[SpamCop-Social] Re: well they've chosen the new Pope

[Miss Betsy]

"Frog Prince" <devnull at spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:d4n5rc$800$3 at news.spamcop.net...
>
> "HeyBub"
> |
> | Um, depends on WHY you're using artificial birth control. If
the purpose
> is
> | to prevent disease, it's not a sin.
>
> Not according to the Catholic church which is one of the AIDS
problems in
> Africa.
>

That's where 'individual conscience' comes in.  The Church teaches
that artificial birth control is a sin, but it also teaches that
sometimes one has to choose between the lesser of two evils and
that is usually a matter of conscience (based on an informed
conscience - informed meaning knowing official teaching).

Most people don't have informed consciences.  And priests often
conveniently emphasize the parts of the teaching that they think
are important so that parishioners get the impression that
'whatever' is a sin - like divorce (which isn't).

I am not sure that HB is correct about sex before marriage being a
venial sin.  There are all kinds of rules that the Canon Lawyers
have thought up which decide when a sin is venial or mortal - but
most pew Catholics decide something either is a sin or isn't a
sin - and both artificial birth control and sex before marriage are
considered to be sins, in general, and to be avoided.
Unfortunately, using a condom requires thought and makes the
resulting sin worse because one decided to do it.

Actually, the ban on artificial birth control is not as dumb as it
seems, but it is one of those subjects where the extremes have
control so there is no real discussion.

Miss Betsy