Condoms and the Catholic church in Poland

It's also MUCH cheaper to buy contraceptive pills in the UK for example, they were free at one point, could still be for all I know. Unfortunately, many Poles don't have the same standard of living as those in the UK and have less disposable income, therefore they are gonna look for the cheaper option, i.e condoms. If the church tells them not to use them then they are not in a good position. I don't know about Poland but in Scotland we start sex education at the age of 10/11. By the time we reach 16, we can have sex as of right. Who gives the church the right to intervene and dictate something that should be decided by the individual? Do they possess or have access to superior knowledge than your average person on the street? Not necessarily. They are just trying to give themselves a role but are rather overstepping their remit

Why do you comment issues that you have no idea about?

Why do you comment (on) issues that you have no idea about? Well Lesser, I'll interpret that as 'please reply, I'm lonely and I want a battle with sb' as u don't know me. Please admit that much!! The reality for me is that the church controls people like sheep here, who seemingly lack direction and need guidance. Whatsoever is wrong with reading up for yourself and making informed decisions FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES and not just the church? Answer me that!! Trust me, people buy what the church says, not merely taking it into account. No idea about it, hehehe, considering my Polish girl and I have discussed contraception in both our countries to a death and that we are both well-educated, I think it's u who needs to reflect a bit

Most of British folks, those who complain about our church have very little knowledge about it. I'm a Catholic and somehow never felt their supposed "dictate". If you reject some values shared by Catholic people then nobody force you to live among them. Why do you expect them to change to fit to your wishes? All Catholics here willingly follow (each one to different extend) teaching of the church. Also I can assure you that you are not the only educated person in this forum.

Given that Scotland and Ireland have large Catholic followings, u cannot assume I don't know about Catholicism but, hey, I don't profess to be a leading authority so let's turn this on its head and let this forum serve its educating function. U have just admitted that u r a Catholic so let me ask u what it means to be a Catholic. The world more and more sees divisions which has led to numerous conflicts rather than attempt to understand the other side. U have written good points on other threads so I'm willing to admit that I may have been wrong if u can give me a clear explanation of the tenets of ur faith as others have attacked u for being contradictory.

If I want to learn about French revolution then I read books about French revolution. If I want to learn about the Jews and Judaism I read a books about these issues. The same about Catholicism, if you are really willing to learn something you need to read some books. In the internet forum you could ask for example whether myself or somebody else recommend something on this issue.

I was talking about YOUR faith and why u r a Catholic, not some book account. I ask because there are too many people who just label themselves as something and don't understand exactly what they believe in. I'm not saying you but, for example, in Northern Ireland or Ireland where Protestants kill Catholics and vice-versa without understanding the other's position.

Why so backward ? Why not at the age of 3/4 ?

Backward? hehehe, I don't make the policies of my country but we'll probably never be as liberal as the Dutch or Scandinavians about sex education. Have you an ideal age for beginning sex education?

I believe in God and I'm trying to follow the teaching of the Catholic church. I'm Catholic because I was born in Catholic family and to this day neither atheists or other religions ( I plan to extend my knowledge of this issue in the future) sounds convincing to me.

That's fair enough, maybe u should contribute to the 'why should we believe in God?' thread more to reveal the different facets of ur belief

This is not my problem. This is up to you to decide.

I know that but there is a thread that is up and running and that u may have sth to say about it, that's all I wanted to say, nothing deeper

The "in Poland" part is irrelevant.
The position is that of the Catholic Church, so nothing in this matter is specific to Poland.

why should we use condoms at a church?

Hehehe, they would be holey which wouldn't be good

a similar part in the original posting has been bothering me since i read it first. she said she changed the topic bcause the students were 17/18.. don't 17/18 y/o have sex in PL? cutting off the discussion is definitely adding to the lack of knowledge and puts stigma on sex. whykeepo doing it? that's right on par with the priest, really.

Trust me, I teach students who are 15 and they are very sexually aware, sweeping this fact under the carpet achieves little. By giving youngsters knowledge doesn't mean they will act on it but the young absorb info like a sponge and will retain much of their sex education. There's no sense in taking the moral high ground, sex is a reality that we need to deal with.

I did and my kids came out all Wong. heheh.

The "in Poland" part was because it was related to a lesson with Polish teenagers, so in this case it was relevant to the reactions of Polish teenagers and their church "in Poland" :O)

i really should have quoted ukp as i am thinking we share the same thought.

I agree to a certain extent; but, and I mean but, we have to recognise our role in Poland as "English teachers" teaching English, and must never take the morale crusade of dictation what is right and what is wrong in a country that has a different religious culture than our own. May I quote one word "teddy bear", ok it's two but you get my drift :O)


Why did I cut it off, because it was a group of teenage girls, and I had a rather unfortunate experience with a teenage girl sending me messages through Gadu Gadu last year, which makes you very vulnerable to accusations, so much so that I reported it to my boss and showed my wife.

It left me feeling jaded, and that's the reason why now I steer away from these subjects; when it happens to you it's not very nice :O(

I agree with ukpolska, I didn't mean to come across that way. I am a live and let live kinda person. It's not for me to determine the curriculum/syllabus in another country, merely to sow seeds if u forgive the pun. Maybe food for thought is a better way to put it