Hunter, The Bible and the quest for Developmental Justicealone, 3.1 million people died because of HIV/AIDS related illnesses
and about two-thirds of the people living with HIV and AIDS reside in
Africa. Despite campaigns against the spread of HIV all over the world,
people are infected by the virus every single day.
Except for being orphaned because of parents who die of AIDS related
illnesses, many children are born carrying the virus, especially in rural
areas in Africa where access to hygienic circumstances is extremely
difficult during child birth, but also because of breast feeding for long
times.
Children in the Bible
Finsterbusch (2004:71) states that children play a very significant role in
the Book of Deuteronomy and notes that it is surprising that so little is
written about children as theme in the Bible. It is evident from Deuter-
onomy that children are not only part of the holy gatherings but that
children (girls and boys) should be taught from early on by both parents
at any time when the opportunity arises. Not only the texts of the com-
mandments should be taught to the children but also their meaning
should be explained by the parents (Ibid.:71ff.; cf. also De Vaux 48ff.).
Deut 1:39 indicates that children are seen as innocent at a small age:
“And the little ones that you said would be taken captive, your children
who do not yet know good from bad...” Children cannot distinguish
between evil and good. Parents have the obligation to teach children the
right ways “so that you, your children and their children after them may
fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and
commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life” (Deut
6:2). The wisdom texts emphasise particularly well the point that right-
eousness, the right way of living, is closely linked to justice (see the text
of Nel 2000:319, who demonstrates this in the Book of Proverbs). He
says: “Great value was attached to the protection of the rights of the
under-privileged and the guarantee of a righteous dispensation for
them” (he refers to Pr. 31:9, 29:14, and to an article written by Fensham
in 1962). “The harassment and suppression of the under-privileged are
explicitly seen as an insult to their Maker” (Pr. 14:31 and 17:15, see Nel
2000:319). These sentiments are also expressed earlier by Alexander and
Alexander (1973:62), who write that the Christian law “protects the weak
against the strong, the poor against the rich, the women and children,