| Summary: | This research was encouraged by the need for Christian religious-ethical principles for counselling of HIV/Aids patients and their families within a multi-religious environment. During his lifetime the researcher was a member of Professional Family Care, a multi-religious and multi-disciplinary organization assisting HIV/Aids patients in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. The aim of the study is to highlight the sexual ethos of people from a Christian ethical perspective by means of the example of the character Samson in the book of Judges (Jd 13-16), in order to derive sexual-ethical principles for counselling. The hypothesis is that an ethical relationship exists between the rebelliousness in Samson’s life, and his sexual conduct. A similar relationship can be identified in our current society as a result of the negligence of healthy religious-ethical norms. A socio-rhetorical approach has been applied to explore various textures found in the Samson saga. After a discussion of Old Testament ethics as a subject, emphasis was laid on analysing the intra-textual, ideological, social and cultural, and holiness structures of the Samson saga. HIV/Aids as a social problem is discussed, primarily by means of relevant statistics. Professional Family Care implements an eco-systemic model, viz. an integrated approach involving medical professions, social workers, and religious leaders from all the religions involved. The principles of this approach are explained. After the religious-ethical perspectives of various religions have been highlighted, final conclusions are drawn. The ethical conduct of individuals normally mirrors the dominant ideological framework of the society in which they live. The sexual-ethical conduct of Samson, within its context, and the ethical principles, which can be deduced from that for the current context of Middelburg, Mpumalanga, clearly indicate that a relationship exists between the violation of sexual-ethical norms of the society as well as the consequences thereof for individuals and the broader community. In the light thereof both the positive and negative conduct of Samson have been implemented to formulate basic principles for counselling. === Prof. Johan Coetzee
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