www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Notre Dame Spinoff: Condoms

http://www.lifenews.com/state3962.html

Also, I noticed this article on 'poll numbers' - of course it is because the Pope took a stance...

The pope drew criticism from some Western governments for saying Tuesday during a flight to Africa that condoms were not the answer to the continent's AIDS epidemic, suggesting that sexual behavior was the issue. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-03-21-pope-poll_N.htm

‘We have found no consistent associations between condom use and lower HIV-infection rates, which, 25 years into the pandemic, we should be seeing if this intervention was working.”

So notes Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, in response to papal press comments en route to Africa this week.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTNlNDc1MmMwNDM0OTEzMjQ4NDc0ZGUyOWYxNmEzN2E%3D

CDL:

And do you know why?

A little blurb from a seminar I attended for funeral directors. Seems the AIDS virus is so small it can pass through the minute imperfections in your average latex glove so we've been told to double and triple glove when using universal precautions. What else is latex that isn't normally used double or triple?

BOB

As someone once said to me [ in reference to condoms ]

" Has man made anything that is perfect ? "

No further comment is needed

Condoms should only be used by married couples with blessing from their Pastor.

If anyone ever approached with a condom and asked me to bless it, I would be in grave danger of terminal shock!

Fr. Serge

ROFL here

Looky, looky, maybe others will start to speak up...

A senior Harvard research scientist confirmed that Pope Benedict XVI, who endured heavy criticism for declaring that condom distribution programs worsen the AIDS epidemic in Africa, was actually correct.

Dr. Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, told National Review Online last week that despite AIDS activists and media outlets pounding the pope for downplaying the effectiveness of condoms, the science actually supports the Catholic leader's claim.

"The pope is correct," Green told NRO, "or put it a better way, the best evidence we have supports the pope's comments."

"There is," Green added, "a consistent association shown by our best studies, including the U.S.-funded 'Demographic Health Surveys,' between greater availability and use of condoms and higher (not lower) HIV-infection rates. This may be due in part to a phenomenon known as risk compensation
, meaning that when one uses a risk-reduction 'technology' such as condoms, one often loses the benefit (reduction in risk) by 'compensating' or taking greater chances than one would take without the risk-reduction technology."
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92702

I think that when one (especially the good Pope) speaks of something which is 'politically incorrect' these days, one must be very careful to clarify and articulate their full thought.

News agencies are more than glad to take anything out of context to make any conservative Christian, especially the most visible 'voice' of conservative Christianity, the Pope, in order to make them/him look foolish and ignorant...

My personal opinion is:

Science or no science, condoms or no condoms:...

Indeed, promiscuity contributes and is perhaps the biggest contributor to the AIDS problem in Africa...that is a no brainer.

Promiscuity is rampant in Africa, even among married men. They contract the AIDS virus because of their promiscuity and then bring it home to infect their wives.

Therefore, in my opinion, condoms will NOT prevent the spread of AIDS (because promiscuity spreads AIDS) BUT are necessary in one way, in that once contracted, an infected husband should use them with one's spouse to help prevent her contracting the disease. There is no other way, except for abstinence in their marital union...

The biggest problem in Africa is immorality and promiscuity and adultery. Period. Sexual immorality has always and will always have consequences.

P.S. to my above post...

A slightly humorous, if it were not so sad, aside:

Many of our parents and most of our grandparents would be turning in their graves if they knew that such formerly 'inappropriate' words, topics and discussions were taking place publically amongst religious people, amongst religious leaders, and amongst mixed genders.

Lord have mercy...how ugly our world has truly become!

Alice,

That is probably true. But we are forced to discuss these things publicly so as provide a response to those who wish to demonize Christian teaching.

And Subdeacon Borislav, what you said is true for Eastern Orthodoxy but not for Catholicism (as you probably know).

Alexis

Oh I totally understand. The world has become so sexualized that these topics cannot be avoided by anyone.

Alice

I also encountered this a few years ago in the context of cancer and chemotherapy. Then again, the purpose was clearly not birth control (which their ages had taken car of decades earlier).

hawk

In the context of "what the world is becoming" and "promiscuity being the root cause of AIDS"...we can add that things on TV greatly contribute to and sometimes promote promiscuity which generally these days is becoming acceptable behavior.

Reverend Father,
I would be in grave danger of committing mortal sin:
MURDER!
Stephanos I
Probably driving the out of the Church with a "stick".