Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 11, 1995 TAG: 9501110034
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEPHEN J. KONIG
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Beyond this, however, there's the truth that much of the negative reaction toward the church's stands against artificial contraception and ordaining women is rooted in misunderstanding and fiction, not a true appreciation for the church's teachings.
For instance, I suggest it's the church that offers a liberating view of sexuality. In its view, sexuality is a gift from God, and an extraordinarily pleasurable activity designed to express the spiritual and physical communion between husband and wife, a communion that's rooted in total giving of the self to a spouse. Contrary to the modern-day view, which emphasizes the purely selfish aspect of self-gratification, the church emphasizes the totality of sexual expression, which finds its deepest meaning in an openness to new life, with pro-creation being the ultimate giving of oneself to the creation of new life.
In contrast, artificial contraception offers a restrictive, repressive view of sexuality. By concentrating only on the participants' physical pleasure, contraception causes one to become selfish. It places each person's physical pleasure above the selfless act of giving. Instead of being life-affirming, it's life-denying. It turns humans into decision-makers about the appropriateness and meaning of life. Contraception makes a mockery of the true nature and meaning of human sexual expression. As opposed to being behind the times, the church is ahead of the times, denying the distorted view of sexuality so prevalent today, and encouraging us to focus on the true nature of human sexuality.
Misunderstanding also finds its way into the issue of the ordination of women to the priesthood. Once again, the editorial cartoon alleges that the church is behind the times by denying women ordination. However, a true and fair presentation of the Catholic argument shows it to be an honest and true representation of the human condition. Proponents of women's ordination argue that to deny this amounts to sexism. They claim that the church's opposition is rooted in a disrespect for women and a denial of their equality. However, they make the mistake of muddling the term ``equality.'' They propose to equate equal dignity and respect with equal destiny and purpose. The church has never denied, and has constantly affirmed, that women are equal in dignity and worth in God's eyes.
However, what the church argues is precisely what Christianity and Judaism teach: that God created male and female distinctly. Clearly, by dividing humanity into different sexes, God intended men and women to perform different tasks in society. Men can't be mothers any more than women can be fathers. Yet it would be strange to say that women are unequal because they can't be fathers, or that men are inferior to women because they can't be mothers.
Regarding the priesthood, the issue isn't the intellectual capability of women as opposed to men, or women's capacity to relate to God as opposed to men's. It's simply that priesthood is an institution established by God to be fulfilled by men. When the pope says the church doesn't have the power to ordain women, he might as well say that society doesn't have the power to make men mothers or women fathers. It's only by denying the true nature of each of the sexes that so-called Catholic feminists can argue for ordaining women.
It's regrettable that Catholic-bashing, as evidenced in this cartoon, is considered acceptable today. I implore you to be more diligent and open-minded in your attitude, and to seek to discover the true nature of the church's teachings before opening them for ridicule on your editorial page.
Stephen J. Konig of Roanoke is a computer applications developer.
by CNB