Saturday, March 20, 2010
ToB Extras
As I was reading this week's chapters, I ran across a bunch of things that aren't really related to this section, but were still cool/interesting/profound. Thus, this post came to be. If you see anything in the media that's cool, any examples of ToB or anti-ToB, post all those delicious miscellaneous tid-bits here!
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"Those who seek the accomplishment of their own human and Christian vocation in marriage are called, first of all, to make the theology of the body...the content of their life and behavior." JP2, General Audience 4/2/80
"It's no exaggeration to say that the task of the 20th century was to rid itself of the Christian sexual ethic. If we're to build a "culture of life" the task of the 21st century must be to reclaim it." --Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners pg. 15
"Think how intertwined sex is with the very reality of human existence. You simply wouldn't exist without the secual unionr of your parents -- and their parents before them... Every human being is the end result of thousands upon thousans of indispensible sexual unions. Remove just one sexual union from your family tree and you wouldn't exist. Nor would anyone else who descended from that union. The world would be a different place. Just as effectively, go back any number of generations and insert on contracepted union into your lineage, and you wouldn't exist. Nor would anyone else who descended from that point on your family tree. The world would be a different place." -Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners pp. 13-14
Theology of the Body Institute Website:
http://www.tobinstitute.org/
This could be media-related....
I'm actually at work right now (in the Health Center) and I just finished folding table tent fliers for Take Back the Night. This event is a march on campus to raise awareness and to stop sexual and domestic violence. Its funny to me that a march around the Oak Grove will help stop sexual and domestic violence, sponsored by the same organization who fights for women's rights and will so generously provide not only information on every kind of contraceptive, but will actually also supply contraceptives.
I'm glad Sheila included the quote saying that the 21st Century's task is to reclaim the Christian sexual ethic in order to build the culture of life. I'll take this as a segue to bring up something that's been churning in me for a while now.
I'm sure that, as students, you're all aware of this and I feel that through my working here at the Health Center I am even more aware of all of the "sexual responsibility" messages we're told constantly. If you've ever read the STAHL News, you know. If you live in a residence hall and glance at bulletin boards, you know. If you read The Penn (especially last semester with the Sex on Campus section), you know. I have so many mixed feelings upon seeing these things. One is offense that people believe we as students cannot control ourselves. Another is digust at how widely the information is spread throughout campus. Lastly, the appalling fact of its acceptance and appreciation from students.
Now, sometimes they do write (when talking about STDs and pregnancy) that abstinence is the only way to fully "protect" yourself. However, this is only a short insert in their main message.
I've been pondering this for a while and after talking with Fr. Willie, I'm ready to do something about it. It most likely will not happen until the beginning of fall semester, but Fr. Willie encouraged me to question them (in a loving way of course). :) We think that if they're sharing the side of contraceptives, why aren't they sharing more about abstinence? My goal is to gather (mostly)secular information to provide them with and create pamphlets and bulletin board materials for them to display just like they do their other work. Their mission statement should support this. Fr. Willie said that if we supply them with the information, they might be more willing to do it since the work is already done. Anyway, I'd like to get all of this together and send it around to various groups on campus, even in the classroom, and have students sign it in approval (like a petition almost) and then submit it to the organization to show them that students want to hear the other side. As a student organization dispensing information and materials, they should be listening to the students' concerns.
I know we have not yet gotten to talking about contraception in ToB, but its something to think about in relation to how we can start making changes in this sexual culture of death on our own campus.
Jackie, I have to do a Social Action Project for my Women's Studies class and am running into the same disregard for human dignity. There is so much misinformation and bad thinking on so many levels. Included are the myths that contraceptives will solve problems or that contracepting is really about preventing pregnancy (as if nobody knew how to do that before contraception!) and not about lust or rejecting the human body ergo the human person.
I'd love to talk with you about your health center work and do a project related to that topic. That could be helping you with the actions you describe, I'd love to be involved with that kind of action. We could include all kinds of information...for instance, the relationship between nonmarital sex and divorce, domestic violence, etc. The environmental and health threats of hormonal contraceptives should be more widely known, too. The effectiveness and health of NFP methods could be talked about. There's so much that people should know...
I agree Amelia, there is SO MUCH to be said! That would be awesome if you want to work on this for your class project. I get irritated working there some days, but after talking with Fr. Willie, I have decided not to quit and rather be a witness. Something needs to be done about what is being preached to our campus and our generation. This whole thing was Fr's idea... Maybe we can meet up after CSA this week and discuss how to go about it?
Jacki, I would love to work with you for my class project, I'm sure I can figure out a way to do it. I'll talk to you at CSA (though I can't stay after - actually I might have to leave early - but we can go from there).
Some thoughts from this week:
Love is
-Free
-Fruitful
-Faithful
-Total
Mother Teresa= spiritually promiscuous
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