Team Obama likes to cite Warren's work on AIDS in Africa to combat criticism about the controversial pastor. But how does burning condoms save
lives?
Once hailed by Time magazine as "America's Pastor," California megachurch leader and best-selling author of
The Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren now finds himself on the
defensive. President-elect Barack Obama's selection of Warren to deliver the inaugural prayer has generated intense scrutiny of the pastor's beliefs
on social issues, from his vocal support for Proposition 8, a ballot initiative banning same-sex marriage in California, to his comparison of
homosexuality to pedophilia, incest and bestiality. Many of Obama's supporters have demanded that he withdraw the invitation.
Warren's defense against charges of intolerance ultimately depends upon his ace card: his heavily publicized crusade against AIDS in Africa. Obama
senior adviser David Axelrod cited Warren's work in Africa as one of "the things on which [Obama and Warren] agree" on the Dec. 28 episode of Meet
the Press. Warren may be opposed to gay rights and abortion, the thinking goes, but he tells evangelicals it is their God-given duty to battle one of
the greatest pandemics in history. What could be wrong with that?
But since the Warren inauguration controversy erupted, the nature of his work against AIDS in Africa has gone unexamined. Warren has not been
particularly forthcoming to those who have attempted to look into it. His Web site contains scant information about the results of his program.
However, an investigation into Warren's involvement in Africa reveals a web of alliances with right-wing clergymen who have sidelined science-based
approaches to combating AIDS in favor of abstinence-only education. More disturbingly, Warren's allies have rolled back key elements of one of the
continent's most successful initiative, the so-called ABC program in Uganda. Stephen Lewis, the United Nations special envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa,
told the New York Times their activism is "resulting in great damage and undoubtedly will cause significant numbers of infections which should never
have occurred."
Very long, but a very good read about this man and some of the issues and controversy that surrounds him .... very in depth .... i also found an
awesome comment on the page made by AlexLawyer on Jan. 8, 2009 at 12:55 a.m., although i may not agree with a little bit of the comment the underlying
notion is very good,
Warren is the same old sour, outdated wine in a shiny new bottle. People who reject modern science by promoting creationism (or cretinism),
ignorance-based sex education, homophobia, intercessory prayer, miracles and other nonsense are laughingstocks in Europe nowadays, but in the US
they're taken seriously.
The best way to undermine these charlatans is with dispassionate, logical, scientific arguments. You won't convince the deluded, but you can reduce
their recruiting success.
That's how we have to fight an epidemic of a deadly disease called ignorance.
The Artice As Well As The Comment Can Be Found Here
[edit on 8-1-2009 by baseball101]
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Yeah Warren is a hypocrite who doesn't practice what he preaches. He's no different than any of the other televangelists over the years...it's
about power and money for him.
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When the Left goes to this extent to smear someone as vigorously as they are trying to smear Warren, he must be doing something right.
Frankly, I've never given this guy a second thought, but now that the lunatic Left is doing their best to run him into the ground, I'm going to have
to consider sending him some money.
[edit on 2009/1/10 by GradyPhilpott]
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If he supported STD prevention by using condoms, instead of, you know, being all super-Christian... maybe somebody would still be alive who isn't.
Condoms are so inexpensive and they could be the key to combatting AIDs in Africa.
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reply to post by GradyPhilpott
What? Anyone who doesn't think like a right winger is a 'lunatic'? When you dismiss other's opinions without even looking into them, you're a
part of the problem.
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Yeah, any pastor, or religious figure anywhere, is a detrement to the human experience. Rick Warren is a idiot first and fore-most. Second i think
that any sort of religious organization trying to help with AIDS by promoting abstinence is just ridiculous.
Who thought that one up? "ok..so here's what were gonna do...go over there and preach the word of the "lord" and then burn condoms, tell them
that gays are evil.....and that'll help the AIDS effort....we'll scare them enough so they won't want to have sex anymore."
Great thinking christians...great thinking.
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reply to post by ravenshadow13
Originally posted by ravenshadow13
If he supported STD prevention by using condoms, instead of, you know, being all super-Christian... maybe somebody would still be alive who isn't.
Condoms are so inexpensive and they could be the key to combatting AIDs in Africa.
They could be, if the men would use them. Unfortunately, many tribes consider them unmasculine and they refuse to use them.
Education is the only way to overcome this type of ignorance.
For men who have extramarital affairs either due to migration or post-partum abstinence, awareness of the risks of contracting HIV/AIDS would be
the first step in preventing further spread of the virus. However, the prevalent assumptions regarding masculinity must be targeted as well. For
example, the belief that a man's need for sex is beyond his control explains and legitimates the social expectation for having many sexual partners.
Sexual excesses by urban men are often hallowed and viewed as prestigious.13 Men are also much more likely than women to see themselves as being
invulnerable to illness or risk, which may contribute to the ineffectiveness of awareness messages. Condoms are often viewed as "unmasculine," and
sex without a condom also adds to the sense of danger that traditional concepts of masculinity encourage. Clearly, the awareness campaigns will have
little effect unless a deeper ideological change occurs as well.
www.scu.edu...
To the OP: I didn't see where Warren advocated burning condoms. That was the work of Martin Ssempa.
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What? Anyone who doesn't think like a right winger is a 'lunatic'? When you dismiss other's opinions without even looking into them, you're a
part of the problem.
You assume that I'm as new to this planet as you are.
You also make overly broad generalizations.
I also doubt that you bothered to read the article or to consider the source.
Honestly, I don't think you know what the problem is, much less who's part of it and who isn't.
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