Quote from: Pax Vobis on Today at 07:28:58 AM
I guess my questions are:
1. Why is a realistic, mature, catholic introduction to marriage and reproduction considered by some to be "impure"? This is a very puritantical and uncatholic outlook on marriage.
2. Why is it assumed that to keep a child "pure" means you keep them ignorant? This is not logical.
3. Why is it assumed that knowledge will lead to impurity?
Purity means understanding God's plan for reproduction and understanding the beauty of it and how the fight to keep it special is God's will and is a gift to one's future spouse. A positive outlook on reproduction is better than avoiding the issue. Keeping an adolescent ignorant, in my opinion, keeps them with a childlike understanding of reality, when they are fighting adult battles of concupiscence. Just as attraction to sin is part of our fallen nature, so concupiscense is part of every person's battle to heaven. One cannot "protect" their adolescent in a bubble and expect that this will somehow make them pure. On the contrary, it just keeps them ignorant of the beauty of purity and why it's special, in real terms. Ignorance will not lessen the battle against the flesh, it will only be harder because the battle will be fought to "avoid evil" instead of "protecting good". And human psychology has proven that it is easier to fight for something good rather than just fight aimlessly against evil.
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Nevertheess, I would make some comments.
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1. realistic, mature, catholic introduction to marriage and reproduction should be tailored to the needs of the receiver, either individually or as a couple. 12 to 14 year olds do not need to hear the same thing as those who are close approaching marriage. Discretion is not very puritantical and uncatholic.
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2. A child is not a subject for sex instruction, which can actually interfere in their natural learning processes. Children should be allowed to be children - without being burdened with knowledge they have no need of. Children can be naturally inquisitive and their questions should answered in such a way that their natural innocence is not disturbed by any unnecessary information that they are not asking for.
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3. Knowledge should be at the appropriate time, by the parents, and in a manner which will lead the child to understand God's plan and have a healthy attitude to sex. Knowledge does not lead to impurity, and neither does lack of it.
I think you have a poor understanding of what purity is. Of course a 2 year old is pure and innocent. Purity is more than a virtue. It means uncontaminated. Parents have a duty to keep their children uncontaminated as far as they are able. That means protecting the from unwanted influences.
There are folk posting here who unfortunately have been contaminated by what is loosely known as modern "education"
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Nadir, your post is refreshing to read.
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I have some comments:
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Pax Vobis wrote:
1. Why is a realistic, mature, catholic introduction to marriage and reproduction considered by some to be "impure"? This is a very puritantical and uncatholic outlook on marriage.
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I do not approve of your choice of the word "reproduction." It suggests atheism, scientism, animalistic, mechanical/plumbing aspect of what should be a sacred human function. For man, it is
procreation that you are talking about and it is
procreation that you should say, not "reproduction." Reproduction is what a Xerox machine does, or a widget factory. The marital act is man's cooperation with God's act of creating an immortal soul, or perhaps more than one. It has nothing to do with "reproducing" anything, and this word ought to be abandoned by all Catholics like it's radioactive.
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The enemies of the Church selectively use "reproduction" and they do so for a reason.
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Beyond that, sex education should have no part of Catholic education. The recent innovation of its introduction in so-called Catholic schools is entirely a consequence of the putrid errors of Vatican II. There is nothing "realistic" about the need for an adolescent to learn about the mundane specifics of sɛҳuąƖ intercourse. It is rather the parents' place to make sure that the important things are kept in their important places so as not to be overtaken by prurient passions and brute impulses. The parents' place is to safeguard purity and to encourage the development of virtue so the child can weather the storm of impurity that he will ultimately face out in the world.
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Why should a parent have to explain the various physical impacts of narcotics to a child in order to discourage the child's use of them? Nor should a parent have to resort to lying about it in order to induce avoidance.
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It is insulting to a virtuous child to have a priest in confession suggest that the child might be holding back on confessing a sin of the flesh, and no priest should ever ask a penitent if he or she has committed "masturbation."
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PV:
2. Why is it assumed that to keep a child "pure" means you keep them ignorant? This is not logical.
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Children are going to learn the physical facts of human sɛҳuąƖ relations by listening to their friends or reading certain publications, and there isn't anything a parent can do about that. But those things are not what a parent needs to teach his children. His example of NOT talking about them is added emphasis to how powerful they are and they are a matter of deepest personal intimacy, not meant for casual conversation. If a boy is going to enter the priesthood, or a girl, should she become a sister, what good would it have done for his or her parents to have explained "the birds and the bees" to them?
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PV:
3. Why is it assumed that knowledge will lead to impurity?
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It's possible that a parent being terrified of the subject could lead the child to impurity. The parents' place is to be sure the child learns that purity is very important and something to be greatly treasured. Furthermore, that any sin against purity, even if it does not involve physical acts, should be confessed to a priest under the seal of confession.
That is the "knowledge" that takes first place in priority, not daring to explain mechanics.
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PV:
Purity means understanding God's plan for reproduction [procreation] and understanding the beauty of it and how the fight to keep it special is God's will and is a gift to one's future spouse. A positive outlook on reproduction [procreation] is better than avoiding the issue.
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You really need to learn the difference it makes in your thinking when you stop using "reproduction" (which is a falsehood) and START using the proper word in its place. Maybe you're much too proud to listen and learn from the likes of me, but you would be doing yourself a favor and a work of improvement that could have long-reaching consequences, if you would recognize that the use of the word "reproduction" destroys the virtuous sense and holiness that you should be trying to develop, protect, and pass along to the next generation. Just by changing out that one word, your two sentences above take on a whole new meaning!
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Very appropriate post by Fanny:
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Posted by: Fanny
« on: Today at 07:30:11 PM »Butler's Lives of the Saints reflection for today, feast of St. Nicholas:
"Those who would enter heaven must be as little children, whose greatest glory is their innocence. Now, two things are ours to do: first to reserve it in ourselves, or regain it by penance; secondly to love and shield it in others."
Topic: Fr. Pfeiffer gone mad? VERY Inappropriate sermon. (Read 17008 times)