I characterize the "same sex marriage" assault in the USA as
the 2nd round because here in Canada we had the 1st round
in 2005. The fight in the US still is a hot issue, especially with last week’s rulings
from the Supreme Court regarding DOMA and Prop. 8. I’ve done my share of
tweeting as I’ve watched the lead up to the SCOTUS verdict and the fallout
since. Just check my Twitterfeed on this blogpage (column to right) for a
fuller education on the matter. Many of my tweets pointed readers to an
especially relevant article
I wrote some time ago.
The fact is though that exceedingly few news sources,
editorials or commentaries really nail the subject solidly with a bigger view
in mind. And God knows we need the bigger view to make sense of what’s happening
around us in the “culture wars” which is really just a metaphor for the ongoing
war in our nation between tradition and progressivism (modernism). Otherwise
how shall we be able to identify and resist the evil bearing down upon us?
Which brings me to Judie Brown’s commentary, appearing
below. It’s the only one like it in ALL of America (no pun intended) in a
number of ways. Firstly, it’s very brief and to the point. Secondly, it is not
filled with politically correct, acculturated language. Finally, it weaves very
neatly the various facets of the war against tradition, e.g. marriage,
contraception, abortion, divorce, etc. into an understandable whole, much like the
prophetic encyclical Humanae
Vitae did.
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June 29, 2013
By Judie Brown
As our country slides deeper into a moral abyss, many stand by either gaping at these changes or passively watching them happen. Neither of these things is effective in teaching morality or the truths of the Catholic Church. To effect change, we must first understand why these things are happening. Today's commentary addresses the tumult and the immorality our society is experiencing, and we must listen well. The future of marriage, of family, and of our society depends upon us.
In view of the June 26 Supreme Court decisions on "gay" marriage, it is time for serious Catholics to examine how this perverted situation came to pass. Let's start with the use of the word "gay" and American Life League's internal style guide. At ALL, we never use the word "gay." The guide states that the word "gay" is "a euphemism intended to present a positive image of homosexual behavior and downplay its sordid nature – the sexual deviance lobby's equivalent of 'choice.'"
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, an expert in this matter, concurs, saying that the word "gay" is a socio-political term, not a psychological condition.
In my day, when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were tripping the light fantastic, gay was a synonym for happiness. In fact, its primary definition means happiness.
What is happy about homosexuality?
To understand the Church's teaching on homosexuality, we can examine Pope Paul VI's renowned encyclical, Humanae Vitae, the much-maligned infallible teaching which states, in part:
As our country slides deeper into a moral abyss, many stand by either gaping at these changes or passively watching them happen. Neither of these things is effective in teaching morality or the truths of the Catholic Church. To effect change, we must first understand why these things are happening. Today's commentary addresses the tumult and the immorality our society is experiencing, and we must listen well. The future of marriage, of family, and of our society depends upon us.
In view of the June 26 Supreme Court decisions on "gay" marriage, it is time for serious Catholics to examine how this perverted situation came to pass. Let's start with the use of the word "gay" and American Life League's internal style guide. At ALL, we never use the word "gay." The guide states that the word "gay" is "a euphemism intended to present a positive image of homosexual behavior and downplay its sordid nature – the sexual deviance lobby's equivalent of 'choice.'"
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, an expert in this matter, concurs, saying that the word "gay" is a socio-political term, not a psychological condition.
In my day, when Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were tripping the light fantastic, gay was a synonym for happiness. In fact, its primary definition means happiness.
What is happy about homosexuality?
To understand the Church's teaching on homosexuality, we can examine Pope Paul VI's renowned encyclical, Humanae Vitae, the much-maligned infallible teaching which states, in part:
It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept
this particular teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice
of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it
comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder,
is destined to be a "sign of contradiction…"
In preserving intact the whole moral law of marriage, the
Church is convinced that she is contributing to the creation of a truly human
civilization. She urges man not to betray his personal responsibilities by
putting all his faith in technical expedients. In this way she defends the
dignity of husband and wife.
In other words, the preservation of the entire body of moral
law includes an
absolute prohibition on artificial means of preventing the procreation of
children within the context of marital union.
Well, in 1968, this teaching was disparaged from the pulpit, treated with silence by most bishops, and literally ignored by Catholics privately and in public life. Contraception, the ability of man to control birth by rejecting God, became commonplace among the general population, including the majority of Catholics.
This failure to reject contraception leads to abortion. The most popular argument that proves this point is: "If my birth control fails, I need to get rid of my problem."
Planned Parenthood and its allies were at the forefront of this assault on moral law. From the beginning they wanted abortion to become the fail-safe method of "choice."
This initial rejection of the natural law led to all manner of deviation from moral law, ethics, and common sense. History bears this out. There is no debate except between those who know that Catholic teaching on this subject is infallible and those who think Catholic teaching is of no value. It is really that simple.
Father Paul Marx, one of the pro-life movement's strongest leaders, and one of the few in our ranks to have visited more than 30 countries, told us years ago:
Well, in 1968, this teaching was disparaged from the pulpit, treated with silence by most bishops, and literally ignored by Catholics privately and in public life. Contraception, the ability of man to control birth by rejecting God, became commonplace among the general population, including the majority of Catholics.
This failure to reject contraception leads to abortion. The most popular argument that proves this point is: "If my birth control fails, I need to get rid of my problem."
Planned Parenthood and its allies were at the forefront of this assault on moral law. From the beginning they wanted abortion to become the fail-safe method of "choice."
This initial rejection of the natural law led to all manner of deviation from moral law, ethics, and common sense. History bears this out. There is no debate except between those who know that Catholic teaching on this subject is infallible and those who think Catholic teaching is of no value. It is really that simple.
Father Paul Marx, one of the pro-life movement's strongest leaders, and one of the few in our ranks to have visited more than 30 countries, told us years ago:
In every nation, bar none, contraception has led to abortion – and from
abortion to infanticide, the prelude to full-blown euthanasia! Once the
purposes of sex are torn loose from procreation and the family, the homosexual
thrust rears its ugly head, teen pregnancies and abortions sky-rocket, VD
burgeons out of control, the divorce rate escalates, the birthrate falls, while
the barnyard approach to birth control called sterilization becomes
commonplace. Soon we see the swift disintegration of the family.
At this point in our history as a nation, and particularly
as Catholics, we should be able to see clearly, based on what has already
transpired in the culture and the law, that Wednesday's Supreme Court decisions
are not really a surprise at all. In fact, they represent a natural progression
in man's desire to denigrate the natural law, distort it, and otherwise trample
on truth in deference to politically popular buzzwords such as "freedom of
choice" or "personal rights."
It is at the same time a challenge to each of us to engage members of society through teaching truth and doing all we can to restore a culture of life. Nothing short of this will ever be effective in stemming this tide of indescribable evil.
It is at the same time a challenge to each of us to engage members of society through teaching truth and doing all we can to restore a culture of life. Nothing short of this will ever be effective in stemming this tide of indescribable evil.
Judie Brown is president and co-founder of American
Life League (ALL), the nation's largest grassroots pro-life educational
organization. She is currently serving her second five-year term as a member of
the Pontifical Academy for Life in Rome. Daily Catholic cited her as one of the
top 100 Catholics of the 20th century.
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