Pope says condoms are no good against HIV

[Jon Miller]

from dictionary dot com

A religion or religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader.
The followers of such a religion or sect.

forget the extremist and false part (And unconventional manner part)

a cult is a religion or sect under the guidance of a charismatic leader

so catholics are possibly a cult, but most relgions are not

but all religions started out as a a cult

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

relgion from dictionary dot com

Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship

Jon Miller

[Alexander's Horse]

The Pope is right about condoms.

In many poor villages in South East Asia the use of the condom is demonstrated with a banana.

The village women put the condom over the banana every night and they still get pregnant!

[alva]

You sure? They usually use ping-pong balls AFAIK

[Cruddy]

I can't really accept sex advice from consecrated virgins.

[TheStinger]

They must have very sticky underwear when they wake up.

[Elok]

The dictionary definition of "cult" is useless, so I always think of "cult" as meaning "a religion that exists more for the material benefit of its founders or administrators than for the spiritual well-being of its followers," which is, I think, what most of us mean when we say the word. Religions based on a genuine intent to help are not really cults in my estimation, and I would say that a faith can change into a cult and back again. While some say the Catholic church is evil, they strike me as generally concerned with the road to salvation, albeit in a wonky fashion, far different from the supervillian caricature "pornocracy" it became in the middle ages.

Seriously Diss, you need to gain some perspective. How does the poor judgment of certain people condemn, like, a third of the world's population in your eyes? Especially on such a non-canonical issue. If a democratically elected official delivered an off-the-cuff statement to declare, say, that the works of Edgar Allan Poe were evil, would that make democracy as a system intrinsically wrong?

In this situation, the Catholics are in a minority position, have very little sympathy going for them, and react like any cornered animal will, namely by biting at anything in reach. You can tell that this isn't really well-thought out doctrine just by what it says: condoms are wrong because they do not prevent AIDS. Between most married couples there is presumptively little risk of infection, assuming no hanky-panky, and the Church disapproves of all fornication in principle, so all in all it's moot from their POV. Certainly there's no point in treating this as canon law.

[Ben Kenobi]

This is why condoms are important, if the attitude can be changed so that condoms are the default option for sexual partners, then the number of infections will go down!

Abstaining until marriage would be much better for reducing infections.

Ali:

Point well taken.

[alva]

Abstaining until marriage

So if one never marries (perhaps due to the fact that one thinks this very institution is redundant (not necesairly my view, but plenty of people see it this way) ), one is to stay a virgin forever???

[MrFun]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi

Abstaining until marriage would be much better for reducing infections.

And while we are at it, we can also tell people that if everyone stopped drinking alcoholic beverages, there will be no more drunk-driving induced auto accidents, public brawls, date rape, and property vandalism related to drunkness.

[Heresson]

Because it's right

[Dr Strangelove]

Originally posted by MrFun




And while we are at it, we can also tell people that if everyone stopped drinking alcoholic beverages, there will be no more drunk-driving induced auto accidents, public brawls, date rape, and property vandalism related to drunkness.

Well, yes. That's not much of an argument Mr. Fun.

[MrFun]

My point is, Dr. Strangelove, is that you're not going to get people to abstain from sex, anymore than you're going to get all drinkers from stopping their consumption of alcoholic drinks, just because sometimes, social ills emerges from alcoholic consumption.

[Alexander's Horse]

You want to abstain from sex? Simple, get married.

[DanS]

Here's more fuel to the fire...

Cardinal surprised by reaction over his criticism of condoms
Associated Press
Vatican City, October 14

A top Vatican cardinal said he was surprised by the reaction over his contention that condoms don't adequately protect against transmitting the virus which causes AIDS.

Last week, the United Nations' health agency strongly contested Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo's claim, which came in an interview he gave in September.

The Vatican opposes condoms as a way to fight AIDS, saying chastity is the best way to prevent its spread.

"I imagined the subject was better known. Instead, I am surprised with some of the reactions," the prelate, who heads the Pontifical Council for the Family, said in comments on Monday.

"Among my concerns was my intention not to mislead people, especially the youth, by making them think there is safety, where in fact safety is not even proven," the cardinal said.

"I simply wished to remind the public, seconding the opinion of a good number of experts, that when the condom is employed as a contraceptive, it is not totally dependable, and that the cases of pregnancy are not rare. In the case of the AIDS virus, which is around 450 times smaller than the sperm cell, the latex material obviously gives much less security.