Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Left Angeles Times
Below is the key line of the "news" story in Los Angeles Times by Tracy Wilkinson (a staff writer) about the teachings of the Catholic Church:
When, if ever, is it permissible to use condoms to prevent death?
The LAT should not have a person cover a story on issue on which she is so ignorant. Condoms are not an option for loyal Catholics.
Here is what this biased individual "reports":
Because of its rejection of prophylactics, the church has frequently been called insensitive to the pandemic spread of AIDS, more interested in religious dogma than preserving the lives of tens of millions of people.
Contrary to popular belief, however, the Vatican has never issued a formal ban on the use of condoms to prevent HIV infection.
What the church does advocate, as Pope John Paul II reiterated recently (without mentioning condoms), is abstinence and fidelity as the best ways to combat the disease. It teaches that in general the only acceptable sex is between a man and a woman who are married to each other and intend to procreate. It prohibits the use of all artificial contraception.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is why most liberals make me scream!
The church does not "advocate" abstinence between homosexuals or those with AIDS. The church FORBIDS physical homosexual encounters because it belives such encounters are immoral. Since such acts are immoral and are forbiddend, using a condom during such an act is still immoral.
Somehow, the Los Angeles Times wants us to believe that two wrongs make a right.
And its subscription base keeps dropping!
Ah! But what about women in oppressed societies? What about prostitutes?
Official doctrine on these matters has not wavered, yet several senior leaders have explicitly or implicitly sanctioned the use of condoms for cases in which life is at stake. They have done so with a tacit acknowledgment that there are legitimate arguments that morally justify the apparent contravention of a church rule.
"The question is what to do when what should not happen does happen," said Father Brian Johnstone, a moral theologian at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
In some cases, he and other theologians argue, a woman is justified in protecting her life by using a condom if she must have sex with a man who is infected with HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
For example, Johnstone noted, in some societies it is almost impossible for a woman to refuse sex with her husband. If he is infected, she has the absolute right to protect herself by demanding he wear a condom.
By extension, some theologians argue, if a woman is a prostitute, she could be justified in protecting herself from deadly disease by having her partner use a condom.
There is a perhaps surprising acceptance of these real-world scenarios by many in the church, although they may not acknowledge it publicly. Nor do these exceptions rise to a level of acceptance, theologians stress, that would permit the advocacy of condom use in forums such as schools."
My head hurts... The Church teaches that women are not objects. If that teaching has not reached some areas of the world, it is the responsibilty of the Vatican to take care of that problem.
BUT, the author of this article does not sufficiently explore the depth of the problem and the response of the Church. To her "credit" she does latch on to some dissidents. Yet she (he? - I am trying to find out!) does not bother to mention to what degree the dissidents are representative of the hierarchy (the answer is that they are not); nor does she quote the overwheling majority that supports and ACCEPTS the church and the authority of the Pope. She (he?) relies on the opinions of a few in a church of over 1 billion people. By ignoring Cardinal Ratzinger and Cardinal Arinze, the LAT reporter showed her anti-Catholic bias. She should be fired.
The Los Angeles Times is not a joke - it is a moral menace. Since the story is still available on the LAT website as of Feb. 8 at 9:00 p.m., my guess is that Wilkinson is still employed. If you have a subscription, please cancel it!
Good night!
P.S. here is a story by Wilkinson that is more sympathetic of the more controversial teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps the condom story was a fluke...
When, if ever, is it permissible to use condoms to prevent death?
The LAT should not have a person cover a story on issue on which she is so ignorant. Condoms are not an option for loyal Catholics.
Here is what this biased individual "reports":
Because of its rejection of prophylactics, the church has frequently been called insensitive to the pandemic spread of AIDS, more interested in religious dogma than preserving the lives of tens of millions of people.
Contrary to popular belief, however, the Vatican has never issued a formal ban on the use of condoms to prevent HIV infection.
What the church does advocate, as Pope John Paul II reiterated recently (without mentioning condoms), is abstinence and fidelity as the best ways to combat the disease. It teaches that in general the only acceptable sex is between a man and a woman who are married to each other and intend to procreate. It prohibits the use of all artificial contraception.
ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
This is why most liberals make me scream!
The church does not "advocate" abstinence between homosexuals or those with AIDS. The church FORBIDS physical homosexual encounters because it belives such encounters are immoral. Since such acts are immoral and are forbiddend, using a condom during such an act is still immoral.
Somehow, the Los Angeles Times wants us to believe that two wrongs make a right.
And its subscription base keeps dropping!
Ah! But what about women in oppressed societies? What about prostitutes?
Official doctrine on these matters has not wavered, yet several senior leaders have explicitly or implicitly sanctioned the use of condoms for cases in which life is at stake. They have done so with a tacit acknowledgment that there are legitimate arguments that morally justify the apparent contravention of a church rule.
"The question is what to do when what should not happen does happen," said Father Brian Johnstone, a moral theologian at the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
In some cases, he and other theologians argue, a woman is justified in protecting her life by using a condom if she must have sex with a man who is infected with HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
For example, Johnstone noted, in some societies it is almost impossible for a woman to refuse sex with her husband. If he is infected, she has the absolute right to protect herself by demanding he wear a condom.
By extension, some theologians argue, if a woman is a prostitute, she could be justified in protecting herself from deadly disease by having her partner use a condom.
There is a perhaps surprising acceptance of these real-world scenarios by many in the church, although they may not acknowledge it publicly. Nor do these exceptions rise to a level of acceptance, theologians stress, that would permit the advocacy of condom use in forums such as schools."
My head hurts... The Church teaches that women are not objects. If that teaching has not reached some areas of the world, it is the responsibilty of the Vatican to take care of that problem.
BUT, the author of this article does not sufficiently explore the depth of the problem and the response of the Church. To her "credit" she does latch on to some dissidents. Yet she (he? - I am trying to find out!) does not bother to mention to what degree the dissidents are representative of the hierarchy (the answer is that they are not); nor does she quote the overwheling majority that supports and ACCEPTS the church and the authority of the Pope. She (he?) relies on the opinions of a few in a church of over 1 billion people. By ignoring Cardinal Ratzinger and Cardinal Arinze, the LAT reporter showed her anti-Catholic bias. She should be fired.
The Los Angeles Times is not a joke - it is a moral menace. Since the story is still available on the LAT website as of Feb. 8 at 9:00 p.m., my guess is that Wilkinson is still employed. If you have a subscription, please cancel it!
Good night!
P.S. here is a story by Wilkinson that is more sympathetic of the more controversial teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Perhaps the condom story was a fluke...
