Well, since we're talking about 'hot' issues now, I'll tell you my opinions on the Pope's conservative policies (since they're made quite clear after his passing). I'm a male and a pretty devout Catholic, and respect the Pope greatly, but I still disagree with some of his rules.
1) No women priests - I disagree. Male priests provide a fatherly figure, which is cool. But we need a maternal figure as well. It will be a great balance, I'm sure.
Plus, from what I can derive from the Bible, all people are equal in God's eyes. And if the Church can tolerate and accept criminals, even murderers, why can't the hierarchy accept devout, caring women?
2) Homosexuality as evil - I disagree. Same reason as before (except for the fatherly - maternal figure bit)
3) No pre-marital sex - I agree. It's not impossible to do, people
!
This is probably the most misunderstood rule of them all. It's not there for inconvenience! For the religious, sex is a sacred thing. For Catholics, for example, the sacrament of marriage is not complete without sex (I bet a few of you knows that)!
For the non-religious, it is something that can lead to dire consequences if the couple is not prepared - which is the case for most couples who had pre-marital sex - (eg. unwanted pregnancy, contraception or no contraception), plus divorce rate is higher for those who committed pre-marital sex than those who didn't.
This is because after marriage, there's nothing special about sex anymore. Been here done that, you get over it! What, then, is the point of marriage? Great, you're now officially husband and wife, and (perhaps) your wife's surname will change! Other than that, not much else is added to the relationship. Might as well not have the ceremony (too costly, marriage these days
).
Religious or non-religious, not having sex before marriage strengthens the bond between a man and a woman. Women know our hormones, so they appreciate those who resist them (some even get turned on by it!).
Imagine how special, then, your first sex will be (after marriage of course)! It is a statement (made by a man especially) that 'I'm not in this relationship for sex only' (of course we are in it for sex too, but it's not the centre of it!).
Plus, it now acts as a seal/covenant to the relationship - 'from now on, I will not engage in any other intimate relationships'. Sex will be sooo much more satisfying. Through this, we give meaning to sex - its significance is emphasised.
You see, it's not so much a sin to breach this rule, rather it's made for better LONG-TERM relationships. And don't you think it's true, intuitively?
Well, I'll shut up now. I was going to do more, but it's too much already (sorry!). I hope with the third point, though, some of you realise why the rule exists, and eliminates any misconception involved. If you decide to ignore the rule anyway, then at least you can appreciate the people who follow it
. Thanks!