Ends and Means

My wife and I have a mild continuing disagreement as to whether the TV 'preachers'---Roberts, Hinn, etc---are dishonest, just looking for money or are telling 'fibs' about their direct meetings with Jesus to further a higher goal--saving souls. I support the latter (because I don't think they are clever enough to figure out and act out such a scheme as my wife believes). My wife supports 'they're just crooks' school.

As Catholics we have somewhat the same problem. The Catholic teaching on abortion is really nothing but an attack on human sex. As we know the Church leaders and fathers have had many opinions on when life begins and when do a few cells become a person. Now given that it is quite clear that the church regards sex as somewhat demeaning (compared to celibacy and virginity), rather than engage in thoughtful discussion, it became simpler to argue that all sex must have as its main goal procreation. Therefore human life, personhood, begins with the uniting of egg and sperm. In reality few Catholics really believe this as I have pointed out before. But like Roberts and Hinn etc. we(The Church) will teach this as a caution against sexual activity. The end justifies the means.

This sophistry, or little fib, was brought again to my attention when our state passed a law requiring an ultrasound test within one hour of an abortion and that the results be shown to the women seeking an abortion. It is not clear whether the women's eyes must be taped open if she does not want to look. The leader of the state's anti-abortion movement praised the bill saying abortion is not the answer to rape. So I 13 year old girld raped by her drunken father must have her life further ruined by being forced to carry to term this pregnancy. Somehow this smacks of the New England witch trials.

Some 40 years ago I engaged in a debate on the radio with this same anti-abortion leader and ask him if ,under his logic, any women or child having an abortion should be considered engaging in a criminal act. His answer was punish the doctor. Incredible hypocricy!!! 4 decades later, I have heard no answer. BTW it is revealing to look at the video of the Libertyville, Ill. picketing of an abortion clinic to see that the most strident anti-abortion supporters have never thought of this question.

But my purpose here is not to get into the technicalities of life and personhood. Americans, including the great majority of catholics, reject the Church's teaching on abortion. My argument is simple: The Church says sexual activity is inferior to celibacy or virginity. Sex is basically for procreation and is not justified without this possibility. And as a result, the Church must argue that one cell or two cells are a child. But the people,including most Catholics, know better:An acorn is not a tree.

The all male church

Any one who reads this blog know that I believe the root cause of almost all catholic problems lies in the church's anti-sex attitude despite efforts to cover this up. Like millions of others I watched B16's arrival today. It seemed almost surreal. Two Bush women and one Bush whitehouse aide. Everyone else-----MALE. Certainly they could have found a good nun someplace to at least get a second or two on TV.

To make matters worse commentary was supplied on the two networks I saw by two of the worst catholics in American in my opinion. You couldn't tell whether George Wiege or riverboat gamblerBennett were analizing the Pope's arrival or making Republican political speeches.

Just a thought or two. Be back soon. Jack

Many catholics, I'm afraid, are taken in by the church's repeated appeal to "Natural Law" It sounds very impressive----"natural" and "Law"----what more could you want. I am sure the heirarchy is quite confident that the laity in general has no idea what natural law is. Natural law is a very complicated subject. Basically today the church uses it to oppose any type of contraception, or "artificial" contraception by claiming "natural law" clearly shows that the main purpose of sexual activity is procreation. Now to go from sexual intercourse can , in limited circumstances, "create" a baby to that is the basic function of such activity is similar to arguing 'tornados' in some instances cause damage thus the "purpose" of tornados is to damage property.

It is interesting to note, as I have before, that the great "natural law" philosopher of the church, Aquinas, believed rape and masturbation are at least equal because the former at least had the possibility of procreation. Aqunas was brilliant, but starting with a fase premise supposedly from "natural law" that the main purpose of sex is procreation---he comes up with an obvious absurdity.

What "natural law" says sex is primarily for procreation? Any particular act of intercourse has a very, very low possibility of fertilization. Out of 8 reasons for sex a survey showed that pregnancy was the number 8 motivator. Also it should be noted that the papal commission set up to review contraception, came back with a recommendation that the church's position be modified but Paul6 turned it down.

Our Church does nothing but lose respect with its attitudes on sex. What our church might acheive if it could get off its sex phobia!! Jack

Two Little Words

I have not posted on the Church and sex lately, so let me continue. I consider myself a good catholic; that doesn't mean I have to jump everytime the pope burps.:). And the magisterium? So complicated, so many levels, only a full time 'parser' could follow it all. But back to sex and the church. In a later post I will deal with natural law a term tossed around by anyone who wants support for their argument.

But two little words are my focus now: "direct" and "artificial." The church realizing that on the issue of abortion almost no one supports its extreme views (abortion is always murder) has now refined this, as I note on the blogs, that, yes you can kill a fetus just so it's done indirectly. A very puny difference most think. Whether I dissolve an insentiate number of cells(direct) or blow up a house of a drug dealer with 10 pregnant women inside(indirect) the fetus' still are killed.

And then "artificial." Since almost nobody, not even catholics, are buying the idea that sexual intercourse is for procreation only, the church says deliberately avoiding conception by the use of calendars and temperatures and NFP classes is all right because this is not "artificial". Give me a break! Oh, I know about the "unitive" principal; high flown but not at all truly descriptive with any catholics I know.

The church's position is clear , at least to me. Sexual intercourse is demeaning(after all you cannot concentrate solely on God if you have sex thoughts) but it is alright if it produces another Catholic(Okay, that's mean). But since no one buys this let's say no "artificial" means of not producing another person.

Listen, I can hardly wait to be upbeat, as I am , about the Church. In the meantime I do resent my sex life(past tense) being determined by those who think sex is bad and have sworn it off for a lifetime. Or to put it another way:I don't want my brain surgery done by a Christian Scientist. Jack=JACK

Conversion?????

I don't want to shock my family but I may have decided to join the Flat Earth Society. I have been reading their material and their arguments are almost irresistible.

For thousands of years almost all people believed the earth was flat.

Ancient literature, including sacred texts, almost universally refer to the 4 corners of the Earth.

Millions of people today know the earth is not round or at least can not refute the Flat earth doctrine.

Our eyes clearly tell us that the movement of the sun shows he earth to be flat.

If it were not flat, and instead were round, people would fall off the earth.

The Flat Earth Society knows that pictures of the earth taken from space "showing" the earth to be round are clearly forgeries designed to show "science" rules everything, when the society knows "science" has severe limitations and pompously pretends to outweigh the universal opinion through the centuries that the earth is flat.

So called "gravity" is caused by the earth disc slowly moving upward.


The Board of Directors of the Society in full plenary sessions has officially declared the chief guru of the society can not error in all maters dealing with the shape of the earth and the conseqences thereof.

We realize these doctrines are rejected by most, but warn these disbelievers that if they do not change they will be thrown off the edge of the earth.

As you know I am catholic at this time. This I take to be the catholic position.(The Flat Earth Society loves us Catholics, realizing we are victims of "invincible ignorance" and thus may not be thrown off the edge of the earth.)

Now the Catholic position as I understand it.

For hundred of years people believed this group was the final arbiter of all things, scientific and morally.

An ancient book says the catholic gurus had to be right. It clearly says in that ancient book that what ever its leaders said was what would be accepted in heaven.

Being always right in what they say, this groups' leaders are free to take positions that few(invincibly ignorant) people believe.

In many cases this group teaches what almost no one, not even their members believe, but must be right. For example, birth control, masturbation, the inferiority of women, 2 deaths can be better than one if it does not meet the double effect standard, sex is demeaning in that those who engage in any form of such, even sexual thoughts, are inferior to those who have nothing to do with sex.

All leaders of this group must be sexless, that is have nothing to do with sex except lay down the rules for such.

Only males may have positions of authority in this group.

Those who do not obey the teachings of this group should be removed from public office and denied the most important sacred rite of the group.

The above truths, and many others, must be true because a select group of totally celibate men, members of this group, met and declare that , they, as leaders of their group and their supreme leader, could not make an error in all matters relating to human behavior including any matter dealing with sex, although supposedly all who made this decision had never experienced and presumably had no personal knowledge of marriage, sex, or sexual thoughts.

Those not accepting these conclusions, among others. will be burned forever in an infinite fire. Infinite, not just the 5 minute fires that those who did not follow this groups teaching were subjected to in the past.

I have tried to be neutral in examining both the Flat Earth and The RC position. Being fair minded I believe both groups' opinions should be taught at all school. One of the factors to be considered of course is which is worse---falling infinitely through space or never cease being burned alive for infinity.

Questions?????

Just three questions I don't know the answer to.

One. Most catholics on the blogs seem to think an ectopic pregnancy can only be ended by removing the fallopian tube, making in most cases another pregnancy difficult if not impossible. Is this considered punishment for the women for having an abotion? Also since this type of pregnancy is often caused by having multiple sex partners is this a lesson to them for their bad behavior?

Two. In abortion situation is the catholic reasoning "It is better to have two people die from accident than have one murder(abortion)?"

Three. Since some bishops say public officials shoud be bared from connunion becauses they are pro-choice, is the position of the church that catholic supreme court justices(5, I believe) who do not vote to override Roe.Wade should be denied communion?

Conservative catholic blogs have had comments in the affirmative to the above questions. Jack