The Kippley's blog has an excellent, speculative post on breastfeeding education in the 50s. It is based on the idea that if ecological breastfeeding had been advocated in the 50s, the ground might not have been fertile for the widespread dissent from Humanae Vitae.
Mr. Kippley correctly points out a correlation which is often ignored: the increase in bottlefeeding coincided with the decrease in space between children. So it was not the Church which caused children to be born too close together, the blame can more properly be placed on the formula companies who opened a new market by targeting healthy mothers for their product instead of being satisfied with saving the lives of thousands of orphans who had no other choice but formula.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Pushing the Limits
I recently finished reading the book, Everything Conceivable by Liza Mundy. I knew picking it up that it would be one of those books that was a challenge to make it through without throwing it out the window. I was right. There were definitely a lot of "chuckable" moments. But since it was a library book I refrained from chucking it, managed to finish it and decided to share some of my thoughts with you here.
The book is about all the new technologies which are making it possible for almost anyone and everyone to have children, regardless of their age or level of natural fertility.
It starts out recounting an unusual request made to a California pastor. A parishioner who recently had given birth to twins was requesting that the pastor write in some part for the egg donor at the baptism. The pastor says, later in the book, that she thought for a minute then had no problem writing the ceremony.
This is just one of the many subtle, or not so subtle, ways in which the author normalizes the use of these technologies. She repeatedly points to religious and pro-life people who think that these technologies are perfectly acceptable, as a way of implying because there is no consensus on these issues, then there are no moral guidelines at all. Relativism at it's best.
Despite the slant however, it was an interesting, if horrifying, read. The book details all aspects of assisted reproductive technologies, from artificial insemination to IVF, from sperm and egg donors to surrogates, from married couples who want a child, to gays, lesbians and single-by-choice moms. There are several chapters dedicated to discussing the boom in multiple births, twins, triplets or more. And one dedicated to discussing what to do with "left over" embryos.
One of the most horrifying chapters to me was the one on "selective reduction," the process by which a high-order multiple pregnancy is "reduced" down to a "manageable" size, usually twins. Ms. Mundy reports that the doctor who pioneered "selective reduction" had seen one pregnancy of twelve fetuses. She goes on to say that the woman's doctor was not truthful about the number of fetuses, telling her that there were six instead of twelve. Ms. Mundy does not report on the outcome of the pregnancy, but one can assume that all but two were aborted.
The way in which the doctor lied outright to this woman is just one example of how unscrupulous many in this field are. Even Ms. Mundy refers to assisted reproductive technologies as the "wild west" of medicine. Of course, she thinks more regulation is in order.
In this she is mistaken. More regulation will not change the essential problem with these technologies, as that lies in the fundamental immorality of most of the methods. Only when people stop trying to play God and instead repent will there be any end to the horrors that are detailed in this book.
For anyone who wants a better view of what's wrong with the world this book is for you.
The book is about all the new technologies which are making it possible for almost anyone and everyone to have children, regardless of their age or level of natural fertility.
It starts out recounting an unusual request made to a California pastor. A parishioner who recently had given birth to twins was requesting that the pastor write in some part for the egg donor at the baptism. The pastor says, later in the book, that she thought for a minute then had no problem writing the ceremony.
This is just one of the many subtle, or not so subtle, ways in which the author normalizes the use of these technologies. She repeatedly points to religious and pro-life people who think that these technologies are perfectly acceptable, as a way of implying because there is no consensus on these issues, then there are no moral guidelines at all. Relativism at it's best.
Despite the slant however, it was an interesting, if horrifying, read. The book details all aspects of assisted reproductive technologies, from artificial insemination to IVF, from sperm and egg donors to surrogates, from married couples who want a child, to gays, lesbians and single-by-choice moms. There are several chapters dedicated to discussing the boom in multiple births, twins, triplets or more. And one dedicated to discussing what to do with "left over" embryos.
One of the most horrifying chapters to me was the one on "selective reduction," the process by which a high-order multiple pregnancy is "reduced" down to a "manageable" size, usually twins. Ms. Mundy reports that the doctor who pioneered "selective reduction" had seen one pregnancy of twelve fetuses. She goes on to say that the woman's doctor was not truthful about the number of fetuses, telling her that there were six instead of twelve. Ms. Mundy does not report on the outcome of the pregnancy, but one can assume that all but two were aborted.
The way in which the doctor lied outright to this woman is just one example of how unscrupulous many in this field are. Even Ms. Mundy refers to assisted reproductive technologies as the "wild west" of medicine. Of course, she thinks more regulation is in order.
In this she is mistaken. More regulation will not change the essential problem with these technologies, as that lies in the fundamental immorality of most of the methods. Only when people stop trying to play God and instead repent will there be any end to the horrors that are detailed in this book.
For anyone who wants a better view of what's wrong with the world this book is for you.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Unknown Death
There has been an interesting and sad debate afoot in Connecticut. The Catholic bishops there have decided to comply with a law saying that Plan B must be offered to victims of rape without depending on the results of an ovulation test. Since Plan B may prevent implantation of a newly conceived life, this could result in an early chemically-induced abortion.
It is interesting to read about the moral debate as the Church develops its doctrine on the topic of non-marital contraception. It is tremendously sad that this debate occurs while an unknown number of little ones are flushed down the drain. Join me in praying that the number lost is zero.
It is interesting to read about the moral debate as the Church develops its doctrine on the topic of non-marital contraception. It is tremendously sad that this debate occurs while an unknown number of little ones are flushed down the drain. Join me in praying that the number lost is zero.
CI
This is my one hundred and oneth post at this blog. Thanks to all of you who read it. I hope I may one day share an illuminating thought on it.
Maybe I can come up with invisible text for my eleventy-first post!
Maybe I can come up with invisible text for my eleventy-first post!
Hardliners
I promised myself that there would be some punishments that I never used on my children. I came very close to crossing that line this weekend when my adorable little one woke me up at 7am on a weekend where my eldest chose to sleep in until 7:30am. I could have really used those 30 minutes so punishment was in order. I subjected my little one to Julia Robert's acting (Mystic Pizza). My eldest awoke and spared my little one further punishment. As a demonstration of contrition, I put in a Dora video and let them be purified of foul influences.
Jen and I finished the movie later and I was surprised that I enjoyed most of the movie. Primarily due to a young Vincent D'Onofrio who delivers the best line in the movie, which is unfortunately soiled by a mild vulgarity. To paraphrase, he tells his fiancee how bad he feels because he wants to marry her and she only wants his body and won't commit. It sums up fornication quite nicely and pleasantly contains the role reversal of the man being more committed to love than the woman.
By the way, a free trial month of Netflix to the first person to get the reference in the title of this post.
Jen and I finished the movie later and I was surprised that I enjoyed most of the movie. Primarily due to a young Vincent D'Onofrio who delivers the best line in the movie, which is unfortunately soiled by a mild vulgarity. To paraphrase, he tells his fiancee how bad he feels because he wants to marry her and she only wants his body and won't commit. It sums up fornication quite nicely and pleasantly contains the role reversal of the man being more committed to love than the woman.
By the way, a free trial month of Netflix to the first person to get the reference in the title of this post.
Friday, September 28, 2007
A Wife Less Ordinary
A site that I don't visit as often as I should has this great article on living the wifely vocation. The best part about blogging is perusing the 'net and founding out that there are more people like you and your wife out there, living the life and trying to figure things out. Best of all, those people are charitable enough to share their thoughts, feelings, and prayers with you.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bizarre NFP Information
I know, I'm in a slump and haven't really returned to posting yet. We have been busy cleaning the house in preparation for a big party, and completing our summer chore list.
We did take the time to give an introduction to NFP to an interested OB/GYN student from Penn. She was polite, interested, and friendly. Talking about NFP outside of the "class" always makes me happy, especially with an attentive and intelligent listener.
Anyway, my wide-ranging introduction brought me to my favorite bizarre NFP topic, spit under a microscope. My wife discovered this site a few years ago while googling NFP. Spit undergoes similar changes to those experienced by cervical secrections during the fertile time. So if a woman studies her spit daily, she can determine if she is fertile or not. I just love that someone thought of this. It is so cool and weird and completely moral as far as I can tell.
Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
We did take the time to give an introduction to NFP to an interested OB/GYN student from Penn. She was polite, interested, and friendly. Talking about NFP outside of the "class" always makes me happy, especially with an attentive and intelligent listener.
Anyway, my wide-ranging introduction brought me to my favorite bizarre NFP topic, spit under a microscope. My wife discovered this site a few years ago while googling NFP. Spit undergoes similar changes to those experienced by cervical secrections during the fertile time. So if a woman studies her spit daily, she can determine if she is fertile or not. I just love that someone thought of this. It is so cool and weird and completely moral as far as I can tell.
Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Friday, September 21, 2007
What I did on my summer vacation
Vacation with the family was excellent. Jen already posted a good synopsis so go there for the scoop.
The most interesting thing which I got on vacation was an understanding of the desire to parent other people's children. Many of my dear friends have expressed a desire to parent children whose parents are obviously not doing the job well. I thought my friends were being hard on other people who were merely having a momentary lapse in discipline. I was wrong and I apologize to all my dear friends. Momentary lapses of discipline are obvious and easily forgivable since concerned parents resume discipline shortly thereafter. For example, a toddler who sneaked under a pew at Mass for a minute, only to have mommy pick her up and sit her back on the pew with a sternly whispered reprimand. That was a lapse in discipline, a lack of discipline looked completely different.
On vacation, we took an evening family cruise to go fishing in the bay near Ocean City, NJ. The nearly complete lack of discipline on the family cruise was rather scary. The five year old son of the captain of the boat repeatedly pointed the bilge pump at me and my family in spite of occasional reprimands from the captain. I took it away from him and placed it where he could not get it. The eight year old son of the captain repeatedly disobeyed his dad and eventually started flailing his fishing rod, hook and all, in the general vicinity of my daughter's eyeballs. Pop and I both stepped in and vigorously reprimanded the boy while removing the rod from his grasp.
Quite frankly, a lack of discipline is not just scary, but dangerous and potentially blinding.
The most interesting thing which I got on vacation was an understanding of the desire to parent other people's children. Many of my dear friends have expressed a desire to parent children whose parents are obviously not doing the job well. I thought my friends were being hard on other people who were merely having a momentary lapse in discipline. I was wrong and I apologize to all my dear friends. Momentary lapses of discipline are obvious and easily forgivable since concerned parents resume discipline shortly thereafter. For example, a toddler who sneaked under a pew at Mass for a minute, only to have mommy pick her up and sit her back on the pew with a sternly whispered reprimand. That was a lapse in discipline, a lack of discipline looked completely different.
On vacation, we took an evening family cruise to go fishing in the bay near Ocean City, NJ. The nearly complete lack of discipline on the family cruise was rather scary. The five year old son of the captain of the boat repeatedly pointed the bilge pump at me and my family in spite of occasional reprimands from the captain. I took it away from him and placed it where he could not get it. The eight year old son of the captain repeatedly disobeyed his dad and eventually started flailing his fishing rod, hook and all, in the general vicinity of my daughter's eyeballs. Pop and I both stepped in and vigorously reprimanded the boy while removing the rod from his grasp.
Quite frankly, a lack of discipline is not just scary, but dangerous and potentially blinding.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Lessons in Humility
I promise to have a post soon about what I learned on my summer vacation. But until then I have to share this story with you, dear reader.
Due to the approaching end of summer, I found our house much cooler in the morning than has recently been the case. On this morning, my eldest daughter joined me for breakfast as she often does. After breakfast, I decided I should get her dressed before I left for work. I thought Maria would get cold playing in the guest room with all her toys so I picked out an outfit and dressed her. Later in the day, after using the potty, Maria went to get her pants. Instead of picking up the pants I had chosen that morning, Maria opened her drawer in the dresser and pulled out the pants that belonged with the shirt she was already wearing.
That is to say, in all humility, my daughter is better at dressing herself than I am.
Due to the approaching end of summer, I found our house much cooler in the morning than has recently been the case. On this morning, my eldest daughter joined me for breakfast as she often does. After breakfast, I decided I should get her dressed before I left for work. I thought Maria would get cold playing in the guest room with all her toys so I picked out an outfit and dressed her. Later in the day, after using the potty, Maria went to get her pants. Instead of picking up the pants I had chosen that morning, Maria opened her drawer in the dresser and pulled out the pants that belonged with the shirt she was already wearing.
That is to say, in all humility, my daughter is better at dressing herself than I am.
Friday, September 7, 2007
End of Summer Blues
This is the part of summer that I have an intense love/hate relationship with. I hate to see summer go and spend much of my free time cramming in things which have been on my summer To-Do list for months. I also love the feeling of accomplishing many things around the house which comes from reckless completion of chores. This is my biggest and best chore of the summer. I am very sad that I trusted C.D. Kaller for my gutters two years ago, I will not use them again.
On the flip side, I am very happy that I hired "Superior Driveway Coating" to do the driveway. It looks great and it is done!
On the flip side, I am very happy that I hired "Superior Driveway Coating" to do the driveway. It looks great and it is done!
Friday, August 31, 2007
Hungry in Spirit
An excellent conjunction of books has happened in my head such that I have a deeper understanding of being "poor in spirit" than I ever had before.
I am currently reading "The Thrill of the Chaste" (book review forthcoming) and Dawn Eden quotes a Psalm about the Lord making a dwelling for those who are hungry. As a daily prayer, I am reading from a Padre Pio devotional. In today's letter, one of St. Pio's spiritual children receives advice that to constantly feel a lack of love for God is a wonderful blessing. The Lord is not only how showing her much she needs Him, but providing motivation to continually find ways to love Him more deeply. The third book in this conjunction is "Transformation in Christ" which is the best book on how to follow Christ I have ever read (I hope to finish it soon). In it, Dietrich von Hildebrand points out many of the character flaws which stand in the way of following Jesus and what their roots are. One of the flaws is a feeling of sufficiency or completeness. To follow Christ is to always search for how you can more deeply invite Him into your life, therefore you must constantly be lacking a "full" conversion to Him on this side of Heaven so that you are prepared for a complete union with Him in Heaven.
I am currently reading "The Thrill of the Chaste" (book review forthcoming) and Dawn Eden quotes a Psalm about the Lord making a dwelling for those who are hungry. As a daily prayer, I am reading from a Padre Pio devotional. In today's letter, one of St. Pio's spiritual children receives advice that to constantly feel a lack of love for God is a wonderful blessing. The Lord is not only how showing her much she needs Him, but providing motivation to continually find ways to love Him more deeply. The third book in this conjunction is "Transformation in Christ" which is the best book on how to follow Christ I have ever read (I hope to finish it soon). In it, Dietrich von Hildebrand points out many of the character flaws which stand in the way of following Jesus and what their roots are. One of the flaws is a feeling of sufficiency or completeness. To follow Christ is to always search for how you can more deeply invite Him into your life, therefore you must constantly be lacking a "full" conversion to Him on this side of Heaven so that you are prepared for a complete union with Him in Heaven.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
In "Local" News
I have been trying to get this blog to relate more to the local Phily beat, so of course I have this great article about Virginia (with a Philly connection). I feel much less animus towards the local news as they strain credulity to find a local connection in a big story. I now do it too.
It seems that a priest who served in Philly during the 80s has now become Bishop of Richmond and he has a committee re-evaluating their marriage prep programs. The article seems a bit inconclusive as to what the final product will be, but the committee is going in all the right directions. I would be ecstatic to see Christopher West's program used throughout the U.S. We have an early edition of his pre-Cana materials from when he spoke at the PNFPN's conference in 2006 and it is great stuff. He understands and presents the Theology of the Body better than anyone I know.
All that being said, I'm still torn over requiring NFP classes. It is hard enough to find volunteers to teach, and to teach classes well to interested and motivated students. I can't imagine the strain on the teachers, trying to handle a room full of dozens of hostile couples. However, requiring the class does let people know that the Church is serious and contraception is wrong so it will be important work for all teachers willing to do it.
The Diocese of Richmond and all teachers of NFP are in my prayers.
It seems that a priest who served in Philly during the 80s has now become Bishop of Richmond and he has a committee re-evaluating their marriage prep programs. The article seems a bit inconclusive as to what the final product will be, but the committee is going in all the right directions. I would be ecstatic to see Christopher West's program used throughout the U.S. We have an early edition of his pre-Cana materials from when he spoke at the PNFPN's conference in 2006 and it is great stuff. He understands and presents the Theology of the Body better than anyone I know.
All that being said, I'm still torn over requiring NFP classes. It is hard enough to find volunteers to teach, and to teach classes well to interested and motivated students. I can't imagine the strain on the teachers, trying to handle a room full of dozens of hostile couples. However, requiring the class does let people know that the Church is serious and contraception is wrong so it will be important work for all teachers willing to do it.
The Diocese of Richmond and all teachers of NFP are in my prayers.
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Time to Talk Harry
I haven't commented on the eternal debate over Harry Potter. I have read all the books and agree with the parents' decision for any child. Kind and attentive parents can allow the child to read the book and explain that it is fiction. Other kind and attentive parents may ban the reading of the book as a means of preventing all possible negative influences which it contains.
However, I have never seen an article which discusses the meaning of the Biblical word "sorcery" as well as this article does. It is simply the most concise explanation of the Biblical condemnation of contraception (Greek: pharmakeia, often translated as "sorcery") that I know to be in existence. It covers the Catholic Church, the Church Fathers, Protestant Reformers, and secular historians in a few paragraphs, tying them together with Harry Potter (Spoiler alert!).
Please read it.
However, I have never seen an article which discusses the meaning of the Biblical word "sorcery" as well as this article does. It is simply the most concise explanation of the Biblical condemnation of contraception (Greek: pharmakeia, often translated as "sorcery") that I know to be in existence. It covers the Catholic Church, the Church Fathers, Protestant Reformers, and secular historians in a few paragraphs, tying them together with Harry Potter (Spoiler alert!).
Please read it.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Greatest eBay item ever
Monday, August 20, 2007
Mmmmmm...movie review
Well, being a gigantic fan of The Simpsons, I was thrilled when the movie finally hit the screen. I passed into near apoplexy when my non-wife best friend (henceforth, NWBF) volunteered to treat me to the tickets and dinner. While she didn't directly get me hooked on The Simpsons, her and I have shared many hours quoting, discussing, and alluding to it.
Since this outing was occurring a few short weeks before my NWBF's upcoming wedding, we spent dinner time and cocktail hour waxing reminiscent over our long years of friendship and looking forward to the future. In many ways, our friendship has followed the same pattern of The Simpsons TV series. Tentative at first, we were still discovering ourselves during the Season 1 and 2 of our friendship, fifth and sixth grade. The next two years of our friendship were as spectacular as Seasons 3-5. Then came the dark period of Seasons 6-7 as we started high school. Emerging from this trial of friendship during junior and senior year of high school, Seasons 8 and 9 demonstrated the glory of things to come. College and life now conspire to make our friendship hit and miss due to the difficulties of distance and family, much like Season 10 and onward are hit and miss on quality and I must patiently await for DVD so that I can see them.
By this chronology The Simpsons Movie is an exact metaphor for my NWBF's recent wedding, aside from the numerous allusions to The Simpsons which they both contained. Joyous and happy, with a brand new shine over years of history, many of the older classic moments are celebrated again. Many of the characters act in predictable ways, providing comfort over the void of years since their introduction. Dramatic trials were experienced by the lead characters and the newly added characters ran around and made everyone love life just a bit more. L'chaim!
Since this outing was occurring a few short weeks before my NWBF's upcoming wedding, we spent dinner time and cocktail hour waxing reminiscent over our long years of friendship and looking forward to the future. In many ways, our friendship has followed the same pattern of The Simpsons TV series. Tentative at first, we were still discovering ourselves during the Season 1 and 2 of our friendship, fifth and sixth grade. The next two years of our friendship were as spectacular as Seasons 3-5. Then came the dark period of Seasons 6-7 as we started high school. Emerging from this trial of friendship during junior and senior year of high school, Seasons 8 and 9 demonstrated the glory of things to come. College and life now conspire to make our friendship hit and miss due to the difficulties of distance and family, much like Season 10 and onward are hit and miss on quality and I must patiently await for DVD so that I can see them.
By this chronology The Simpsons Movie is an exact metaphor for my NWBF's recent wedding, aside from the numerous allusions to The Simpsons which they both contained. Joyous and happy, with a brand new shine over years of history, many of the older classic moments are celebrated again. Many of the characters act in predictable ways, providing comfort over the void of years since their introduction. Dramatic trials were experienced by the lead characters and the newly added characters ran around and made everyone love life just a bit more. L'chaim!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
An E5 Man
Via Play the Dad, no Be the Dad, comes this post on Ephesians 5. I like how he grapples with the always difficult "Wives submit to your husbands." verse. I have often struggled with this verse since I know it doesn't mean that I can dominate my wife, but I have been so indoctrinated by the media and social pressure that I have difficulty understanding any interpretation. I particularly like the etymology of submission and how that affected his understanding.
I would paraphrase my understanding of this verse as, "A wife should obey her husband as long as he is working on his God-given mission. Otherwise, she should fulfill her God-given mission of working for her husband's salvation by correcting him." Not all of that is in this post, I am just trying to get a handle on my understanding.
I would paraphrase my understanding of this verse as, "A wife should obey her husband as long as he is working on his God-given mission. Otherwise, she should fulfill her God-given mission of working for her husband's salvation by correcting him." Not all of that is in this post, I am just trying to get a handle on my understanding.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Expensive Milestones
There have been a variety of milestones around the house. I just reached the point where college kids look young, not younger, but young as in a completely different age classification than me. I have chosen not to contemplate my own age classification.
I began preparations for the party to celebrate my lovely wife's age-related milestone. This will probably be the second most expensive of all the milestones, if I can get my way.
Maria realized last week that money can be used to purchase items that Daddy and Mommy won't get for you. I forget what the item in question was, but I told her she couldn't have it. She didn't fuss or complain; she merely said that she could go ask the neighbor for money. (Our neighbor once gave Maria a few coins to put in our Lenten rice bowl.) This will probably be the most expensive of all the milestones, since Maria now enjoys shopping for shoes at the Mall.
And Amelia's milestones come so rapidly, that it is hard to distinguish them all. According to my perceptions, she grew about three inches last week. She also tripled her vocal sounds and learned how to do a high-five. These milestones cost nothing and yield a huge return in smiles.
I began preparations for the party to celebrate my lovely wife's age-related milestone. This will probably be the second most expensive of all the milestones, if I can get my way.
Maria realized last week that money can be used to purchase items that Daddy and Mommy won't get for you. I forget what the item in question was, but I told her she couldn't have it. She didn't fuss or complain; she merely said that she could go ask the neighbor for money. (Our neighbor once gave Maria a few coins to put in our Lenten rice bowl.) This will probably be the most expensive of all the milestones, since Maria now enjoys shopping for shoes at the Mall.
And Amelia's milestones come so rapidly, that it is hard to distinguish them all. According to my perceptions, she grew about three inches last week. She also tripled her vocal sounds and learned how to do a high-five. These milestones cost nothing and yield a huge return in smiles.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
In case you are wondering...
whatever happened to ProlifeSearch.com, you can read the exploits of my lovely wife at Lap of Luxury. I think my wife does an excellent job of being unbiased and reporting only the facts of her experience.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
The Founders
An interesting article on founders of non-profits.
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/section/490.html
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/section/490.html
A good sign, or not
I was just perusing my Sitemeter stats and found an interesting referral. Someone found me through a Google Search on the words, "i hate natural family planning." I hope this blog was a positive experience for whoever that poor soul was. Since I passed quickly from ignorance to amazement of NFP, in the first hour of my first class, I have never had the experience of hating it.
The beautiful design of human sexuality amazes me so much, that I feel sorrow for those who pass through hatred of any part of it. Searcher, you are in my prayers.
The beautiful design of human sexuality amazes me so much, that I feel sorrow for those who pass through hatred of any part of it. Searcher, you are in my prayers.
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