Pope: Condoms no help against AIDS in Africa, condoms might make things worse.

[PDH]

How does one define the natural law?

I think it is defined in the negative, ie "If the darkies do this, it must be against natural law."

[Hansmeister]

This is again a hysterical retarded argument.

The church opposes premarital sex, sex outside of marriage and use of contraceptives.  So when somebody violates the first two and follows the pope on the third how is that the church's fault?

Has there really in the history of mankind somebody who said "I'm going to heat on my wife with a hooker but I'm not going to use a condom because it would violate my faith?"

Really?  Is this the best argument the retarded left can come up with?

[PDH]

I can tell you, with all honesty, I would never heat on my wife.

[Neil]

The church opposes premarital sex, sex outside of marriage and use of contraceptives.  So when somebody violates the first two and follows the pope on the third how is that the church's fault?

One could blame the church for having unreasonable expectations.

[grumbler]

This is again a hysterical retarded argument.

The church opposes premarital sex, sex outside of marriage and use of contraceptives.  So when somebody violates the first two and follows the pope on the third how is that the church's fault?

Has there really in the history of mankind somebody who said "I'm going to heat on my wife with a hooker but I'm not going to use a condom because it would violate my faith?"

Really?  Is this the best argument the retarded left can come up with?

Well, to be fair, it is a retarded argument put forth against an even more retarded argument about invisible superfriends.  The only place where the Pope can even turn for support for his absurd concepts is a source even less credible than Wikipedia.

[alfred russel]

I can tell you, with all honesty, I would never heat on my wife.

You'd never give her the old dutch oven?

[alfred russel]

This is again a hysterical retarded argument.

The church opposes premarital sex, sex outside of marriage and use of contraceptives.  So when somebody violates the first two and follows the pope on the third how is that the church's fault?

Has there really in the history of mankind somebody who said "I'm going to heat on my wife with a hooker but I'm not going to use a condom because it would violate my faith?"

Really?  Is this the best argument the retarded left can come up with?

I think the problem is more along the lines that since virtually no modern couple is going to die with each only having one sex partner as the Church would want, condoms have a place in HIV prevention. But the Church is trying to prevent condom access through misinformation in places rife with promiscuity and HIV.

So yes, if everyone did what the Church said, HIV wouldn't be a problem. But in the real world, people in Africa are having sex with each other and are not going to stop doing so. The only plausible way to stop the spread of HIV there is through encouraging the use of condoms. It must be infuriating for AIDS activists in Africa having their work undermined by a popular western institution such as the Catholic Church that has to know better.

[garbon]

But in the real world, people in Africa are having sex with each other and are not going to stop doing so. The only plausible way to stop the spread of HIV there is through encouraging the use of condoms. It must be infuriating for AIDS activists in Africa having their work undermined by a popular western institution such as the Catholic Church that has to know better.

Yep.

[Ed Anger]

I can tell you, with all honesty, I would never heat on my wife.

You'd never give her the old dutch oven?

I prefer giving the Cleveland Steamer.

[DGuller]

I don't think very many people listen to the pope on this stuff. I don't know of many catholic families with a half dozen kids.

If you're talking about American Catholics, then you're not talking about real Catholics.  The real Catholics are in countries like Mexico, for example.

[grumbler]

I don't think very many people listen to the pope on this stuff. I don't know of many catholic families with a half dozen kids.

If you're talking about American Catholics, then you're not talking about real Catholics.  The real Catholics are in countries like Mexico, for example.

Ah, the good old "No True Scotsman" fallacy!  :

[garbon]

Ah, the good old "No True Scotsman" fallacy!  :

I think he was talking about Americans and not Americans who call themselves Scots. :

[The Minsky Moment]

I don't keep very careful tabs on the doings of the Vatican (as microstates go, they have a shortage of hedge fund registrations), but it seems like there has been a real drop off from JP II to Benedict. 

[grumbler]

The Cathlic Church has places people can go to get the Catholic version of family planning:

[Sheilbh]

I don't keep very careful tabs on the doings of the Vatican (as microstates go, they have a shortage of hedge fund registrations), but it seems like there has been a real drop off from JP II to Benedict.

I have mixed views on Benedict so far.  I think a lot of his social teachings, such as this, are broadly very much a continuation of JP2's legacy.

On certain internal Church governance issues though I'm not so keen. 

Although one positive step would be if he appointed Bernard Longley Archbishop of Westminster, as has been predicted.  There's been a lot of concern from some of his appointments that Benedict is trying to make conservative the traditionally liberal episcopates.  If he appoints Longley he won't have done that in England at least.  Longley agrees with the Church on everything as you'd expect, but he's most famous for having established a service for LGBT (I hate that acronym) Catholics in Soho, and for integrating it with local Anglican services.  Though he was attacked by conservatives he argued that there's nothing that stops a gay person from being Catholic, there is no means test to receive the love of the Church and, like the great Cardinal Basil Hume (SANTO SUBITO!) that though the Church opposes homosexual acts it must always be careful to speak such opposition in a way that doesn't  denigrate the human dignity of individuals.

This is what I mean by the Catholic Church being different in England than Poland, Marty