Because I am a hellbound, critic of religion…..and an unapologetic athiest unafraid to point out hypocrisy, lies, or anti-scientific, supernaturalistic rhetoric wherever I see it…..I have often been labeled an anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, anti-Jewish bigot.
That's fine, of course,…I'm not bigoted towards any specific religion or denomination, let alone the folks who sit in the pews…..but this is America, and people have every right to say whatever they want to.
Just like these guys….
Setting aside for now Tucker's introductory statement that Obama's appointee to the Faith Based Initiative Counsel was a, "continuation in a long list of radical appointees by this president…"
What did Obama's appointee, Harry Knox, appointed back in March, actually say about the Pope's comprehension of the connection between condom-use and HIV-AIDS prevention?
In the video clip, Knox was responding to a question over a previous comment he made concerning condom-use and HIV-AIDS prevention. Knox had said something like this…..Pope Benedict is "hurting people in the name of Jesus" because the Pope did not support the promotion of condom-use as a method of controlling the spread of HIV-AIDS.
Q: "Do you believe the Pope's position on condoms is still 'hurting people in the name of Jesus?.
Knox: "I do."
Q: "And so, even in light of every (garbled) Harvard researcher in AIDS prevention who said that the Pope was correct and that condom use aggravates HIV….the spread of it in Africa? So..in light of that, do you still stand by your statement about the Pope?"
Knox: "He is simply incorrect in his assertion. All the other evidence of science shows otherwise."
Tucker Carlson's immediate comment was…."Many Catholics, understandably, are outraged at Knox's comments. In particular, the assertion you just heard, that the Pope is hurting people in the name of Jesus.
A coallition of Catholic leaders have signed an open letter to the president demanding he fire Knox."
Excerpt from the letter….
"The self-proclaimed anti-Catholic bigot you appointed to head up faith-based partnerships has reiterated his deep seeded prejudice against the Pope and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and your failure to remove him from office speaks volumes about how much you really value respect for diversity and religious differencs."
Well now……who is correct here?
Here's the original statement about HIV-AIDS from Pope Benedict, made during a trip to Africa….
…. "a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which can even increase the problem".
"the traditional teaching of the Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/Aids".
Naturally, scientists, disagree…..
One of the world's most prestigious medical journals, the Lancet, has accused Pope Benedict XVI of distorting science in his remarks on condom use.
Lancet said the Pope had "publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue".
It said the male latex condom was the single most efficient way to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV/Aids.
"Whether the Pope's error was due to ignorance or a deliberate attempt to manipulate science to support Catholic ideology is unclear," said the journal.
"When any influential person, be it a religious or political figure, makes a false scientific statement that could be devastating to the health of millions of people, they should retract or correct the public record," it said.
"Anything less from Pope Benedict would be an immense disservice to the public and health advocates, including many thousands of Catholics, who work tirelessly to try and prevent the spread of HIV/Aids worldwide."
First…..this so-called argument is the very reason why religion, and the leaders of religion, should be kept out of governmental affairs. America does not have a religion-based governmental framework.
Second…..as Galileo, and other science-based Catholics have demonstrated over centuries…..the Catholic Church has ALWAYS been miles behind scientific advancement and modern solutions to complex modern science-based problems. The Church is, after all, faith-based…..not science-based.
Third…..and this one is my biggest beef…..everything Harry Knox said, all of it, was true.
Like any other terrible disease….the spread of HIV-AIDS undoubtedly "hurts people." The Pope is, according to Catholic doctrine, the representative of Jesus on earth. The Pope……and I don't think this is arguable…..speaks for Jesus here on earth. When the Pope speaks ex-cathedra…..he is regarded as the vessel of Jesus, himself,…..as if Jesus is actually speaking through the Pope.
Therefore, even though Catholics don't much like what Harry Knox said….Knox was correct in saying that the Pope's anti-scientific assertion that condom-use actually makes the spreading of HIV-AIDS worse….."hurts people in the name of Jesus."
The Pope, representing a supernaturalism-believing, religious enterprise….. can speak to his flock anyway he wants to. And, of course, Harry Knox, representing a scientific-based U.S. government, is entitled to point out the Pope's non-comprehension of scientific findings.
Finally, disingenuous Fox lackeys, like Tucker Carlson,….have every right to try to fulfil Rush Limbaugh's ex-cathedra decree…. "Obama should fail." That's little Tucky's perogative. Naturally, this foolish, trumped up attack on Knox is but another bullet-shot at damaging, discrediting, impeding, or dismantling the Obama presidency….something Fox and Fiends began believing in, religiously, back in 2008.
{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }
So if you're so anti "religion in government", why does this Knox dude even have a job to go to? "Faith Based Initiative Counsel"…isn't that religion and government all mixed up together, making people into science hating zombies?
Oh yeah, you are wrong. In America, you don't have the right to say whatever you want to. Remember "hate speech"? People on the left are always trying to outlaw that. Like everything else they do, it depends on the target. Rednecks, "retards", military members, cops, religious people, fat people are all fair game. I have a hard time keeping up on the left's approved stereotype list, maybe you can fill me in.
There really isn't any doubt that following church doctrines would be a much more effective way to control the spread of AIDs than distributing condoms, Reverend. It's not even an arguable point, really.
gizz is correct. Knox shouldn't be working for a "faith based" agency of the federal government. But just as Obama has refused to hold the Bush administration responsble for their Iraq crimes, so too Obama is continuing with many Bush violations of law. I have criticized Mr. Obama for doing just that.
larry….if fat people would simply quit eating they would lose weight. That would be the best way for them to lose weight. They aren't going to do it….but sure as hell, it would be the best thing for them, you know, if they wanted to lose weight.
The Pope telling people that condom use makes the AIDS problem worse is totally unacceptable, flat-earth thinking. If the Pope believes his own bullsh*t, then he is worse than a modern day flat earther. A rejecter of science, who rejects the findings of science to promote his own hocus-pocus.
Those who think that anti-science church doctrines are the answer to social problems like AIDS would have been the first folks to vote that Galileo should be ex-communicated for saying the earth revolved around the sun.
Wrong side of history….and all that.
We've been sending condoms over to Africa for the last twenty years, Reverend. It doesn't seem to work. Maybe in some cultures using such contraptions is less reliable than trying to stay monogamous. There's nothing anti-science about considering that possibility, no matter how many times you trot out the name of a guy from about 400 years ago.
And from your post it sounds like some Harvard researcher or researchers agree with the Pope, in any case.
Any educated, yet biased, winger will say anything.
It's the consensus of science that counts.
You still are avoiding the issue. Humans, genetically, are driven to have sexual activity. Catholic teachings prey on the fact that humans have such a natural desire for sexual activity. Catholic teachings about sex make Catholic members feel guilty about their own, genetic, sexual drive.
The rest is crowd control…which is handled weekly in the Mysteries.
Now you sound like Al Gore with the consensus talk, Reverend. It's not only creepy, but reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of the scientific process and community.
He shouldn't have used the word " Jesus" although he is 100% correct. That's why I believe keep religion out of the government and all religious language.
And who is the guy with the paper bag head ? To call him a bigot is over the top exaggeration – the church is hurting the welfare of many because of their Lack of teaching – And I am a catholic
larry….is there a consensus in the scientific community that planet earth is round? How did that scientific community come to that consensus? While that scientific community was coming to that consensus, were there many, many others who rejected the scientific communities' consensus….insisting that the earth was flat?
Same with just teaching abstinence when it comes to pregnancy and spreading disease.
Your closed-mindedness, partisan hackery and desire to impose such opinionated bigotry on others never ceases to amaze, Reverend. A recent study just showed that abstinence works.
http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/thehumancondition/archive/2010/02/03/the-new-abstinence-education-study-is-good-news-so-why-are-liberals-freaking-out.aspx
I have no opposition, whatsoever, in advocating a teenagers-should-delay-sexual-activity-til-they-are-adults message. However, abstinence only is not enough. Teenagers need to be educated correctly on pregnancy prevention and disease transmission. Humans, whether teenage or not, have the right to all the information available on a topic so vital to them personally.
What I don't get…..is why some conservatives discourage teaching teenagers about contraception. Do conservatives really believe that simply telling teenagers to refrain from sex will result in many or most teenagers actually refraining? Turning a blind eye never solves anything.
generally speaking, I side with the rev on this one…at least in the comments section. As a semi-conservative rightists, I realize there's the way we want to world to be, and the reality. Sometimes it takes a little compromise
larry…..I did a study too……if you stay in your house your entire life you won't be involved in an auto accident
kool, huh?
I'm not against teaching kids or Africans about contraception, or about distributing condoms, etc., in the proper setting. But I also wouldn't call someone an anti-science evil nutbag for pushing abstinence, a method that has worked better than condom distribution for millenia.
I would tend to think if you wanted to get an experts opinion about abstinence being a proven method you would consult Bristol Palin.
I'm pretty sure Bristol didn't abstain, walt.
King…..good observation
"I also wouldn't call someone an anti-science evil nutbag for pushing abstinence, a method that has worked better than condom distribution for millenia."
That's, of course, crazy.
Let me be clear. It's worse than you stated. The Pope is a businessman, not unlike any other Fat Cat Wall Street Bankster. Not in the slightest. The suits are different. The Pope, being the businessman that he is, thinks business first. His business is expanding his church. Can't expand the business as fast if Catholics are using contraception. Don't forget, Catholics don't evangelize, as such….because the Catholic Church membership grows through biology.
That business….church expansion through biology…..is primary to the Pope. Everything else….like curtailing the spread of a terrible disease…..pales in importance. Rather than admit that condom use can and does help prevent the spread of AIDS…..the businessPope lies to support the business.
That's worse than being an anti-science evil nutbag.
Rev thinks the Pope is against condoms in Africa because he wants to grow the Catholic church ???????????? Whew. At least you got the word "nutbag" right. You just didn't apply it to the right person.
On this subject in general, I'll just say – You can preach abstinence, but you can't force people to be abstinent. You can preach condom usage, but you can't force people to use condoms. The HIV problem in Africa is to a large degree cultural.
Insisting on loyalty to church doctrines of abstinence and no contraception use is more important to the Pope than the suffering and increased death count of AIDS victims.
When a religious leader demands loyalty to anti-scientific dogma over the suffering and deaths of victims…..what should we call it?
Piety?
There's nothing unscientific about it, assuming you understand the issue at a seventh-grade health class level, Reverend.
Or maybe it's third-grade these days. When do they introduce fisting?
Maybe I'm just a nutbag, too, but the fact that reproduction holds such a core role in Catholic doctrine seems like a thinly-veiled way to strengthen the numbers. And ultimately, condom (or other contraceptive) use diminishes that. I have to side with the Rev. on this one.
I adore old frail men in Ball Gowns, and dunce caps…telling people how to Live. Love those Prada loafers. They look divine with the man gowns!/ How ya like me now!?