Awe, Anger, Frustration, Relief

November 22, 2009 at 10:49 pm (Morality & Ethics, NFP Testimony, Reason #323 Not to Use Contraceptives)
Tags: , , , , ,

Part two of Michelle’s testimony of why they ditched contraception. This part includes more of their actual discovery of the Church teaching, the wonders of fertility, the horror of abortifacients, and the joy of desiring children.

What I think will resonate deeply with readers is the anger of never receiving this information, of being lied to by the medical community, and of never being invited to the beauty of the Church’s teaching–all too common of an experience.

I was angry because I found out that contraceptives had abortifacient properties.  I was angry that those in the medical community had morphed the definition of the beginning of pregnancy to be when the embryo implanted, thereby negating the life that exists from conception.  And I was angry that no one (save our priest during our pre-marriage counseling) had ever offered to us that NFP was a viable alternative.  Our families, our friends, fellow Catholics…no one stepped forward and made us think about looking into Natural Family Planning.  As a matter of fact…that anger still rises on occasion, because we do not have the support of some people close to us and we are looked down on…like we must simply not know any better…and we see disappointment in loved ones’ faces as we announce the pending arrival of another blessing.

10 Comments

Geocache THIS.

October 21, 2009 at 12:05 am (Articles)
Tags: , , , , , ,

After seeing this clip of The View (which you may or may not like, depending on your politics–watch it anyway) featuring a very strong and family oriented Rachel Campos-Duffy, I decided to find out who this firebrand mother was. After finding out that we have some very strong worldview connections.

I started following her on Twitter, and found a link to this piece, “Whatever Happened to Large Catholic Families?” (Geocache that!)

Good stuff. Certainly not an analysis piece aiming to answer that question per se, but definitely a look at the current shallow fascination with large families, and testimony to the enduring value of large families. She should be the Population Research Institute’s spokesperson for their Overpopulation is a Myth Campaign (newly added to the blogroll)!

By the way, I think the answer to her article’s question is: the same place where Catholic spines and authentic Church teaching went, probably stored in the closet where the plasma TV boxes are in the garage where people’s three cars are parked.

2 Comments

The Wisdom of John Senior

October 5, 2009 at 11:00 am (Population, Quotes, Read It!)
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Have you read John Senior?

A friend not too long ago recommended his book, “The Restoration of Christian Culture,” and told me a little about his life and times at Kansas University. Really, a heroic life. 

The precursor to the recommended book was a much more somber “The Death of Christian Culture.” Both books were actually a series of lectures given, and later published. Anyway, I ordered them both, and am reading Death right now. It’s intellectually satisfying, poetically written and frighteningly prophetic. I’ve been told the second one is much better. Since this one is brilliant, I can’t wait to read the next.

A little sample relevant to our themes of natural family planning, love, life and children:

It is no accident that decadence leads to the hatred of children…

Conversely, he affirms:

This is the economy of the private enterprise of love: it generates. Love is fecund. Love is not only a means to an end, like a road, but is a kind of propulsion. It is like walking up an escalator, or swimming with the current–to beget children, to love children, to encourage their growth, to ease their sufferings, and to suffer oneself with them, even to our death.

He’s elucidating the relationship between the decline of Christian culture and the denigration of children, using the case of a mother who was acquitted of murdering her week old child because she was special needs and did not want her. Yet the courtroom erupted in cheers when the verdict was announced.

He goes on to debunk Thomas Malthus, the disproved 19th century economist who predicted that England’s population would outrun its food sources by 1850. (How are we doing, England?)

 As I’ve said elsewhere, children are not the problem; they are the answer. People are not walking carbon footprints, but potential solutions to contemporary problems. 

Every time a child is born, not just a mouth to feed is born, but hands and brains. [ A quote in Senior's book from Josue de Castro, a founder and director of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and one of the five or six world-renowned men in the field of human population problems.]

1 Comment

Recommended Reading

May 16, 2009 at 6:02 pm (Read It!)
Tags: , , , , , ,

I’m having problems with the Amazon link for some reason, so in order to get credit (please?Thanks) for the referral, go to this NFP Site, and follow the directions on the top right box. You’ll get some good recommendations for my fav NFP/ sexuality resources, and I’ll get a little credit! Thanks!

or…

Recommended Resources Here

3 Comments

NFP Doesn’t Mean “Not For Protestants”

May 11, 2009 at 4:37 pm (Articles, NFP Friends, Non-Trad NFP fans)
Tags: , , , , ,

Luther loves NFP

Luther would love NFP

My entry header above is completely unoriginal. I’ve heard it in a couple places, and you know why it’s funny, charming and it sticks? Because it’s true.

In this article by LifeSiteNews via Catholic Exchange, the spreading phenomenon of Protestants turning towards NFP and away from the contraceptive culture is presented and examined:

“Taking a page from Catholic doctrine, Protestants are avoiding artificial contraception for religious reasons,” several Protestant couples are questioned on their choice to wade into what have traditionally been considered Catholic waters.”

The article goes on to describe the experience of a thirty something Protestant whose very mother left the Church over the issue of contraception, but has found herself ironically drawn to this very teaching.

It’s fascinating, isn’t it? Often times we come accross “converts” from contraception to NFP who are religious, but usually their choice is related to the ills of birth controlrather than the meaning of marriage and sexuality. Perhaps more Catholics could take a cue from their separated bretheren? Maybe this could even become a point of unity in ecumenical dialogues?

For more web sites for non-Catholic Christians,  see:

Do you have any other favorite web sites for Non-Catholic Christians?

Leave a Comment

A Universal Gratitude for Mothers

May 10, 2009 at 3:38 pm (Uncategorized)
Tags: , , , , , ,

Happy Mother’s Day to all you mothers out there, biological and spiritual. Fecundity, as it turns out, is not limited to the body, so to all who are consecrated to the Lord, who are unmarried, who are unable to conceive or carry to term–Happy Mother’s Day as well.  To the women who love and nurture as way of life: aunts, widows, neighbors, social workers, teachers, youth ministers, nurses and beyond.You are loved and you are fruitful. You know who you are. Thank you for your gift of self.

Leave a Comment

Children are the Answer: A Call for papers

April 8, 2009 at 9:56 am (Events, Ideas, News)
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Child full of hopeFrom the One More Soul Newsletter:

Have you ever lamented the fact that modern society sees contraception as the answer to so many of our current problems? Do you ever wish that someone would stand up and propose REAL solutions to these problems? Well, then, read on.

One More Soul’s director [soon to retire], Steve Koob, has given these issues a lot of thought and would like to propose that children are the answer! He believes that ‘more children (and therefore more souls) are the answer to many (and perhaps most) of our culture’s problems.’ He is thus issuing a blanket invitation for all writers to explain how children are the answer to our culture’s problems. Those who are interested can send their paper to cata@omsoul.com.

All serious (and humorous) papers will be posted at One More Soul’s web site, and will help us define a future “Children are the Answer” Symposium. Authors who respond to this “Call for Papers” may be invited to present (or summarize) their work at the CATA symposium.

Papers shouldb e less than 2500 words, and should include a brief abstract with key words underlined. Multiple submissions are permissible. We hope to hear from you soon!

What an opportunity! This is a beautiful follow up to the Contraception is Not the Answer Conference  in Fall 2006 in Rosemont, Illinois. There are so many directions one could go: children and vocations, children and science, children and the economy, etc. Do you have any ideas?

5 Comments

DVD Review: Plan Your Family Naturally

April 7, 2009 at 6:47 pm (NFP Testimony, See it!)
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

plan-your-family-naturally DVD coverI have a review copy of a relatively new informational DVD on natural methods of family planning from the Diocese of Rockville Center, NY. So here’s my review.

About the DVD:
Title: “Plan Your Family…Naturally”
Director/ Producer: John Romanowsky
Sponsored by: Diocese of Rockville, NY in association with Order of Malta
Running Time: 22 minutes

Synopsis: The title is pretty much self explanatory, but what approach does John Romanowsky take to explain natural methods of family planning? Shot in a basic documentary interview format,  Drs. Jennifer and Matthew DeMarco are joined by Chris and Dan Volpe and Damon and Melanie Owens, married couples who share their own experience of discovering, learning, and living NFP. These couples give a heartfelt, real-life witness to its effectiveness, challenges, and many benefits-practical, relational, and spiritual-as they cooperate with God’s natural plan for married sexuality.

Strengths: I agree with the promotional web site’s description. This video is contemporary and engaging. As I lament in another entry on marketing NFP, quality contemporary NFP marketing materials are few and far between, for many reasons (lack of connections, know-how, but usually lack of funds and initiative). While there are a few visual and artistic weaknesses, the production value (including often looked-over hair, lighting, and makeup) is quite good, and much higher than the usual efforts. The couples were well spoken, sincere, joyful and told their stories in an honest an engaging way. The DeMarco’s being the core narrators of the DVD were a real asset, not only for their medical credentials, but their friendly and intelligent presence. Not to be sexist, but I’ve found having a female medical professional who is well spoken is a tremendous asset to marketing NFP. Having an engaging male medical professional is certainly a plus, but having a woman doctor just gives that extra boost of confidence to females, who are oftentimes the one first looking into NFP and/or making the initial decision to take a class. (Having said that, I also think it’s important to market more materials specifically towards men, as they usually have a different visual vocabulary.) The DVD’s “Resources” section was a good idea, and the medical illustrations were top notch–very well done and comprehensive without appearing overly complicated.

Weaknesses: Having the opening shot be an atomic microscopic photo of sperm swimming definitely reiterates the the theme of life, but may be a little bit of a shock to those bringing rhythm-method, 17 sibling stereotype baggage to their first viewing of the DVD. A better opening shot might have been something less biological and something more relational/ emotional. Conversely, the description on web site described NFP in a typical “NFP is as effective as the pill for postponing pregnancy” phraseology without referencing the use of NFP to achieve pregnancy or treat women’s wellness issues. This is one of the major downfalls of current NFP marketing materials, and leads to misunderstanding of NFP from both pro-contraceptive people as well as the Providentialists and Quiverfull camp. While the DVD certainly is very contemporary, it would have been helpful to have a young adult couple share their thoughts, doubts and joys about NFP. It was very good to have older, more established couples share their wisdom and experience, but most of the people going through marriage preparations programs and pre-Cana are young adults. Young adults appreciate the witness of older married couples, but hearing the testimony of other young adult couples makes the reality more concrete and relatable. Along those same lines, more resources, especially Internet resources and web sites could have been added, like “NFP on Facebook” or One More Soul or NFP Blogs (shameless self-plug).  Also, Damon & Melanie Owens are rock stars of the marriage prep and NFP worlds, being a well known Theology of the Body speaker/co-founders of the New Jersey NFP association, and should have gotten some props for what they do, or at the very least a title bar under their initial interview with their titles. Lastly, I wish it was about 15-20 minutes longer, with a little background to NFP for health reasons.

Recommendations: Though this DVD has some weaknesses, it is by far one of the best NFP introductions out there. It should be used in marriage prep programs if there isn’t already a quality introduction talk/ course for NFP. People who should have at least one copy (if not several): Diocesan Evangelization Directors, Family Life Directors & NFP Coordinators, DREs, Adult Faith Formation Coordinators at larger parishes, every parish nurse, all high school youth ministers, and every seminarian, deacon and parish pastor.

Have we got things covered?Have you gotten a chance to view it? What did you think? To order, click link at the top of the page, btw.

2 Comments

And Baby Makes How Many?

February 10, 2009 at 10:33 am (Articles, Birth, Population)
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

dozenThis is a surprisingly quasi-balanced article from the New York Times on larger families and the struggles of prejudice they face. The author, Kate Zernike, like any good writer, hits pros and cons, works in the controversial buzz stories, like unwed and unemployed Nadya Suleman, the new octuplet mother (I’m not even going to begin my critique here), or British environazi Jonathon Porritt’s orwelian declaration that there should be a two-child limit imposed on families to save the environment, and anything contrary would be “irresponsible.” Don’t forget the mandatory Angelina Jolie brood mention.

She talks about how larger families don’t seem to be inherently immoral as Porritt suggest, but states, “If large families are the stuff of spectacle, it is partly because they have become rarer.”

I really like that Zernike delves into this topic with a sympathetic ear and a balanced pen, but the question she doesn’t ask–or at least doesn’t publish–in depth is why large families are rarer. Sure, she mentions the dawn of contraception and its widespread use, but she doesn’t get to the burning question at hand: why do large families forgo contraception, and what are the results, and the differences between them and the “average” family? A great follow up to this article would be a piece on the contra-contraception movement, which is made up of a diversity of advocates, large families and small.

Zernike does go the extra mile to show that these families are regular, intelligent people, and I like that.  She also shows their sense of humor in the face of intrusive and rude comments about their family size, relaying any number of sassy replies.

Among her interviewees is Leslie Fields, author of “The Case for Kids,” whose brave and forthright testimony in Christianity Today drew all sorts of angry letters. (Thank you Lambeth ‘30 for planting those seeds.) Fields rightly notes that you can’t even enter into debate with people who are that angry and irrational (as we found out from the childfree comment-and-crucify session we had last year and the year before).

Some of my favorite quotes:
“How can you afford so many? ‘Lifestyles are expensive, not kids.’ “

“‘Children are a kind of wealth,’ Mrs. Curtis said. ‘Just not the kind of wealth our society tends to focus on.’”

2 Comments