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Originally Posted by Baron Opal
No, its the Pope's position that sex be heterosexual and within the bonds of marriage. And not too many Christians really care what the Pope thinks. Sure, the Catholics have too, he's the boss there. The Episcapalians and Anglicans politely listen, and then ignore what they don't like. All of the other denominations don't give a rat's ass what the Pope thinks, and occasionally get a kick out of defying some edict.
The Episcipalian stance is that contraception is practical, and homosexuals are welcome in the church. Yes, they do insist that sex wait until marriage. If I recall correctly, the only Christian demonination that has a contraceptive ban is Catholic. Acceptance of homosexuality varies widely between denomination and parish.
And it's only hypocracy if you preach one thing and practice another. Determining what the Bible is telling us and what is relevant to today's world is what Bible study groups are for, and they can get quite lively with their discussions. It is those discussions that religious and faith-filled people determine what and how they are going to practice their faith and how it pertains to sex and other issues.
Did I have sex before marriage? Sure, it was great fun. But I took responsibility for my actions and we have a lot of options not available to the ancients. The Bible is not, actually, an iron clad document. Many Christians believe that it is. Many also do not.
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heh, you haven't known many Catholics either then
Most Catholics are much like how you describe Episcopalians and Anglicans. Part of the reason for this is that they understand that almost everything the Pope says is
not considered infallible, just authoritative guidance. Furthermore, most Catholics who were around at the time the Catholic church stated that contraception was wrong are also aware of the circumstances surrounding the decision. A council of bishops was convened to analyze the situation and nearly all (minus I think 3 or 4) agreed that they were not a problem. The Pope sided with the miniscule minority. Hence why my grandmother, one day after a mass when the priest was preaching about the Catholic church and contraception, walked up to him and told him that when the church would pay for the roof over their heads, then she would stop using contraception.