Original Post:
We often chuckle about people from the past who believed completely crazy things that science today knows to be crazy.
Then why do we, in the United States, continue to believe in this propaganda that we can't be having kids because we'll run out of food?
Why the heck is it being taught in our public schools?
Here's a photo I snapped today in the halls of our public school here in town - Northview High School
At first when I walked past the sign I thought to myself - "Oh, cool, they're starting to catch on that our population levels are at a critical phase and that we're heading for a demographic winter because no one is having kids anymore; they're trying to get the word out that our population growth is trending towards a crisis...."
Then I literally had a sick feeling in my stomach when I realized I had the sign completely wrong.
The math "project" hanging in the hallway reads - "Zero Population Growth...It's Up To You - No More Than Two"
My jaw hit the floor. Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood's "Theology" on full display in our public schools.
You can't probably read the sign but it has one smiley face representing 10 million people...and I mean look at the sign...if people keep having kids the smiley faces won't fit in the box anymore! Look how scientific it is (sarcasm).
I thought we were separating church and state?
This is about the most messed up thing I've seen in a long time. We might as well have Nazi flags hanging in the hallway. What does that say to kids from families bigger than two kids? Reproduction is a problem? The math teacher I went to visit across the hall just had his third child today. Are he and his wife contributing to the downfall of humanity for welcoming human life?
Let's look at a video on "Overpopulation"
And finally, a great video on the "demographic winter"
What...you mean God knew what he was talking about when He said we should be fruitful and multiply? Too bad Planned Parenthood and Sanger's disciples have completely brainwashed our society into believing a myth that has been proven to be sheer lunacy some thirty years ago.
My wife and I were blessed with two children out of five pregnancies...we're grandparents now, with 7 grandchildren and one on the way. I hope we're not upsetting the balance of humanity.
ReplyDeleteHang in there Brian, we have 8 kids and grandkid number 16 is on the way. All very happy and well-adjusted people who are all contributing to society. I was one of six, my Dad was one of seven, my maternal grandfather was one of thirteen and he was a farmer in Indiana. All great people. Family is everything! "Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." Psalm 127:5
DeleteSo, other than this blog post (which I found interesting, btw), what are you going to do about stopping this horrendous activity in your local public school? It is, after all, your school, whether you send your children there or not. You can write letters to the administration, attend board meetings, or start a petition.
ReplyDeleteI know of these options, and will utilize them charitably.
DeleteThey say religion impresses its wicked ways on non-believers, but more often than not it is the other way around. God help his children in the face of such things
DeleteWas this a student's project, or something more along the lines of a teacher/class project?
ReplyDeleteI don't know
DeleteWhen I taught at this school, ten years ago, this banner was put up every year. Since high school students are particularly hard on hallway decor, it is made of paper, and student projects on the topic would later appear trickled throughout that level of the school, I assume it is a unit that culminates with a student project.... And that it has been taught robotically for at least a decade.
DeleteI don't think it gets hung up every year; I think it has STAYED up. Being above the lockers, it doesn't get a lot of abuse. I went to school there and thought it should come down too. But not b/c someone interprets it as Planned Parenthood propaganda (get real). I thought it should come down b/c we already have enough problems with teen pregnancy. In high school, they should be having ZERO.
Deletepropaganda is propaganda, no matter how the "hanger upper" interprets it. In fact, propaganda is much more effective if those spreading it DON'T know they are spreading propaganda
DeleteSo freaking messed up. As a product of public school myself, I can attest that Planned Parenthood gets in there early and often...
ReplyDeleteI wish Planned Parenthood got into Northview more because teaching that abstinence is the only way and that condoms do not work is making more pregnant teens every year. I attended this school and can say that the sex ed is seriously lacking.
DeleteI notice how it's always the kooky "either teach abstinence OR birth control". Only a stupid person would limit teaching a child one or the other. Abstinence ALWAYS works, birth control doesn't, teach your kid THAT. Teach your kids self control, and be a responsible parent. You teach your kids to abstain from stealing, don't you?
DeletePlanned Parenthood teaches nothing. It is a Humanist, Malthusian entity which completely dehumanizes people and treats them as the "masses," a la Leninism, which its founder Margret Sanger followed rigorously.
DeleteWhat the Progressives have eliminated is what once worked quite well without their statist, nihilist usurpations - personal character. Self-respect and the respect of those around you, not earned by given by default, with the expectation that you were to live up to that respect you were being given as well.
What becomes most laughable, and yet sad at the same time, is how the modern leftist will scoff at that notion, as if it's impossible. That gives us a great glimpse into the dark, empty soul of such folks; they can't imagine a community built on principles that once existed as bedrock.
Do your kids go to school there? Why?
ReplyDeleteYes.
DeleteAh... unless im much mistaken He's a Catholic Priest in the Latin Rite... which means he has no biological children, and his spiritual children (all of us) dont always listen to the wise advice of our Priests when it comes to where we send our children to school. So he does what he can to make them aware. Am i close Father?
DeleteFather's own kids (which, being a lovely celibate priest he has none) are those of his parish who attend the school, I assume.
ReplyDeleteYou have to let us know how the school system responds. How utterly horrific. I'd invite that "math" teacher to view the demographic winter and respond. It would make for an interesting discussion.
the last few days I have watched PP videos (not on their site) that stunned me. More than stunned!! On one particular site they show "highlights" from the PP site~beyond disgusting! It's a wonder why so much is twisted up. Lord come!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I look at children differently than our current culture. We see children as a blessing to be celebrated (most days!). We were blessed with 7! Our first daughter died as an infant, which made us appreciate the others. We still have 4 at home. So we've done our part to populate the world with traditional Catholics. Get going the rest of you!
ReplyDeleteThis might have been-- and actually looks like -- some students' work, as in, "research something along the lines of X and then make a display for your cause." Still, it should be identified as such if that is the case.
ReplyDeleteWe just had our 9th child and if God give us more, we will gladly take them.
ReplyDeleteMight as well....not "mine as well"....just sayin'. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that if two teenagers get pregnant, it is viewed as a disastrous sin, sex out of marriage, being ill prepared for parenthood....yet they are not allowed contraception and given unreal expectations of abstinence. And when public schools now use the threat of over-population as a means to appeal to new 'greener' minded teenagers to better prepare themselves to NOT have an unplanned pregnancy, its made to look like a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteTell that to the Chinese....
DeleteA pregnant teenager is not viewed as a "disastrous sin". The sex outside of marriage is a sin, but we say, in the same breath, that in Confessions sins are forgiven.
DeleteAs for the disastrous idea that we lie to our kids and tell them we're running out of room, when that has been proven to be scientifically false, is horribly wrong. We should lie to our kids to get them to not sin?
As for the notion that "overpopulation" is a new strategy...it's been around for over a hundred years and has been causing panic, abortions, and contraception usage since the early 1900's
A baby is a gift from God. What I find interesting is that sex outside of marriage is a mortal sin.....one that will send you to the pits of hell.....BUT.....the baby that is produced in this act of mortal sin is REWARDED to the parents by God in the form of a baby! Yes, that's right! Have sexual intercourse outside the vows of marriage and receive a gift from God! OR....do IVF, another mortal sin, and receive a gift from God! OR do the surrogate mother thing and receive a gift from God! I find it fascinating that God would give people gifts for committing mortal sins.
DeleteIf you steal money from your neighbor, you get a great gift of God, a lot of money. That's why the Church teaches that the ends don't justify the means. A child IS a gift from God, and should always be treated as such, but it can't be said that because something good comes out of an action the action is good.
DeleteYa don't get a gift from God if you steal money from the neighbor....ya get that particular gift from the neighbors....which you stole Now, because God is the author of life, it should be noted that He does have the power to make it so that a baby is NOT conceived when it is done so by way of evil sinning. Instead, a gift is given to many many many folks who engage in sexual intercourse outside of the marriage vows. Guarantee you everyday there is some gal having a kid who isn't married. What is more interesting is the fact that there are some married couples out there who CAN'T conceive a child no matter how hard they try.....yet God will give gifts of babies to those who have sex outside of the marriage vows. There is something not right here!! Something I call baloney and calls in the question of whether or not there is a God.
DeleteIf people conceiving outside of marriage while some very good people fail to conceive is your biggest argument against God, I'd say there are a lot better ones out there. Why does God let maniacs rule while 25,000 children starve to death each day? That, to me, is a much better argument against God than the one you've raised.
Deleteexhibit B - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfFeeKm_wwQ&list=PLC8F1153B631EADD8 from Redmond High School in Oregon
ReplyDeleteWow. Thank you for posting this.
ReplyDeleteWe have chosen to homeschool for this and other reasons. Sadly we are feeling negativity from fellow Catholics because we are not sending our children to the local schools.
ReplyDeleteFr. John,
ReplyDeleteI am unclear as to whether you think population growth/overpopulation is a concern. Can you please explain what you mean by "our population levels are at a critical phase," and "our population growth is trending towards a crisis"? Based on these statements I would tend to think that you are saying population growth/overpopulation is a concern, but the video you posted about overpopulation being a myth says otherwise so I would appreciate a clarification on your stance in relation to population growth/overpopulation being a concern
I mean exactly what every scientist who looks at the issue objectively means - namely that the crisis we face is the exact OPPOSITE of the crisis portrayed in the school banner - we are trending toward a crisis of not having ENOUGH kids. That's why I posted the Demographic Winter video. Hope that helps clarify.
DeleteAccording to stuides the UN did that is just a blatant lie! http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/longrange2/WorldPop2300final.pdf
DeleteWe are in not short supply of children. In fact over a billion children live in poverty. (less then 2.50$ a day) More then 5 million of them DIE because of their poverty EVERY YEAR
Europe and North America are NOT the cause of overpopulation. This banner is spewing what looks like propaganda designed to depress European and American birthrates. Is that school homogenously white? I bet it is.
DeleteWestern Europe's historical population will likely vanish within another 150 years and be blended out of existence. I've read that most of the population growth in Europe is essentially from first generation migrants from the third world. Even a committed liberal should view this situation as a tragedy. Lower density populations with high standards of living have been brainwashed into low birthrates, this has encouraged cross border human trafficking and labour exploitation.
DeleteThe principal has taken the banner down. This is the e-mail he sent me after I respectfully wrote him about the myth of overpopulation and how misleading this banner was.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone would like to thank him, write him here: simpsoner@clay.k12.in.us
Here is his letter in full:
"Ms. Niles,
First and foremost, I offer my apologies. I don’t think the banner was originally created years ago, nor hung in our school at any point, with the intent of offending any individual, group, or religious sect. Nonetheless, if you, or any others, took offense to the banner, I offer my sincere apologies.
Second, I can assure you that our only “agenda” is to provide a quality education that is in alignment with Indiana standards. We are not in the business of indoctrination or promotion of one theological perspective over another.
Finally, I want you to be informed that I have taken down the banner. I, along with my staff, make every attempt to be vigilant in making sure that we create an atmosphere and environment at Northview that is welcoming to all. If the banner impedes our progress in those efforts, it needs to come down. Thus, I removed the banner immediately.
I do appreciate your concern and comments. I hope the corrective action I described above serves as proof that I take your feelings and beliefs, as well as those of others, seriously.
Ernie Simpson
Principal
Northview High School"
Deo Gratias! Sometimes all you have to do is ask. I remember an old anecdote about a prison that never had a successful escape attempt. It turns out one of the walls was so rotten that you could push it over with your hands. People just assumed that because it was a wall, it would hold. That's the way it is with the false religion of Political Correctness--the strength is illusion, so the lesson is test every wall of the prison it has built around us. I think one of St. Paul's letters instructs the same in so many words.
DeleteI'd write the principle back and tell him this is not about a theological agenda - it's about the scientific truth. If they want to teach their kids science and statistics, teaching them a proven lie is not the way to go about it.
DeleteWell said, Ann Margaret- I would remind people that Agenda 21 and the zero population crowd ( Mellisa and Bill Gates Foundation, the Clintons,etc) are forwarding their Progressive Agenda through this very lie, the myth of over population and unsustainability. We must be ever vigilant to always and everywhere defend life. Again, I say it's about power and control and the liberals have the money to gain both.
DeleteMary Howard
From these comments I have read, no one has taken a second to determine what was being taught and where the poster originated. Everyone seems to have their own ideas about what is going on and that is ridiculous. I am not sure why I am even bothering with such closed minded folks....
DeleteZero population growth is not a religious consent nor does it violate your religious beliefs.
ReplyDeleteI know it must be nice to not give care about sustainability or the future of our planet because you believe your bearded sky dad is watching over you. And even when our planet is desolated and you die a slow and painful death, you still wont care, because you believe jesus will take you away on a white horse. When you can be forgiven of all you wrong doings each Sunday it sure must be easy to sleep at night.
This kind of irresponsible attitude is one of many reasons why sectarian religion is so detrimental to our society.
more TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE suffer and die EVERY DAY because they live in complete poverty
Knowing this how can you honestly believe we are able to sustain the 7 billion and counting we have??
For the sake of humanities future, do you not agree the Zero Population growth -- at least until 20,000 of us aren't dropping dead from neglect -- is an important cause!?
So you take up the philosophy of Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood and wrote and spoke in much the same way as Hitler - in order to spare the poor we should kill them or prevent them from breeding. Your "ideology" is the exact same as those who have been forcing sterilizations on women in poor parts of the world for decades. If you don't see the sickness in thinking that contraception and sterilization are the answer to poverty, then you are diametrically opposed to the view of the Church, and I can't help you. Some men you just can't reach
DeleteI never once said we should kill ANYONE - please cite for me where I did or kindly refrain from twisting my words.
DeleteI said we as wealthy privileged members of society should act RESPONSIBLE - If you and your church are so concerned with the dwindling number of children, instead of having 10 babies, why don't you do something to stop 20,000 of them dying every day?
My ideology has nothing to do with sterilization. But thank you for making baseless assumptions. Even if it was your ideology would be far worse. You'd rather the babies be born, suffer, and die. At least with sterilization there would be no lost souls.
The Pope lives in a grand palace and is tended to by servants, while sinless children starve to death. Don't tell me your massive judeo-christian religious sect can't find the money to save these precious children! You just don't care too.
Also I never mentioned contraception. I was more thinking SELF RESTRAINT. But if you want to play that game It has been statistically proven that access to contraception increases quality of life
http://www.guttmacher.org/media/nr/2012/09/25/index.html
Also, I apologize for making baseless accusations towards you. I really do appreciate a response (regardless of how half-baked it was :P) It takes a serious backbone to debate someone who doesn't mindlessly agree with your beliefs. A+
DeleteGod is the giver of life, the sustainer of it, and the one who can take it away. God will give to society what the society has asked for. Our duty as Christians is to pray, live in obedience to God, raise up our children in the ways of our Lord, and be a light. But if the people in society continue to rebel against God and live a life contrary to God's will, there will be consequences, and no amount of political or social action will stop God if he decides to judge the people by giving them the fruits of their desires. People must first be converted then they can live in God's will. Let us return to being witnesses of the gospel and not first witnesses of social issues. As the gospel spreads social issues will be given new light and turned toward the ways of God.
DeleteSophie, I didn't say you said "kill people" I said Margaret Sanger and Hitler said that, and they said that using the same belief system that you seem to espouse.
DeleteAs for "my Church doing something about poverty" you might want to look up and see who the largest provider of charitable outreach to the poor and marginalized around the world is - if you do you will see, at the top, far outpacing second place, the Roman Catholic Church.
Finally, you cite "Guttmacher" and I'm sorry but that is a joke. Guttmacher is the research arm of...you guessed it...Planned Parenthood. They have been putting out sham scientific research since their founding, all in order to further the agenda of Planned Parenthood. From a non-biased point of view, you have to admit that it is a joke to have Planned Parenthood doing their own research about their own agenda. It would be like Coca Cola doing research on the effects of soda on people.
Sophie,
DeleteEvery person on this planet can fit into a land mass the size of Texas, with enough room for a house and a yard for each.
You have unthinkingly bought into the overpopulation myth, popularized by that scaremonger Paul Ehrlich in his hysterical (and since proven inaccurate) book Population Bomb in the late 1960s. It was based on Ehrlich's false predictions that China first implemented its horrific one-child policy, which continues to brutalize women and children in China to this day.
One of the biggest disasters facing nations today is demographic winter; the population is being depleted, fertility has fallen below replacement levels in Europe, parts of Asia, and now, America--and this forecasts economic catastrophe, because there aren't enough young people being born, buying, selling, entering the workforce, paying taxes, and fueling the economy, while the elderly population is mushrooming.
The reason people die of starvation is NOT because of overpopulation, but because of gov't waste, corruption, lack of education, etc. USAID is known for sending millions of dollars toward contraception in the Third World, while neglecting basic needs like clean water, food, and medicine. How much sense does that make? None whatsoever.
Study up, Sophie. Educate yourself. Stop buying into the overpopulation myth. You can begin here: http://pri.org
God bless,
Christine Niles
Correction: the website is http://www.pop.org
DeleteChristine, You have unthinkingly bought into the myth that humanity only needs space to survive. So, educate yourself. Find out how much land it really takes to feed a person. Figure out how much land is needed to feed everyone in that case. Find out how much arable land there is in the world. How many people can that feed?
DeleteRework these figures in terms of energy. How much energy do we humans use (in terms of burning petrochemicals, nuke power, etc.)? How much energy does the Earth get from the Sun? How long can this continue?
Sophie the Midwestern American is not overpopulating the earth. He/She are a vanishing and soon to be replaced breed unless they reproduce at at least replacement level. The nations of Europe too, they will vanish and be swallowed up by demographic pressures that will FINISH civilization. The people likely to take zero population growth seriously in their own lives are precisely the conscientious people who should have 3-4 kids.
DeleteOh I get it now. You're not concerned about humanity. You're concerned about "Midwestern Americans" Don't worry I understand. "Take care of yer own first" is a time honored American tradition.
Delete...But I doubt Jesus would agree....
Anyways lets start at the beginning with Anonymous's post @ 2:52 AM
This is the exact definition of the irresponsible attitude I was rambling about in my first post. The summary of that post was "I don't care about the children suffer and dying every hour of every day...because God wanted them too!"
How soundly you must sleep at night, believing nothing matters and everything is beyond your control. That type of gluttonous sloth and careless disregard for other humans is truly a detriment to society.
The concept that society's progression should be based on the belief that "Nothing we do matters because God controls everything" is TERRIFYING to sensible people!!
Father Hollowell I want you to know a little bit about me. I worked for a Canadian canvasing company for many years. We worked for very notable charities like "Plan Canada, Save the Children, Christian Childrens Fund, The Salvation Army, World Vision, Unicef, Red Cross - You name it I probably sold it.
While it's true the Church does make and spend a lot of money, they also don't release financial records, so they do so without any transparency.
The problem I have with that is the same problem I had with my previous employment. I averaged 22$-44$ per hour working for "charity" they gave away a brand new car at every Christmas party. The bosses took "business trips" to Hawaii, Flordia, Jamaica.... And got shit faced on the company dime. All this brought to you by the Christian Childrens Fund ;]
Another thing you should know about me is that I love Jesus. One of my favorite quotes is Mark 12:41-44:
"Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
So as far as I'm concerned, as long as 'good' religious people live in excess (in a palace) while innocent people suffer and die because of greed and greed alone, you're not a very good person, and you certainly aren't following the words of Jesus.
I think Christine makes a good point. It's not JUST over population. It's that same selfish and gluttonous attitude that your religion promotes, that is truly causing this problem. Don't get me wrong, moral-less Atheism is as bad (china) just not nearly as prevalent.
But Christine you clearly miss the point as to why being mindful (not totalitarianistic) about reproduction and sustainability is important.
Thank you to the Anonymous's post @ 9:38 PM who tried to explain to you why Christine is missing the big picture.
Dan, aside from a jab at your ignorance in the first line of this post, your sectarian racism will not be responded to.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI just want to say that I attended this high school and walked past this banner for four years. It doesn't seem that any of you realize that it was made for an Earth Day contest who knows how many years ago and I'm almost positive no one gave it any notice after that. I realize it's a problem to popularize a myth about overpopulation but there's really no need to freak out about this particular poster. It was made by 15-year-olds who took about an hour to put together a banner for a contest and happened to win. It's displayed in the same way as all the other winning Earth Day banners from years past. This includes banners with ninja turtles and characters from the Lord of the Rings on them. They are not meant to be propaganda; students make them because it gets them out of science class for a day.
ReplyDeleteMy beef is not with this particular banner (it has already been taken down thanks to the vigilance of the school principal) my beef is with this mindset pervading public school systems across the country. When Catholics saw this picture, it went "viral" because they know that this is in their public school system as well. You saying that you were exposed to this but it didn't affect you doesn't in fact mean it didn't affect you. I wouldn't say that I'm affected by McDonald's commercials, but I do salivate and find myself thinking about french fries every time I see the golden arches.
DeleteDid anyone ever take a single second to talk with the school and determine the origin of the poster? What was actually taught? I am willing to bet the school was not preaching, I mean teaching about the fears of overpopulation. But yet no one bothered to talk about it. This picture has gone "viral" with many idiotic comments when no one knows what was behind it. Do Catholics always jump to conclusions?
DeleteSpeaking of jumping to conclusions, you seem to do the same thing in assuming that no one looked into what was going on. Did you read the post? At the very top, I talk about how the principal very graciously removed the sign. We had a conversation, I know of its origin, and the issue really never has been just about "the sign". The reason it went viral is because so many people have pulled their kids out of public education for precisely this kind of thing. Overpopulation is just dumb and stupid, and nobody really cares about the stupidity of the theory...the reason this went viral is because overpopulation is the tip of the spear that Planned Parenthood has been using to get into schools for 30+ years, and most people who look around and try to discern the big picture know that in a place where "overpopulation" is still taught, the issue is the garbage that FOLLOWS - the contraception and abortion doctrine that is taught both subtly and outright in those places - that is the beef that most people have with this, and it is why it went viral.
DeleteThere will always be poverty and there will always be people who die of starvation even in countries with plenty for everybody because unfortunately not everybody lives according to God's will. God wants us to love our neighbors but selfish people who refuse to have children because of "overpopulation" are not loving their neighbors, selfish governments withholding freedoms to grow your own food are not loving their neighbors, selfish corporations who refuse to pay fair wages are not loving their neighbors. Their are so many other problems that need fixing before poverty can decline and those are problems that, until everyone follows the laws of the Lord, will never go away. So pausing the world from having more children will not solve these problems, if more people would follow God not humanity will.
ReplyDeleteExactly Mrs. Mandy. Contraception is evil. It desecrates the marital bond, offends against chastity, and is a menace to public morals. Most importantly, it dehumanizes, making it easier to let people die from war, abortion, starvation, disease.
DeleteRefuse to have children? Mrs Mandy, you clearly misunderstand the concept of zero population growth...
DeleteHahahaha Contraception is EVIL? Hilarious! No Scott my friend, rape is evil and murder is evil. ...Contraception is a 1 gram piece of latex....
How do you twist facts and logic to make yourself believe that CONTRACEPTION causes ABORTION ???? Contraception by it's very definition will PREVENT abortions you poor confused soul....
If you tell a population of people that contraception will PREVENT pregnancy, but the contraception fails 5-10% of the time, you are causing a dramatic RISE in "unwanted" pregnancy. Planned Parenthood makes all of its money off of abortions - they tell teens to use contraception, they know it will fail, and guess who is ready to swoop in and help cut their children out of their wombs for a few thousand...Planned Parenthood. It is a very solid business model
DeleteI've never heard anyone tell me Contraception is 100% effective. In fact when I went to school (public) they told us specifically that the only method of contraception that is 100% effective is abstinence.
DeleteSo I don't understand what your issue is. No one is trying to misinform people...
Count yourself among a lucky few then.
DeleteAs for misleading, would you say the world IS overpopulated?
1/3rd of this world has access to the Internet, Father.
DeleteLet's google it, shall we?
https://www.google.ca/search?q=is+contraceptin+100%25+effective%3F&oq=is+contraceptin+100%25+effective%3F&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l4.8083j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=is+contraception+100%25+effective%3F&spell=1
I don't see one single website that claims birth control is 100% effective....
Father, I've been to India. And until you've see it first hand I don't think you can even COMPREHEND what overpopulation means. This is not sustainable. God wont just 'magically' grow us more food or summon up more drinking water. We life on a finite planet with finite resources.
Can you cite for me 1 single school which teaches a curriculum that states "CONTRACEPTION IS ALWAYS 100% EFFECTIVE" ??
DeleteNo?
Then you probably shouldn't be lying about that to people on your wesbite...and to yourself...
Well, since you've been to India, the Church should consult with you on policy. Of course Mother Teresa LIVED in India, and she talked about how contraception is one of the great lies of the devil, but I'm sure you would be the better eye witness.
DeleteI've certainly seen things from Planned Parenthood and their minions that spread this ideology. If you'll breathe, then read my post, you'll note that concerned parents and myself are asking to talk with the school about their curriculum to see IF the whacked out 60's pseudo science of overpopulation HAS or HAS NOT wormed its way into the curriculum
DeleteIt must be the fault of the gay people in this world that there is a population decline. Two gay people in a relationship can't produce children. There are thousands and thousands of gays who are in committed relationships.....but can't produce children.....so therefore, it is their fault that the population is declining. Right Fr. Hollowell?
ReplyDeleteThe comment section of blogs reveals so much about people, doesn't it
DeleteAnonymous, that's a dumb question, it's evident. Since I know of what I speak, define committed relationship. Exactly.
DeleteMaybe 'anonymous' should research the origin and purpose of marriage. Who took it up and why. I have friends who got others to have children for them and broke up... tossed the child as if it was a toy, trinket or their formerly pampered pet. I have four friends in court over custody involving this ones sperm, that one who carried the child and those two 'parents', each of which wants to have the child, broke up and attempting to get child support from the male donor friend and each other.
A hot mess.
Let's get real about the definition of monogamy in the gay community and it's effect on children. Bob and Sam going on separate 'vacations', where sleeping around is a given, doesn't work when you have kids. We know boundaries don't work well... whether by society, church or otherwise within the community. Selfishness squared.
The only gay relationships over a couple of years i've seen, are those who are older and don't have bar-hopping value.
Nature doesn't lie.
And Paul VI was right.
Unlike 'anonymous', I deal with the children during and after this.
Dunno what exactly your point was here....in fact, I'm not sure you even HAD a point.....Also, if you can't figure out what a committed relationship is, then you must have been shorted some IQ points when you were born.
DeleteThere are arguments to be made on both sides of the issue, as with pretty much anything. However, one cannot deny the mathematical reality that it took from the beginning of human history to the early 1800s for the earth to have 1 billion in population and then it only took about 100 years more to reach 2 billion and we are on track to reach 8 billion people on this planet in about 40 more years. How much human population can the earth sustain? I don't know and I suspect you don't either. However, I think there is nothing wrong with students exploring possible outcomes. As not everyone is catholic, why should a public school subscribe to catholic beliefs?
ReplyDeleteIf there are, as you admit (and I agree with you) "arguments on both sides of the issue" then what we want is the students to be exposed and hear BOTH sides of the issue.
DeleteThis is not a "Catholic" issue, and there are many non-Catholics who also have studied the numbers and have postulated that "overpopulation" is hog wash. See Michael Connelly's book "Fatal Misconception".
If the opposite of the "overpopulation theory" is, as you claim, a "Catholic belief" that means that the "overpopulation theory" would be simply a belief as well. But this is not an issue of "beliefs" it is a matter of science, of quantifiable, measurable, data, not a matter of superstition, and so what we want, as those who have looked at the numbers and say that "overpopulation is a joke" is to see both sides treated in a scientific manner, and have our kids presented with the facts
The headline of the article states "why we need good Catholic schools" so I was merely asking why a public school should advocate specific catholic beliefs, as it seems you are stating that catholics should go to catholic schools. A picture of one poster does not make me believe that the kids in this school are being indoctrinated into anything. There could have been an assignment to create a poster for both sides of the overpopulation issue. It could have been for a debate class. It could have been the recruiting poster for an after-school club (like our public schools have Bible studies after school). Some people argue that over-population is a joke; others argue that it is a real problem with significant data on sustainability. You and I could both find 10 different studies to back up each theory with facts - starting with the numbers I gave in my first response. However, I also agree that if you want to limit what kids learn about based on the catholic doctrine of no contraception and not to be exposed to anything that goes against catholic teaching... then we need good catholic schools.
Deletea) Let's ask ourselves why this post has gone viral. The answer - because this poster captures exactly what a lot of people are upset about being taught in our public schools. There is not a particular outrage at Northview High School in Brazil, IN, but rather parents see this and say - "That's why I homeschool."
Deleteb) Catholic schools were started in this country because the schools were teaching outright Catholic bigotry. Now it is more subtle, but the Planned Parenthood agenda (embodied in the sign) is equally anti-Catholic (and anti-Christian), so the sign says for a lot of people "That's why we need Catholic schools - this contraceptive, overpopulation, Planned Parenthood dogma is engrained in our public schools."
c) Only ONE SIDE of this debate is being taught in public school. Does anyone learn the contraceptive failure rate? Do any of our public school kids learn the condom failure rate? Heck no. We don't want Catholic doctrine taught in public schools - we just want both sides of this debate to be taught. And when public schools refuse to teach both sides, when public schools refuse to present the scientific evidence that backs up the Catholic position, then more and more Catholics and Christians are saying either we're going to homeschool or we're going to choose Catholic schools. In Indiana at least, the voucher program is making choosing Catholic schools MUCH easier.
this post has also gone viral because there's a lot of people here like me who understand that we are basically living Easter Island on a global scale. and because of the idiotic assertion that caring about the planet is thinking like Hitler. so don't assume because you're getting a nice uptick in traffic that is because everyone agrees with you.
DeleteRebecca Black's video Friday went viral as well. But it wasn't because she's a great singer.
"living Easter Island on a global scale"?
DeleteI have 8 kids. My mother had 8 and my grandmothers on both sides had 14. I hope my kids have just as many when they get married and start a family.
ReplyDeleteThe second video was interesting for a while, maybe a few points that seemed a little off, but the 17:00 mark sealed the deal. The 2007 recession was not caused by the baby boom ending in 1961. Recessions are rarely caused by one thing. The economy is complex and has many intricate, moving parts. Well produced propaganda though!
ReplyDeleteFirst: it is highly unlikely we have 7 billion people in the world today. does China count every person in their country? Does India count every person? No. There is a calculation that is used to determine the population for most countries of the world. That calculation uses a derivative that contains a "constant" that is really a variable. The rate of people having children increases even though the real number of child bearing adults decreased.
ReplyDeleteSecond: Consider that China and India have 30 years of 1 child policy. That means that of the reproductive age group of those 2 counties are a result of the first 10 years of the 1 child policy. Meaning that the number is declining. The US, Canada, Europe, and Russia have know declining populations That is at least half of the population of the world are countries with known declining populations. Statistically that makes the rest of the countries with a need to have far more than replacement birth rates for world population to NOT be declining.
Alright, let me get this straight....
DeleteChina and India - the two most populated countries on this entire planet - are, according to you, working together to create a conspiracy to fool Americans into believing they do not have over-population issues - all so you're tricked into using evil contraceptives...right?
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ANg08MXDQ50/TbzGS3vGaXI/AAAAAAAABz4/EuE-fhlBoTQ/s1600/India%2BChina%2BPopulation%2BForecast.jpg) <----- Thankfully (especially for all you racists sectarians) China's 1 child policy is actually successfully. Although personally I believe it should be 2 if you want my opinion. That is reasonable and replaces both parents.
At the end of the day it's not simply about numbers. It's about humanity not living above our means.
God bless you Father for all your great posts and for being a good and holy priest. Keep putting on the armor of God and engaging in the spiritual battle.
ReplyDeleteForced population control is coming - http://saynsumthn.wordpress.com/tag/paul-ehrlich/
ReplyDeleteSince when does no more than two children per family sustain any culture? That assumes that every person has children, AND no people die until they reach old age.
ReplyDeleteI was taught all through high school (public school in the armpit of Alabama, in the "Bible Belt") that no contraception is 100% effective and that there are worse consequences of sex than just pregnancy. I don't know where the author gets his idea that kids are being taught otherwise, but I graduated in 1999; things may have changed in 14 years...
ReplyDeleteI was raised in a low-income household. My mother was a waitress and sometimes rose to the level of shift manager before the business would get sold out from under her and she had to start over. My step-father held a number of different jobs, but nothing that could be considered a career. I was the 2nd-oldest of 4 kids. We always had enough to eat, and the power never got shut off, but we often did without cable TV (which I still don't consider a necessity) and I definitely didn't get a car for my 16th birthday. It'd be hard to argue that things wouldn't have been easier for us had there only been two children to feed and clothe. But it's nobody's place to tell anyone else how many kids to have. I always thought 2 was ideal. At this point in my life, I could care less if I ever have any. I'm not going to have any as long as I'm living paycheck to paycheck. My concern is not for the parents, who think they can handle the kids. My concern is for the kids, who have to grow up never having the money to enjoy life. I know it sucks. I won't do it to anyone else. Certain members of my family don't share my view and think there's nothing wrong with having 4 kids in a 2-bedroom house and trying to have more. So we all need to agree to disagree. Have as many or as few as what makes you happy...
PLEASE Father, I beg you to get educated on Common Core State Standards! This initiative which has now found its way into the schools of over half of the dioceses in the US, including Indianapolis and Lafayette. A large and growing group of concerned parents have been desperately trying to garner the attention of our Pastors, Principals, and parents who have never heard the words Common Core. The Common Core State Standards Initiative was and is financed in HUGE part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. I do not have to tell you how this relates to your topic.
ReplyDeleteThere is a conference entitled "Beyond the Common Core: the Classical Comeback" on Sunday, Nov 3rd, 2013 at the K of C on 71st St off Keystone in Indy. Speaking will be Hillsdale College Prof. Terrence Moore and Lumen Christi Headmaster, Jason Adams. They will be presenting the issues surrounding concern over COmmon Core and how it will effect the Catholic School mission, and the alternative of Classical Education Curriculum.
Please consider attending! Any of you reading are welcome too! Pass the word! It is FREE! Go to beyondthecommoncore.eventbrite.com to register.
I've seen posts on here that has people bragging that they have NUMEROUS kids and I have seen that up close in person. The only way to support your family if you have 5+ kids is to make into the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. If you are low income(which a ton of people are who have numerous kids) you get government aid. People like that burden tax payers because we have to pay for your food to feed your kids and pay for other things that you can't afford(EBT cards -AKA FOOD STAMPS-AKA FOOD ASSISTANCE) Lots of freebies for having a ton of kids, which comes right outta mine and every other hard working person's pockets. That's where birth control comes in handy. The church calls that evil......but the church sees it as OK for the government to take money from my pay check that I worked for(which is stealing) and EARNED to help pay for food and other junk to somebody who thinks that God wants them to subdue the earth with multiple kids they can't afford and knew they wouldn't be able to afford. The sign should actually read "DON'T HAVE KIDS IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD THEM. NO MORE THAN ZERO."
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely thought! Actually, I've never met anyone who ran out of money raising kids, certainly not couples who have stayed in the same marriage.
DeleteIt's not about running out of money. It's about not having enough to begin with. Many families have more kids than they can afford and so they receive assistance from the state. That's why you haven't met anyone that ran out of money raising too many kids! Cause the government won't let 'em! When people think it's their God given duty to "be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth" they essentially become a huge burden on the tax payer. Tax payers end up paying for food, medical assistance, other freebies & etc...when all they had to do was raise whatever kids they could with whatever they had. If that meant only ONE kid, then that's all they should have! If it meant ZERO at the time, then they need to practice abstinence or birth control. I find it a bunch of baloney to have MY hard earned money be taken out of my paycheck(STOLEN) by the government to pay for a family with 10+ kids that could only afford two in the begin with!
DeleteWow, you need to get out and meet some people. Your theory is crazy. My family never got any food, medical assistance or "freebies". We were fairly poor, but we got no help from the government along the lines of what you are talking about.
DeleteAs far as looking at this from a cold, pragmatic, calculating point of view that you have taken (and not from the more reasonable position that sees all human life as a gift), even then big families make a lot of sense. If you want to talk "taxes" then understand that my Mom and Dad will have contributed way more to "the pot" through my brothers and sisters working, paying taxes, etc. then the average family of two kids. Social security and other social programs were instituted on the assumption that people would continue to have children, and thus they are collapsing because people AREN'T having children anymore. That's just a fact. You will be thanking my parents in about thirty years when you are being supported, in a nursing home, by the taxes that my TEN brothers and sisters are paying.
So is it your position then, Fr. Hollowell, that every married couple should have many many kids then? Like 10+ for every family? If this is not your position, explain why it isn't and how it doesn't undermine what you just said above.
DeleteBy the way, you mentioned that all human life is a "gift." Was Hitler a "gift"? How about Osama Bin Laden? Was he a "gift" too? How about Saddam Hussein? Or how about the babies that are stillborn? Are the babies born dead a gift?
It is the Church's position (and mine) that if a married couple has sex, it should be open to life, and not simply done for the pleasure that both people receive. If they feel called to not have as many children, then they should abstain from sexual activity, and there are many programs that are out there that will help a couple identify the woman's fertility window, thus allowing them to abstain during those times. One will note that this is very much in line with the "organic" mindset that many people have today - you know, not pumping a woman full of chemicals to attempt to regulate her fertility, but instead letting nature be nature. For more info, you can google Natural Family Planning.
Delete"Was Hitler a gift" - well, Jesus said don't judge, so we don't judge. Obviously the crimes that Hitler committed are perhaps the most heinous in the history of the world, but no Catholic will ever say "__________ should never have been born"
"The babies that are stillborn" - you are really slipping into an insane line of questioning, but I will humor you. I had five brothers and sisters who died through miscarriage. I believe that the day will come when I am in Heaven, and I meet them, and I realize that they were praying for me throughout my entire life, that I will not say, nor will my mom say, that they were not a gift.
Could I have your permission to publish the hallway picture to accompany an article our magazine, Reformed Perspective, is printing about the hype of overpopulation? - Jon Dykstra
ReplyDeleteThis isn't meant to be a comment so much as that I can't find another way to contact you. I thought I should also pass along my email address editor@reformedperspective.ca.
ReplyDeleteIt's important for students to be exposed to all types of ideas so that they can make their own decisions. If they only have one source, they may grow up in ignorance. They need to know what the issues are, and they should be informed from both sides. All schools should try to make their students well-informed.
ReplyDeleteRon Johnson | Saint Francis Xavier School
Just for perspective, I was taught in high school economics at a Southside Indianapolis public school that I should be eternally grateful for Margaret Sanger. That was circa 1965.
ReplyDelete