SojoMail - The family secret that shattered my faith

Family Secrets In this week’s SojoMail, Diana Keough writes that she lost faith when lies and AIDS brought her parents’ facade of superiority crashing down – but grace found them all: I believed in God as a child and deeply felt Jesus was my friend, responding to an altar call when I was 6. But Mom smugly told me Jesus could never love a naughty, backsliding little girl like me. Because of that, I was never sure my salvation stuck, so I made at least half a dozen more trips down the aisle. My teenage years and early 20s did little to reassure me of God’s love. I didn’t want to go to hell. It seemed like a scary place. But when I was 25, hell found me anyway. On Jan. 7, 1988, after three weeks of hospitalization and testing, my father was diagnosed with AIDS and given six weeks to live. Three weeks later, my mother tested positive for HIV. My dad — church leader, regular host of JBS meetings, and senior partner in Milwaukee’s largest law firm — had been living a double life. He had been having sex with men for more than 27 years and unwittingly infected my mother with HIV. My parents had six grown children, eight grandchildren, and had just celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary. I was their fifth child, newly married, and the mother of a 6-month-old son. Overnight, our family gained modern-day leper status. My parents’ washed-in-the-blood church friends scattered like cockroaches when the lights came on. Drowning in grief, I told God I didn’t believe anymore. If my dad could be such a liar, God was just one big, cosmic joke. “If you’re real, you’re going to have to prove it to me,” I dared God. READ THE FULL ARTICLE Forward Share

ADVERTISEMENT

Our Latest How Faith Leaders Are Urging Congress to Remember Wadee Alfayoumi (by Anna Piela) Some people may doubt that resolutions or recognitions make any material change, but I believe that any attitudinal and cultural change begins with words. Like Moses, Furiosa Is a Liberator Raised in the Heart of Empire (by JR. Forasteros) The prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road asks how those who hold status within oppressive societies can go on to lead an Exodus. Black Catholic Hope in the Shadow of America (by Josiah R. Daniels) Alessandra Harris imagines a world — and church — where Black people and all people are truly free. Near the Border, Faith Groups Grapple With ‘Palpable Paranoia’ Over Immigration (by Ken Chitwood) Arizona’s religious groups are working to fill gaps in government care for migrants. But some fear the election will bring more aggressive enforcement policies.

ADVERTISEMENT

From the Magazine When Heaven Isn’t Comfort (by Cassidy Klein) In Devout: A Memoir of Doubt, Anna Gazmarian explains how poetry helped her find a real sense of belonging.

ADVERTISEMENTS

American Prophet – Flash Sale $1.99 What would God say through a prophet today?  In this new speculative fiction, Peter’s prophecies shine a light on national issues and pit him against a dangerous President. Forced to go on the run, Peter takes to the open road, driving deep into the heart of a divided America. Participate in anti-racist action in the Deep South Join Faith and Money Network on a Trip of Perspective to Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi. On the Deep South Investors Tour, we will deepen our understanding of racial inequity and learn how we can participate in solutions that build wealth for Black Americans. Create hope with a gift to Sojourners If you’ve been considering donating to Sojourners but waiting for the right moment, that moment is now. We’re preparing to protect the vote – and American democracy itself – this November, and need your help. Your gift will be matched up to $50,000 if you give before June 1. Don’t forget, give today.

DONATE   SUBSCRIBE

Unsubscribe or update email preferences Copyright © 2024 Sojourners, All rights reserved. Sojourners | 408 C St. NE | Washington, DC 20002 Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842