Therefore, this understanding may lead church leaders not to assist couples who do not respect this order, and there are many of such cases in South Africa (Stats
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SA 2007:1106). Another issue addressed in this Book of Discipline is that of the divorce. Here, ―the deserted partner is no longer bound by the marriage‖ (FMCNA 2000:54-55). But also, ―a member of the Church divorced from adulterous spouse or deserted by unbelieving mate, after attempts at forgiveness and reconciliation have been rejected, may remarry (FMCNA, 2000:55).
The problem here concerns the deserter who may be a victim of abuse or the church member divorced from abuser (not adulterous) spouse or deserted by a believing mate. The doctrine of the Church does not give these people the freedom to remarry. This doctrine therefore may prevent church leaders from demanding justice for these persons and therefore condone domestic abuse and the risk of HIV infection, the victims being mostly women.
6.4.3.3 Influence of ’Unholy Trinity’
Beside the church‘s history and doctrine, another source of the Church‘s silence on domestic abuse may be its partnership with the culture and gender socialisation, what Maluleke and Nadar (2002) call the covenant of death of the unholy trinity. Using examples from African and Indian South African cultures, these authors demonstrate that these three partners conclude and reinforce a covenant of silence about violence of men against women (:7, 14-15; Nadar, 2005).
For this reason, some participants in this study think that the Church cannot change culture.107 It is therefore clear that the FMSKZN is embedded in a context which can easily guide its leaders and members into tolerating or promoting a gender imbalance, thus promoting the spread of HIV and AIDS.
In a nutshell, participants in this study observe that the FMSKZN is not responding to the gendered nature of HIV and AIDS. Some believe that the Church cannot change the status quo either because church leaders are not willing to empower women or because it cannot change the cultures which oppress them - thus exposing them to HIV infection - or that relationships are a family matter which excludes the clerical interference. The Haven shelter project of Pietermaritzburg was initially supposed to respond to this need but does not show how it is putting this objective into practice. According to the literature, the source of this failure may include the doctrines of imago Dei and mind-body dualism, the doctrine of marriage and family in the FMC and the partnership between religion, culture and gender socialisation. The next section
106 ―In 2006, 93 530 (50,6%) of the 184 860 marriages were solemnised by civil rites and 61 230 (33,1%) by religious rites‖ (Stats SA, 2007:1). Many other couples cohabitate without any of these forms of marriage (:28).
107 See CG15:4; CG8:3-4.
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will attempt to establish whether there are health or social programmes in the FMSKZN conceived with the vision to include HIV and AIDS.