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L e t t e r s
You lie about condoms and AIDS
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This Rock
Volume 15, Number 6
 July-August 2004 
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Your response to the reader who took you to task for "destroying an entire continent" by spreading the message that condoms do not protect against AIDS ("Quick Questions," March 2004) was just another example of the shallow metaphysical sleight of hand that gives Catholic apologists a bad name.
You distract with the point that the condoms don’t protect against HPV (which has nothing to do with the writer’s accusation), then try hard to make the scripturally sound idea of preventing promiscuous behavior a good enough excuse for telling an outrageous lie: that condoms do not prevent the spread of AIDS.
I have always believed that Catholics are not to practice situational ethics. No one believes your "growing body of evidence that condoms in fact have a significant failure rate in the prevention of venereal diseases (including AIDS)." If there were such studies, you would have quoted them. As you say of the use of contraception in premarital sex (compounding one sin with another), you are obviously compounding one lie (that condoms do not prevent the spread of AIDS) with another (your phantom "body of evidence").
Do you honestly believe that God needs or wants you to lie for some "greater good"? Preach chastity by all means, but remember that the decision to follow or not to follow the path of Christ in this, as in all of the commandments, is up to each individual who will be judged by Christ for his or her decision. It is the worst sort of hypocrisy for you to lie, for that lie to cost people their lives, and then for you to rationalize that your lie was "for their own good."
John Rafferty
Waymart, Pennsylvania
Editor’s reply:
For the sake of brevity in answering questions, often we don’t quote studies. But since you ask (albeit in an indirect way):
"Condoms have a substantial failure rate for AIDS transmission. The risk of fatal infection is quantifiably significant. Among heterosexual couples studied using condoms in which one partner was infected, 30 percent became infected within the year" (M. Fischl, "Evaluation of Heterosexual Partners, Children, and Household Contacts of Adults with AIDS," Journal of the American Medical Association 257 [1987]: 447–449).
"Condom use was not significantly associated with protection against infection" (Padian, Windlestein, et al, "Male-to-Female Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus," Journal of the American Medical Association 257 (1987): 788).
"There are no clinical (human) data supporting the value of condoms in preventing the spread of a range of diseases including . . . human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the precursor of AIDS" (Lawrence J. McNamee, M.D., Brian F. McNamee, M.D., AIDS: The Nation’s First Politically Protected Disease. National Medical Legal Publishing House, 1988, 102–113).
"Sayings such as ‘the way to get AIDS is from unprotected sex’ should be avoided since they imply that ‘protected’ sex is safe. It is not" (W. Shepherd Smith, Jr. "Another Point of View: AIDS, HIV and Sex Education," AIDS/HIV News, January/February 1992, 12).
Sharing shmaring
Regarding your explanation of the miracle of the loaves and fish ("Quick Questions," March 2004), I too heard a sermon in which the priest said that the miracle was about "sharing." Unfortunately, I heard this just after I had returned to the Catholic Church after spending twenty years as a Protestant. Never in all my years in conservative Protestant Evangelical circles did I ever hear such nonsense. Can we give Jesus some credit here?
In this particular instance, the case for "sharing" is demolished when one continues reading the Gospel of Mark immediately following the story about the loaves and fish. When the apostles were in the boat, the wind comes up and Jesus comes to them walking on the sea. They were frightened. "And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves" (Mark 6:51–52).
Shirley Amdisen
West Hills, California
Still crazy after all these years
Jimmy Akin truly had a close encounter of the worst kind ("Meet Jack Chick," March 2004). I was fifteen years old when a school bus driver gave me one of Jack Chick’s tracts. And I remember as I got off the bus, the driver said, "You and I will make it to heaven." Now, some thirty years later, I discovered a tract on a desk in my Spanish class. It still hasn’t changed. They are still fascinating and horrifying. As a Catholic, I’m glad Akin was able to shed some light on this mastermind of doom.
Mark Purvis
Washington, D.C.
Our rich heritage
Just wanted to compliment you on the article "Catholics Need to Read Their Bibles" by Dave Armstrong (February 2004). For years I’ve had Protestant friends who have asked me, "Why doesn’t your Church emphasize the Bible more?" I have recently begun reading it more myself. I think that there is a lot to learn in the Bible, especially when we want to defend our faith and Church or we want to know where a teaching comes from. I’m really happy about the extra emphasis the Church is placing on the Bible without compromising the other traditions of our faith. I don’t think writing about paying more attention to the Bible is "upholding Protestants as examples" so much as it is reminding us of our rich heritage that comes from the Bible and how we need to remember that.
Maria Yaworsky
Washington, D.C.
Solid magazine, awesome faith
My name is Albert Romero and I recently came into the Church (four years ago, April 2000). I converted on the U.S.S. Boxer LHD-4 with three other males, all of whom are living the Catholic faith very strongly.
This Rock magazine has so inspired me that I am now pursuing the holy priesthood with the Legionaries of Christ. Thanks be to God the Father, Son, and Holy Sprit for a great solid magazine that not only teaches us about our awesome faith but inspires young people like myself. I wanted to thank you for all the great articles and work that goes into each piece of art.
Remember that there are many young people out there who say, "If only we had a leader, we would follow." With that said, this magazine brings lots of vocations into religious life. Thank you and God bless.
Albert Romero
San Diego, California
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