BOSTON (Reuters) - A Connecticut abortion rights group has angered some conservative Christian groups by selling condom key chains that include an image of Michelangelo's

Sistine Chapel with God handing Adam a condom.

 

 

"It's an example of depraved morals and contempt for the sensibility of Catholics everywhere," said C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.

 

The $3 (1.7 pound) key chains sold by

Planned Parenthood of Connecticut on its Web site come in 28 designs including an image of a U.S. flag with the stars replaced with the words "Wear with Pride" and a Statue of Liberty holding a condom instead of a torch.

 

Another reads" "Condoms are cheaper than diapers" over a cartoon of a screaming baby.

 

Judy Tabar, Planned Parenthood of Connecticut's president and chief executive, said growing controversy over the key chains sparked a surge in Internet traffic to its Web site this week.

 

She said 100,000 visitors swamped the site on Thursday, causing it to shut down temporarily, after Internet columnist Matt Drudge posted a statement by a conservative Christian group condemning the key chains as "blasphemous."

 

The key chains had been on sale for a year, but had attracted controversy only this week.

 

"The media attention led to an avalanche of orders so much so that it caused our Web site to shut down. We have expanded our capacity and it is up again today," she said.

 

The politically sensitive issues of unwanted pregnancy and abortion are among the hottest topics in Washington this week during Senate confirmation hearings for

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

 

Kristian Mineau, president of the conservative Massachusetts Family Institute, called the Sistine Chapel key chain image "a very crude and crass manoeuvre."

 

"This does nothing to deal with the horrific promiscuity rate we have among teenagers," he said. "We believe the real approach particularly to the young people that this is targeted at is abstinence before marriage."

 

Taber said the variety of designs was aimed at appealing to a wide range of personalities. "Condoms are the best protection against unintended pregnancy and infection, so it's really important to get the message out there," she said.

 

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060113/od_uk_...eligion_condoms

They probably wouldn't have received such a backlash if they hadn't taken one of the Church's famous symbols and toyed with it. Obviously this was meant not to promote safe sex but to anger the pro-lifers into a reaction.

I think it's ironic that they get so much publicity and hence sales because they were attacked by the religious groups. It's first amendment protected however.

I think the image is in poor taste and very disrespectful. They do have free speech rights, but it does seem as if they're focused on being insulting. They can surely come up with something that's both effective and not insulting.

This was extremely distasteful and shameful move by those selling the keychains. Reglious groups should go after them for this.

 

However, religous groups need to realize teach responsibility is important in many cases because teaching abstinance isn't going to work. Responsibility prevents abortion and young people need to learn to be responsible because trying to scare them into not having sex is never going to work.

I agree that it's in bad taste. But there is a lot of stuff like this in sex shops and such. It's more effective to ignore them and relegate them to the minority of people who would want to buy it rather than try to wage war on them.

 

Im not exactly sure what religious groups could do that would be successful. If they could, they would have shut down a lot of disrespectful stores.

I don't know, that's damn funny.

I don't know, that's damn funny.

Why do you hate religion and god? Do you hate America too?

 

This is easily the most damaging and most hurtful animation mocking a religious symbol since Jesus became a usual character on Family Guy. Saying walking on water was a "trick" and being portrayed as a shoot-them-up action hero. And we all remember the backlash from that.

 

:plain

Any worse than these?

Yuh.

 

Hating on religion and believing in freedom of expression is anti-American as hell.

You want offensive? Here you go:

How is most of this offensive? It's satire. I mean, the Star Trek stuff is for nerds, but once again it produces laughter. I mean, it's a damn painting. Nobody exhumed Christ's yet unfound body and put a condom on it, here.

I just think people should lighten up.

Not surprising at all. The "liberal" crowd of MB.com insulting religion. How tipical. If you don't like it or if it does not mean anything to you then bash it, insult it and make fun of it. But don't anyone dare mess with anything that means something to them. You are so pathetic and ignorant it's not even funny. It's because of intolerant people like you that the world if so f'd up.

Grow up already and respect what's important to others.

 

I pity you all, especially this Buckeye guy. You have so much hatred in you. You must really be miserable inside. What's your problem with the world? Were you abused or something? No love from your parents? Can't find a girl friend? Please tell me because I realy don't understand it.

 

 

And GM you have to learn that one's personal beliefs is nothing to "lighten up" about. That key chain was made with the sole purpose of insulting religious people that's it. And it's not funny.

 

So long to you all. Grow up. Don't bother replying. I'll be ignoring your asses.

These pictures are basphemous. Why do Americans hate God?

Not surprising at all. The "liberal" crowd of MB.com insulting religion. How tipical. If you don't like it or if it does not mean anything to you then bash it, insult it and make fun of it. But don't anyone dare mess with anything that means something to them. You are so pathetic and ignorant it's not even funny. It's because of intolerant people like you that the world if so f'd up.

Grow up already and respect what's important to others.

 

I pity you all, especially this Buckeye guy. You have so much hatred in you. You must really be miserable inside. What's your problem with the world? Were you abused or something? No love from your parents? Can't find a girl friend? Please tell me because I realy don't understand it.

 

 

And GM you have to learn that one's personal beliefs is nothing to "lighten up" about. That key chain was made with the sole purpose of insulting religious people that's it. And it's not funny.

 

So long to you all. Grow up. Don't bother replying. I'll be ignoring your asses.

 

 

It's these kinds of responses that makes me wonder if we can have thoughtful dialogue on any issue, really. I mean, don't get me wrong, I LOVE this response. It's beautiful in it's simplicity.

 

Firstly, the guy espouses Christianity to mean something and then goes to cast stones. Splendid. I always wondered why people like Maroone can't just "turn the other cheek" like the bible tells him to. But, he even further throws himself in the shitter by having to lower himself to ad hominem attacks.

 

It's called freedom. People can say what they want about anything, which includes drawings and pictures. I never insuled religion once in this thread. I just said I dind't think it was that big of a deal and that this crap me laugh. My point is, if it's funny, it serves it's purpose. These pictures have been redone and made in different likenesses for ages. I think there are bigger problems in the world than a condom keychain that, OH YEAH, was originally a religious picture done by an artist who also was known to have slept with some of the young boys who posed for his paintings/statues.

 

Give that information to the same people wanting the condom off and we can just consider his whole catalogue of work trashed and he shouldn't have been allowed to paint religious murals.

 

It doesn't matter, though, because you won't see this. :wink But, I'm going to go get molested, have sex with some sheep and then drink copious amounts of alchohol and drugs and then drive.

Not surprising at all. The "liberal" crowd of MB.com insulting religion. How tipical. If you don't like it or if it does not mean anything to you then bash it, insult it and make fun of it. But don't anyone dare mess with anything that means something to them. You are so pathetic and ignorant it's not even funny. It's because of intolerant people like you that the world if so f'd up.

Grow up already and respect what's important to others.

 

I pity you all, especially this Buckeye guy. You have so much hatred in you. You must really be miserable inside. What's your problem with the world? Were you abused or something? No love from your parents? Can't find a girl friend? Please tell me because I realy don't understand it.

 

 

And GM you have to learn that one's personal beliefs is nothing to "lighten up" about. That key chain was made with the sole purpose of insulting religious people that's it. And it's not funny.

 

So long to you all. Grow up. Don't bother replying. I'll be ignoring your asses.

 

You added absolutely nothing to the discussion.

Not surprising at all. The "liberal" crowd of MB.com insulting religion. How tipical. If you don't like it or if it does not mean anything to you then bash it, insult it and make fun of it. But don't anyone dare mess with anything that means something to them. You are so pathetic and ignorant it's not even funny. It's because of intolerant people like you that the world if so f'd up.

Grow up already and respect what's important to others.

 

I pity you all, especially this Buckeye guy. You have so much hatred in you. You must really be miserable inside. What's your problem with the world? Were you abused or something? No love from your parents? Can't find a girl friend? Please tell me because I realy don't understand it.

 

 

And GM you have to learn that one's personal beliefs is nothing to "lighten up" about. That key chain was made with the sole purpose of insulting religious people that's it. And it's not funny.

 

So long to you all. Grow up. Don't bother replying. I'll be ignoring your asses.

 

blah blah blah shaddup. Add me to ignore while you're at it because I wouldn't want to smash your obviously fragile sensibilities. Those key chains are hilarious by the way. :lol

Not surprising at all. The "liberal" crowd of MB.com insulting religion. How tipical. If you don't like it or if it does not mean anything to you then bash it, insult it and make fun of it. But don't anyone dare mess with anything that means something to them. You are so pathetic and ignorant it's not even funny. It's because of intolerant people like you that the world if so f'd up.

Grow up already and respect what's important to others.

 

I pity you all, especially this Buckeye guy. You have so much hatred in you. You must really be miserable inside. What's your problem with the world? Were you abused or something? No love from your parents? Can't find a girl friend? Please tell me because I realy don't understand it.

 

 

And GM you have to learn that one's personal beliefs is nothing to "lighten up" about. That key chain was made with the sole purpose of insulting religious people that's it. And it's not funny.

 

So long to you all. Grow up. Don't bother replying. I'll be ignoring your asses.

 

blah blah blah shaddup. Add me to ignore while you're at it because I wouldn't want to smash your obviously fragile sensibilities. Those key chains are hilarious by the way. :lol

 

I havnt commented on many topics in this section because of how crazy the discussions get and all the offence taken by some people. I love being part of this forum, but sometimes I wish I could be part of some other group of people whose reaction to a condom ad such as the one posted would be "LOLLLZ" or "that is f*ing hilarious" and ignore the opportunity to insert their preaching into a silly subject.

 

I agree with Sham's post,

 

+ let's try to take this as a funny or not funny thing instead of a moral faceoff.

The image itself isn't that bad, actually rather creative.

 

Though the only objective reached by adding it is to spur a reaction from the other side. Could have done things a lot more civilly if they had just handed out normal keychains.

Funny topic, funny posts. Non-baseball thread of the year!

I think the image is pretty creative but hey, what do I know? I'm just a dirty jew who's going to hell.

The image itself isn't that bad, actually rather creative.

 

Though the only objective reached by adding it is to spur a reaction from the other side. Could have done things a lot more civilly if they had just handed out normal keychains.

 

Actually the reaction of the moral nuts sparked a huge spike in sales, publicity, and traffic for their site and cause.

These pictures are basphemous. Why do Americans hate God?

 

Are you joking?

The image itself isn't that bad, actually rather creative.

 

Though the only objective reached by adding it is to spur a reaction from the other side. Could have done things a lot more civilly if they had just handed out normal keychains.

Actually the reaction of the moral nuts sparked a huge spike in sales, publicity, and traffic for their site and cause.Example #1,974,562 why any publicity is good publicity.

 

Can't deny that was the reason for the image, though.