French Bishop Urges Vatican to Reopen Debate on Whether 1+1=2

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Oh, wait, he just wants the Vatican to reconsider birth control. God save us from such an episcopate!

"Pope Paul VI banned contraception in the 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, arguing that sexual intercourse was meant for procreation and any artificial method to block a pregnancy went against the nature of the act."

"That encyclical prompted Catholics to leave the Church in droves and undercut papal authority. Many practicing Catholics now simply ignore the ban and some say it weakens the Church’s message on other moral issues such as abortion and bioethics." 

Say what?!? First of all, Pope Paul VI didn’t pull that ban out of thin air. The Church has always forbid contraception. The point of almost every papal encyclical, just like councils, is to clarify an eternal truth in modern terms. Paul VI only reiterated what the Church was already teaching to a generation itching for sexual license (among other stupid things). Secondly, the people who left the Church over this issue were never faithful Catholics in the first place. I mean, that’s a pretty flimsy excuse for leaving the guardian of the Deposit of Faith. Either you trust that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it or you don’t. Thirdly, if Humanae Vitae undercut papal authority, it’s only because the episcopate and the presbyterate failed miserably in their efforts (or lack thereof) to explain Catholic sexual ethics to their flocks, and continue to do so. Lastly, I’d very much like to know how the Catholic Church’s hestance on contraception weakens her message on abortion and bioethics. It’s all of a piece.

The primary ends of sexual congress are procreation and unification. To block conception is to interfere with both of those ends. Contraceptives, particularly barrier methods, interfere with complete self-giving (an element of unity). They also interfere with the natural product of intercourse, a child. Furthermore, all human life is precious and deserving of respect. Abortion, like contraception, treats conception as an undesireable side effect of a primarily pleasure-oriented act. It also murders children, the true primary product of what should be a love-oriented act. Likewise, embryonic stem cell research murders unborn children and justifies that act by redefining the beginning of human life to some unspecified time beyond conception. It also seperates the creation of humans from the natural procreative act, treating them not as children to be protected and loved, but as raw material to be consumed. Incidentally, these reasons are similar to those for why the Church opposes artificial means of conception, such as IVF. Abortion and ESCR both result from a contraceptive mentality. Denying that sex should be a life-giving activity allows one to justify both the destruction of life if it interferes with pleasure and the production and consumption of life for one’s own purposes.

This Reuters article is very much wrong in its protrayal of Catholic sexual ethics, and reproducing it without commentary or caveat was an irresponsible choice on the part of the editors at CathNews.

(For similar thoughts, head to  Pro Ecclesia * Pro Familia * Pro Civitate)

Gutsy? Yes. Admirable? I Don’t Think So.

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I understand why those rightly decrying the evils of radical Islam would find the Apostates of Islam satisfying to see. However, there are peaceful Muslims in this world, and I don’t think this site is particularly respectful to them. How would we like to see a website called Apostates of Christianity? (Fedora Tip: Mark Shea)

Nineteen Years Ago Today…

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On February 14, 1987, my roommate Bob and I headed off to dinner together at Liberty University’s food service hall, like we did just about every evening. The food this evening was far better than usual, the tables were decorated, and the lights were dim, for this night for some was a celebration of St. Valentines’ Day, the food service company did its best to make the evening pleasant for those unable or not disposed to celebrate in a more expensive manner. For juniors Bob and me, it was merely dinner… a much yummier dinner than usual, mind you, but still merely dinner.

 

A spunky sophomore named Robin Hall, with whom I had recently made only the slightest acquantaince happened to work part-time there at the food service hall. Perhaps she and her coworkers were just a bit tipsy with the spirit of impertinent commentary on all the gussied-up couples parading though the lines on this romantic evening, or perhaps for some reason lost to the sands of time this young woman thought to ask me and Bob where our dates were. I retorted, "What’s it to ya?" or something to that effect. Robin was I think taken a bit aback by this rejoinder, but I don’t recall what specific words immediately followed.

 

Bob and I discussed the matter merrily over dinner. During a trip back up for seconds (recall the food was much yummier than usual), I asked Robin if she would like to go get a cup of coffee with me after her shift was over. She said she would, tho’ I don’t think she drank any coffee. And thus, nineteen years ago this day, we had our first date. On that same night, upon dropping her off at her dorm minutes before curfew, as I walked around to open the door for her, she stole the keys out of the ignition while my ’71 Chevy Impala was running. Less than two years later, we were married. In 1991, she gave birth to our first child. In June of this year, if all goes well, she will give birth to our sixth.

 

That evening was an improbable beginning to a even less probable lifelong convergence of two previously independent lives. And I thank God for improbabilities.

 

Happy Valentines’ Day, Sweetie!

Jerry Bowyer and the Catholic Church

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Jerry Bowyer‘s attitude toward the Catholic Church is definitely a lot better than his predecessor‘s. Here are some podcasts from his show.

“Jerry interviews Ronald Rychlak, author of ‘Righteous Gentiles: How Pius XII And the Catholic Church Saved Half a Million Jews from the Nazis‘, about the tremendous sacrifice European Catholics made to resist Hitler and save Jews, and dispels the myths that Hitler was Christian and that Christians turned a blind eye to the Holocaust. “

“Jerry interviews George Weigel, author of ‘God’s Choice : Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of the Catholic Church,’ about Benedict and his path from priest to pontiff.”

“Jerry interviews Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things, about the long-standing relationship between the Catholic Church and the Democratic Party, and where they will go from here.”

“Jerry interviews Raymond Arroyo, the host of ‘The World Over Live’ on the Enternal Word Television Network, about Christian journalism.”