Patrick Deneen says what's happening to the Benedictine Belmont Abbey College shows why the idea that we traddie types can retreat into our own leave-us-alone communities is unworkable. The government will not leave you alone, and you have better stay engaged to fight for your rights.
The Benedict Non-Option
Sunday August 30, 2009
Categories: Benedict Option
Filed Under: Belmont Abbey College, Benedict Option
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Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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I guess I'm a little curious as to why the vehemence, the near ferocity, of your feelings here, which you've expressed before when contraception comes up
I must confess that I too am curious as to from where the strong feelings come from.
Strong feelings about others abortions I can understand. Strong feelings about others contraception? I don't get it...
The average couple can not use NFP perfectly throughtout a marrage, without any other sexual outlets except completed vaginal sex when they ar avoiding pregnancy and have the 3 child family. That is well known. Some can but most can not. All this pap about irregular cycles is more or less a lot of smoke. They simply will not abstain enough to make it work perfectly all the time; period.
However, the modern gift of knowledge of fertility awareness can be a great gift. With effort and time couples can develop, with themselves as the judge of the pace, a marriage with little or no latex or kinkyness. It takes time. It is like the chaff falling off the wheat. First, learn fertility monitoring and immediately corral any contraceptive or oral sex practice into a corner. No need for big guilt. Later, reduce the latex use as your planned childern are born and as you mature.
Try hard to avoid latex and or BJ's etc during Lenten and Advent cycles as a start. The only contraception that should be tolerated is that which is scheduled for the scrap heap before menopause. Learn and practice what works for you and your spouse as you mature construct a marriage "la naturale". A little bit or order or planning in a marriage ( a plan to remain married!) is good thing.
Fine. You want Catholics to pay for you to exterminate yourselves, demographically speaking? Here you go--have all the birth control you want, and by all means keep your reproductive efforts to well below replacement level.
This is not the first time I have heard such sentiments expressed from someone as sincere and devout as Erin. I must say that it confuses the hell out of me. The foundational logic is that Catholics - and Christians in general - will become extinct from failure to reproduce, which is blasphemous in two different ways:
1) It implies that Christ's message is insignificant and powerless; that to spread his message by teaching, as did he, is foolish. Instead, it implies that Christianity can only "win" by out-breeding the unbelievers. Ironic given that Jesus built his church as a virgin.
2) It implies a complete lack of faith in Christ; that the contraceptive pill is more powerful then Christianity destiny as biblically foretold. Instead, it implies that an invention of Man can defeat God.
Re: Instead, it implies that Christianity can only "win" by out-breeding the unbelievers.
If this is where Erin and Rod are placing their bets, then I'm sorry to say they will be disappointed. If demography is destiny, then the future won't belong to Catholics, Orthodox or any other liturgical confession- it will belong to conservative Muslims, Mormons, and Pentecostals.
Re: Goodguyex
May I just add that I do think it's a good idea to give up sex (or favorite foods, or other pleasurable things) during Lent and/or Advent. But certainly not because birth control, or nontraditional sex, are immoral in themselves.
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