Premature death?

I’m changing what I had planned to write about tonight.  On 9/14/06 a short article appeared in the Peoria Journal Star on page B4.  Tyron Garner had died at the age of 39.  

Who was Tyron Garner?  He was one of the two individuals convicted in a Texas Court who were involved in a landmark Supreme Court case—Lawrence v. Texas.  In that 2003 case, the U.S. Supreme Court again overstepped its Constitutional authority and rewrote the Constitution by Judicial fiat ruling that laws against sodomy (homosexual acts) were unconstitutional.  Mr. Garner had been convicted of homosexual acts with another man.  The Court said homosexual acts could not be regulated by the governments of the United States.  

The article in the Peoria Journal Star did not give the cause of death.  Searching the Internet, I found the following information: “Tyron Garner one of two plaintiffs in the Supreme Court case in 2003 that overruled a Texas sodomy law in the broadest possible terms, effectively making homosexual relations a basic civil right, died Monday in Houston.  He was 39.

The cause was complications of meningitis, said his brother Darrell.” (The New York Times, www.nytimes.com, September 14, 2006.)

“Tyron Garner, a plaintiff in a landmark US Supreme Court case that ended with justices striking down all laws that made sex between gay adults a crime, died Monday in a Houston hospital.  He was 39.

The cause of death was not clear, but Mr. Garner had suffered from meningitis, said his brother Darrell.” (www.boston.com, from the Los Angeles Times, September 15, 2006)

According to Microsoft’s Encarta, “Meningitis, inflammation of the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord.  Meningitis may be caused by a physical injury, a reaction to certain drugs, or more commonly, infection (my underline) by certain viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites.  This article focuses on meningitis caused by viral or bacterial infection.  In the United States viral meningitis is the most common form of the disease, while bacterial meningitis, which affects an estimated 17,500 people each year, is the most serious form of the disease.  Most cases of both viral and bacterial meningitis occur in the first five years of life.”

“Although the viruses and bacteria that cause meningitis are contagious, not everyone who comes in contact with someone with meningitis will develop the disease.  In fact, meningitis typically occurs in isolated cases.  Occasionally outbreaks of meningitis caused By Neisseria meningitidis, also known as meningococcal meningitis, occur in group living situations, such as day-care centers, college dormitories, or military barracks.  A child whose immune system (my underline) is weakened—due to disease or genetic disorder, for instance—is at increased risk of developing meningitis.  In general, however, scientists do not know why microorganisms that are usually harmless are able to cross into the CSF and cause meningitis in some people but not others.” (“Meningitis,” Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, Wa: Microsoft Corporation, 2006.)

I don’t know the cause of death nor do I know the factors that led to the cause of death.  However, it seems apparent that Mr. Garner was involved in homosexual behavior.  Do you think that he might have had AIDS?  I don’t know this.  I do know this though.   If he was a relative of mine and people knew he was involved in homosexual activities and he did not have AIDS, I would state that to be the case to stop any speculation.  Sometimes, silence can provide the answer just as clearly as a declaration.

According to Microsoft’s Encarta, “Human Immunodeficiency Virus, infectious agent that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a disease that leaves a person vulnerable to life-threatening infections. (my underline)  Scientists have identified two types of this virus.  HIV-1 is the primary cause of AIDS worldwide.  HIV-2 is found mostly in West Africa.”

“HIV transmission occurs when a person is exposed to body fluids infected with the virus, such as blood, semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk.  The primary modes of HIV transmissions are (1) sexual relations with an infected person [my underline] (see Sexually Transmitted Infections); (2) sharing hypodermic needles or accidental pricking by a needle contaminated with infected blood; and (3) transfer of the virus from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth, or through breast-feeding.” (“Human Immunodeficiency Virus,” Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, Wa: Microsoft Corporation, 2006.)

This we do know.  Mr. Garner died at an early age—39.  He did not die because of an accident.  The possible cause of death was an infectious disease.  Mr. Garner had been involved in homosexual behavior.  Homosexual behavior in many instances results in AIDS.
AIDS involves the weakening of a person’s immune system which makes him more vulnerable to infectious diseases.  According to the reports I read, his family did not confirm or deny that Mr. Garner had AIDS.  What do you think?  Was Mr. Garner’s death AIDS related?  Did his sin of homosexual behavior lead to his premature death?  Was that behavior worth paying the ultimate price on earth and, if he did not repent and turn to GOD, paying the ultimate price after death?      

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows.  The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Galatians 6: 7-9 (NIV)

This I do know.  We are responsible for our actions.  Our actions, if sinful, will result in negative consequences and ultimately destruction at some point in time—usually both during our lifetime and certainly, if we don’t repent and turn to the one and only true GOD and HIS SON, after our death.  Is a short period of time pleasing our sinful nature worth an eternity of suffering?  I don’t think so!!!