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Editor's Note: Shannon Ethridge is an advocate for spiritual and sexual integrity. She is a counselor, speaker, author and certified life and relationship coach. Her 19 books include the million-selling Every Woman's Battle book series, "The Sexually Confident Wife" and her latest book, "The Fantasy Fallacy," a response to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon, a discussion of the roots and role of sexual fantasies.
By Shannon Ethridge, Special to CNN
(CNN) - When a friend alerted me to the "Fifty Shades" trilogy in April, none of us had any idea it would sell in excess of 40 million copies within months, or that sales of whips, chains and other BDSM paraphernalia would skyrocket as a result, or that a European hotel would replace its Gideon’s Bibles with "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Many legitimate possibilities have been offered for the seeming success of “mommy porn.” Women are more sexually liberated than ever before. Couples are longing for ways to spice up their sex lives. Many women have a deep inner longing to be dominated by a man who’s absolutely obsessed with them.
While there might be some truth to each of these theories, I think the real force behind this "Fifty Shades" phenomenon is that our society is clamoring for closeness. However, in the absence of genuine sexual intimacy (best defined as “in-to-me-see”), we settle for sexual intensity: erotica, pornography, an office romance, an extramarital affair or whatever strokes the ego and provides the sexual high we crave.
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I suggest that sexual intensity (such as that experienced between the lead characters of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy) is simply not the same as intimacy. If it were, then prostitutes and porn stars would be the most emotionally and relationally fulfilled people on the planet. That doesn’t seem to be the case.
Does the entangling of arms and legs and the exchange of bodily fluids scratch the human itch for intimate connection? Or is sex just the closest thing we can imagine to what we’re really craving: a deeper spiritual and emotional connection, both with our Creator and with His creation?
When I explain through my writing, speaking and life coaching that I am an “advocate for healthy sexuality and spirituality,” some assume I’m insane. Why would someone even use the terms “sexuality” and “spirituality” in the same sentence? I do so because I believe they are basically the same thing, or at least two sides of the same coin.
Regardless of gender, age, race, political views, economic status, etc., all humans have two things in common: We are both spiritual and sexual beings. And behind every sexual longing, I believe there’s an even deeper spiritual longing.
So we have much to learn about God through understanding our sexuality, and there is much to learn about our sexuality through a deeper exploration of God.
Looking at sexuality through a spiritual lens, and vice versa, is not a new concept. In the Song of Solomon, a man's and woman’s desires for healthy sexual intimacy are celebrated. In the book of Hosea, God uses the analogy of a husband’s relentless pursuit of a sexually unfaithful bride to illustrate the depth of His own passion and commitment to His people. God obviously knew that “sexual metaphors” would teach us about ourselves and about Him.
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This brings me back around to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" phenomenon. I don’t believe that fantasy is evil, even sexual fantasy. But when we divorce physical pleasure from emotional connection, such as when we selfishly strive for orgasm through pornography, masturbation or illicit sexual encounters rather than cultivating sexual ecstasy with our marriage partner, sexual ecstasy is only “half-baked.” Love and relational intimacy are the “yeast” that allows our sexual ecstasy to rise to its highest level.
My counseling experience shows me that we often seek healing for our deepest wounds via sexual encounters. Our minds and hearts believe we will “get it right” or “find the love I need” via an intensely satisfying sexual relationship.
If deep and spiritual intimacy is what humans seek, then relational or sexual intensity can never satisfy our deepest longings or heal our oldest wounds. Christian and Anastasia (for all the "Fifty Shades" fans) won’t discover heart-deep intimacy in whips, chains, pain and sexual intensity. Their deep wounds will be healed by sacrificial love (of which Christ is the incarnate example) and intimate relationship (both human and divine). Soul-deep intimacy is what we seek, and it’s ultimately found in the God who created human sexuality.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Shannon Ethridge.
Think of ANY topic and some religious nut will try to find a way to make it about God.
As the Creator of all things, God plays a role in all topics.
bcarpe,
Which god?
bcarpe, As he is imaginary, he should not be involved in anything outside of your imagination.
ReigionIsBS... He's imaginary only in your mind. You're like a small child who's unable to accept reality and who likes to pretend. Because you're so afraid the big angry monster (the angry God) is going to get you, you're hiding under you bed and is trying to pretend he doesn't exist. But this is the real world. And here in this world, he does indeed exist. And he's still coming to get you no matter where you hide. LOL...
"But this is the real world. And here in this world, he does indeed exist. And he's still coming to get you no matter where you hide."
Which only proves this god you are worshiping is an evil psychopath, not a loving god.
Humtake... Pick any religious discussion about God, and atheists will swarm in like a flood to try and say God doesn't exist...
OV
You believe that there is an invisible man in the sky, that he watches you every day, and that he is coming to get all the bad people and take them to a special place to be punished. And you say atheist are acting like children? When one is telling another not to act like a child, one should not insist on the existence of invisible men.
Huebert... I've never seen any invisible man in the sky. And nor have you. My faith and my belief is not based upon some invisible man as you claim, but is based on a real man who walked upon this earth. His name was Jesus...
And that is the very reason you atheists always mentions some "invisible man in the sky" – you're trying to deny the existence of Jesus who was a real person you can't deny...
I don't deny that a man named Jesus existed about 2000 years ago in the middle east. What I deny is that he had any special powers or was the son of some mythical desert deity. It is that deity that I refer to as the "invisible man in the sky" . Jesus is a historical figure who most likely existed, God is, and always has been, a myth.
OV,
Jesus may have existed but there is no reason to accept the claim that he was a god.
@OpposingView There are plenty of Christian web discussions where atheists aren't allowed to view any opinions about God not existing. Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable is such a censored forum if free speech bothers you so?
Huebert… The only thing you're really telling us is "you don't believe it." So what? Just because you personally do not believe something or believe that it is true, that doesn't make it untrue. It only makes you an unbeliever. And we've all been aware of that from the start (that you're an unbeliever). So that's nothing new…
You then state you don't believe Jesus had special powers. What an idiotic statement to make. If he didn't have special powers, then how is it he could do the things he could do (heal the sick, make the lame walk, the blind to see, walk on water, etc)? Certainly no ordinary man could do those things? To me that fully qualifies as having special powers…
Lastly, since when have you become qualified to speak about any "invisible deity in the sky"? An invisible deity you have never even seen and don't know anything about, I might add. In fact, if someone asked you right now, "Where is such a deity? Show us." You' d have no clue and you wouldn't even know. Therefore, you're not even qualified to speak on the topic. And your opinion about such a deity doesn't mean a thing. All you have is just idle speculation…
" If he didn't have special powers, then how is it he could do the things he could do (heal the sick, make the lame walk, the blind to see, walk on water, etc)? Certainly no ordinary man could do those things? To me that fully qualifies as having special powers…"
It was all stolen. All hail Mithra!
Mithra Was born of a virgin on December 25th, in a cave, attended by shepherds Was considered a great traveling teacher and master Had 12 companions or disciples Promised his followers immortality Performed miracles Sacrificed himself for world peace Was buried in a tomb and after three days rose again Was celebrated each year at the time of His resurrection (later to become Easter) Was called "the Good Shepherd" Was identified with both the Lamb and the Lion Was considered to be the "Way, the Truth and the Light," and the "Logos," "Redeemer," "Savior" and "Messiah." Celebrated Sunday as His sacred day (also known as the "Lord's Day,") Celebrated a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper"
Please don't take this the wrong way.
Paul Bunyan must have been a god too because he had special powers.
You see just because a claim is made does not mean that claim actually happened.
Why didn't Jesus as god offer some verifiable information to humans that had never been known before? The claims of miracles were also made by other religions and religious figures....when you understand why you reject those as being true you will understand why we reject the supernatural claims of Jesus.
What you don't understand is that my qualifications to speak about are the same as yours. No one has ever experienced his presence, because he does not exist. If he did exist there would be some kind of evidence for him, but there is none. What I'm trying to get you to realize is that the whole thing, religion, God, the devil, all of it, is nothing more than primitive man's attempt to explain a world that was beyond his comprehension. 2000 years ago it makes sense that we humans believed lightning was the work of the gods, or that the earth was formed in six days. But in the light of modern science these explanations are obvious myths, no different from the hundreds of other creation myths through out human history.
Also, I'm sad that I have to explain this, if I don't believe that Jesus had special powers I don't believe he preformed any of the feats that would have required said powers, such as healing the sick or walking on water. The only reason I mentioned Jesus was you said I denied his existence, which I do not.
Hubert… I hate to tell you this, but someone has sold you a huge pack of lies. And unfortunately you bought it – hook, line, and sinker. And now you are deceived. So believe what you want. Just don't expect me to waste my time straightening you out…
There is no evidence to support your belief yet I am the one who believes a pack of lies? You my friend are a Poe, have a nice day.
OV, let me makes Huebert's point about your hypocrisy explicit for you, using your own "logic":
OV, the only thing you're really telling us is "you believe it." So what? Just because you personally believe something or believe that it is true, that doesn't make it true. It only makes you an believer. And we've all been aware of that from the start (that you're an believer). So that's nothing new…
Thank you OV. Your words are self-inflicted wounds. Methinks, if left on your own, you would soon disembowel yourself.
OV, if god were reality you'd be able to show proof. That is how we define reality. You do not have a single piece of evidence, let alone the large amount of supporting evidence required to show god is real - you know, real as in "reality." Simply calling your belief "truth" or "reality" does not mean you've achieved it. But it is kind of sweet to see you still playing with imaginary friends, in a retard sort of way.
@opposing: "You then state you don't believe Jesus had special powers. WHAT AN IDIOTIC STATEMENT TO MAKE. If he didn't have special powers, then how is it he could do the things he could do (heal the sick, make the lame walk, the blind to see, walk on water, etc)? Certainly no ordinary man could do those things? To me that fully qualifies as having special powers…"
WHAT AN IDIOTIC STATEMENT TO MAKE. let me count the ways: 1) the bible a 2000 year old book written by sheepherders put together by a roman dictator and cut and pasted by every pope in history is your authority on events that aren't recorded anywhere else in human history.......without stretching things a bit. 2) most medicine men throughout history along with snake oil salesmen have made the very same claims of being magical in manner. i know of a passage in the bible that states the followers of christ shall be able to cure the ill by placing hands on them. "James 5:14 – Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: James 5:15 – And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." so if your church leaders can cure people why are they refusing to heal the injuried veterans or the children dying of cancer? kindof selfish of them to horde all that power for themselves.
see how idiotic it is to state something from a bronze age book as fact, when ignoring the rest?
You don't believe as I do, therefore you are deceived. I'm not going to tell you WHY you're deceived, just that you are.
This is what I got out of OV's Opposing View.
What exactly does the author think is "selfish" about masturbation, anyway?
No more selfish than working on your own "personal salvation", I'd say? In se x, as in Christianity, there are times when it's all about putting your own needs aside and just "giving", other times when there is give and take as well as "sharing", other times when you depend upon the help of others to give you what you need, and still other times when it's just you, alone, with your thoughts and desires. ;-)
The Reality: Women are searching for a good relationship, settling for God
Exactly, the headline should read
"Searching for s.e.x, settling for god."
True intimacy, by its nature, is based in reality and therefore religion precludes it.
There was a story here a year or so ago about how black women churchgoers tended to have crushes on their male pastors, I believe, and a lot of women can have the same thing said about their love of Jesus. He is the "perfect man", after all. Maybe that's the reason why woman tend to buy into it more than men?
Interesting thought, Jt.
@janemutiny
Hi -jane....
You Said: " True intimacy, by its nature, is based in reality and therefore religion precludes it. "
Did you mean to say what you said, as that doesn't make sense to me.
Humankind, long ago, and our desire to have "true intimacy" (assuming we are talking about the same thing), certainly 'precludes' religion, IMHO.
We have had a drive to be close, well before organized religion came around.
Does that make sense to you ?
Peace...
therealpeace2all, I think you are just confused about the meaning of "preclude". It means to make something impossible. Because religion is not reality based, as soon as you bring it into a relationship, it makes true intimacy impossible. True intimacy is dependent on truth, honesty and respect.
"Certified life coach?" What's that? Lady, get a real job instead of spreading a lot of malarkey.
It's someone who wanted to be a psychologist but either was too lazy to go through the educational requirements or too dumb to get into a program.
oh, you mean like someone who wanted to be a doctor, but who was only qualified to be a volunteer candy-striper? :)
exactly!
Like religion, life coaching is just more snake oil in a long line of the stuff during mankind's history.
Prayer is for stupid, lazy people. People with guts get off their butts and fix their own problems.
Thinking takes practice. Thinking correctly takes patience. Prayer is sometimes used by stupid people, but it is also used by very intelligent people, as is meditation. Prayer as a recitation, in my opinion, is not valuable, but verbally expressing your thanks, problems and desires is, at least, a powerful practice in visualizing your life from an outside lens. To get where you're going, its best to know where you are. Self-visualization is a step in knowing where you are, whether this is done through formal prayer and just quiet reflection. So, "Prayer wastes time", what do you value? Is thinking about your life and situation a waste of time? Do you always act on impulse? is there a better way than just bashing someone else's belief that you believe is juvenile?
Prayer WT... Yep, "Prayer Wastes Time" is precisely what Lucifer would say – in order to send your soul to hell...
@Logical Truth
Prayer WT... Yep, "Prayer Wastes Time" is precisely what HADES would say – in order to send your soul to THE UNDERWORLD...
see how easy it is to exchange one mythology with another? lmfao
You Said: " Yep, "Prayer Wastes Time" is precisely what Lucifer would say "
Begging the question and already presupposing that there 'is' a "Lucifer."
You Sad: " Yep, "Prayer Wastes Time" is precisely what Lucifer would say in order to send your soul to hell..."
This is what's know as a *self-sealing argument* Since you hold the belief in Lucifer as fact, then any information that comes in is just more confirmation bias.
Prayer changes things .
I'm sorry, "Atheism is not healthy for children and other living things", but your assertions regarding atheism and prayer are unfounded. Using my Idiomatic Expression Equivalency module (IEE), the expression that best matches the degree to which your assertions may represent truths is: "TOTAL FAIL".
I see that you repeat these unfounded statements with high frequency. Perhaps the following book can help you:
I'm Told I Have Dementia: What You Can Do... Who You Can Turn to...
"Ronald Regonzo" who degenerates to: "Salvatore" degenerates to: "Douglas" degenerates to: "truth be told" degenerates to: "Thinker23" degenerates to: "Atheism is not healthy ..." degenerates to: "another repentant sinner" degenerates to: "Dodney Rangerfield" degenerates to: "tina" degenerates to: "captain america" degenerates to: "Atheist Hunter" degenerates to: "Anybody know how to read? " degenerates to: "just sayin" degenerates to: "ImLook'nUp" degenerates to: "Kindness" degenerates to: "Chad" degenerates to "Bob" degenerates to "nope" degenerates to: "2357" degenerates to: "WOW" degenerates to: "fred" degenerates to: "!" degenerates to: "John 3:16" degenerates to: "pervert alert" is the degenerate.
This troll is not a christian
Prayer does not; you are such a LIAR. You have NO proof it changes anything! A great example of prayer proven not to work is the Christians in jail because prayer didn't work and their children died. For example: Susan Grady, who relied on prayer to heal her son. Nine-year-old Aaron Grady died and Susan Grady was arrested.
An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children, who died under the care of faith healers or being left to prayer only, would most likely have survived if they had received medical care.
The statistical studies from the nineteenth century and the three CCU studies on prayer are quite consistent with the fact that humanity is wasting a huge amount of time on a procedure that simply doesn’t work. Nonetheless, faith in prayer is so pervasive and deeply rooted, you can be sure believers will continue to devise future studies in a desperate effort to confirm their beliefs.
OK I'll repeat my prayer challenge.
You get a decent amount of time (as necessary) to gather all the believers that you can find. Include priests, Imams, neighbors, the pope and all 'his people'... worldwide. Millions, go for broke...
Then we agree IN ADVANCE on a subject to be prayed for that has to be such that natural causes or mere probablility cannot be the cause. E.g. some herdsman in Eastern India claiming to have been saved from a tumor without previous confirmation is not 'proof' of anything except cheap trickery. Advance agreement and clarity of rules is mandatory.
Then go and start your praying, together or one after the other, in groups, silently or out loud... whatever.
Let's see what the prayer can do. And as long as the rules are clear and observed, I'm betting my fortune that it'll have zero effect. Nada . Zilch. AND YOU KNOW IT TOO, DON'T YOU?
Some people are walking genitals without brains and they don't realize that it is what goes on between the ears not just between the legs.
I agree. It's all about the beejers.
Why does CNN bother to have bb's if only immature children post on them? This is not not news... it's "infotainment".
Sex is better and bigger than Jesus. Although that is easy, since Jesus rotted away a long time ago and now only exists in a fairy tale.
Whoever you are, you mistakenly took Mohammed for Jesus. You better accept Jesus now before it's too late for you. It's only Mohammed that rot a long time ago.
Fred They both supposedly got beamed up to heaven long ago, so both stories are equally likely.
Fred: Before it's too late?
"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"
B!tch
i'll take s.ex over gawd any day of the week.
orgasms > god
GN ladies, talk to you soon.
What a crock. People seek both intimacy and intensity. If true personal intimacy with your partner and God was enough then none of the other stuff would exist. Who on earth ever claimed that the characters in 50 shades of grey would find love or happiness with each other? I think most women who love the book are not morons, they know the difference, they LIKE the physical intensity... whether they are getting that at home ... you would have to ask them.
mama K, sorry, moving up...
That is a great video. I would call that staight or progressive. Nice harp playing. The "industry" does not allow for great musicians any more. No profits. Sad.
If I were stranded on a deserted island and could only have one album, it woudl be John Coltrane's Giant Steps, but Charlie Parker is right there too.
I don't think I've heard Giant Steps by Coltrane. I will make a point to listen to that sometime tomorrow. I'm so tired – I might find out tomorrow that I already have it. lol. I have to crash – goodnight, AB. Pleasant dreams.
Anytime someone says God I pity them slightly. This woman seems to think that this phenomena of chemical reactions in the brain when love and se-xual desire occur is God. Pretty sure Oxytocin isn't a deity, or even a supernatural event. If there is anything remotely close to "God" it is the quantum energy that co-mingles within our discreet shapes, and the barrier between the physical and the mental. When those barriers are crossed by a drug, chemical or touch, we are experiencing "God" or the connection that binds everything together. We are just consciously aware of it,, and in our infinite search for truth and knowledge we label it often as "God".
Some idiot steals the moniker but still uses his hyperlink on the name? Lol.
This has got to be the worst blog on the internet. Please esaky.
Noiman, and why do you say that? Do you not have the eclectic acumen to participate in the wide ranging variety of secular, religious and post-adolescent reminiscing that some can enjoy?
mama k, you like jazz? Sounds like you like 70's progressive rock. Have you heard Rick Wakeman's Journey to the Center of the Earth?
Akira, get some coffee and stay awake. R U on Eastern time? I am in SoCal.
Yes, Apple – I like all kinds of music. But I listen to mostly jazz now. I'm not much a fan of current popular music, though.
I think I might have heard that, but I seem to remember a different one by R. Wakeman.
mama k, I knew it.
I am a drummer myself, but I love sax more than anything. I am a be-bop and cool jazz fan mostly. You?
oh – not sax, but did you see my post below (in your earlier conv. with Akira) with Stevie and Toots both blowing harmonicas? (I was trying out incognito mode to see if it would work, that's the only reason my usual moniker is not there. lol) Anyway, that's a little woodwind, but I do like sax too. I actually keep jazz turned on when I'm doing things, so I often don't know the artists. I need to start paying more attention to that.
I love cool and be-bop. But especially Bossa Nova. (I posted one video also below in the conv. you were having with Akira.)
above – i meant – yes sax, not "not sax". lol i guess i am too tired – i am east not west, so i guess i have to crash too. GN AB.
Get a room already...go ahead and pump each other silly, tap dat plump rump ya chump!! Meet my friend Ben....Ben Dover. Mow dat box!!
@apple......... ever listen to Gentle Giant?
Oh, and Black Sabbath. Duh, Akira.
Aerosmith!!
lol. How the hell could you forget those. lol.
Yes, Aerosmith, too; damn, the memory is going... mama k: I know right?? I have no excuse...
lol. well i probably forget more than you, i'm sure.
Jeez...Peter Gabriel...forgot him too...I've lost it. I've gotta go to sleep. GN.
Ph yes, Peter Gabriel – that's a good one. He did some nice stuff.
GN Akira.
Dr. Johnson's Greatest Hits
“Jesus was the worst of the lot. This poor man could not even draw stick figures in the sand…”
“Judas and Mary for example, were quite sure he was a snake in a previous life…”
"...and our Lord came unto me and witnessed as I behaved without intimidation."
“Snake and Lizard I can understand, but the passages relative to Spider are less clear.”
“…This makes polygamy possible without breaking God's law against Adultery.”
“…[Mary Magdalene] when Joseph's gaze met mine I felt a burning deep within...."
"Jesus found the scribes to be ignorant and foul smelling..." “…the ashes were as grains of sand. I have tasted his body.” This passage is thought to have been incorrectly translated into the last supper myth.”
“They removed the sand from my sandals and blew upon my feet with flowered breath" "...we meditated together for many days, fasting but joyful in the divine and always mindful of odor."
"...without concern nor bashfulness, the fullness of our Lord cannot be contained by his tunic."
“The Greek Phase: ανοιχ τή ο δο ιτ, simply means, "what time did you get in last night?” Loosely translated into today’s vernacular.”
“We know that the so called "missionary position" was so named after Jesus walked in on Mary Magdalene and Joseph having relations. He condemned their activities saying, "...you have soiled my sheets, you have confused my mission and compromised my position." “We often joke that he should have been called, "Thomas the Bartender".
" …in such a way that swimming and wrestling were very enjoyable to him, and this is something he wanted to share with his disciples.”
And all of them made me laugh my ass off, for which I am thankful for. The fullness of tunic one is right up there with bulge inequality on the hysterical laughter scale, though.
You forgot about Jesus going to India. That was pretty hill-air-eee-us. He went to try out in Bollywood, no doubt.
Hay, if women are ready to drop their shorts in the name of God I say ,'God Speed".
you might need to read the article a little more closely
Now for the nitty-gritty of 21st century "love":: Only for those who are care about practicing safe s-ex:
Before embarking on a search for some god and settling for se-x, an important life-saving, disease-elimination message:
The reality of se-x, abortion, contraception and STD/HIV control: – from an agnostic guy who enjoys intelligent se-x-
Note: Some words hyphenated to defeat an obvious word filter. ...
The Brutal Effects of Stupidity:
The failures of the widely used birth "control" methods i.e. the Pill (8.7% actual failure rate) and male con-dom (17.4% actual failure rate) have led to the large rate of abortions and S-TDs in the USA. Men and women must either recognize their responsibilities by using the Pill or co-ndoms properly and/or use safer methods in order to reduce the epidemics of abortion and S-TDs.- Failure rate statistics provided by the Gut-tmacher Inst-itute. Unfortunately they do not give the statistics for doubling up i.e. using a combination of the Pill and a condom.
Added information before making your next move:
from the CDC-2006
"Se-xually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain a major public health challenge in the United States. While substantial progress has been made in preventing, diagnosing, and treating certain S-TDs in recent years, CDC estimates that approximately 19 million new infections occur each year, almost half of them among young people ages 15 to 24.1 In addition to the physical and psy-ch-ological consequences of S-TDs, these diseases also exact a tremendous economic toll. Direct medical costs as-sociated with STDs in the United States are estimated at up to $14.7 billion annually in 2006 dollars."
And from:
Consumer Reports, January, 2012
"Yes, or-al se-x is se-x, and it can boost cancer risk-
Here's a crucial message for teens (and all se-xually active "post-teeners": Or-al se-x carries many of the same risks as va-ginal se-x, including human papilloma virus, or HPV. And HPV may now be overtaking tobacco as the leading cause of or-al cancers in America in people under age 50.
"Adolescents don’t think or-al se-x is something to worry about," said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. "They view it as a way to have intimacy without having 's-ex.'" (It should be called the Bill Clinton Syndrome !!)
Obviously, political leaders in both parties, Planned Parenthood, parents, the "stupid part of the USA" and the educational system have failed miserably on many fronts.
The most effective forms of contraception, ranked by "Perfect use":
– (Abstinence, 0% failure rate) – (Masturbation, mono or mutual, 0% failure rate)
Followed by:
One-month injectable and Implant (both at 0.05 percent) Vasectomy and IUD (Mirena) (both at 0.1 percent) The Pill, Three-month injectable, and the Patch (all at 0.3 percent) Tubal sterilization (at 0.5 percent) IUD (Copper-T) (0.6 percent) Periodic abstinence (Post-ovulation) (1.0 percent) Periodic abstinence (Symptothermal) and Male condom (both at 2.0 percent) Periodic abstinence (Ovulation method) (3.0 percent)
Every other method ranks below these, including Withdrawal (4.0), Female condom (5.0), Diaphragm (6.0), Periodic abstinence (calendar) (9.0), the Sponge (9.0-20.0, depending on whether the woman using it has had a child in the past), Cervical cap (9.0-26.0, with the same caveat as the Sponge), and Spermicides (18.0).
Ooops, make that: "Only for those who care about practicing safe s-ex."
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.