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Originally Posted by Flash Walken
Again, I'm not arguing that that isn't the case. I'm sure it is. I'm also sure if you said to someone who's entire exisience is devoted to sustaining their own lives in their mudhuts that a virus spread through sexual intercourse is ravaging millions on their continent, they'd look at you cross-eyed. The african population as a whole does not have the capacity to debate various forms of birth control, not because they don't have the capacity to learn, but because this information is so staggering that it's simply incomprehensible.
The point is, the catholic church is contributing directly to the aids problem that they are also valiantly trying to help. I have great admiration for the work the catholic church does in the poorest regions of the world. Contrary to many of the replies in this thread, I'm not out to attack catholicism in some great encompassing crusade, I merely pointed out in a thread regarding religious extremism how that extremism can be very hurtful to select populations who really have no alternative but to accept the words and care of the organizations that they have learned to expect are acting in their best interest.
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I can live with that.
The Catholic Church's biggest mistake is that they are trying to promote and implement a cultural guideline for groups of people that already have a culture that is virtually incompatable.
They are introducing a way of living that many Africans pick and choose from. The men will look at the discouragement of condoms and will adopt that because they like it, but then the part about abstinence and monogamy, they will ignore and choose to hold on to their tribal society beliefs because they prefer it. I would wager that most Africans who do not use condoms, do so because of their own personal choice regardless of what the Catholic community says. The church just becomes a convenient scapegoat since it is popular to blame the church for things, but taboo to blame practices within indigenous cultures. Until some scientific study is done with some kind of statistical relevance regarding people living with AIDS and their sexual practices before and after contact with the Catholic Church, this is all just guessing.
Personally, I think the Catholic Church should butt out and leave people to their own fate (for better or for worse), and it is no different than how certain secular governments try to promote their culture in foreign regions. It usually does more harm than good, but I do find it irresponsible when media sources only mention the discouragement of condom use, and fail to acknowledge the rest of the message.