"The condom will be with you...always"
At last it appears that the catholic church is ready to 'reverse' it's line on the use of condoms in the most aids stricken areas of Africa.
Whilst this is a religious bombshell akin to the Holy hand grenade of Antioch it does beg the question - is this the beginning of the end for Catholicism in this country?
You may argue that the faith has been in decline for many a year now (highlighted by the faith cross-section in the 2001 census) with 23.2% stating that they had no religion, were agnostic, atheist or Jedi.Did Darth vader influence the census in Merthyr Tydfil?
Whilst much has been made of the shocking revelations over the last few millenia that *gasp* there may not actually be a God, I believe that it is the presence of a greater, truly omnipresent being that has precipitated this stagnation in faith. The media.
A series of PR disasters over the last decade has shown the church to be as clueless as the sheep who follow. The stance adopted initially towards Gay clergymen, said use (or lack) of condoms in Africa as well as revealed disidence from within the cloth. One former priest even admitting lying about being Catholic as this was the only way that he could get to help to some of the most deprived people on the planet.
So this must be good, the slow, revealing striptease of an age-old institution with not enough substance to hold the lies together. In a vast number of ways this statement is true. Instead of people relying on (dis)organised religion to pull our strings, we can make decisions for ourselves "for we are all individuals".
Then it hit me like a large crucifix in the face at 20 knots... could it be that Media IS the new religion, the new control the new God?
So I throw it open to all of you - discuss...
Whilst this is a religious bombshell akin to the Holy hand grenade of Antioch it does beg the question - is this the beginning of the end for Catholicism in this country?
You may argue that the faith has been in decline for many a year now (highlighted by the faith cross-section in the 2001 census) with 23.2% stating that they had no religion, were agnostic, atheist or Jedi.Did Darth vader influence the census in Merthyr Tydfil?
Whilst much has been made of the shocking revelations over the last few millenia that *gasp* there may not actually be a God, I believe that it is the presence of a greater, truly omnipresent being that has precipitated this stagnation in faith. The media.
A series of PR disasters over the last decade has shown the church to be as clueless as the sheep who follow. The stance adopted initially towards Gay clergymen, said use (or lack) of condoms in Africa as well as revealed disidence from within the cloth. One former priest even admitting lying about being Catholic as this was the only way that he could get to help to some of the most deprived people on the planet.
So this must be good, the slow, revealing striptease of an age-old institution with not enough substance to hold the lies together. In a vast number of ways this statement is true. Instead of people relying on (dis)organised religion to pull our strings, we can make decisions for ourselves "for we are all individuals".
Then it hit me like a large crucifix in the face at 20 knots... could it be that Media IS the new religion, the new control the new God?
So I throw it open to all of you - discuss...