An Inspirational and Honest AIDS Prayer by Tony Kushner

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Tony’s AIDS Prayer can be said to be one of the most honest prayers man has ever directed to God. In the prayer, Tony pours his heart out to God and does not shy to call to question God’s aloofness or distance from humanity. The situation on Earth, as Tony describes in his prayer, is gut-wrenching. People are dying of the AIDS pandemic in their thousands, yet God, the maker of heaven and Earth, is silent. In writing such a prayer, Tony shows his vulnerability in acknowledging God as supreme and showing the resiliency of humanity in doing what God may not want to do. He makes the letter personal by mentioning specific names and also includes sad stories of people who have also suffered at the hands of AIDS. Aside from the above, he also makes the prayer holistic in that he mentions other negative aspects of the Earth, like racism and war. Based on the three points above, this article seeks to indicate that the prayer is effective because it preaches humanity’s resiliency, takes a personal approach, and is holistic.

In the prayer, Tony does acknowledge God as Supreme. In dedicating the prayer to God, Tony shows respect and acknowledgment to God as the one who can help alleviate the pandemic. So, he asks for protection for children, infected lovers, the one-night stand, the misinformed, fools who do not protect themselves, etc. At one instance, he prays and asks God to “manifest yourself now. With a cure, now. With a treatment, now.” In using such words, Tony is also showing his and humanity’s vulnerability against the AIDS pande...