oh sorry one more thing, I’d just like to say that I used to think the catholic church was freaking crazy for not handing out condoms in africa to prevent AIDS, especially when they say ABC is acceptable for PURELY MEDICAL means, but someone on the first page laid out the arguement of the church rather plainly and I finally got it! Thank you!
I see it like this: if the church was to say it’s okay to use condoms, but then try to teach abstinance (the only thing that makes sure you won’t get AIDS from sex) it will then be seen as hypocritical, and the only thing that makes “sex safe” is no longer credible (abstinance). See, condoms only work if you use them, and I’d be willing to bet the most of the transmission is being done by people who probably wouldn’t use a condom if they had it. (rape, prostitution/rape of children etc…) The only thing we can do is cahnge people’s attitude about sex. It’s about about rules or whether birth control is right or wrong, it’s about what works. Throwing condoms (which only work if you use them, and when you use them only work 80-90 percent of the time) at the problem is like using asprin to fix a broken leg. You might lessen the pain a little, but you won’t fix the problem at all. And handing out condoms until the problem with the attidute towards sex is fixed, just ensures it will never be fixed.
What do we do abou tthe innocents in the way? Everything we can. We work to help poverty in the area. Put an end to the NEED for prostitution. Find those raping women and arrest them. Teach the women self defense they don’t have to be raped. Teach kids at young ages th horrifying truth of what is out there and teach them RESPONSIBLE, not SAFE, sex. If we hand out condoms in the meantime, they won’t listen.
Yes, it’s a little too utopian to work, right? Well that is what Jesus asks of us.
For the record though, not everone who has AIDS or an STD is sleeping around. More than we need to make sure we don’t hand out condoms, we need to make ABSOLUTE sure that we are loving those afflicted. I think that if Christ were here now, he would say “when I was afflicted with AIDS, you comforted me, not called me promiscious” to his list of “that which you do to the least of these, you do to me”