Update: Ebola Crisis

The world is in the middle of an Ebola crisis. By many reports, about 5,000 people have died from the epidemic so far. And it’s being handled very cautiously on U.S. soil. Although, some states have been criticized for their quarantining policies. The survival of two Dallas nurses who contracted Ebola while taking care of a man with the disease (who did not survive) is a glimmer of hope.

President Obama is trying to calm the hysteria and stigma surrounding Ebola by, among other things, proving a nurse’s clean bill of health with a hug! Still, the fight against this epidemic is far from over. Nations, charities, and philanthropists across the world are pouring their resources into West Africa and into beating the disease. Overall body counts have gone down, but the stigma surrounding the disease remains and looks a lot like the stigma that surrounded AIDS patients when the epidemic of the 1980s first began. In a moment like this, let us remember not to lose our humanity. Let us remember the people of West Africa are more than a virus. The aid workers helping them and others who have contracted the disease are to be honored, not shunned. We are called to have compassion and hold tight to hope.

Share this Busted Halo article about the Ebola crisis with young adults and use these questions to start a discussion:

  1. What did you think of Eric Clayton’s article for Busted Halo? What could you relate to?
  2. What can you do in your own community/family to calm hysteria and stigma surrounding Ebola?
  3. How do you find hope in a hopeless situation?
  4. Who are the people who are the outcasts in your community? How can you be more compassionate toward them and better meet their physical and spiritual needs?
  5. Take some time to pray for the victims of Ebola and their families. Pray for God’s healing to come to their communities and their lives.