this post was submitted on
809 points (64% like it)
1,780 up votes 971 down votes
shortlink:

atheism

subscribe1,153,024 readers

2,245 users here now

Help Atheist Organizations!

The Secular Student Alliance, Camp Quest, and Foundation Beyond Belief were all nominated for the Chase Community Giving program, which awards grants based on the votes of the public. Everyone gets 2 votes on Facebook, plus an additional one if they share a CCG page. The links for them are:

SSA | CQ | FBB

Voting runs from September 6-19

Welcome to r/atheism, the web's largest atheist forum. All topics related to atheism, agnosticism and secular living are welcome here. Please read our FAQ.

Please link directly to any images or use imgur to avoid being flagged as blogspam

^ *

Recommended reading and viewing

Thank you notes

Related Subreddits <--the big list
GodlessWomen YoungAtheists AtheistParents
BlackAtheism AtheistGems DebateAnAtheist
skeptic agnostic freethought
antitheism humanism Hitchens
a6theism10 tfbd AdviceAtheists
Events
10/5-6 NAPCON2012 - Boston
08/11 Regional Conference - St. Paul MN
Giving
DWB/MSF fundraiser
Kiva lending team
FBB's Appeal to Freethinkers to Fight Cancer
Camp Quest
Ex* Groups
ex-Muslim ex-Catholic ex-Mormon
ex-JW ex-Jew ex-SistersinZion
ex-Bahai ex-Christian ex-Adventist
Assistance
Coming Out
Atheist Havens
Start an Atheist Club at Your School

Chat: #reddit-atheism on irc.freenode.net

Watch: #/r/atheism on reddit.tv

Read The FAQ

Submit Rage Comic

Submit Facebook Chat

Submit Meme

Submit Something Else

a community for
to anything interesting: news article, blog entry, video, picture...
message the moderators

MODERATORS

reddit is a source for what's new and popular online. vote on links that you like or dislike and help decide what's popular, or submit your own! learn more ›

808
809

Abstinence (imgur.com)

submitted ago by Flamewall26

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on
all 39 comments
sorted by:
best
best
top
new
hot
controversial
old

[–]palparepa 31 points32 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

While this joke is always funny, I feel compelled to say that even dismissing this (alleged) supernatural case, abstinence is not even near 100% effectiveness.

The reason is that when measuring the effectiveness of a contraception method, failure to use the method correctly is also a fail of the method. If I were to invent an ubercondom that works 100% of the time when used correctly, but it's so complex to use correctly that only half people manage to do it, then its efficiency is only 50%.

So, in this case, all the people that tried to go the abstinence way but ended having sex anyway (and conceived), count as a failure of abstinence as contraception.

[–]FACEMEBRO 10 points11 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Sooo... If I become abstinent I will have a 50% chance of having sex. Sounds like a deal!

[–]terari 5 points6 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

what about people that are raped, then?

[–]deejayalemus 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Would that fall under acts of God?

[–]terari 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Would this fall under the % of inefficiency, counting as a failure?

Like, a girl is on abstinence-only but someone raped her and got her pregnant. Should her case be counted as a failure of this contraception method (abstinence)?

I asked because palparepa apparently know this stuff :P

[–]philosophikos 4 points5 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I'm a really safe rock climber, because I abstain from rock climbing.

[–]palparepa 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

And when your little kid is trapped on a huge rock and only you can save him, and you try climbing... you'd rather have been taken rock climbing classes and wearing a rock climbing suit ;)

Also, maybe you don't like climbing rocks, but people who are abstinent frequently do want to have sex.

[–]returnzero 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Also introduce legislation that keeps kids from knowing that you can climb rocks. Otherwise they might try to climb rocks and get hurt.

After all it's much better that the first time they get exposed to rock climbing they have no idea what to do.

[–]philosophikos 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Not sure if you caught my sarcasm..

..but yeah, I agree with you.

[–]Support_HOOP -3 points-2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Once you have sex, you are no longer using abstinence as a contraceptive. You can fail at abstinence, but that isn't abstinence failing, that's you not doing it. The same way if I want to wear a condom and don't and then the girl gets pregnant, the condom isn't failing, I'm just not using it.

[–]deejayalemus 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

When you come up with a foolproof method to stop the majority of young people from copulating, do come back and share your wisdom with all of us.

[–]Support_HOOP 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I see no reason for anybody to stop copulating, that isn't the point. The point is that abstinence is not failing when I have sex, I am just not being abstinent. The method of abstinence works, unless you believe in immaculate conception, as long as you're abstinent.

[–]TheAntiZealot 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Except that it's like 100% impossible to prevent young humans from having sex without... physical... intervention.

Maybe a 60 year old has no problem abstaining from sex, but demanding teens adhere to abstinence whilst using it as an excuse to stop sex ed. is cruel and unusual punishment. I also think finance should be mandatory in high school, but that's another topic. >_>

[–]rydan -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

100% effective

[–]orzof -3 points-2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I've apparently been using Pokemon correctly.

[–]elbruce 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Whenever you hear the word "abstinence," just mentally substitute "good intentions." Then remember what the road to hell is supposed to be paved with.

[–]deejayalemus -1 points0 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I think that the majority of people who cannot spell abstinance probably aren't good at it.

[–]GentlemanlyCthulhu 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Pssst. You misspelled "abstinence".

[–]elbruce 2 points3 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I doubt if he's trying to be good at it.

[–]trolleyfan 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Worse, since their marriage was never consummated, it legally doesn't exist...so she's an unwed mother...

[–]deejayalemus 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

God, the ultimate deadbeat dad.

[–]rydan 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That's only the Catholic version. The protestants don't believe that.

[–]tallywhackerdude 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Anal is still abstinence.. You can't have butt babies..... Can you?

[–]whoami9 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I think if you look up the stats on that, the failure rate of anal sex as a contraceptive is much higher than you would think.

[–]tallywhackerdude 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Thanks. It was more of a joke.

[–]blazedaces 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

It's interesting to note that teens who pledge abstinence are just as likely to contract STDs as their peers:

The report by Yale and Columbia University researchers could help explain why a study by the same group last year found that despite having fewer sexual partners and getting married earlier, teens who pledge abstinence are just as likely to have STDs as their peers.

The latest study, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, found that teens who pledge abstinence until marriage are more likely to have oral and anal sex than other teens who have not had intercourse

[–]funyun2 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

That is one ugly baby Jesus

[–]baron11585 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

true story,

[–]gaspah 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Thats a classic.. i rofld my ass off..

[–]bzeurunkl 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Touche! Not applicable, but point well taken.

[–]Earthwormzim 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I lol'd

[–]god12 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Apparently

[–]freelittyta 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

you do know that the virgin birth of jesus is a made up story, right?

[–]mindifelds 0 points1 point ago*

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

GOD CAN FUCK YOU ANY TIME!!! We all went through that. No one died a virgin. The author is 100% correct!

[–]goodolosama 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

...this was funny the first time I saw it on this subreddit. Now its the fourth, I will now slam my head against the keyboard a few times. ty65gyhtrtrytyty

[–]powatom 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

I may be wrong, but I heard somewhere that 'immaculate conception' actually refers to the idea that Jesus was born without original sin, not that his mother never fucked.

[–]archaeus5 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

No man ever believes that the Bible means what it says: He is always convinced that it says what he means. - George Bernard Shaw ;)

[–]powatom 1 point2 points ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

Actually, after checking wikipedia, it seems to be that the dogma is that Mary was the one born without original sin, thus providing a pure vessel for Jesus.

Either way, it's all bullshit.

[–]pendragen11 0 points1 point ago

sorry, this has been archived and can no longer be voted on

religious person used (abstinence)... it was not effective

Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy. © 2012 reddit inc. All rights reserved.

REDDIT and the ALIEN Logo are registered trademarks of reddit inc.

π Rendered by PID 6285 on app-14 running b126d3d.