Friday March 2nd
WORTH LEARNING
Well, we've learned a number of specific things from the comments sent to this Blog about homosexuals adopting children..... perhaps the most significant of which is that people who are (or claim to be) employed in adoption agencies will actively seek to ban practising Catholics who uphold the Church's teachings in this area from adopting any children at all. If these people who have written in to me about this had the courage to give their names and the organisations for which they work (and why not? They seem very proud of what they are doing) then their unjust and discriminatory work practices could be at least challenged....any offers? Too cowardly?
"As for me and my house....." There will be no change whatever in adherence by the author of this Blog to traditional Christian teachings on this as explained with clarity and charity in the Catechism of the Catholic Church,. I don't mind publishing rubbish trying to claim that these teachings are wrong/can be altered/should be altered/ whatever....as I have indicated on previous occasions, I will publish anything so long as it is isn't grossly offensive. But it obviously won't and can't change what is right and true, nor can it change my obligation - and yours - to follow that truth.
It is certainly worrying to observe that by simply affirming the human and Christian understanding of our nature, and of the reality of marriage and the needs of children, Catholics are likely to be penalised over the next years.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Off to a local school - parents' discussion evening re children's books. I have spent much time researching this over the past weeks, talking to families, visiting libraries and bookshops, seeking out good modern fiction, chatting, laughing, enjoying. The theme I've been given for my talk is "Happiness, Children's Fiction, and Choices". I plan to publish material on all this in due course....will give info on this blog.
Bought my children's book yet?
If all those correspondents who disagree with me are as large-minded and tolerant as they claim to be, they'll obtain and read my books just to find out what message I communicate there.
BUSY.....
Next week we are off to Rome for a conference, and before that I have a couple of v. busy days and a number of speaking engagements. Later in the month we are off to Austria. Will seek out internet-cafes etc to try to keep this blog up to date when checking on emails for work etc.....
9 comments:
We are right behind you Joanna - Truth alone is what as Catholics we must stand up for. Truth alone will allow us to follow the Makers Instructions. Truth alone will set us free.
Keep up the good fight.
God Bless you and your work, you are in our prayers.
The Catechims of the Catholic Church was never meant to be used as a rampart from which people can hurl insults and denuciations at will. It is far richer than that, praise God. And it is more than a recipe book for moral precsiptions that make insecure people feel safe.
Have a great time in Rome & Austria. Try & keep us posted!
Well done for your bravery. It's wrong to discriminate today apart from against Catholics.
It will strengthen the Church, since deep down people want the truth.
Years ago, long before Vatican II, people in this country like Chesterton and Belloc sometimes said that the Church was divided between Atlantic Catholics and Mediterranean Catholics. Atlantic Catholics, notably many of the Irish, American and some English (usually converts), were a puritanical bunch who were almost, and sometimes even were, Jansenist in their understanding of grace and the Church's moral teaching. Mediterranean Catholics had a warmer, more forgiving, more realistic understanding of human nature and the earthiness of life. In recent years these distinctions have largely vanished but I cannot help feeling that an icy blast of Transatlantic Catholicism is sweeping across some of these Catholic blogs, and extremely unpleasant it is.
Dear Joanna,
It appears that Catholics are to be prohibited from teaching that the Catholic faith is objectively true, and must simply offer 'one opinion among others'. I quote from the newly-published Joint Committee Report.
"We do not consider that the right to freedom of conscience and religion requires the school curriculum to be exempted from the scope of the sexual orientation regulations. In our view the Regulations prohibiting sexual orientation discrimination should clearly apply to the curriculum, so that homosexual pupils are not subjected to teaching, as part of the religious education or other curriculum, that their sexual orientation is sinful or morally wrong. Applying the Regulations to the curriculum would not prevent pupils from being taught as part of their religious education the fact that certain religions view homosexuality as sinful. In our view there is an important difference between this factual information being imparted in a descriptive way as part of a wide-ranging syllabus about different religions, and a curriculum which teaches a particular religion's doctrinal beliefs as if they were objectively true. The latter is likely to lead to unjustifiable discrimination against homosexual pupils. We recommend that the Regulations for Great Britain make clear that the prohibition on discrimination applies to the curriculum and thereby avoid the considerable uncertainty to which the Northern Ireland Regulations have given rise on this question. We further recommend that the Government clarifies its understanding of the Northern Ireland Regulations on this matter."
This is of much more fundamental importance than adoption policies, or even school admissions; it strikes to the root of our faith
First rule or marketing is make sure people can buy your product.
The link took me to a book about Australia, one on feminism, and one on Croydon airport.
This link should have all of Joanna's books, but I couldn't find it here either.
Amazon
Malcolm McLean
Dear Joanna,
I wonder if you have seen Courage Man's latest post?
http://courageman.blogspot.com/2007/02/martyr-time-in-britain.html
Yours,
Anna
God bless you, and the Church in England, beset by tyrants without and sometimes quislings within. Defying the crown for the sake of the faith seems to be a tradition over there. It is coming to be the case here, in the US as well. In New York Cardinal O'Connor once threatened to shut down all the Catholic hospitals in the city, in the face of some imposition from the state. The state backed down. Can the bishops of England do something similar? Do they have the guts? I hope so. I have loved England since I was a student there in '74. I fear it would be very different were I to return today. Be well and be strong.
Pauline,
Jesus seemed pretty puritanical when he said that to even look at a woman with lust was adultery. I guess he was an American or English convert? Perhaps that chill you feel is your conscience trying to warn you.
Fr. Jim
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