Children don’t deserve to die
Great news for women and men looking to avoid unwanted pregnancies!
Scientists have discovered what causes pregnancy in women and have found a way to prevent this condition that is considered by many to be a rude disruption to their lives.
It is 100% effective, and best of all – it’s free! It is called abstinence, and apparently, this amazing tool was given to us by our Creator many years ago but has been mostly ignored. It has also been uncovered that our Creator intended that his creation (us) increase and multiply by means of sexual intercourse and, as a bonus, made it enjoyable to most.
Early on, however, many humans flipped this concept and selfishly decided that they only wanted to partake of the fun part without any of the consequences. This has resulted in the murder, yes, murder, of millions of unborn children whose lives and souls began at their conception.
These children did not deserve to die because of the sins of their parents, no matter under what circumstances they were conceived! Yes, a woman’s uterus is the growing chamber of the baby, but that fact does not entitle her to “terminate,” i.e., murder, another human being. Is not murder illegal? Is not murder a mortal sin?
There are abundant resources to help mothers- and fathers-to-be navigate the physical, spiritual, financial and emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy. Some are called pregnancy centers and they assist anyone who seeks their help. Some are called churches and they assist anyone who seeks their help.
Please, seek help. Choose life. Choose love. – Suzanne L. Rose, Columbia
Why ‘too many’ Catholics reject doctrine of Real Presence
We are grateful for the bishops’ effort to promote The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We can identify three reasons why too many Catholics reject so fundamental a doctrine. First, poor catechesis over two generations. I’ve observed a feel-good communitarianism and a God so friendly he wouldn’t countenance hell being emphasized over salvational truths of faith, which often require self-denial and willingness to stand apart. Feelings given paramount importance.
Second, we live in an age in which, by their successes, science and technology have replaced religion’s claims to truth. The two are not seen as revealing God or as instrumental to human life and felicity, but have become themselves the standard of truth in a shallow philosophy called “scientism” in which they are said to supplant non-empirical methods of theology, philosophy, morals, art.
That’s nonsense, of course. Indeed, self-refuting nonsense, but it is felt in the air we breathe and being a vaguely felt sentiment. And there we are, again, feelings.
Third is deep dissonance within the Church, for while she stoutly proclaims the doctrine of the Real Presence, she acts as if it cannot matter all that much. It’s clearly apparent in bishops’ failing to give pastoral counsel or publicly to discipline Catholic officials who persistently enable and celebrate abortion.
Such Catholics receive the Real Presence in Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin as demonstrated in that very persistence. Thus, officials and their shepherds give scandal to the faithful, while also bringing disrepute on the shepherds — a disrepute ramified in failures publicly to support that courageous minority of fellow shepherds who do. – Robert Mosby, Williamsburg
Editor’s note: Before judging another’s “state of mortal sin,” one would do well to familiarize oneself with what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: “Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice”(CCC #1859).
Teachings of faith must be our guide
I agree with John D. Stec’s thoughts, “Let faith be your guide when voting” (Catholic Virginian, July 11). Elections do have consequences, and we must cast our votes guided by the teachings of our faith.
The single businessman he cites, who, at times, refused to rent apartments to Black people, stole his workers’ wages, assaulted women, encouraged his supporters to use violence, called responsible criticism of him “fake,” and boasted of his wealth, became POTUS in 2016.
For the next four years, his daily degrading and insulting of poor people, people of color, women, people with disabilities, immigrants, Muslims, political opponents and others cultivated a national atmosphere of division and malice and gave white supremacist gangs a champion in the White House.
He undid hard won protections for people and the planet, downplayed a pandemic that has killed over one million Americans, and made the richest even richer through tax cuts.
Jesus, in contrast, spoke truth, refused earthly power, warned against accumulating riches, inaugurated God’s kingdom belonging to the poor and outcast, and loved even his enemies — renouncing violence, he died rather than harm his opponents. Yes, may the teachings of our faith be our guide. – Steve Baggarly, Norfolk
‘Politics is dividing Church’
In “VCC consistently addresses gun violence” (Catholic Virginian, July 11), Virginia Catholic Conference director Jeff Caruso shows why our Church should not be involved in politics.
People are not going to join, attend and donate to any organization that they don’t agree with. Because of this, Church leadership should not involve the Church in political issues and each one of us should consider our religious beliefs on our own when choosing political candidates to support.
If you would rather try to survive an attack from a person with a knife or rock than a semi-automatic gun as Ellen Williams stated (Catholic Virginian, July 11) then it is your prerogative to vote for anti-gun politicians.
I personally would rather try to survive those attacks with my own firearm since the only difference in dying by knife, rock or gun is the speed in which you die.
The disagreement among us on so many political issues means that many of us are not going to be happy with the VCC political positions, whatever they are. This is important because people aren’t going to physically, emotionally or financially support a Church that they don’t agree with politically, just as they aren’t going to support a politician that they don’t agree with.
The VCC political viewpoints therefore — perhaps counter intuitively — reduce our Church’s ability to spread the Gospel. Politics is dividing our Church just like it is dividing the public. – Rick Kurek, Yorktown