Question:
To start off, I'll say I'm a Unitarian Universalist, commonly abreviated UU. It's a small, liberal denomonation that has it's roots in protestantism and has less to do with standard Christianity than it does with Humanism. If you want to know more, I'm happy in so many ways to share with you. But that's not what this post is about.

My religion is about finding yourself. I've just found myself... with herpes. After the curses and the anger, the fear and the frustration, I've given myself over to the reality that I will be living with HSV for the rest of my life. Here's where I cue the musical, Rent, "to people, living with-living with-living with, not dying from disease." I'm having ups and downs about where this puts me vis-a-vis my faith. I don't believe in heaven (it could be anywhere, why not here?), I really, really don't believe in hell (what loving, benevolant Creator could make us and then contrive a posibility such as ETERNAL damnation? That's just silly. And sad that people would think so little of their God). So, I'm not worried about my eternal soul. What I'm worried about is how I can see myself as a part of a church where every part of me is supposed to be worthwhile, when a part of me I can't even talk about has no place. I'm not talking about a heart to heart with the minister, I'm talking about sharing my sorrow and my situation with the people who are supposed to be my fellowship.

I'm here to ask this question, I guess: have you found a *community* where you can be accepted, openly with this part of yourself? Did you seek solace in your faith or faith tradition? Does your church promote safe sex or is this something that would have you doubly ousted as a sinner (both for your disease and for having sex)? How should I react to my sex-positive church? How do I be open while still being safe?

Answer:
well a sex positive church, or any organization should be well aware of all the reprocustions of having sex.
and having something that comes along w/ sex, shouldnt really be a big issue to them as- since they should know that it happens.

Answer:
I'm here to ask this question, I guess: have you found a *community* where you can be accepted, openly with this part of yourself? Did you seek solace in your faith or faith tradition? Does your church promote safe sex or is this something that would have you doubly ousted as a sinner (both for your disease and for having sex)? How should I react to my sex-positive church? How do I be open while still being safe?
Forgive me but can you be more specific? Are you asking if we divulge our HSV status to fellow church members? What is a sex positive church and what do you mean by being "safe"? Why do you feel the need to reveal your HSV status to others? I'm not knocking it, just curious.