Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

MICHAEL BROWN AND ERIC SMAW DEBATE "SHOULD SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BE LEGAL?"

Wintery Knight provides YouTube videos and his own summary of opening statements.  WK calls it a "MUST SEE" debate!  That's good enough for me.  I've appreciated the amount I've been able to look at so far.

MARRIAGE - THE DIFFERENCE IT MAKES!

Mona Charen offers a valuable column:

[...] Among the upper-middle class, marriage continues to be the norm. Among the lower-middle class though, marriage rates have collapsed. This has created a cultural gulf between classes in America that affects every aspect of life, and arguably threatens the cohesion of America itself. . .

Married men don’t just earn more and have significantly lower rates of criminality, substance abuse, depression, and poor health than single men. They also contribute more social capital to society. Married men are far more likely to coach little league, volunteer at church, and shovel their elderly neighbor’s walk. Married people, far more than singles (there are exceptions of course), take responsibility not just for themselves and their children, but for the community. . .  [Read it all ..]

THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS, FEBRUARY 3, 2011

These compilations from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.   For a complete list of articles from this latest edition,  click "continue reading" below.

Meanwhile here's a quote from Hadley Arkes' article on Ave Maria University in south Florida:  (my underlining)

But a collision of worlds – and a serious challenge – came out at dinner with a dear friend, an accomplished professor, a graduate of Harvard transplanted from the Northeast. He has two daughters at Ave Maria and he said, when I pressed him, that he wouldn’t send any of his children to Harvard. The new sexual ethic, whether on pornography, promiscuity, abortion, homoeroticism, is so pervasive, touching every aspect of life, that there is little room for those who will not pay homage to that reigning ethic. I do think that it is mainly the schools with a religious character that can offer now real academic freedom and a course of study in the humanities not warped by ideology.

Me: What an extraordinary admission!  For "real academic freedom" and a "course of study in the humanities not warped by ideology,"  it is to religious schools one must go.

CHUCK COLSON - APPLE CORPORATION CENSORING PRO-FAMILY "MANHATTAN DECLARATION"

This is really serious.  As Chuck Colson says,  (my emphases) 

 More and more, the forces of political correctness and intolerance are seeking to ban Christian beliefs and Christian speech from the public square. And they are targeting corporations and the media to enforce stringent sanctions against what they deem to be politically incorrect speech.

He writes:

I remember the days when the term “freedom of speech” referred to, well, actual speech.

Of course, it’s come to mean “freedom of expression.” That is to say, an artist can claim a constitutionally protected right to display a picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine. Or pornographers can claim free speech by peddling obscene pictures over the internet or in a magazine.

Such expression is, of course, protected by law. We don’t even argue about it anymore. But while restrictions on expression are vanishing, how is it that restrictions on actual speech in the public square are increasing?

One obvious case in point is Apple’s decision to pull the Manhattan Declaration app from its iTunes app store. Apple has decided that the document, which uses civil and biblical language to declare that marriage should be reserved to one man and one woman, constitutes the equivalent of hate speech.

We do not live in a truly free, liberal democracy when a major corporation like Apple, which controls so much of the information flow in our society, can seek to control the great moral debates of our age by simply denying access to one side of the debate.

It’s true, if government seeks to censor, say, a newspaper or a magazine, all kinds of lawsuits are sure to follow. But private censorship of free speech can be just as deadly; even more so.  And this, I fear, is what is happening in American life today.

 Now, in banning the Manhattan Declaration app, Apple decided to bend to the wishes of a small but very vocal group of homosexual-rights activists. But don’t think those activists will stop at the Manhattan Declaration. They are on the lookout for any organization that dares to oppose so-called “same-sex marriage.” Just last week, homosexual bloggers squawked that the Pennsylvania Family Institute was sponsoring what they called an “anti-gay,” “anti-equality” conference; and worse yet, that a prominent food chain, Chick-fil-A, was a co-sponsor. Of course, the conference was no such thing. The conference’s title is “The Art of Marriage, Getting to God’s Design.”

MARRIAGE: MERELY A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT?

I am posting this important article in advance of a careful reading myself.   The response by the celebrated conservative thinker Robbie George of Princeton (along with Sherif Girgis and Ryan T. Anderson) would alone make the article worth reading.  Marriage has become a major controversy and this article strikes me as exceedingly valuable and deserving of the most careful study.

GAY MARRIAGE ADVOCATES ROUTINELY TAR OPPONENTS AS "HATERS"

(Also see "Faith and Reason" posts here.)

- Matthew J. Franck wrote an outstanding article in the Washington Post titled, "In the gay marriage debate, stop playing the hate card."  His article adds substantively to an earlier post I had offered on the same subject.

Marginalize, privatize, anathematize: These are the successive goals of gay-marriage advocates when it comes to their opponents.

Franck writes:

In the debates over gay marriage, "hate" is the ultimate conversation-stopper.

Some stories from recent months: A religion instructor at a midwestern state university explains in an e-mail to students the rational basis for Catholic teaching on homosexuality. He is denounced by a student for "hate speech" and is dismissed from his position. (He is later reinstated - for now.) At another midwestern state university, a department chairman demurs from a student organizer's request that his department promote an upcoming "LGBTQ" film festival on campus; he is denounced to his university's chancellor, who indicates that his e-mail to the student warrants inquiry by a "Hate and Bias Incident Response Team."

CHUCK COLSON - HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVISTS SEEK TO SHUT DOWN DEBATE

- Update 12/15/10 - Sign the "Start Debating/Stop Hating petition."

- To tar as "hateful" and "bigoted" any person or organization that continues to define marriage as one man and one woman is disgusting.  "Hate" is a word thrown around much too much, and especially as a tactic to shut down debate.   Anyone using it must now be regarded with suspicion, for in 9 times out of 10, the one doing the accusing turns out to be the genuine "hater."  Charles Colson spotlights the latest "hate" attack, this time by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Colson writes:

What’s the easiest way to shut down a debate? Well these days, just label your opponent a hate-filled bigot. . .

In its newly-released Winter Intelligence Report, the Southern Poverty Law Center labels eighteen Christian organizations as “anti-gay groups.” The charges? “Pumping out demonizing propaganda aimed at homosexuals and other sexual minorities.”

And which Christian organizations engage in those activities? None other than the American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage, and the Family Research Council! For heaven’s sake! The report also announced that 13 of these organizations will be added this January to its list of official “hate groups.” They join the likes of Neo Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan!

FACEBOOK FACILITATING EXTRA-MARITAL AFFAIRS?

You've probably heard that Pastor Cedric A. Miller is requiring anyone who is married, in a leadership position at his church, and who is on Facebook, to either get off Facebook or resign their church position.  The reason?  Because of all the marital counseling triggered by Facebook.  Sound far-fetched?  Actually no.   I discovered that Nancy Kalish, Ph.D. published an article two months ago that detailed the problems Facebook was creating:  "Extra-marital affairs in the New Millennium."  She wrote:

I have been working with reunited couples for 16 years. . .   According to my research participants in several phases of my study, there are more extramarital affairs in this population now than in the 1990's, before the Web, search engines, classmates sites, and now social networking were invented. . .

So what has changed with the Internet is how casual, even accidental, it can be nowadays to see a photo of lost love, or even a name, and have all the memories come flooding back. The old flame is right there, ready for contact, and what could be the harm? People who are happily married, especially, do not realize the risk they are taking, the Pandora's box they are opening, just to say hello. . . .  [more]

Moral:  If you are married, the past is best left in the past.

THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS" - NOVEMBER 19, 2010

  These compilations of articles from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.

 Here is a brief sampling from the current edition:

• "The Best Sex of Your Life," Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council

• "Nordic Neighbors Differ on Key Human Rights Issue," Home School Legal Defense Association

In northern Europe, two nordic countries strongly differ in their response to homeschooling. Finland provides a warm reception to parents who chose to educate their children at home, while neighboring Sweden continues down an increasingly dangerous path of ostracizing and persecuting families who seek to exercise their right to homeschool.

• "Saturday People, Sunday People," Lela Gilbert, The Weekly Standard

The “Saturday People” are, of course, Jews, today nearly gone from Muslim lands. Now the Sunday people”—Christians— are in the crosshairs, and they, too, are fleeing at an alarming rate. Both religions are unwelcome in many Muslim-majority lands for reasons of Islamist ideology—the declaration of jihad, or holy war, against infidels.

• "U.S. Scientists Commit Most Research Fraud: Study," Jenifer Goodwin, HealthDay

A new study finds that nearly 800 research papers were retracted by medical journals for serious errors or faked data over the past decade, many of them authored by U.S. researchers.

Click the "Continue reading..." line below for the complete list of articles.

"SUMMER FOR MARRIAGE" SPEAKERS HARRASSED AND SHOUTED DOWN BY HOMOSEXUAL ACTIVISTS

If I were a same-sex marriage advocate, I would be embarrassed and ashamed of the "tolerance" shown by my compatriots.  The "Left" has no interest in civil debate.  It can be counted on to employ intimidation and strong arm tactics.  Charles Colson reports:

In the debate over same-sex marriage, why is the side demanding tolerance so radically intolerant? And how should we respond to intolerance?

The little family had gone to hear the speakers who had arrived in Albany, New York, to talk about the need to protect traditional marriage. But they soon found out how determined some people were that they not be allowed to hear this message.

As the family tried to listen, a group of men and women lined up directly in front of them, holding “rainbow” umbrellas and balloons, blocking their view. As the mother later told an interviewer, “I was scared

COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE ON THE ROCKS

Update 2/11/15:

   Courting vs. Dating: What's the Difference? - Wyatt Fischer, Psy.D.

Original Post: Chuck Colson weighs in and links to the following:

The End of Courtship - Leon R. Kass

The Good Christian Girl: A Fable
Gina R. Dalfonzo | Christianity Today | July 19, 2010

The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy
"Strengthening Marriage for a New Generation"

The Ruth Institute
"One Man, One Woman, for Life"

Marriage Savers
"Preparing, Strengthening and Restoring Marriages"

 

FRANK TUREK - "TOP TEN GAY MARRIAGE FALSE "FACTS"

Part one and part two.  Turek writes:

When one judge overturned the will of more then seven million Californians last week in Perry vs. Schwarzenegger, he listed 80 supposed “findings of fact” (FF) as evidence that Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. Many of those 80 findings are not facts at all. They’re lies or distortions.

Before we address the top ten false “facts” asserted by Judge Vaughn Walker, there is one real fact in his opinion that defeats the entire case for his opinion. Here it is:

“The evidence at trial shows that marriage in the United States traditionally has not been open to same-sex couples.”

Since that fact is unquestionably true, how can Judge Walker honestly declare that Proposition 8 violates the Fourteenth Amendment? Certainly no one in 1868 intended the Fourteenth Amendment to redefine marriage. Only the most tyrannical form of judicial activism can get Judge Walker to his conclusion.

Second, Prop 8 doesn’t violate the Fourteenth Amendment because every person in America already has equal marriage rights. We’re all playing by the same rules—we all have the same right to marry any non-related adult of the opposite sex. Those rules do not deny anyone “equal protection of the laws” because the qualifications to enter a marriage apply equally to everyone—every adult person has the same right to marry.

What about homosexuals? That leads us to Judge Walker’s first false “fact.”

1. “Sexual orientation is fundamental to a person’s identity and is a distinguishing characteristic that defines gays and lesbians as a discrete group.” (FF 44) This is the most important of the false facts because Walker’s entire case collapses without it. The “fact” is false because it ignores the difference between desires and behavior.

Having certain sexual desires—whether you were “born” with them or acquired them sometime in life—does not mean that you are being discriminated against if the law doesn’t allow the behavior you desire. Good laws discriminate against behavior. They do not discriminate against people. If Walker’s false “fact” was

MIKE McMANUS - SAVING CHRISTIAN MARRIAGES FROM DIVORCE

Mike McManus offers astute comments on the recent Southern Baptist expression of concern over the many divorces seen in its midst.  At the end of his article McManus says:

Every church has couples who have survived marital crises such as adultery or bankruptcy, who could be trained to tell their story of recovery to a couple in crisis, and can save four of five such marriages.

However, how can they be identified and trained to be of assistance?

An Episcopal priest, asked this question any pastor could ask: "Are there any couples whose marriages were once on the rocks, but are now in a state of healing? If so, I'd like to meet with you after the service." Of 180 people in church that day, 10 couples showed up. They developed a 17-step recovery strategy, like the 12 steps of AA, and helped save 38 of 40 crisis marriages.

In my reporting for this column, I have come across similar proven interventions at other stages of marriage: preparation with 93 percent success rate over two decades, and a "Stepfamily Support Group" that saves 80 percent of marriages, which typically divorce at a 70 percent rate.

My wife and I lead Marriage Savers, a ministry which helped the clergy of 229 cities to create a Community Marriage Policy to implement these reforms. We train the mentors. Result: the divorce rate for cities falls 17.5 percent on average and has plunged in half in Austin, Kansas City, KS and its suburbs, El Paso, Modesto, CA and Salem, OR. Cohabitation rates drop by a third compared to similar cities in each state. Marriage rates rise about 16 percent.

To learn more, go to www.marriagesavers.org/  You can reach Mike personally at: [email protected]

FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL (FRC) COLLATES VALUABLE ESSAYS AND ARTICLES

The Family Research Council is launching The Social Conservative Review.  An e-mail states it will constitute

"a unique summary of news of interest to social conservatives. The focus of this comprehensive collation of stories, journal articles, and op-eds is the intersection of moral  concern and public life, the issues that reflect and shape not only events and legislation, but the nation's very soul.

FRC will send the Review out twice monthly.

It will feature important pieces from the country's leading newspapers, magazines, journals and conservative Web sites. FRC's goal is to help keep you informed -- and ready to act -- about the policies and proposals, research and reports that bear directly on life, liberty, family and Christian faith.

Me: I have reproduced the e-mail below, complete with links.  It looks to me like a fabulous service.

---

The Social Conservative Review: The Insider's Guide to Pro-Family News

April 29, 2010

Educational Freedom and Reform

• "The ACLU: Unwelcome Schoolyard Bully?"
  Cynthia Hill, Family Research Council
• 2010 April School Reform News (full text pdf)
  Edited by Ben Boychuk, The Heartland Institute
• "Making Men without Chests: The Intellectual Life and Moral Imagination"
  R. J. Snell, First Principles Journal
• "Are There Harms of Home Schooling?"
  Christopher O. Tollefsen, The Witherspoon Institute
• "Expulsion may await campus pro-lifers"
  Bill Bumpas, OneNewsNow
• "Teach Social Justice-Or Else"
  Mark Bauerlein, Students For Academic Freedom
• "Education Spending in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Stimulating the Status Quo"
  Lindsey Burke, The Heritage Foundation

Environmental Issues

• "How a Climate Change Treaty Threatens You, Your Nation and Your Church"
  Dr. Cal Beisner, FRC Family Policy Lecture
• "My Tribute to Earth Day"
  Jeanne Monahan, Family Research Council
• "Titles You Can't Make Up: Cleaner Air Could Speed Global Warming"
  Tom McClusky, Family Research Council Action
• "Creation and Man"
  Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship
• "Getting Into Hot Water: Evangelicals and Global Warming"
  Benjamin B. Phillips, Acton Institute, Journal of Markets and Morality
• "Polls on the Environment and Global Warming"
  Karlyn Bowman, Andrew Rugg, American Enterprise Institute
• "Celebrate Earth's Best Friend"
  James M. Taylor, Heartland Institute
• "The Green Shepherd: The White House Wants Churches To Advance It's Climate Change Agenda"
  Meghan Clyne, The Weekly Standard
• "Environmentalism is now a religion, and being overtaken by extremism"
  Robert H. Nelson, The Catholic Thing

Faith and Policy

• "Fiscal Conservatism Is Not Enough: What Social Conservatives Offer the Party of Lincoln"
  Robert W. Patterson, The Family in America Journal
• "Prophet Jim Wallis and the Ecclesia of Economic Ignorance"
  John Couretas, The Acton Institute
• "Living Under God"
  Ken Blackwell, Family Research Council

Health Care

• "States Face Their First ObamaCare Test"
  Grace-Marie Turner, The Wall Street Journal
• "Hospital Visit Horrors? Here's the Rest of the Story"
  Peter Sprigg, Family Research Council
• "Ten Ways Consumer-Driven Health Care Is a Proven Success"
  Greg Scandlen, The Heartland Institute
• "The Separation of Health and State: What happens when all medical decisions are political"
  Opinion, Wall Street Journal
• "Krugman Admits Rationing (Death Panels) From Obamacare"
  Wesley J. Smith, First Things
• "The Tea Party Spirit and Lawless Health Care Reform"
  Charles R. Kesler, Claremont Review of Books
• "Bad Medicine: The Public Square"
  Joseph Bottum, First Things
• "US Is Turning Into Dependency Society"
  Lee Edwards, Ph.D., The Heritage Foundation
• "Where's the Administration's Cost Estimate?"
  James C. Capretta, National Review

Homosexuals in the Military

• "FRC's Tony Perkins Condemns Franklin Graham's Rescinded Invitation" to participate in Pentagon prayer event.
  FRC Press Release
• "Sex Matters in the Military"
  Peter Sprigg, The Washington Times
• "Homosexuals in the Military"
  Mackubin Thomas Owens, The Ashbrook Center
• "The Real Anti-Christian Bigotry"
  Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice

Judiciary

• The Judicial Review
  Family Research Council Action's Constitutional and Legal Commentary
• "The Coming Constitutional Debate"
  Judge Stephen Markham, Imprimis
• "Koh Fails the Democracy Test"
  John Fonte, Hudson Institute
• "Delegitimizing the Roberts Court"
  David Marion, The Ashbrook Institute
• "ADF on striking down the National Day of Prayer Statute"
  Alliance Defense Fund
• "More Prayer than Protests"
  Tobin Grant, Christianity Today

Marriage and Family

Family Economics

• "The Family GDP: How Marriage and Fertility Drive the Economy"
  Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., Family Research Council
• "The Economics of the Family Household"
  Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., Family Research Council Family Policy Lecture
• "Family Policy Lecture: The Crushing Burden of Student Loans on Family Formation for Generation X+"
  Dr. Allan Carlson, The Howard Center, Family Research Council Family Policy Lecture
• "Obamacare Update: About That Only Tax the Rich Thing . . ."
  Tom McClusky, Family Research Council Action
• "The VAT's in the Fire"
  Ken Blackwell, The Patriot Post

Marriage

• "Facing the Bad News (on out-of-wedlock births)"
  Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., The Catholic Thing
• "Culture Clash: Monogamy vs. Polyandry"
  Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., Family Research Council

Pornography

• "The Effects of Pornography on Individuals, Marriage, Family and Community"
  Patrick F. Fagan, Ph.D., Family Research Council
• "Standing for Truth"
  Daniel Weiss, Citizen Magazine
• "Pornography and the Muslim World"
  Carson Holloway, The Public Discourse
• "Public urged to take action to prevent .xxx web domain"
  Erin Roach, Baptist Press

Religious Liberty

• "Wall of Separation Between Church and State: Myth, Reality, Results"
  Dr. Kenyn M. Cureton, FRC Lecture
• "High Court Says Mojave Cross in California Can Stay"
  Robert Barnes, The Washington Post
• "Supreme Court Protects War Memorial Cross"
  Jay Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice
• "Texas students see religious bias with 'year of Our Lord'"
  Casey Curlin, The Washington Times
• "Homeless in Binghamton"
  Faith J.H. McDonnell, Front Page Magazine
• "Western Civilization on Trial"
  Paul Marshall and Nina Shea, National Review Online Symposium
• "Hastings Case Tests Religious Freedom on Campus"
  By Newt Gingrich, Jim Garlow, The Washington Post

Sanctity of Life

Abortion

• "Post-Abortion Suffering: A Psychiatrist Looks at the Effects of Abortion"
  Dr. Martha Shuping and Chris Gacek, J.D., Ph.D., Family Research Council
• "Virginia Cuts Funding of Abortions"
  Jeanne Monahan, Family Research Council
• "Abortion Isn't Painless"
  Editorial, The Washington Times
• Oklahoma Senate overrides governor's vetoes to pass abortion laws
  Joe Sterling, CNN
• Legal status of induced abortions around the globe
  CBC News

Adoption

• "A Passion to Serve, A Vision for Life"
  Family Research Council Publication
• "Louisiana Senate panel rejects gay adoption expansion"
  Bill Barrow, Times-Picayune
• "Visits to mission result in adoption"
  Rob Hedelt, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star

Cloning

• "UK Scientists Clone 3-Parent Embryos"
  Dr. David Prentice, Family Research Council

Bioethics

• "Obama Administration Eyes a More Active Role in Genomics"
  Rachel Lehmann-Haupt, BNET
• "Panel to take broad view of bioethics: President Obama appoints commission to advise on stem cells, clinical trials and more"
  Brendan Borrell, Nature
• "The First Christian Voices Against Euthanasia"
  David W.T. Brattston, The Weekly Standard
• "Euthanasia Bill turned away, but work goes on"
  Charlie Butts, One News Now

Stem Cell Research

• Family Research Council's major adult stem cell initiative, "Adult Stem Cells Saved My Life" ("Stem Cell Research Facts") features compelling video stories of persons whose lives have been transformed through adult stem cell implantation. The site also contains leading-edge information on this dynamic, transformative and entirely ethical type of stem cell treatment.
• "Vatican Funds Adult Stem Cell Research"
  Dr. David Prentice, Family Research Council

Other Articles of Note for Social Conservatives

• "Apologist in chief"
  Ken Blackwell, World Magazine
• "A Crisis Republicans Should Not Waste"
  Hadley Arkes, Weekly Standard
• "After Virtue: Localism and the Restoration of Character and Community"
  Austin Lipari, First Principles Journal
• "How America became a 'secular-socialist machine'"
  Newt Gingrich, The Washington Post
• "Schumer: Obama's 'counter-productive' Israel policy 'has to stop'"
  Ben Smith, The Politico
• "The Foreign Policy of Self-Abasement"
  Mona Charen, National Review
• "When Free Speech Wins"
  Eric Giunta, Front Page Magazine

WHAT EXPLAINS THE EXTRAORDINARY RISE OF LESBIANISM AMONG YOUNG WOMEN?

Answer:  Pornography among men.  Men prefer their imagination to a real person.  At least that's one explanation.    The Family Research Council posts the following:

When a person's sex drive is properly channeled in the bounds of traditional marriage, it's a powerful force for good. It bonds the husband and wife to one another and gives life to a new generation. It's the foundation of the family, which is why groups like FRC cannot address issues of family structure without addressing issues of sexuality, and vice versa. But when the sexual drive isn't properly contained, it can be highly destructive--to the emotional and physical health of individuals, and to the quality of relationships themselves. A powerful illustration of how the elements of the "sexual revolution" are all interconnected was explained in a recent article in the liberal magazine Psychology Today. Dr. Leonard Sax wrote that a recent survey showed young women are almost three times as likely to consider themselves homosexual or bisexual as young men are.

Why? Well, for women, sexuality is much more "malleable" or "plastic" than for men (so much for the "born gay" theory!). While Dr. Sax doesn't address it, much of the trend lies with our culture of sexual experimentation. This "anything goes" mentality is leading to a disillusionment with traditional sexuality and, in turn, breeding more experimentation. Also, a lot of women conclude that "all the guys she knows are losers." Why are they "losers?" Because virtually all of them use pornography, and according to Dr. Sax, they prefer the fantasy world of pornography to relationships with real women. I don't think that even FRC has ever suggested that heterosexual pornography could lead to an increase in homosexuality--but when one part of our culture of sexuality becomes degraded, every part does.

In the Psychology Today article referenced above, I found the statistics about young women surprising and sad:

Psychologist John Buss estimates that for most of human history, perhaps 2% of women have been lesbian or bisexual (see note 1, below). Not any more. Recent surveys of teenage girls and young women find that roughly 15% of young females today self-identify as lesbian or bisexual, compared with about 5% of young males who identify as gay or bisexual . . .

WINTERY KNIGHT BLOG: "JENNIFER ROBACK MORSE ANSWERS THE BEST ARGUMENT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE"

Click here.

CHUCK COLSON - THE CULTURE OF POLYAMORY IS AT WAR WITH THE CULTURE OF MONOGAMY

Chuck Colson writes:

In Touchstone magazine, Patrick Fagan writes that the culture of the traditional family, based on life-long monogamy, is competing with another culture—one that is polyamorous in nature. “In the culture of monogamy,” he writes, “men are anchored in their families and tied to their children and wives, through the free and deliberate focus of their sexuality.”

By contrast, the culture of polyamory treasures sexual license. In fact, Fagan writes, any attempt to constrain sex “would be the antithesis of the main project of the culture of polyamory”—sexual relations when you want, with whomever you want.

That’s why the culture of polyamory attempts to control childhood education, sex education, and adolescent health programs. This control, Fagan warns, “enables the polyamory culture to reach into the traditional monogamy culture and gradually dismantle it.”

Fagan's article, which Colson quotes above, is MUST READING.  It illuminates the culture we inhabit powerfully and insightfully.  And it's not just about sex.  It touches on government, laws, and the future.  It should be printed out and discussed in small groups throughout the country.

Having said that, Colson's own article centers around the recently-published study on sex education that demonstrated the effectiveness of  abstinence-based sex education.  I have reprinted his article below.

WINTERY KNIGHT ON WHAT A CHRISTIAN MAN SHOULD LOOK FOR IN A WIFE

Anybody interested in a robust, controversial column on marriage and Christian service should head over to Wintery Knight's blog and be sure to read all the comments as well.  It will be fascinating --or frustrating (possibly infuriating) -- depending on your point of view.   He starts out fairly tame:

The only virtuous reason for a man to get married is when he is convinced that he can do better for God with that woman by his side than they can do as singles. Once a man gets married to someone who wants to live a secular life of pleasure, he’s stuck – he can’t break up the marriage to save his ministry. Mike is right about that. So that’s why I say again to men – DON’T MARRY! Marriage gets in the way of your commitment to God, unless you are very careful to find a wife who will support you in your ministry.

But gets more controversial as he moves on.  Read the whole thing.  For the record, I think Wintery Knight is more right than wrong, though I think he overstates the intellectual capacity (and interests) he requires a Christian wife to possess.

SHOULD EARLY MARRIAGE BE ENCOURAGED?

Christianity Today magazine in its August, 2009 issue published a bombshell cover story on "The Case for Early Marriage."  Gene Veith agrees with the article (here and here).  Dr. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, similarly agrees and offers extensive (favorable) commentary.  He writes:

Shifts in a culture are often signaled by unexpected developments that represent far more than may first meet the eye. The cover story in the August 2009 edition of Christianity Today may signal such a shift among American evangelicals. In this case the cultural shift is nothing less than an awakening to the priority of marriage. At the very least, it represents a public airing of the question of the delay of marriage among evangelical young people. In that sense, it is a bombshell.   [more. . ]

THE ONE ARTICLE YOU SHOULD READ CONCERNING "GAY MARRIAGE"

I am referring to Princeton University professor Robert George's article published yesterday in the Wall Street Journal.  (HT: Wintery Knight who regards it as the best single article he has read on same-sex marriage.  I tend to agree.)  The article needs to be read in full.  For those who won't, some excerpts: 

Opponents of racist laws in "Loving" ["Loving v. Virginia" which invalidated laws against interracial marriages] did not question the idea, deeply embodied in our law and its shaping philosophical tradition, of marriage as a union that takes its distinctive character from being founded, unlike other friendships, on bodily unity of the kind that sometimes generates new life. This unity is why marriage, in our legal tradition, is consummated only by acts that are generative in kind. Such acts unite husband and wife at the most fundamental level and thus legally consummate marriage whether or not they are generative in effect, and even when conception is not sought.

Of course, marital intercourse often does produce babies, and marriage is the form of relationship that is uniquely apt for childrearing (which is why, unlike baptisms and bar mitzvahs, it is a matter of vital public concern). But as a comprehensive sharing of life—an emotional and biological union—marriage has value in itself and not merely as a means to procreation. This explains why our law has historically permitted annulment of marriage for non-consummation, but not for infertility; and why acts of sodomy, even between legally wed spouses, have never been recognized as consummating marriages.

Only this understanding makes sense of all the norms—annulability for non-consummation, the pledge of permanence, monogamy, sexual exclusivity—that shape marriage as we know it and

GOV. MARK SANFORD -- STAR-CRAZED TEENAGER?

What is going on with Gov. Sanford and his continual "yammering" as Michelle Malkin puts it?  He seems to be acting like a star-crazed teenager.  Malkin suggests he buy a one-way ticket to Argentina already and be gone. Mark Steyn regards Sanford as a narcissist buffoon.  But the man, by his own admission, remains in love.  Unfortunately it's not with his wife.  And that, coupled with a sincere (I think) confessional streak and a (perhaps sincere?) recognition of violating his own and God's ethical standards, means he remains in a state of verbal, mental and emotional disarray. 

It could have been avoided if he had recognized what Sheldon Vanauken calls "The (False) Sanction of Eros."  Vanauken writes about it in his book, Under the Mercy, currently out of print.  I know of no better commentary on Mark Sanford's "inloveness" than this.  Consequently, I have been sending google documents of the relevant pages to friends via e-mail.  I urge you, gentle reader, to click here and print out the pages for easier reading.  You, or someone you know, will benefit greatly from Vanauken's insight.  It's a "must" for all pastors and counselors. 

[Note: I'm having trouble making the links work.  Sorry..  For the quote, see Under the Mercy, pp. 143-49.  If you e-mail me, I will send you a link to the google docs pdf pages for reading.]

VIDEO OF JENNY SANFORD RESPONDING TO REPORTERS' QUESTIONS

Update 6/27/09 - AP print interview with Jenny Sanford

- (Original post) It's only about 46 seconds long, but worth viewing.  Click here.  The comments from viewers are interesting.  One says:

Good for her. Wow. The republicans sure have some strong women:  Palin, Lynn Cheney,  Jerie Thompson, Michelle Malkin, Michelle Bachman,  Jenny Sanford   --  Proud. Loud. STRONG

Update: I think readers will be interested in Cal Thomas' column, "Should we forgive him?"   Excerpt:

I once asked evangelist Billy Graham if he experienced temptations of the flesh when he was young. He said, "of course." How did he deal with them? With passion he responded, "I asked God to strike me dead before He ever allowed me to dishonor Him in that way."  [more . .]

Update #2 - I think readers will also want to read Charles Colson's reflections on the Mark Sanford affair.  Colson is disappointed, pained and angered.   He warns and admonishes:

Nearly every grave moral failure begins with a small sin. Because there comes a time, after we toy with sin, when one pull of the flesh causes us to cross the line, to disengage from reason, and to follow our appetites wherever they may lead. . . [more . . ]

WILLIAM LANE CRAIG'S REMARKABLE WIFE

Pretty fascinating story.  Craig is one of the most influential and effective Christian apologists in the world today.  Check out the credit he gives his wife, Jan.

His website is Reasonable Faith.   Herewith some links to a few of his debates:

“Does God Exist?” with Austin Dacey, “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?” with Bart Ehrman, and “Is Goodness Without God Good Enough?” with Paul Kurtz.

THE DESPERATE STATE OF MARRIAGE IN THE UNITED STATES

Ed Morrissey reports:  (my emphases)

The National Marriage Project at Rutgers University report in 2001 describes a social institution under siege, and its updated statistics in 2008 clearly showed that things are getting worse. Not only did the marriage rate drop by almost half from 1960 to 2007, but also the percentage of divorced adults has skyrocketed. The percentage of divorced adult women in the US went from 2.6% in 1960 to 11% in 2007, and for men, it went from 1.8% to 8.6%. Both numbers are all-time highs.

In 2006, 64% of high-school boys and 58% of high school girls believed that living together is good practice for marriage. Cohabitation has increased in this period from 439,000 people to well over 6 million, despite evidence that couples who cohabitate are more likely to divorce. Fifty-two percent say that they see so few successful marriages that it causes them to question marriage as “a way of life.”

Marriages are less happy today than in past decades, and the damage that divorce does to children has created a vicious cycle of pessimistic expectations. From 1976 to 2004, the percentage of high-school girls who said that childbirth out of wedlock is

SAME-SEX MARIAGE: OPENING THE DOOR TO POLYGAMY

I don't see how the logic of Gregory J. Sullivan's article can be disputed.

Proponents of same-sex marriage invariably wonder what harm would be presented by allowing  couples of the same sex to marry. Of course, by ignoring sexual complementarity and violating the natural law, the common good is undermined; in other words, our moral ecology will be damaged. But our intellectual elites who dominate the courts, the universities and the editorial offices of newspapers are animated by a radical individualism on social issues and they have no concern at all for public morality and refuse to acknowledge any such harm. Then what is the case against polygamy? Allowing a man (or woman) to enter into plural marriage will not prohibit others from marrying in the monogamous tradition. It would not interfere with that arrangement in any way. Churches would still be free to marry couples in conformity with their own teachings.

What is more, it should be acknowledged that, unlike same-sex marriage, plural marriage has a long and established tradition throughout many parts of the world. Finally, with the easy availability of unlimited divorce, serial polygamy is already thoroughly commonplace in Europe and America. What is the difference between taking three or four wives at once or one after the other?   [more . . .]

DENNIS PRAGER: "WHEN A WOMAN ISN'T IN THE MOOD"

Prager has produced a clearly-written, well-thought-out analysis that could strengthen a lot of marriages.  See Part I and also Part II.   Prager's work represents (unintentionally, I am sure) excellent commentary on I Corinthians 7:3-5. 

PREDICTION REGARDING OBAMA AND SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

- Update:  Here's a major, wide-ranging video interview with Rick Warren  that many readers will find interesting.

(Original post) A lot of ink has been spilled over the vociferous opposition voiced by homosexual same-sex marriage activists over Obama's selection of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to offer the invocation at Obama's inauguration.  In my judgement, Ed Whelan has called it exactly right :

Defenders of marriage shouldn’t be conned by President-elect Obama’s selection of evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inauguration. Although Obama claims to be against same-sex marriage, his opposition to California’s Proposition 8—which overturned the California supreme court’s invention of a state constitutional right to same-sex marriage—shows that he is content to acquiesce in judicial imposition of same-sex marriage. Further, it’s a safe bet that Obama’s appointees to the Supreme Court will support the invention of a federal constitutional right to same-sex marriage. (As illustrations, consider the records of two of the leading contenders for appointment, Harold Koh and Deval Patrick.)

 

So Obama isn’t against same-sex marriage. Rather, he’s against incurring the political costs of being candid about his support for same-sex marriage.  On marriage as on many other issues, Obama, as an ardent supporter of liberal judicial activism, will look for his judicial appointees to impose illegitimately the policy preferences of the Left that he doesn’t have the courage (or foolhardiness) to pursue through the proper channels of representative government.  [my emphases]

CHUCK COLSON RESPONDS TO THE DALAI LAMA'S STATEMENT: "SEX INVARIABLY SPELLS TROUBLE"

Colson does a great job distinguishing between Buddhist notions of celibacy and Christian perspectives.  Click here.

NEWSWEEK SAYS GAY MARRIAGE PERFECTLY COMPATIBLE WITH THE BIBLE - (Huh?)

- Update 12/10/08  - The Family Research Council offers a point-by-point logical and theological rebuttal to Lisa Miller's Newsweek cover story.  The FRC's response may be the most definitive, detailed, and helpful of all responses.

- Update #1   12/8/08: Mollie Hemingway offers a blistering attack on Lisa Miller's Newsweek piece.   (HT: Between Two Worlds)

- Update #2   12/8/08: Al Mohler offers a detailed response well worth reading.

- Update #3   12/8/08: Robert Gagnon, author of  The Bible and Homosexual Practice, has an internet video that one can view titled: "What Does the Bible Teach About Homosexuality?" He answers Neil Elliot, quoted in the Newsweek piece, here.  Gagnon is a Biblical expert.  Many of his scholarly articles can be accessed here.  He also argues six points from a secular point of view against the cultural endorsement of homosexual behavior.

- (Original Post) - Mark Hemingway over at National Review Online's Corner quotes the lede from Newsweek's cover story this week on "The Religious Case for Gay Marriage."  Afterwards he offers some choice words in rebuttal.  First the Newsweek quote:

Let's try for a minute to take the religious conservatives at their word and define marriage as the Bible does. Shall we look to Abraham, the great patriarch, who slept with his servant when he discovered his beloved wife Sarah was infertile? Or to Jacob, who fathered children with four different women (two sisters and their servants)? Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon and the kings of Judah and Israel—all these fathers and heroes were polygamists. The New Testament model of marriage is hardly better. Jesus himself was single and preached an

Michelle Malkin - "The Insane Rage of the Same-Sex Marriage Mob"

DENNIS PRAGER - "GAY MARRIAGE IS THE NEW BLACK?"

Once again Prager clears the air with a superb article dissecting the argument the gay-rights movement makes seeking to equate the struggle for same-sex marriage with the Black civil rights struggle.  If people would read Prager's article, Proposition-8 activists would lose credibility and their movement would fizzle in short order.  It should be noted that Prager is a generous man, not in the least hateful or mean spirited.  Read the article.

SOUTH KOREAN COURT UPHOLDS BAN ON ADULTERY

Asia shows the way.  It's sad the U.S. no longer provides worldwide leadership in supporting marriage.  Alas.  Click here. 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE "PROPOSITION 8" (PRO-MARRIAGE) WIN IN CALIFORNIA

Update #2  11/8/08  - Same-sex marriage rowdies single out Mormons

Jennifer Roback Morse explains what it means and what it doesn't mean.  Worth reading.

Update - The Family Research Council reports:

Not everyone was as jubilant about the gains for marriage as FRC and our supporters. This morning, FOX News posted photo after photo of the anti-family rioting in Los Angeles (where a majority of voters actually voted "yes" on Proposition 8), Hollywood, Santa Monica, and San

PROPOSITION 8: CALIFORNIA VOTES ON MARRIAGE

8 Is Not Hate

  Maggie Gallagher does a masterful job explaining in a condensed form why "marriage" should be defined exclusively as  the union of a man and a woman.  Gallagher explains the same point more comprehensively here.  Californians need to vote "yes" on Proposition 8 -  "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."

For more, see Protect marriage.com 

NEW WAYS OF MAKING BABIES

Should they be encouraged?  Kathryn Jean Lopez asks, "Are we really okay with our Brave New IVF world?"  She points out that it is 30 years ago this weekend that Louise Brown was born, the first baby born via in vitro fertilization.  She asks,

But if we had to do it all again, if we really thought about it, would we do IVF, the most common method of assisted fertilization? Would a society taking into consideration what the mechanization and laboratorization of sex has done to marriage and families, do it again?

Her discussion is worth a read.

SEX AND THE CITY - And being single today

Kathryn Jean Lopez offers a unique review of the move and in a later post offers some reading ideas to deal with the pain that comes with the "Carrie approach."  Lopez's suggestions:

As for writing — Jennifer Marshall has written thoughtfully about single life, helping single people feel confident without giving up. Jennifer Roback Morse has written with some authority and experience on why the Carrie approach isn't the right one. Leon and Amy Kass have put together a great collection on courtship I like to give young people — how many young people have ever thought about that word? Kate O'Beirne has written about what feminism has wrought, which is really a big reason why we're where we are — why Carrie and the girls have been so darned unhappy. Michael and Harriet McManus do a good job of presenting the practical drawbacks of cohabitation — and urge churches to take the lead in helping singles wait. Kay Hymowitz reminds us about how the inner-city truly suffers without marriage. And Kathleen Parker embraces men and rejects feminist hostility toward them in her new book, which really is a healthy cleansing — and one I wish Carrie and the girls could have had a long time ago.

GALLUP POLL - 70% APPROVE OF DIVORCE

Click here.  The Family Research Council comments:

In a world where marriage seems less binding than a cell phone contract, it's no surprise that divorce tops the list as the most "morally acceptable act" in Gallup's annual "Cultural Tolerance" survey. More Americans consider divorce acceptable (70 percent) than ever before, say researchers, who asked 1,000 people to rank 16 social taboos. The percentage of respondents who have no ethical qualms about ending their vows has jumped 11 percent in the last seven years. To give an indication of how inured society is to family breakdown, more people would condemn buying or wearing fur (39 percent) than filing for divorce (22 percent). Although young people held marriage to a higher standard in previous surveys, this poll showed that the value of the institution is eroding quickly in the next generation. If the country can't understand the importance of marriage, then how will we preserve it?  . . .

ACTIVIST CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT GRANTS MARRIAGE STATUS TO HOMOSEXUAL UNIONS

- Maggie Gallagher discusses the ins and outs and implications. UPDATE: 5/21/08 - Gallagher has further observations that make for important reading.

- Hugh Hewitt weighs in here and here, and says regarding the November referendum to amend the California Constitution (and thus roll back the Supreme Court decision):

I hope every interested citizen in the country, every religious leader fond of religious liberty, every legislator who takes his or her job seriously will grasp that the vote on the marriage amendment on the Califoria ballot is really much much more than just a marriage amendment and concerns far more than just California law --it is a vote on who rules, judges or the People, and its result will mark a decisive beginning of a rollback of judicial imperialism or a capitulation to the courts on this and on any other issue the courts decide to impose their will upon.

- The Family Research Council comments:

After a brief period of judicial restraint, California voters watched in horror this afternoon as judicial activism returned with a vengeance in one of the most egregious

MICHAEL MCMANUS: COHABITATION A VERY BAD IDEA

Kathryn Jean Lopez interviewed Michael McManus and came up with important information:

Taking the life of cohabitation for a test drive before committing to a marriage has become enormously popular. And yet, with the failure of so many cohabiting relationships, and the swollen divorce rates of couples who cohabit before marriage, such a widespread cultural practice deserves critical examination. Michael McManus, coauthor of Living Together: Myths, Risks & Answers, and President of Marriage Savers, a nonprofit organization, discuss the deleterious effects of cohabitation in an interview with National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez.

Kathryn Jean Lopez: What’s so bad about living together?

Michael McManus: Couples who live together are gambling and losing in 85 percent of the cases. Many believe the myth that they are in a “trial marriage.” Actually it is more like a “trial divorce,” in which more than eight out of ten couples will break up either before the wedding or afterwards in divorce. First, about 45 percent of those who begin cohabiting, do not marry. Those who undergo “premarital divorce” often discover it is as painful as the real thing. Another 5-10 percent continue living together and do not marry. These two trends are the major reason the marriage rate has plunged 50 percent since 1970. Couples who cohabit are likely to find that it is a paultry substitute for the real thing, marriage.

POLL SHOCK: AMERICA NOT LIKE HOLLYWOOD

From UPI, a headline that surprised the media:            

Poll: Young Americans revere monogamy

WASHINGTON,  March 30 (UPI) -- Young Americans have a reverence for national institutions, traditions and family values, a U.S. survey indicates. 

A survey of so-called "millennials" -- those between 21 and 29 -- revealed the group overwhelmingly said they support monogamy, marriage, the U.S. Constitution and the military, The Washington Times reported Sunday.

"We were completely surprised. There has been a faulty portrayal of millennials by the media -- television, films, news, blogs, everything. These people are not the self-entitled, coddled slackers they're made out to be. Misnomers and myths about them are all

Divorce Takes a Toll on the Environment

Update 12/29/07 - See Theodore Dalrymple's comment at the end of this post.
--
Reporting on a Michigan State Study, a Breakpoint article summarizes:

Researchers there found that divorce “exacts a serious toll on the environment.” How? It boosts “the energy and water consumption of those who used to live together.”

Why this should be the case is not hard to understand: Divorce turns what used to be one household into two. The efficient use of resources, including money, that comes naturally to families living under the same roof no longer applies. In its place are two of just about everything. The researchers calculated that, as the result of divorce, an additional 38 million rooms had to be heated and lighted. 

The impact of this divorce-induced consumption is not trivial, they say. The researchers calculated that if divorced couples had stayed married, the “United States would have saved 73 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity and 627 BILLION gallons of water”—and that’s in 2005 alone.

Unsettling News: Unmarried Birth Rates in the U.S.

John Derbyshire cites statistics:

The National Vital Statistics Report for 2006 came out last week, with some dismaying demographic data. "Percentage of births to unmarried women" (Table 1) was 38.5 percent nationwide, up 1.6 percent from 2005.

For Hispanics the number was 49.9 percent, up 1.9 percent. This confirms the suspicion, widely voiced among immigration-restrictionists, that Hispanics are assimilating all right, but to urban-ghetto norms, not bourgeois ones.

Not to worry, though: those husbandless Hispanic women and their fatherless children will not—absolutely not! no way!—form a huge new client base for the future welfare state. And they will all vote for conservative Republicans. Of course they will!

(For Non-Hispanic Whites the figure was 26.6, up 1.3. For Non-Hispanic Blacks, it was 70.7, up 0.8.)

The Prevalent "Me-First" Mentality is Wrecking Marriages

Chuck Colson has produced insights into our culture well worth reading.  Click here

eHarmony Dating Service Sued By Lesbian For Excluding Gays

Jonah Goldberg alerts us in the following post to the latest cultural idiocy.

Should Gay Dating Services Be Sued by Straights?  [Jonah Goldberg]

Dumbest — and most potentially pernicious — lawsuit I've heard about in a long time. eHarmony is being sued because it's not a gay dating service too.   More thoughts here.

The first link is to a Reuter's report, and the second to a commentary at Real Clear Politics by Ross Kaminsky.  I think Kaminsky makes excellent points. 
    

Distinguishing Between a Wedding and a Marriage

Eugene Peterson remains one of our most thoughtful and nourishing Christian writers.  Back in 1983 he published Run With the Horses: The Quest for Life at Its Best, a book of meditations on the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah.  I thought the following worth blogging:

When I talk with people who come to me in preparation for marriage I often say, "Weddings are easy; marriages are difficult."  The couple want to plan a wedding; I want to plan a marriage. They want to know where the bridesmaids will stand; I want to develop a plan for forgiveness.  They want to discuss the music of the wedding; I want to talk about the emotions of the marriage.  I can do a wedding in twenty minutes with my eyes shut; a marriage takes year after year after year of alert, wide-eyed attention.

Weddings are important.  they are beautiful; they are impressive; they are emotional; sometimes they are expensive.  We weep at wedding and we laugh at weddings.  We take care to be at the right place at the right time and say the right words. Where people stand is important.  The way people dress is significant.  Every detail--this flower, that candle--is memorable.  All the same, weddings are easy.

But marriages are complex and difficult.  In marriage we work out in every detail of life the promises and commitments spoken at the wedding.  In marriage we develop the long and rich life of faithful love that the wedding announces.  The event of the wedding without the life of marriage doesn't amount to much.  It hardly matters if the man and woman dress up in their wedding clothes and re-enact the ceremony every anniversary and say "I'm married, I'm married, I'm married" if there is no daily love shared, if there is no continuing tenderness, no attentive listening, no inventive giving, no creative blessing.

What is the State of Marriage in America Today?

Kathryn Jean Lopez interviews Kay Hymowitz, author of Marriage and Caste in America: Separate and Unequal Families in a Post-Marital Age.  This interview offers a clear-eyed look at the state of marriage in America today.

THE NUCLEAR FAMILY IS IN MELTDOWN

Investor Business Daily is publishing an article in its Dec. 11, 2006 edition citing statistics from "Births: Preliminary Data for 2005," a report from the National Center for Health Statistics (the statistical arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).   

The IBD article doesn't mince words:  "The nuclear family is in meltdown, with out-of-wedlock births reaching 1.5 millionlast year, or 36.8% of the total.

Among non-Hispanic blacks, the illegitimacy rate reached a staggering 69.5%. Among non-Hispanic whites, the rate is up to 25.4%. The illegitimacy rate for Hispanics increased by 1.5% in just one year, and now stands at 47.9%.

THE FOUNTAIN OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF BANEFUL THINKING

Louis Markos says, "If I were asked to select the single sentence from the writings of the founders of modern secular humanism that exerted the most baneful influence on twentieth-century thought, it would have to be this seemingly innocuous line from the "Author's Preface" to Karl Marx's A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy:

"It is not the consciousness of men that determines their existence, but, on the contrary, their social existence determines their consciousness."

The quote is from Markos' article, "Alien Notion:  John Gray's Men are from Mars, Women Are from Venus" in Touchstone magazine, December 2006, p. 9. Markos goes on to explain: