BOSTON (Reuters) - A Connecticut abortion rights group has angered some conservative Christian groups by selling condom key chains that include an image of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel with God handing Adam a condom. "It's an example of depraved morals and contempt for the sensibility of Catholics everywhere," said C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts. The $3 (1.7 pound) key chains sold by Planned Parenthood of Connecticut on its Web site come in 28 designs including an image of a U.S. flag with the stars replaced with the words "Wear with Pride" and a Statue of Liberty holding a condom instead of a torch. Another reads" "Condoms are cheaper than diapers" over a cartoon of a screaming baby. Judy Tabar, Planned Parenthood of Connecticut's president and chief executive, said growing controversy over the key chains sparked a surge in Internet traffic to its Web site this week. She said 100,000 visitors swamped the site on Thursday, causing it to shut down temporarily, after Internet columnist Matt Drudge posted a statement by a conservative Christian group condemning the key chains as "blasphemous." I honestly don't see what they're complaining about. It just seems like anything that even mentions christians these days are getting flamed down and banned. Should we all just move into a white, padded room to prevent anybody from ever getting offended at anything, ever again? Church + power is bad, mm'k?
Hey now... Honestly, though...the picture of Michaelangelo's Sistene chapel is NOT copyright by the catholic church. I suppose you can get up in arms about it if you please, but that image has been used for hundreds of things before with nary a complaint. And I'm even catholic.
No, but it's on their ceiling, so I guess they feel a bit possessive about it... still, not the first time they overreacted.
gotta love it when the Catholic church gets up in arms about condoms and abortion still. I mean come on, you've lost guys, find something else to fight about. In the UK you get free condoms everywhere, school, doctor, hairdressers, when you arrive at Uni, is it really that much different in the US?
i can see the point in these christian groups throwing a stink after all the most religions do no pre-marital sex. The fact that these religious symbols are now being associated with the major pre-marital sex tool like a condom seems kind of ironic even to me. What would jesus do? Keep it in his pants...
In the religious texts, god specifically denies man the right to make graven images of that which lies in heaven -- therefor, the church was in the wrong in the first place to even consider such a painting. If they want to compare gods will, lets compare: condom: prevents STD's, suffering, arguably incourages promiscuity -- but safely painting: disobey's one of gods tennents, directly, without any interpertation. hmm... yeah, I wonder...
First of all, i ROFLed at that ^ Second of all, those hypocrites need to give up while they still have members.
Its true, if you need balloons go get some condoms, they're easier to find and free! The Catholic church's main issue is that a condom allows you to have sex with no chance of having kids, which they believe is wrong (no forms of contraception as a man should not "waste his seed" or some such). I dont think this is just a pre-marital sex issue as lots of married couples use condoms as well as many dont like using the pill or other more permenant measures.
The Catholic church stands for life and has an anti-abortions stance (abortion kills life). Of course a painting can be used for a coke product or the simpsons or whatever, but when that same painting that has been on your property for hundreds of years is used by a group to promote killing life would you expect anything less than a mountain of steaming cow **** pass through a high speed fan?
Meh, if we aren't supposed to "waste our seed," why do millions of them go to no use even if one does? I'm very dissapointed the article didn't have a pic, though.
Well, it's not actually an issue with wasting seed. In the hard-line Catholic perspective, the issue with condoms, or any birth control for that matter, is more about how the Catholic church sees marriage. The Catholic belief is that marriage serves two purposes in God's eyes: fidelity and fecundity. In other words, God wants us to find and be faithful to our spouse (fidelity) and to procreate (fecundity). In that respect, using any measure to prevent life inherently breaks God's wish for us to procreate (hence, no condoms). Now, not too long ago this was a very hard and fast rule for Catholicism. But don't let these groups define all Catholics. The vast majority of Catholics that I know, me and my wife included, use birth control. After my mother had me, she went to her priest and asked for guidance. She was in her 30s, had just had her 3rd child, and was concerned for her future (both her health and financial future). Her priest told her she was done having kids and instructed her to find a method of birth control. Every religion has its fundamentalists, Catholicism is no exception. On the other hand, as much as I disagree with them, they have every right to be upset. Just as most of the Catholics I know don't have an aversion to birth control, I do know some that feel so passionately about life that they can't fathom the idea. Planned Parenthood of Connecticut chose to use the image; I can't think that they didn't see it coming. Of course, it proved a good way to drum up publicity. I may not be an old member, but I've been around long enough to see where this thread will inevitably lead. I would ask that before you bash Catholicism, or Christianity for that matter, talk to some of them. We actually can be pretty open and understanding when you get to know us. -monkey
Sorry if I came across as bashing anyone, i just didnt want to sound too certain of what i was saying as im no bible scholar. You right about where this thread will most likely end up as well. Back OT i think its pretty obvious that planned parenthood chose the images for shock value and the extra publicity that generates, but in my and many other people's opinion extra publicity for methods of contraception is a very good thing.
Despite the fact that a catholic group was named, I'm betting most of the noise is coming from the Christian groups (Yes, there is a difference). The delicious irony in all this is that it can't help but promote Planned Parenthood's agenda. Somthing the consertative groups still haven't figured out is that when you protest a product or service in the media you give that product or service a tremendous amount of free publicity. The article even mentioned that they wern't a big deal until this religious group started protesting and then their webserver went ape. I guess there is an element of "Take yes for an answer" here.
It's an unneccesary association which, if the Planned Parenthood people had thought about it, is going to cause trouble. Why bother?
No worries. My post wasn't necessarily directed at you, but more at the thread in general. I'm no Biblical scholar either. Although I'm Catholic, my personal opinion is that no one single religion has it all right. To me, part of being Christian is not knowing all the answers. Being Christian is about constant learning, and sometime even changing a viewpoint. I can see how 2000+ years ago, with infant/adult mortality rates what they were, and given the general socio-political climates of the time, it would be advantageous for a family to "be fruitful and mutilply." After all, the king really needed that male heir to keep the throne in the family. Bring all that into the present day, and the context changes. But like I said earlier, for some people the creation of life is a fundamental part of their faith, and they just can't fathom the idea of preventing or destroying it. They have every right to protest, as their opinion is just as valid as Planned Parenthood. -monkey
