Morality: November 2005 Archives

The discussion in the Broke back Mountain thread has brought to mind for me the Theology of the Body and some awesome Christopher West CDs I have on the subject.

What is Theology of the Body? It is John Paul II's catechesis on human sexuality, written in the 1960s. It is nothing short of revolutionary. He takes a completely different approach to the subject than his precedessors — one much more suited to the 21st century. He's sparked a sexual counter-revolution that's changing lives around the world. This is completely opposite to what the media will try to tell you the Catholic Church thinks about human sexuality. It explains in joyful, attractive terms why the church proposes certain moral teachings. If you've every wondered what the rationale is behind them, and why they make sense, you will be very pleasantly surprised if you study TOB.

I think it is important for every adult Catholic Christian to hear the message of TOB. It's the antidote to our present culture.

Here is a good introduction to TOB. On Chris's website you'll find some tapes, DVDs, and CDs for sale. The ten-CD set that wowed me is also available for the almost-sinful price of $3.90.

Chuck Colson writes an interesting piece in his Breakpoint newsletter:

Bashing the Bling
A Principal Draws the Line

November 2, 2005

At high schools across the country, the prom has gone from being an adolescent rite of passage to an indicator of social status to, now, the kind of extravagant thing that can affect the Gross Domestic Product. Whereas, not too long ago, the expenses associated with attending the prom were the price of the tux or dress and a corsage, today they can exceed what some hardworking families earn in a year.

That's why one courageous and morally serious Long Island principal said, "Enough already!"

The principal was Kenneth Hoagland of Kellenberg Memorial, a Catholic high school in Uniondale, New York. Hoagland, a brother in the Marianist order, was weary of the stories he heard about the Long Island school's spring prom: "Students putting down $10,000 to rent a house in the Hamptons for a weekend bash … Fathers chartering a boat so their kids could go out on a late-night 'booze cruise.'"

What bothered Hoagland wasn't only, or even primarily, the "sex, booze, and drugs." It was the "the flaunting of affluence … a pursuit of vanity for vanity's sake—in a word, financial decadence … "

So, Hoagland took the almost unimaginable step: At the start of this school year, he wrote parents a 2,000-word letter informing them that Kellenberg would no longer "put on the spring prom." Parents are free to continue to do as they please, but the school would have nothing to do with what he called an "orgy."