[jacquesm]

Dogma and religion go hand-in-hand, it's disturbing that this is still the case today.

For instance, the roman catholic churches stand on on condoms is absolutely irresponsible and causes a lot of trouble for a lot of people every year.

The only thing they'd have to do is to be able to admit they were wrong all along, wipe some of that dogmatic slate clean, but that's too high a price to pay for them, because it will lead people to wonder about what else they might be wrong about.

[tptacek]

I'm pretty sure that's not why the Catholic church isn't going to promote condoms, Jacques. In the meantime: don't go to the Pope for medical advice. He's not a doctor.

[jacquesm]

It's not that he's not promoting them, he's actively condemning their use, besides that, there are large numbers of people that will follow his advice against the advice of their doctor.

The pope should not be handing out medical advice precisely because he is not a doctor, but that does not seem to stop him.

Real damage is done by this dogmatic stance.

[tptacek]

It was dumb of me to take the bait, and now I regret doing so. Sorry.

[jacquesm]

> it was dumb of me to take the bait, and now I regret doing so. Sorry.

An insult in an apology :)

Joke for you: Judge: John, what did you say? John: I said he was an asshole. Judge: Apologize for that! John: Ok. "George, I'm sorry you're an asshole".

It wasn't meant as bait, sorry you interpreted it as such. It's just that the way the church has dealt with scientific stuff (and medicine is science too) is really painful and problematic to me.

Lives are at stake here, millions of them, especially in Africa and one word from one guy could change this, and he chooses not to speak it.

[stonemetal]

Any proof of that? Everything I have read shows that the uptake in condoms in Africa hasn't caused a proportionate decline in AIDS. This makes me question the hypothesis that condoms are the answer to the problem.

[jacquesm]

Condoms are not 'the answer', they are part of an answer.

This is not 'proof' but some background:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7950671.stm

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/opinion/18wed2.html

the Cochrane paper:

http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102272852.h...

[jacquesm]

> Everything I have read shows that the uptake in condoms in Africa hasn't caused a proportionate decline in AIDS.

On another note, your expectations are wholly without merit, the use of condoms can only halt the spreading of aids, but not its prevalence, and hence will never cause a decline.

Only the grim reaper causes a decline in aids.

[kdeberk]

People don't go for the pope for medical advice, they go for spiritual advice.