I came across this interesting article at Catholic Culture today by Dr. Ted Sri. The sad reality of the "culture of death" is a deeply ingrained resentment of virtue, especially the virtue of chastity.
Why is virtue resented by many people today? First, living the virtuous life is not easy. It requires a lot of effort, practice, and self-denial. We are constantly battling against our fallen, selfish human nature. This side of the Garden of Eden, it is a lot easier to give in to our emotions and desires than it is to control them. For example, it is easier to indulge our appetite than it is to eat with moderation. It is easier to loose our temper when things don't go our way than it is to moderate our anger. It is easier to give in to discouragement and complaining than it is to joyfully endure our trials with courage.
The dogma of popular culture promulgated by its apostles Oprah, Dr. Phil, educators, daytime talk show hosts, movie stars, and various other celebrities is that it is a mortal sin to make people feel guilty. We are supposed to celebrate diversity by attending Gay Pride parades and being "tolerant" of behavior that is objectively sinful. My employer even has a "process" for "integrating" a transexual back into the workplace after a sex change procedure. People have no problem talking in public about their sexual exploits. But if you're a virgin, or a Christian, you are supposed to be quiet about it, according to this Beliefnet article I came across last year and the comments posted there. In fact:
The virtue that is probably resented the most today is chastity. Chastity is no longer seen as something good, something noble, something we should all pursue. Just the opposite: Chastity is now often portrayed as something evil — something harmful for human persons!
Some argue that chastity is harmful to the psychological well-being of young men and women. Sexual desire is natural, it is said. Therefore, it is unnatural to restrict it in any way.
Others say chastity is an enemy of love. If two people love each other, shouldn't they be able to express their love through sexual intercourse? Chastity might have a role to play in other areas of life, but when two mutually consenting adults are in love, the restrictions of chastity are a tremendous hindrance to the couple who are expressing their love through sex.
As our culture has become more "tolerant" of aberrant moral behavior (promiscuity, homosexual activity, cohabitation) it has become less so of people who want to practice sexual morality. People don't even want to hear about it. Dr. Sri wonders why and thinks maybe
This is why some people resent the virtues. Instead of being inspired to live a better life, they destroy the moral standard of the virtues and drag it down to their level. In other words, they minimize the significance of the virtues in order to spare themselves the effort and excuse their own moral failures.
I am not a "loud and proud" virgin, but I am a virgin. And I will be until the time I am married (if I ever do get married, I think God might have something else in mind for me). This is not to say I have remained completely pure of heart, but the Church's teaching on sex and the Sacrament of Marriage spoke to my heart from the time I first learned about it. Do people think I am judging them because I am a virgin and they are not? Well, I have enough imperfections and weaknesses to worry about in my own life without having to worry about what other people are doing. Or maybe I just remind them of their own failures, as Dr. Sri suggests.
All I can say is:
Mary, concieved without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
(The image, by the way, is of a downloadable cell phone wallpaper available on the website of a major cell phone manufacturer. I apologize if it violates copyright, if it does please use the e-mail me link to the left and I will remove it promptly.)
Sad, but true. I've been rather open about my chastity (in accordance with my unmarried state) and many of my peers mock me for it. ("I couldn't do that, that's crazy, you'll go bonkers".) I've tried to explain how I'm actually free from a vicious cycle, and how I wish I had remained a virgin to begin with, but to no avail.
Our society has some sick notions about sex and about interpersonal relations.
Posted by: Anastasia Hunt | July 27, 2006 at 04:00 PM