The Pope
Not just this one specifically (although he IS shit; mewling about how gay people are given equal rights is *really* living the life of tolerance and brotherhood as preached by Christ. This is a man who, in the face of global concerns about extremism in all religions, made his first major speech of his papacy a dire warning about Harry Potter. What. A. Prick.) but his predecessor too.

I married a Catholic, and in my in-laws' household Pope John Paul II can do no wrong. I discovered this one Easter when, drunk, I started ranting at the poster of him on her mum's living room wall (yes, really) spending time detailing how his opposition to contraception and the fight against AIDS has cost millions of lives and helped keep large swathes of the developing world in a poor, disease-ridden, and generally undereducated state.

I'm not a Satanist or anything but I wonder if anyone could offer me an explanation?
(Light, Thu 4 Feb 2010, 12:38, 8 replies)

Yes.
Catholicism - like all religions - preys on the insecurities of the vulnerable with an aim to exploitation.

Mumbo jumbo nonsense the lot of it.

Monsigneur Tugnut.
(Tugnut Ex of this parish, Thu 4 Feb 2010, 13:38, closed)

Not to defend the Pope
but I still can't work out what his opposition to contraception has to do with the spread of AIDS.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Thu 4 Feb 2010, 14:43, closed)

Prevention is better than cure, innit.
Basically condoms stop sharing of bodily secretions.

Wait a minute- you post on b3ta and you didn't know that?? And I thought the idiot sat next to me was dim because he didn't know who the current Prime Rib Roast was.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Thu 4 Feb 2010, 14:49, closed)

Obviously
I know the mechanics. I'm just pointing out that people who genuinely think the Pope has some sort of duty to promote contraception are deluded.

Anyone who knows the smallest thing about Catholicism will understand that they are much more anti sex outside of marriage than they are about contraception. There is nobody in this world who with a straight face will claim that they will not use contraception because they are Catholic yet they *will* have sex outside marriage.

In summary if you're Catholic and listen to the Pope you will not be the person who is cheating and having pre-marital sex. If you are cheating/promiscuous/ridden with sexual disease then the Pope's view on contraception is irrelevant to you. See my point? So it's none of the Pope's business. At the very worst he is merely refusing to supply contraception to non-Catholics, and that is his right.
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Mon 8 Feb 2010, 3:40, closed)

Yeah...except that by forbidding them outright to millions of people on threat of hellfire...I understand he has a moral message to convey, but why be such a cunt about it?
(Light, Wed 10 Feb 2010, 0:16, closed)

Erm...
-AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease
-The easiest way to prevent its spread is to use condoms
-The pope says condoms are wrong
(SnowyTheWereRabbit the Leporid from Hell, Thu 4 Feb 2010, 17:43, closed)

Erm...
-AIDS is a sexually transmitted disease
-The easiest way to prevent its spread is to not have sex
-The catholic church promotes celebacy and abstinence

The Pope refusing to condone condoms makes no difference. If Catholic Africans (or any other Catholics) are going to commit sin and not listen to the Pope, him telling them to use a condom isn't going to do much.
They're meant to be working and keeping to the word of God. Changing rules and practices just to suit modern society would be contradicting themselves, more. So kudos to the Pope for sticking to his, or Gods, guns and two fingers up to him and religion in general at the same time, for the same reason.
(Megamoss, Sat 6 Feb 2010, 2:25, closed)

Brainwashing does seem to have a lot to do with it.
My old boss was Polish and was a slaveringly fervent Catholic. When John Paul II snuffed it she watched the entire funeral live in the office, all three hours of it.

Catholics seem to be the Jebus fan club most prone to total sense of humour failures. If the doctrines of your faith are so iron-clad, why is [b]no-one[/b] allowed to criticise or call into question any of them in any way whatsoever?
( .Yeti. El amor en los tiempos del cólera, Thu 4 Feb 2010, 14:49, closed)