Monday, March 20, 2006

Nobody Should Die Because of Sex

(xported from The Salon II)

SPIEGEL ONLINE | EU vs. US: "Nobody Should Die Because of Sex"

"For World AIDS Day on Thursday, the European Union released a statement that was seemingly critical of US efforts to combat the deadly disease. Too much moralizing and not enough condoms seemed to be the message. SPIEGEL ONLINE spoke with Robin Gorna, head of the UK's Global AIDS Policy Team, about how realistic abstinence is, whether the US is helping or hurting, and how close we are to an AIDS cure."
I have said this from times immemorial, but no one listens to me. Well with the whole having a fairly conservative Christian country, the DRC, it is the kind of concepts that are very difficult to convey without appearing to be condoning depravity. But the fact of the matter is, in Congo, is that many fathers who would be reprimanding their 18 year-old about their promiscuity, also have 2 or 3 mistresses in other zip codes. And that attitude of do as I say, and not as I do, is something I have found in many communities here in the United States too. I have recently discovered that much of the puritanism is fairly hypocritical, except when it comes to homosexuality, the only subject on which they seem to grow a "Christian conscience". A humorist once said that White conservative women in the US are against abortion, until their daughter is pregnant of a black boyfriend. Then, I took it like just a funny joke. But it seems closer to the truth than I ever thought. Regardless, this business of promoting abstinence is not realistic, dangerous, and I would even say criminal. Call me crazy if you wish, but in my opinion, it is just as criminal not to yell fire in a movie theater when there is a fire, than it is to do so when there is not fire.

Still wondering...

2 comments:

Bill said...

It is tough to place Christian values on a non christian world. The ideal thing would be to share the gospel with non believers and allow the Lord to convert them and then they would have a new nature letting them know that it is not ok to have sex outside the boundries of marriage. But unless they are converted to the Lord, how can you expect an immoral person to become moral? Just my thoughts.

TheMalau said...

Thank you for your thoughts, Bill. I respect the fact that your faith makes it difficult for you to see morality outside acceptance of the Lord Jesus. But my own experience have made me see that morality is a positive force , and a value that is universal, regardless of religion and faith traditions. I have also seen that those that claim to be people of the Lord, are sometimes also capable of the most vile actions. Because of these experiences, I have resolved that I cannot use people's stated religion or faith tradition to determine whether people will follow certain moral principles.

So in these sexual matters, I am a realist. Humans, as moral, believing and self-controlled as they can be, will be humans, and fallible. Taking that into consideratio, is it responsible for any religion, to be so uncompromising on such matters as condoms? I wonder...

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