Super Pro Creation - even Greater Mercy
According to a recent study published by Newsweek, 4 out 5 women have babies before they get married.
Another intellectual magazine announced that 9 out of 10 American teens have had pre-marital sex. C’mon. Not just Americans.
In the Philippines, it’s just not pronounced. It’s not even talked about or written about. But more people get pregnant there than here in the United States. Because they’re pro-life, and apparently, pro-sex.
When I was younger, I thought only older people got pregnant. But when I got older, my peers also got pregnant. When I get even older, our kids will get pregnant too.
Why should things be forbidden when people do them anyway? And people don’t get ‘punished’ for immoral acts–just illegal acts. So our society telling us that it’s better to do immoral acts than illegal ones (i.e. killing, stealing, taking drugs), if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in jail. Our society has built more sanctions for crimes against humans than crimes against God (e.g. massive wealth). I guess we are really counting on forgiveness, and are confident to still get to Heaven, despite all this.
I wonder how our kids will lead their lives and what answers we will give to their questions. With artificial insemination a common practice, ‘very generous’ dads will have more than a thousand kids, and people might end up marrying their ’siblings’ because their ‘dad’ has a favorable hormone. Kids will know they’re adopted the moment they can recognize color. I even heard of people changing parents’ names on birth certificates in hospitals just to get away from the very tedious system of adoption in the Philippines. !$@&?!#&*!
Finally, ‘My Two Dads’ and ‘Three Men and A Baby’ have leaped off our screens into our homes, and into the legal system.
Good thing Jesus did not ask Mama Mary on earth was He born.
January 4th, 2007 at 8:55 am
Another great piece! I would strongly encourage you to publish this one in the PI and the US. On a sidebar, have you thought about publishing a book based on all your blogs?
I agree with your points! I think you have a whimsical way of describing your sentiments whereas I am quite emphatic about them…. The ‘phenomenon’ you just described is I believe, due to our people’s inferiority complex and adulation of the “American Way”. Since WWII and the US military occupancy in the PI, our people have been exposed to anything and everything American. I don’t know of any Filipino-born who does not dream of living in the US when they grow up. It’s absolutely obscene how many of the Friendster Filipino sites show off their American bathroom sinks, refrigerators, living rooms, etc. [By the way, you can easily spot a 1st. generation vs. a 2nd or 3rd. generation Filipino-American by the sort of pictures they take]. We’ve somehow lost pride in who we are and how far we’ve come…..Do we even know who we are? On a trip back to the PI, I was mortified to learn of how many girls ‘bleach’ their skin….We’re ashamed of our ‘indigenous’ heritage.
Unfortunately, this American influence has only caused much tension in our “Catholic” psyche. American film & cinema and the media not only “glamorize”, but also demand that we go against The Catechism. So along with the Pepsi Cola and the Levis jeans, our people have also acquired the American mannerisms and the lifestyles. The sad part is that we know that pre-marital sex, cohabitation and even going on ‘vacation get-aways’ with your bf/gf increases your chances of divorce once you do get married.
Ramon Nayar
January 5th, 2007 at 10:59 am
Yes, this is makes sense…but with the 50% divorce rate, you really do need to take the car out for a test drive before purchasing it, know what I mean?
January 5th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Also does it really matter how mommy and daddy relate to one another as long as they BOTH take care of their children’s needs? Divorce can get ugly, true that, but when parents walk away from children - what do you think hurts more? If parents can get along better apart, then they are setting a better example than two parents staying together simply for children and not getting along at all.
January 5th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
I think you’re contradicting yourself. Your last statement actually works for my argument that people should date longer first, get to really know each other before they get into a committed relationship. When people have casual sex, sex muddies up a lot of ‘feelings’. Physiologically, for women, longitudinal studies show that sex conjures up a lot of these feelings. Love isn’t about how you feel. Love is about a committment. And you also just stated the #1 reason why people get divoce -marriage isn’t about sex.
January 5th, 2007 at 5:01 pm
You know what? You just made me think of something. Lust limist the nuptial meaning of the body and the nuptial meaning of the body is tied to human love in the divine plan. By the communtion of persons [through marriage as designed by God] man comes the image of God. I think sex would be more meaningful if people actually realize what they’re getting into. There’s a reason why women bleed when they first have intercourse. It’s actually a sign of the ‘blood covenant’ between God and a married couple, not between woman and whoever she feels like having sex with. Yes, Lolita, it’s that deep. When Ethos and Eros meet, that’s love - pure, chaste and spiritual.
January 5th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
And frankly, if I was a woman, I sure would not want to be used for sex. Nooooooo! Not with sex killing so many…Again, our bodies aren’t designed for multiple partners.
January 5th, 2007 at 6:38 pm
….but then again, how big of a used car lot are we talking about here?
January 6th, 2007 at 3:31 pm
Ramon, you’re arguing for the old skool tradition, in the assumption that a chaste, traditional, and often times obedient Filipino daughter will date and marry a Filipino guy that expects just that.
I’m arguing for the more American born people that are less traditional and llive their life based on their experience.
Both lifestyles and corresponding viwpoints are different and people will adjust their life accordingly.
January 6th, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Although I was raised catholic and did all the ceremonies that correspond to it - baptism, holy communion, confirmation, ect) I believe the Bible was written by man and that I don’t have to follow every teaching if I don’t agree with it. Does that make me a bad person? I like to believe that I am a more modern person.
January 7th, 2007 at 7:25 am
Whoa, Lolita! You’re assuming that just because a cradle Catholic lives up to his Catholic identity that I was born in the PI. Our mutual friend Carissa just mentioned in her blog that it’s worse in the PI.
Look at, I’m not a girl, okay, but I do know from what they’re teaching me at medical school that men and women react differently from sex, which is why I think women are getting cheated in that sense. You and I as man and woman are not equal and the same in that aspect. Heheehe….I’m smirking as I write this, but it sounds like you’ve had a lot of practice. You know what I’m talking about.
Look, as a man, I can tell you this - between a used and a brand new car ….I’m sure like hell going to buy me a brand new one. Forget that used car. Why would you want a car with mileage? Yhea, I know, what the hell does standard count for these days, but dignified women are so attractive! It’s such a turn on for me.
Sure, you can adjust your life, no matter how risky it is. God gave you free will. But if you knew that sleeping with a man increases your risk for divorce, why the hell do it?
Look, my semestral break is almost over. Good luck with you. Since you confess being Catholic, it might do you some good to actually read up on what that means. It doesn’t sound like you really know what you’re getting into by being ‘catholic’. For starters, I recommend Humanae Vitae, Familiaris Consortio, and Theology of the Body.
Or if you prefer, we covered one month on STD’s at one of my labs last year…It was a Microbiology lab…That’s my last advice, Lolita. Be careful. We as a medical community have not had any progress in finding ‘modern’ cures for most of these sexually transmitted diseases. And believe it or not, they’re growing.
January 7th, 2007 at 7:44 am
One last thing since you mentioned beng a modern girl, Gaudium et Spes is the pastoral constitution on the Church in the Modern World. Great read! You might also try reading Dei Verbum the dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation since you question the Bible’s divine inspiration. Lastly, Donum Vitae, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on Respect for Life in its Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation.
You might say what’s a medical student doing reading all these encyclical letters? It’s leasure reading. It’s not dry and hard like medical text and it does break the monotony of what has become my medical school ‘no life’. Besides, I did recently attend and heard an adress by the pope to an international group of physicians in Rome. You could say I’m still trying to get over my high from that momentous experience! I love being Catholic!!! For the physicians out there, it’s usually in February. Expect your letter of invitatin to come around December.