RELIGIÃO E SAÚDE: O CASO DE PORTADORES DO VÍRUS DA IMUNODEFICIÊNCIA HUMANA HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Our work had the intention to identify the characteristics of the religion, in its more varied manifestations and to verify if religious belief has some influence to patients carriers of HIV, on their confrontation of this illness. It looked to discuss the presence of religious factor in the experience of carriers of HIV, understanding this presence inside the context that historically has been established between health and religion. The qualitative research methodology, of exploratory nature, was chosen using as an interview instrument, a questionnaire with four open questions. At first we approached the strong influence that religion has, as a generating factor of hope in cases of serious illnesses, like AIDS and others, as well as it‟s influence on maintenance or preservation of health. After that we established the historical relation between the two subjects and the direct relation between religion and AIDS. In the analysis of the speeches the search for religion is evident as a form of reframing the illness in the light of religious speech, even so some patients have disconsidered this importance attributed to religion. In the majority of testimonials from the interviewees the function exerted by religion is evident, especially as it concerns to hope and trust. Due to the manifestations of the interviewees, we also tried to discuss what is called popular medicine towards the official medicine, searching for complementarily between these. Comparing the thought of classic authors of sociology of religion with what our interviewees said, we are led to affirm that religion exerts a strong influence on people‟s thoughts and attitudes. This would be a form to prepare each one of them for the confrontation of the illness.