What is wrong with the Catholic faith? Is it the most harmful religion?

Question

I just asked a question where I mentioned how the Aids epidemic in Africa was spread in part by the Roman Catholic church. As a response many catholics attacked the Africans for having sex before marriage and blaming them for their problems.

It is very easy to say "if only Africa followed our ridiculous guidelines that go against human nature aids would never exist".

The problem with the catholic faith is not that they spread their religion. That is fine everyone has the right to do that but they deny Africans condoms and other contraceptives that would save lives.

Catholics would rather let someone get aids and eventually die a miserable life than kill some sperm.

Catholics would rather have an unwanted child be born a burden to his family than never be born at all.

The reason I am angry is because there were a few charity organizations here in Toronto raising funds to give condoms to Africa and the Catholics prevented them from doing that.

Answer 1

The problem with the catholic faith is its failure to evolve at a necessary pace. Reforms are needed to modernize the Roman Catholic church. To criticize the Catholic faith is perfectly acceptable and necessary for these reforms to come.

Answer 2

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If by "faith" you mean Catholic Church teaches then no. There is nothing wrong with Catholic Church teaching.


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Catholicism is not harmful. Mankind in it's fallen nature is harmful.


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The Catholic Church is not actively engaged in speading AIDS. This is nothing other than an emotionally based accusation, not a logical argument. You need to calm down.


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Whether you want to believe it or not, the buck does stop with the individual. The Church teaches what it teaches - but it does not force it's will upon people. African Catholics know their calling to Christian chastity. If they choose to ignore these teachings, contracting AIDS is only one of many negative turns a life can take.

The Church promotes abstinence. You cannot deny the fact that there would not be a single unwanted baby born to any couple. You cannot deny that sexually transmitted diseases could not be spread between people practicing abstinence.

The African Catholics in quesiton know all this, but many choose to ignore both the worldy and cosmic wisdom of chastity. What you see, all those unwanted babies, all the disease transmission - all that is happening precisely because people are NOT heeding the teachings of the Church.


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I reiterate: a couple practicing abstinence CANNOT conceive or pass a sexually transmitted disease from one person to another. This is a FACT that you cannot deny.

The Catholic Church is advocating abstinence - the one thing guaranteed not to result in a pregnancy or a contracted disease.

Ridiculoous? Hardly!

You jusftify ridicule by claiming natural instinct. Hey, we're not animals. Animals run on instinct. That's why, when they get the urge, they just do it. People, on the other hand, are made in the Image and Likeness of God. This explains, in part, our ability to operate by reason and logic, not instinct. Yes, we will get the same "urge" as animals do but because we run on intellect, not instinct, we are capable of saying "no!" to that urge. That's why your natural instinct ploy doesn't hold water.

If more people thought with their minds, not with their genitals, there would be far fewer unintended pregnancies and much less sexually transmittd disease.


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Artificial contraception takes lives. It does not save them. First, the purposeof artificial contraception is to deny the conception of a human being. If you are going to advocate respect for human life, you MUST also advocate respect for unborn - even unconceived - human beings. They have an inalienable right to life just like the rest of us.

Second, no form of artificial contraception is 100% effective. At best it is 70%. Now, in the interest of saving human lives, are you justify a course of action that is only 70% and then vilify the Church for advocating a 100% effective method? If you had an authentically Christ-like charitable interest in the lives of Africans, not some jaded humanistic view, you would be right there with the Church advocating abstinence.


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You just don't understand how Catholics guage absolute morality. Getting sick, in and of itself, is not a sin. Using artificial birth control is a sin. You cannot justify an immoral action to oppose something that is not necessarily immoral.


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There is no such thing as an unwanted child. If a person exists, it's because God willed him/her into existence. There are no such things as accidental pregnancies. Oh, maybe the parents didn't intend to have a child, but that doesn't mean the child is unwanted.

People reap what they sow. Couples who are screwing around when they KNOW a child in their lives at this point might not be a good thing, are taking an aweful. An all powerful God is not going to be stopped by some freaking piece of rubber or a some pills. God's Son Jesus was conceived in the womb of a Virgin. Why should the Almighty be unable to create where ever else He wanted it?

You seem to think life, under certain circumstances, is a curse rather than a blessing. How misguided does one have to be to think one is better off never having existed at all... You cannot hold that attitude and advocate respect for life at the same time.

Your idea of 'right to life' seems a bit selective. If you are going to advocate the right to life, you must extend that right to ALL people, not just a select group.


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Thank God.

Answer 3

Oh my!

It is extremely apparent that you know very little about African history, culture, faith or practices.

Once you do, I'd be willing to write more on it.

I lived in Africa for 5 years, and am a Catholic. Never once EVER was the RCC ever blamed for AID epidemic by the AFRICANS...but now we have you; gordon shows up on YA to announce it. Amazing the ignorance.

Your angry? What exactly have YOU done to assist those suffering in Africa? Did you give up the comforts of your home, air conditioning, refrigeration, quality medical care, your family??? Been attacked by killer mosquitos that make the Texas variety seem like fleas.....wow. Curious.....yet your angry about condom distribution ....frankly I will say that Africa and condoms at this day and time is too late. Further, time aside you fail you recognize the culture of Africans and their simple refusal of utilizing condoms....

Like I have said previously...learn a bit about the culture, and stop making Westernized thoughts for a culture that is NOT Western, about the culture...and if your sooooooo angry, do something about it...live it a while then come back to me and we'll chat.

Next question.

Answer 4

I don't think the spreading of Aids can be totally cured by the simple distribution of condoms and contraceptives to Africans. The Catholic Church has been helping Africa with their situation for longer than the spotlight has been shone on them. Repetitively, the Church has called out for attention to be brought to the suffering of the people in Africa. When all we do here, is sit and blame their situation on others rather than acting to help solve the problem.

Answer 5

It's the same reason we Catholics teach abstinence to teenagers. Everyone wants to say that the kids are going to have sex anyway, so give them condoms and at least it'll be safe. Then unwanted babies comes along and everybody wants to complain.

Is it too much to ask a person to be responsible, not only for themselves but for others too? When a teenage girl has a baby, her life isn't the only one that's affected. The lives of her family, the boyfriend, his family, and on and on. Suddenly she has a responsibility she wasn't prepared for and she's not even out of high school yet. What about college? What about work? It just goes on and on.

In Africa, the immorality is literally killing them. To boot, the AIDS virus is twenty-five times smaller than the male sperm cell, which already passes through the rubber on many occasions, and yet we want to fool ourselves that condoms will stop AIDS? Who's living in reality and who's not?

God bless.

Answer 6

Judeo-Christian tradition has taught for thousands of years:
1. Single people should be celibate.
2. Married people should be faithful to each other (adultery is wrong).
3. Married couples should welcome God's gift of children and, therefore, artificial birth control is against the will of God.

If the world is going to ignore teachings about chastity (1 & 2), then why is the world so upset about teaching artificial birth control (3)?

People who are already ignoring the more important teachings about chastity (1 and 2) should have no problem ignoring the less important teaching of artificial birth control (3).

Even if a person infected with AIDS was to use a condom to help protect his or her spouse, condoms are not 100% effective (read the box) and the spouse may be infected and die anyway. A person who truly loves their spouse would not endanger them in this way.

In regards to sex outside of marriage, the Church makes it a practice not to tell people how to sin. Fornication with or without a condom is still fornication. Adultery with or without a condom is still adultery.

With love in Christ.

Answer 7

Please. If 'the Catholics' are doing what you are saying they are very bad at it. Africa is inundated with condoms. Condoms are not stopping the epidemic and they're not working. And the epidemic needs more that 'a few charity organizations here in Toronto' - it needs a concerted world effort to change living conditions in a continent.

Answer 8

Yahoo!Answers is not a very good source to see a representative about how all Catholics feel or even to make generalizations about Catholics or to test your hypothesis that the Catholic faith is harmful.

Answer 9

So you are angry at the Church for disapproving of peoples refusal to keep their genitals off of each other? Sounds like you've really thought this through.

Answer 10

Hmmm... so your problem seems to be with Catholics and not the church itself. Talk about throwing out the baby with the bathwater!!!
I am curious to know how many Catholics you have spoke with personally and asked them their views on these issues.