Think HIV/AIDS was god's punishment on gays? (Catholics, Christianity, Christians)
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At the same time, we can't deny that sodomy is high-risk behavior, and that the rate of HIV is 44 times greater in the gay/bi-sexual community than in the straight community in America.
I'd have to dig around for statistics, but IIRC the rate of new cases in the gay community is plummeting, while in the heterosexual community it is rising. I will see if I can get the time today to go find the study I'm thinking about.
(Oh, and the term 'sodomy' covers more than just...backdoor action, so that's a bit of a misrepresentation to say all of it is high-risk)
Edit: Yes I know that most people don't still think it's god's punishment, but there are some even on these boards here who still do. They're here, they're biased, and they're who this OP was directed at.
I'd have to dig around for statistics, but IIRC the rate of new cases in the gay community is plummeting, while in the heterosexual community it is rising. I will see if I can get the time today to go find the study I'm thinking about.
(Oh, and the term 'sodomy' covers more than just...backdoor action, so that's a bit of a misrepresentation to say all of it is high-risk)
Edit: Yes I know that most people don't still think it's god's punishment, but there are some even on these boards here who still do. They're here, they're biased, and they're who this OP was directed at.
MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) are the only group in which new HIV cases are rising in the U.S.
They account for 4% of the U.S. population, but about 50% of all HIV cases.
The numbers are staggering. At the end of 2009 there were an estimated 22.5 million people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (the part below the Sahara desert), and 460,000 in North Africa and the Middle East. AIDS is now the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa – killing an estimated 1.3 million people in 2009 alone. In the same year another 1.8 million became infected with HIV.
Traditionally HIV transmission has been particularly high among injecting drugs users, men who have sex with men and former plasma donors. However, in recent years HIV has bridged to the general population, and now heterosexual sex has become the dominant transmission route.
42% probably acquired HIV through heterosexual contact;
35% were men who had sex with men;
4% were injecting drug users;
30% were female;
and 10% were 15 to 24 years old.
Note how there's HIV/AIDS all over the world, and among all sorts of groups. If God was really trying to target the Gay Community in the U.S, don't you think he sort of missed his target?
He's "Exhibit A" anytime someone wants to paint Christians as reasonable.
Campbell does say things I find deeply weird and I argued against his deal on the Ica stones pretty strongly if you remember.
However one unreasonable Christian doesn't tell us anything about whether Christians are reasonable. I don't think anyone, even Campbell himself, denies that some Christians are unreasonable or downright stupid. Still I think you might have been joking so I'll stop for now.
In the U.S. What about outside the U.S.? I don't think God only focuses on the U.S.
Note how there's HIV/AIDS all over the world, and among all sorts of groups. If God was really trying to target the Gay Community in the U.S, don't you think he sort of missed his target?
I never attributed anything to God because I'm an atheist.
You statistics don't say anything about the rate of aids in gay communities overseas.
The most likely reason there is so much AIDS in the developing world is that the number of open sores there are greater, so they are more likely to get HIV via blood transfer.
The second most likely reason is the developing world has erroneously attributed all sorts of deaths to aids, simply because they don't keep good stats.
Campbell does say things I find deeply weird and I argued against his deal on the Ica stones pretty strongly if you remember.
However one unreasonable Christian doesn't tell us anything about whether Christians are reasonable. I don't think anyone, even Campbell himself, denies that some Christians are unreasonable or downright stupid. Still I think you might have been joking so I'll stop for now.
I was joking, and in my mind I was imagining you cringing ever time he talked on behalf of Christians.
As mentioned, I think we need to see Aids as something independent of sexuality. As has been pointed out, it's not just gays that have Aids, anyone can get it. Things like condoms would be a great help if we would just let people use them...
Hmm hmm hmmm...I wonder what I am mis-remembering then. I need to go dig around, I could swear I saw a study that said that heteros are beginning to outstrip gays in the HIV/AIDS department.
To me this is one of the most appalling aspects of Satan's deception of the human race. He constantly tries to mischaracterize God and has eliminated himself from the analysis of why bad things happen.
Some points on a Christian view
1) We have always been endowed with free will from the start of creation.
2) Satan said God was lying. He said, if we chose to decide good and bad for ourselves, we would positively not die.
3) Sickness and death are a result of the choice to decided for ourselves what is good and what is bad (this was not a choice FOR free will, but a choice using our free will to reject the guidance provided by God)
4) Even after that decision, God has provided instruction to lead a better life. He has not said follow me or I will punish you. He has said follow my instructions and you will avoid the consequences of doing bad.
Secular view
The contraction of STDs is directly related to the engagement of sexual activity with high risk partners.
Interesting how "high risk partners" is equivalent to someone who does not follow God's recommendation for good behavior.
People say I will not be a slave to a God that tells me what to do. Then why do they want to blame God when their choices lead to negative consequences? A plane crash is not an "act of God". I do not think there has ever been an analysis of a crash that concluded God forced down the plane.
Satan is to blame for this system we are currently living in, however he only has a part of that blame. It is the individual humans that are to blame. We chose to engage in high risk sexual behavior, or neglect maintenace on a plane, or decide to fly through the storm to make our schedule. It is not God's fault when we chose to take the risk and lose.
Part of this may come from the false teachings in christendom too. They teach that all our sins are forgiven under any circumstance, all I have to do is say I believe, and ask forgiveness: there is no personal responsibility or consequence for our actions. It appears to make people think that faith is a safety net regardless of their actions, and they are thus disappointed in God when stuff happens. A sign of Satan's deception when the result is a questioning of God.
HIV/AIDS is NOT a punishment from God, it is the consequence of a personal choice and ignoring good advice. If anyone shares the blame beside the individual making the choice to engage in risky behavior, it is Satan; for leading the human race into thinking we will be better off ignoring God's advice.
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