Abstinence vs. Condoms
The
public press ridicules the idea that people should control themselves.
It is said that the use of condoms is all that is needed to avoid
pregnancy, disease, and AIDS. But
this is not true! The use of condoms can induce pregnancy, sexually
transmitted diseases, and even the most deadly forms of them. The
only safe route is to avoid all sexual relationships until marriage, and
to only marry an equally abstinent person. The following very
excellent statement was made by a knowledgeable, overseas Adventist
health worker. We
reprint it in the hope that it will be shared with young people and
that lives may be saved as a result. Only obedience, by faith in Christ,
to the Ten Commandments can bring happiness in this life. This
statement was made by Dr. Paul Wangai, Jr., Director, Health/Temperance
Department, Eastern Africa Division. We would urge you to photocopy this
page and share it with others. Let
the word go out: Obedience to the Moral Law of God is what the world
needs.
vf Condoms
are not 100 percent protective. Some latex material in condoms have
pores or channels 5 microns in diameter. In contrast, HIV
measures 0.1 of a micron! [This is 1/10th of 1 micron, or 1/50th of 5
microns.] Furthermore,
17 percent of the partners, using condoms for protection among married
couples in which one partner was HIV infected, still caught the virus
within 18 months. That is one out of six! A
U.S. Food and Drug Administration study duplicated the stresses of
sexual intercourse, to test whether the viruses would leak through the
pores of a stretched latex condom. The study . . showed that between
14 and 29 of the 89 condoms tested leaked a significant amount of test
particles. It
went on to say that researchers concluded that leakage of ejaculation
[sperm, which can carry the HIV virus] was real and therefore the use
of latex condoms can substantially reduce, but not eliminate, the risk
of HIV transmission. This
study has been published in at least three places. If leakage in 29 out
of 89 condoms occurred, that is only 33 percent of the time! And
the leakage was ejaculation [sperm]. The HIV particles are 1/25th the
width of sperm in an ejaculation. [In
other words if, one third of the time, sperm passes through the condom,
then HIV virus can pass from the sperm and through the condom even more
easily. The present writer found a report in the early 1990s, in which
the University of Texas declared that an HIV study revealed that condoms
consistently leaked HIV virus at least 30 percent of the time.] Given
these findings on HIV size and leakage, what rational, informed
scientist would place his or her trust 100 percent in such flimsy armor
and risk his or her very life? Furthermore,
is it likely that young people, in moments of unbridled passion, will
stop to remember the 13-steps a U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services publication recommends, including:
Store condoms properly, in a cool, closed container.
Pay attention to expiration date on condoms with spermicide.
Use a water-based lubricant. Petroleum products (e.g. jelly) must be
avoided.
Be cautious about vending machines, since extreme temperatures reduce
efficiency.
Do not keep condoms in wallet or pocket for more than a few hours at a
time; increased temperature will occur.
Do not open package with teeth, sharp nails, or scissors.
Check to see if condom is gummy or sticks to itself.
Check tip for brittleness, tears, holes, etc. . . It
is clear that our AIDS prevention efforts should not offer false
security, by telling people that risk of HIV transmission is removed by
the use of condoms. Abstinence can provide protection which condoms
cannot offer. Let us not fool the people into believing they are safe
when they are not safe. AIDS
education programs . . have not shown any significant and consistent
decrease in sexual activity, pregnancy rates, or sexually transmitted
diseases, including AIDS. The
so-called safe sex solution to AIDS prevention is a disaster in
the making. Condoms are not the solution; values are! The only common
sense solution is abstinence before marriage, then marriage with mutual
fidelity for life to an uninfected spouse. Programs
that encourage teens to postpone sex until they are old enough have been
very successful [statistics given]. There is a consensus: AIDS is one
disease you don't want to get! Condoms are only 70-85 percent
effective. Students
need to get a strong, clear message: Saving themselves until marriage is
the only 100 percent, sure way to be protected from disease and
pregnancy. Let us be honest with them about the high failure rates of
contraception. Let us teach them skills to help them save sex until
marriage. [That concludes Dr. Paul Wangais message. Please accept it as a truth which, if followed, can save you from multiplied sorrow and, very possibly, an early death.] METHODISTS
SHOCKED BY SAME-SEX ACQUITTAL The
fallout from the Creech issue is causing committed evangelical pastors
and members to leave the United Methodist Church (UMC). The entire
denomination has been shaken. On
September 14, 1997, Jimmy Creech (53), an Omaha pastor, performed a
marriage ceremony (covenanting service he called it) uniting two
women in holy wedlock at his church. This threw the entire denomination
into an uproar, and multiplied thousands demanded that he be fired. In
November, he was suspended by Nebraska Bishop Joel Martinez, and
everyone awaited the decision of a 13-man jury of Creechs peers,
selected from Nebraska clergy. On
March 13, 1998, after more than three hours deliberation, eight of the
13 jurors voted that he had violated the order and discipline of the
church, but nine votes were necessary in a church trial to convict. He
is an elder in full connection in the Nebraska Conference and is
immediately reinstated, the bishop declared. This
decision let Creech return to the pastorate of one of the largest
congregations in the state: the First Methodist Church in Omaha.
Following the decision, the case was declared to be closed. As far as a
lot of Methodists were concerned, that closed the denomination to them. As
soon as the verdict was announced, the courtroom erupted in joy, on the
part of some, and anger by others. Ron Wright, a open homosexual, jumped
about shouting, We won! We won! He said it had brought justice
and freedom to the Methodists. The
church is open to everyone, no matter what their abilities and sexual
orientation, he added. The civil rights of gays and lesbians were
established here. In the future, I hope the church can be even more
open. There
were others who, fearing that would happen, decided to do something
about it. Standing
on a chair after the verdict, Creech was jubilant. We have a victory
to celebrate, a victory for the church tonight! The jury voted to affirm
the grace of God to all people and the integrity of the pastoral role to
be in ministry to all people, he cried. Creechs
Omaha church, with its 1,900 members, was split over the issue. Many
have already abandoned the denomination, and more are planning to do so.
Ironically,
Creech had earlier been refused a pastorate in North Carolina because he
openly advocated gay freedom. One
Omaha member, Casey Biehl, said, I feel betrayed . . It does not
matter what we as lay people say. When you shut the billfold, the people
whose salaries we are paying will
listen to you! Church
leaders knew what they were doing; for, in a related vote, taken the
next day, they agreed that Creech had, indeed, performed a homosexual
union on September 14. But
that decision only added to Creechs jubilancy. The church is
willing to stand for the acceptance of gay men and lesbians! As
soon as the terrible verdict was announced, Bishop Martinez appealed to
bishops of the denominations eight-state South Central
Jurisdiction, to formally request the Judicial Council the church's
Supreme Court to rule on the status of this matter. Time
passed while members waited. Perhaps
the verdict could be reversed. But they were shocked when, despite a
groundswell of protest, on May 6, over the protests of the South Central
Jurisdiction, the highest level the Council of Bishops officially
rejected a request to hold a special session of the top legislative body
to deal with the issue of same-sex marriage. (It
came as small consolation that Martinez, of Nebraska, announced on May 6
that he would not reappoint Creech as Omaha pastor.) Unlike
our own denomination which is pretty much asleep, conservative
Methodists are uniting for
action. Patricia Miller, executive director of the Confessing Movement
(CM), representing 1,100 UMC churches and
500,000 members, declared There will be repercussions if the
United Methodist doctrine is not upheld. They stand in defense of
Biblical beliefs while our people let them be compromised. The
next UMC general conference is not scheduled until the year 2000, in
Cleveland. Asbury
Theological Seminary, two bishops, the Good News magazine,
and CM are demanding action of some kind against this open door to
sodomy. When
CM met in Tulsa in April, they unanimously adopted a statement to be
sent to all UMC bishops, to hold each other accountable in teaching
and defending the doctrinal and ethical standards of the Book of
Discipline. In
a separate statement the warning was given: If there is any weakening
of these Biblical and disciplinary standards, we will be forced to
reconsider our commitments to the existing structures of the United
Methodist Church.
Meanwhile, according to a report we have, sizeable numbers of members
are withholding funds or leaving the church. Over half of the members in
Creechs Omaha church have left. In California, 22 UMC ministers are
leaving the denomination, with many
hoping to take their local churches with them. A
number of local congregations are withholding all funds from the
denomination. William
Abraham, a professor at Perkins School of Theology, in Dallas, says UMC
moderates realize, for the first time, what their church will look
like if those committed to theological and moral revisionism get their
way. It
is time that our own people take a stand for our historic
beliefs before they pass away.
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