Ratzinger condemns condoms

[rasoforos]

I salute the Pope in his adherence to the basic Church principles. Expected nothing other than exactly that.

Amen brother. And his holiness should finally do something about all those heretics that say the Earth is a Sphere. Also we should start burning witches again because it is a good old church tradition...

Furthermore, this refusal to bow down to secular pressure is once again an indicator that the Catholic Church serves God and God alone

How do we know God does not like rubbers? No really, there is no verse about rubbers in the bible. It is a bit far fetched to assume that God agrees.

Come to think of it, Orthodox Church is also pretty much the same way: they do not look kindly upon condom use.

They know better than that... I have yet to see an archbishop issue anti-rubber decrees.

[rvg]

Amen brother. And his holiness should finally do something about all those heretics that say the Earth is a Sphere. Also we should start burning witches again because it is a good old church tradition...

Church does not doubt the shape of the Earth. If fact, as far as Christianity is concerned, the shape of the Earth is irrelevant.

How do we know God does not like rubbers? No really, there is no verse about rubbers in the bible. It is a bit far fetched to assume that God agrees.

Genesis 38:6-10

They know better than that... I have yet to see an archbishop issue anti-rubber decrees.

So, if you ask an Orthodox priest whether or not it is okay to use condoms, will you receive an affirmative answer?

[rasoforos]

Genesis 38:6-10

γνοὺς δὲ Αὐνὰν ὅτι οὐκ αὐτῷ ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα, ἐγίνετο ὅταν εἰσήρχετο πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἐξέχεεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ μὴ δοῦναι σπέρμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ.

Ok first of all lets see the piece of story that this whole thing is based on.

There is this guy Judah who had three sons. One of them, Er, got married to Thamar. But God did not really fancy Er so he murdered him. He then went to his brother Onan and said 'Go your brother's wife so your brother has descendants but Onan would ejaculate on the earth because the descendants wouldn't be his. So God killed him. Then the father of the two boys said to the widow 'When my young son grows up you will get married to him'. But time goes by, the third son becomes adult and still Thamar doesn't get her third husband.

One day, after his wife died, the father goes to shear some sheep. Thamar gets covered from head to toe and goes to wait for him to pass by. When he does he thinks she is a prostitute and long story short he promises her a kid goat to have sex with her. She complies and gives birth to twins.

<---- This?! This is supposed to teach us morality...Women passed around and promised to people and tricking old men who don't mind visiting prostitutes soon after their wife died...ya...


There is no explicit mention to contraception or to condoms. It is however explicitly explained that:

a)If God wants you to have sex with your late brother's wife to have children then you have to do it.

b)Your sperm should not fall on the earth (and I have to say that condoms are a great means of making sure it does not)

[Sarmatian]

b)Your sperm should not fall on the earth (and I have to say that condoms are a great means of making sure it does not)

There are other ways, too, but most women are reluctant to do it

Now that someone mentioned Orthodox Church, I have to say I don't remember Serbian Patriarch or any other high-up in the church advocated not using rubbers. If you go to a priest and ask him specifically about condoms and/or other contraceptives he may say something but I don't think there was an active campaign against contraceptives ever. It seems Orthodox Church is more liberal when it comes to sex, for example, Orthodox priests are allowed to get married and have kids. Just an observation, though, I could be wrong. I'm not really into religion...

[Rhyfelwyr]

The special circumstances in Genesis 38:6-10 mean that the passage is not particularly well suited to deriving doctrine from. It is not specifically because he spilled his seed, but rather that he disobeyed God, that Onan is killed.

There's nothing else in the Bible to suggest that contraception would not be OK to use. I suppose sex without procreation would still have a good purpose for any married couple, whether it would strengthen their relationship, improve their health or whatever. Indeed, God created Eve to Adam would not be lonely, and sex may be a valid part of their relationship, whether or not it produces children.

On the other hand, it seems decadent to rejoice in worldy pleasures, which would be very much against the message of the New Testament. So I'm not sure.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Amen brother. And his holiness should finally do something about all those heretics that say the Earth is a Sphere. Also we should start burning witches again because it is a good old church tradition...

He was talking about principles, not traditions, there is a big difference.