Posted on 04/21/2008 11:49:39 AM PDT by Pyro7480
The day after Pope Benedict XVI departed the U.S..., Blaine Harden of the Washington Post lamented the Catholic Church’s influence in the Philippines, specifically, the government of Philippines "acceding to Catholic doctrine" by "supporting only what it calls ‘natural’ family planning," rejecting "modern contraception" as part of family planning." Throughout his article, titled "Birthrates Help Keep Filipinos in Poverty," Harden painted a bleak picture of "the fastest-growing segment of the Philippine population," which is "very poor people with large families," and sought to blame their poverty and backwardness on their following Catholic teaching, brushing aside corruption and other factors that contribute to poverty. A photo accompanying the article in the print-edition of the Post showed a poor Filipino mother in her shack with her four children, two of whom are naked.
Harden described the Church’s influence throughout the article, hinting that it had created a climate of fear in the country "An organization that is helping Espinoza [a poor Filipino woman who plans to get a contraceptive intrauterine device] agreed to introduce this reporter to her on condition that it not be named. The group’s health workers said they fear retaliation and harassment from officials in the national and city government, as well as from the Catholic Church." He immediately mentioned after this that in 2005, the "Catholic bishops in the southern Philippines announced that they would refuse Communion to government health workers who distributed birth control devices."
The article seemed to be prompted, at least partially, by the fact that the "[d]istribution of donated contraceptives... ends this year, as does a contraception-commodities program paid for by the U.S. Agency for International Development." ...This means the U.S. taxpayers, millions of whom who are opposed to contraceptives, are paying for these contraceptive programs in the Philippines...
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
I'm just saying that I think your position is at least as wrong as you think my position is.
Who said "impossible?"
If it makes implantation difficult enough for one failure, that's one abortion.
Same for divorce, unless you can bribe the curch to grant you an annulment.
I also believe the church should make a public issue of those who support abortion not receive communion. For too long American catholics have had it both ways.
Hyze,
You seem to begin with false assumptions.
1. People must have sex at will and are incpable of curbing the instinct.
2. Sex without artificial birth control will always cause pregancy.
3. Birth control works and fosters good habits.
4. Whenever one thinks about having sex, it is always a choice between
a) having sex without birth control and creating a child (but NFP users have lots of sex with no pregnancies)
b) having sex with birth control and not creating a child (but birth control fails all the time)
c) not having sex (a choice that we supposedly are incpable of making, despite the obvious reality that many people are not sexually active)
In the meantime in the Muslim world population rates continue to rise. The womb is the real weapon of mass destruction, it is also how religions generally grow and survive.
In the meantime in the Muslim world population rates continue to rise. The womb is the real weapon of mass destruction, it is also how religions generally grow and survive.
My sister visited Rome last year and the one thing she remembers most is seeing the wretched excess, glitz, and opulence of the Vatican while pathetic cripples beg just a few yards outside.
The one thing, eh? That's it?
Maybe the pope should give each of the "pathetic cripples" (such sensitivity by your sister!) a wretched Caravaggio to eat.
According to Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical, Inc. the manufacturer, you are wrong.
>>Maybe the pope should give each of the “pathetic cripples” (such sensitivity by your sister!) a wretched Caravaggio to eat.<<
*snicker*
truth be told!!!!!!!!!
Did she stop to help any of them or just tick and blame the Vatican?
Your sister probably didn’t get the idea that the drug addicted and homeless of Rome have a pretty good gig by the Vatican. The socialist government supports them and then they hang out around there waiting for the sympathies (and cash) of suckers like your sister.
Remember the old adage: You are entitled to your opinion, but not your own facts.
Oh my Goodness!!!!!!
Your graphic is much better than mine! Can I borrow it?
(wanna learn the secret handshake and become an Anti-Catholic Troll hunter?)
I guess I was oversimplifying, cause in general people like to have sex and not think about the consequences, or assume it ‘won’t happen to us’. Heck, in this case it may just simply be the couple failing to realise they can’t support another kid - if they have one toddler and are breastfeeding one, it takes very little to support them, but add in a third child and a few years down the road when they take more resources, the family might not be able to provide for all their children (since children grow, they consume more resources with time, until they’re on their own). And honestly, NFP might not be very feasible for people in third-world/developing countries, as it requires things like charts and thermometers and such, especially if the people trying to use it have a limited level of literacy (heck, I’m in college, and I think I’d have a difficult time making it work if I was to ever decide to use it).
Although, since you mention NFP, do you know why exactly NFP is advocated while condoms are frowned upon by either the Catholic church or any other pro-family organisations? Because, honestly, they have the same purpose (to prevent unplanned pregnancy) and the same result when properly used (97% of the time they prevent pregnancy). So if the intent is the same, and the results are the same, does it really matter if the difference is abstaining from sex on certain days or just a little piece of latex? Either way, it’s deliberately intended to change the couple’s chance of conceiving...
Sure thing
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