Speaking of "PedoRay...."

Economy of action.

If you're Catholic, you work on reform from within.
If you're not, you act as a concerned citizen to keep a watchful eye on anyone who might be a sexual predator, and take legal action.

Standing outside a church and throwing rocks at the windows ain't helping anybody.

And the Africans dying of AIDS because the church told them condoms are a scam?

If I manage to break a window, the rain and the sunlight will get in. Then the whole place rots from the inside out and collapses.

For what it's worth, I don't have a special rage-boner for the Catholics or anything. If there were Muslims or Jehovah's Witnesses or Buddhists here vocally defending their religions, I'd be addressing them as well.

The one enduring savvy of the Catholic church is its ability to assess the culture of the region where it's proselytizing.

Looking for converts in pagan Europe during the so-called Dark Ages? Let your converts keep their gods. Just call them "saints," and you still get to pass the plate every Sunday.

Looking for converts in the New World? Study the blood sacrifice of the old religions, and tell the native peoples "Hey, look, we got crucifixions...the gorier the better!" If you have any doubt, take a look at the religious art from Mexico, et al. for confirmation.

Looking for converts in Africa? Work with the age-old regional belief that Real Men Don't Use Protection, and buy into it. "Hey, you're right! Everyone knows condoms'll make your dick fall off!"

Now, you want to do something about AIDS in Africa? Join or contribute to the NGOs that are working counter to the Church's disinformation campaign. Doctors without Borders, etc. can use your help.

Throwing rocks at the windows makes you feel good. This:

http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/programs/africa?ref=gausc

will actually do good.

Yes, fighting wicked things can have that side effect.

And if opposing wicked ideas isn't fighting a wicked thing, well, then what is debate for?
What is WF for?
What's democracy for?
What's the point of this shit?

It's a matter of choosing your audience.

Are you Sarah Palin at a Tea Party rally, or Sokar in a Hair Club for Men infomercial, or the guy standing in front of the tank in Tianamen Square without saying a word?

I'm Kyle Broflovski at a NAMBLA meeting.

(I can't link to the Youtube video from work.)

In real life, or just in the Red Room?

Sorry - Missed this one earlier.

Is this really an honest question?

Both, actually. But in both places, I don't usually start unless someone brings it up first. (I likely wouldn't have started this thread if I didn't see the opportunity for the thread title.)

I heard somewhere that many of the people in Africa don't want the condoms, regardless of if the church endorses them or not. They have as many kids as possible on purpose because they know that a lot of them will most likely die before reaching adulthood.

That's the way to beat Malthus.

It's the way the poor in agrarian societies with high infant mortality rates have survived since the beginning.

Every sperm is sacred
Every sperm is good
Every sperm is needed
in your neighborhood!

All the heathens spill theirs
On the dusty ground
God shall make them pay for
Each sperm that can't be found

Every sperm is sacred,
Every sperm is great.
If a sperm is wasted,
God gets quite irate.

OOH! OOH! I demand a "My Fair Lady" style musical!

You can if you like... Is there awkward or anything unpleasant about Mormonism you refuse to acknowledge?

Not only that, but Constantine infused and merged a lot of the Zorostrian and Mithraiac doctrine into what we know as Christianity.

Why did I hear the lyrics from "Who's Gay in Hollywood?" (parody of "Hooray for Hollywood," sung by "Bette Midler" in Forbidden Hollywood) when I read this post?

Zorostrian???