How the Catholic Church has made AIDS worse and killed millions.

[AtheistCrusader]

Excerpt:

Condoms and HIV/AIDS in the Philippines
Condoms have long been a flashpoint for controversy in the Philippines, a country that is nearly 85 percent Catholic and is heavily influenced in its AIDS policy by the Vatican. Since the early 1990s, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has issued official statements vilifying condoms, campaigned against legislation that would expand condom access, and levied personal attacks against government officials who favor inclusion of condoms in HIV prevention programs.14 The secretary of health under former President Fidel Ramos, now Senator Juan Flavier, was denounced as an agent of Satan by the former archbishop of Manila, Jamie Cardinal Sin, for pursuing a bold strategy of condom promotion in the 1990s.15 At a public rally in 1994, the pro-life cardinal reportedly threatened to “tie a millstone around [Flavier’s] neck and drop him in the middle of Manila Bay.”16 When Flavier distributed condoms to journalists covering President Ramos’ 1992 trip to Thailand, conservative Senator Francisco Tatad accused him of promoting “promiscuity, lechery, adultery, and sexual immorality” and called for his resignation.17 As recently as 2001, Cardinal Sin issued a pastoral exhortation entitled “Subtle Attacks Against Family and Life,” in which he referred to “the naturally occurring minute pores present in all latex materials” and stated that “the condom corrupts and weakens people . . . destroys families and individuals . . . and spreads promiscuity.”18

Worth a read, covers multiple regions and has citations for days.
https://www.hrw.org/reports/2004/philippines0504/5.htm

[Major Nikon]

1. But whutabout Chinese atheists?

We need a "counterpoint" right now!

[AtheistCrusader]

2. They actively promote condom use for contraceptive and anti-STI purposes.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221846011_Condom_use_in_China_Prevalence_policies_issues_and_barriers

Their issues are mostly around quality control, and combatting counterfeit condom distribution.

[Major Nikon]

4. Uh-oh, someone isn't going to be happy about this

I can see at least two more train wreck threads in our near future as a response.

[MineralMan]

3. Another case where rigid doctrines were misused

and caused unspeakable harm.

[Major Nikon]

5. As the cliche goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions

The problem is the RCC was told time and again about the lives they are destroying, yet still they persist. At some point you have to chalk it up to pure evil.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. The pessimist in me says 'working as intended'.

I sincerely hope my inner pessimist is wrong.

[MineralMan]

7. Well, my pessimism runs to the idea that

the RCC hierarchy has no concern whatsoever about individual human beings or whether they live or die. They consider "larger" issues to be more important.

Those "larger" issues have to do with arcane doctrinal questions which are at the core of that hierarchy's priorities.

I was reminded of that when the previous pope refused to consider allowing gluten-free hosts to be used in the Eucharist. Now, that might seem to be a ridiculous thing to worry about, but it was worried about. The altar bread must be made of wheaten flour, because reasons, so no gluten-free version could be offered. Perhaps they thought it couldn't make the transition to being actual flesh. The mystery of transubstantiation could not occur, because miracles are limited that way, I suppose. Similarly, unfermented wine cannot convert to blood, either, since at least some fermentation is required, according to doctrine. Reasons.

Such are the issues that concern Popes and their minions, apparently. I was roundly condemned for that kind of thinking by someone who used to post her, but cannot any longer. I guess my point was not made.

[AtheistCrusader]

8. Up to a point, I think that's true, but

They will make changes if they start losing too many butts in seats.

I had some issues with that particular lawyer myself, but fortunately the site admins are quite good at torpedoing socks, so it's been much better in here.

[MineralMan]

9. That's already happening.

So far, they're just closing parish churches and consolidating. Schools, too. Church attendance and donations are down everywhere. But, they're not changing. Just retrenching.

Fewer people are becoming priests and nuns, too. So they just shut down seminaries and convents. Or they import priests from other countries.

They're not changing, just contracting and getting smaller.

[Major Nikon]

16. Alleged lawyer claimed anonymously

Even if true not a good one as the arguments looked more like fallacies easily debunked. Always struck me as more of a bullshit artist.

[edhopper]

10. This doesn't count

because a few Catholics somewhere treated AIDS patients well.

[Cartoonist]

11. But they did it in secret

Or they could have been excommunicated for saving lives. That's the real message of the RCC.

[guillaumeb]

12. 2004.

But I understand your need to respond to positive posts.

[AtheistCrusader]

13. And I understand your need to deflect from historical fact.

[Lordquinton]

14. What's your point?

You literally told everyone in the thread about some theists role in the aids epidemic to start their own thread, so they did.

Now you're coming to those threads and dismissing them the exact same way. Your agenda is plain as day.

Now, do you want to discuss theist's roles in the deaths in potentially millions in the ongoing aids epidemic?

[Major Nikon]

15. Same shit as always

Religionists do evil shit while being aided and/or abetted by their religion? Human nature!

Religionists do something benevolent they probably would have done with or without their belief system? Thanks, religion!

Some people are just ate up with the doublethink.