| highwaystar101 said: A. In Africa there is a geographical link between Catholic countries and high HIV or AIDS infection rates, as you can see by comparing the two maps provided. (link 1) (link 2).
B. The Catholic church has stated, repeatedly, that condoms don't work and that they can even make the AIDS pandemic worse, which is grossly untrue (source). An extract from the source I've quoted. "The church opposes any kind of contraception because it claims it breaks the link between sex and procreation - a position Pope John Paul II has fought to defend. In Kenya - where an estimated 20% of people have HIV - the church condemns condoms for promoting promiscuity and repeats the claim about permeability. The archbishop of Nairobi, Raphael Ndingi Nzeki, said: "Aids... has grown so fast because of the availability of condoms." Sex and the Holy City includes a Catholic nun advising her HIV-infected choirmaster against using condoms with his wife because "the virus can pass through". In Lwak, near Lake Victoria, the director of an Aids testing centre says he cannot distribute condoms because of church opposition. Gordon Wambi told the programme: "Some priests have even been saying that condoms are laced with HIV/Aids." Panorama found the claims about permeable condoms repeated by Catholics as far apart as Asia and Latin America." The thing is I wouldn't mind if the Catholic church said "We don't mind condoms, but we recommend abstinence". But no, they go out of their way to actually spread the lie that condoms increase the risk of AIDS. C. Of course I thing that non government bodies and the UN have their own agenda, but they aren't spreading the lie that condoms lead to AIDS. If it was the UN spreading the lie that condoms cause AIDS, I'm sure that I would be calling them out on their actions right now and not the Catholic church. I'll give blame where I think blame is due, and I see it due for the Catholic church here. Sorry, but that's the way I see it. D. There may be teenagers that don't use condoms, but the percentage of teenagers in the USA who don't use a condom is much high than that of sub Saharan Africa. You can see that by looking at this proportional map of condom use (larger countries represent larger condom use) (source).
As you can see, condom use in sub Saharan Africa is far lower than almost any other area of the world. Yes, USA teenagers occasionally don't use condoms, but the actual amount that don't is small, so it doesn't cause many problems. In sub Saharan Africa on the other hand barely anyone uses condoms and that can cause a big problem. E. I'm sure it does contribute greatly, as I said the Catholic churches stance on Condoms was one of the main reasons, not the only reason. I don't support the gangs for furthering the spread of disease, I would protest against their recklessness in the spread of AIDS as much as I would against the Catholic church. the thing is, the catholic church is a respected organisation and not a gang, they should have more responsibility.
I don't have enough time to answer your entire post I'm afraid, so I may come back to the rest later. |
A. Covered it with the EDIT part on my previous post. 
B. Yeah, there are a lot of priests (and bishops) out there, who make wrong claims. That doesnt help at all.
C. Im talking about the power of persusasion. The Church is not the only force in Africa preaching something. Im not talking about what they are preaching. But I see your point.
D. "There may be teenagers that don't use condoms, but the percentage of teenagers in the USA who don't use a condom is much high than that of sub Saharan Africa"
Arent you contradicting yourself? Cause from what you said, US has less people using condoms and has lower AIDS infection rate than Africa.
E. Same as C. Im saying that if if the Church were to blame (which I dont agree) it wouldnt be the only one. So dont lay it all at her doorstep.
Now, there is the part that I have talked about before.The Church (at least officially - sorry for the bad priests out there) preaches a "package deal".
I dont want to get into catholic theology here because thats not the point of the thread, but why the Church is against is a big part of its moral teachings.
It sees sex as being more than simply satisfying an urge. It believes that love and sex go together.That it should be held to a higher standard. As for procreation, is not that this is the only point of sex, its more that its a natural part of the act, and it shouldnt be denied artificially.
