 |
| Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary |
Catholic leaders and NDP face showdown in Edmonton | Opinion | Calgary Sun
Catholic leaders and NDP face showdown in Edmonton | Opinion | Calgary Sun
Good will to all men? Not from the grumpy atheists! (Thank God not all atheists are grumpy but there sure seems to be a lot of them)
Why is it that so many in the atheist community cannot bring themselves to get past their anger whenever they engage in discussions? The language of many of their contributions in public debate is laced with invective and dripping with sarcasm and bile. There are exceptions of course, but they tend to fall more into the category of being the 'exception that proves the rule' when compared to the hostility of many of today's atheist posters. Comment offered by the theists in the public square is often depicted as being 'malicious' or 'venomous' and intended to enslave the 'feeble minded and weak' by those who post. Nothing could be further from the truth. Venom is something that is oriented to death. Christians are oriented in a 180 degree different direction. We speak not to the culture of death that grips our world but rather for the culture of life and light which ends with the gift of eternal life. For example, the Catholic Church in its hum...
He was the bishop who came out against the HPV vaccine for children as he felt the threat of cancer contracted through sexual contact would keep them chaste. It is too bad for the wife whose husband is fooling around but enforcing morality through threat of death isn't without its side effects. (I actually e-mailed him on this topic and got a response from him)
ReplyDeleteLet's hope he's retired if and when they come up with an AIDS vaccine.
He may be good at arguing for the other aspects of the faith but I would suggest he needs his moral compass fixed on this issue.
Michael: I sincerely doubt that he considers the argument as you have framed it. He is not the type of man who would use the threat of cancer/death as an appropriate inspiration for chastity. His point was that the HPV vaccine was just the latest in a string of innovations that culminate in young people believing that they can engage in sexual activity without consequence whenever or with whomever they please.
DeleteFurther to the safe sex part, I just saw the following on Facebook: "Condoms don't guarantee safe sex anymore. A friend of mine was using one and he was shot by the woman's husband."
DeleteDoesn't really add anything to the discussion but I found it related in a humorous kind of way. (grin)
His statement "If we don’t attempt to change sexual behaviour that is responsible for transmission of the HPV, but attempt to solve the problem by getting a series of shots, then we don’t have to exercise self-control, nor develop virtue" says essentially one can't have both. If the student gets the shot then they don't have to exercise self-control. That's not so. Once can get the shot and exercise self control, it's just without the shot one has an extra non religious reason to abstain, threat of cancer.
ReplyDeleteTouché on the joke.
Here's my joke. Moses was coming down Mount Sinai and as he approached the expectant crowd he said "I've got some good news and some bad news. First the good news. I got him down to 10. Now the bad news. Adultery is still one of them." My old parish priest told us that one is catechism class.
ReplyDeleteHere was my letter to the editor when a Toronto Catholic School trustee decided that HPV vaccine was a moral issue. ( http://www.thestar.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editors/2014/12/08/hpv_vaccine_not_a_moral_issue.html ) No one ever makes a moral issue out of other vaccines, only this one that counters a virus that is primarily but not exclusive spread through intimate contact. I truly worry what the reaction would should an AIDS vaccine be developed.
ReplyDelete