Reuters Wrote:Subway stripper arrested

Jul 11 - Chilean stripper Monserrat Morilles takes pole dancing act to Santiago's subway, but gets arrested.

It was guaranteed her act in skimpy underwear would get commuters' attention but Morilles said she had a different goal in mind when she took her performances to this rather unusual venue.

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Quote:MANILA, Philippines—Catholic politicians who push for abortion should not be allowed to receive Holy Communion because they are “in a situation of sin,” according to a top leader of the Catholic Church.

Ozamiz Archbishop Jesus Dosado has issued a pastoral letter saying that politicians who consistently campaign for and endorse permissive abortion should be taught about the Church position.

Priests should also tell the politicians that, unless they stop their pro-abortion actions, they should not insist on receiving the Holy Eucharist because they will just be denied, Dosado said in a report posted on the website of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, CBCP public affairs office chief, said the CBCP as a whole had yet to discuss the stand on refusing communion to pro-abortion politicians.

But it is in the canons of the Church that those who have engaged in abortion and those who have participated in such an act are banned from receiving Holy Communion, Iñiguez said.

They have to be forgiven first by a bishop before the prohibition could be lifted.

Dosado’s pastoral letter came days after the CBCP said it was alarmed by “anti-life” bills in the House of Representatives.

Bishop Broderick Pabillo said at a press briefing after the two-day CBCP plenary assembly ended last week that the bishops would lobby against the bills.

Quote: I find it painfully hypocritical that the CBCP would suggest not giving communion to members of the church simply because of their stance on family planning. What about other members guilty of other "sins?"

What about the politicos who steal from the people and still have the gall to show their faces at church every Sunday? That's been going on for decades, and yet they pick this as a reason to kick somebody out?

Why not also refuse to give communion to Gloria's entourage who flew overseas just to watch Pacquiao's bout, even as we were still reeling from Typhoon Frank's aftermath?

Talk about double-standards!

While I don't agree with Gabriella on many matters, I will side with their point that abortion happens simply because many women here have neither the financial nor the emotional means to care for their child. There are probably more reason, but given our level of poverty, this is the most likely cause.

If the church really is so against abortion, then why don't they care for the unwanted child? Or would they rather he/she will grow up in "a situation of sin," where starvation and neglect will push them to resort to drastic actions just to stay alive?

I am angered especially because I am also a practicing Catholic - since when did we end up leaders this backward-thinking? Family planning does not equal anti-life. If anything, it ensures that the couple will have the means to properly take care of their offspring.

As for the argument that sex education will lead to immoral acts - this flow of logic implies that reading about lockpicking will also encourage us to commit thefts, or that reading about serial killers will turn us into murderers.

Except that this doesn't happen normally - unless the one reading is already mentally disturbed - and it only reveals that the CBCP is selling their pulpit's common sense and integrity short. We are smarter than that, and we certainly deserve better leaders than that.

Sforza Wrote:Corrupt politicians don't go the church or congress and say, "hey guys, I'm a corrupt politician, lol!". They don't file bills legalizing corruption either. These pro-abortion politicians filed bills that stated they were pro-abortion, and that's the main difference. The technicalities to achieve this end don't really matter, so long as there's a fetus that doesn't end up as a baby.

The Catholic church isn't a democracy either. That means either you accept the official stance, or you're living in sin. You're free to switch religion if you can't accept that.

Sforza Wrote:The Catholic church isn't a democracy either. That means either you accept the official stance, or you're living in sin. You're free to switch religion if you can't accept that.

Sforza Wrote:Well, the Pope is supposed to be God's representative so whatever the Pope says is canonical. AFAIK/IANAL (I am not a lawyer), (but) having improper or malicious thoughts actually is a minor sin. I don't know what canon law states either, but I don't think openly disagreeing with any official church stances will do well for any member of the clergy. I do believe sex education is permissible and should actually be taught to all students.

TS, if possible could you please post a link to an online version of the bill if it is available? I'd like to take a glance at it just to see what the fuss is about.

Honestly though? I couldn't care less about this issue xD Population control is another matter altogether.

Quote:A lawmaker in the Philippines has introduced a bill designed to prevent minors from purchasing violent video games.

As reported by the Asian Journal, the measure proposed by Rep. Narciso Santiago (left) could imprison retailers for up to one year for selling mature-themed games to underage buyers.

Santiago cited studies showing increased aggressiveness following violent game play. The lawmaker commented:

[The state has] compelling interests to prevent violent, aggressive, asocial behavior [and] prevent psychological harm to minors who play violent video games, and prevent physical harm to the victims of violent minors, including other minors.... It is also the responsibility of the state to eliminate any societal factors that may inhibit the psychological and neurological development of the youth and facilitate the health development of the youth into well-meaning productive adults.

Twin-Skies Wrote:For the record, a parent who does not read the damn ratings on the game they're buying for their kid DESERVES to be landed in jail. It's called parental responsibility.

J.E_Magog Wrote:I have nothing against people who want to prevent minors from buying violent video games.

Quote:Video game violence has become more realistic if you ask me.
We didn't grow up with that kind of realism when we were kids.

Quote:IMO retailers and video game shops should take responsibility. It's those pirated copies that is making those violent games accessible to young kiddies in the first place. You can't just rely on parents because they can't keep an eye on their kids 24/7.

Twin-Skies Wrote:Agreed again, although quite frankly, a child's exposure to violence isn't just in games. Look around you - even watching the local butcher slaughter pigs and cows would count as violence. I'll bet you plenty us have seen at least one relative slit a chicken's throat or gut a fish to prepare a meal, all before we ever hit age 13.

theGrim Wrote:Personally, I think we have more pressing issues to look after which affects a wider range of people, like soaring fuel costs.