From the Vault: The Article My School Newspaper Would Not Publish

At the beginning of my junior year in college, I submitted an opinions piece to my school newspaper.  The article explains the Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage.  The newspaper did not publish the article because it was too “controversial.”  Maybe they refused to publish it with my best interests in mind; seeking to protect me from all the hate mail I was sure to get from SJWs.  Without further ado, here is the article:       

 

 

The Catholic Church has seven Sacraments.  Some, such as communion and reconciliation, are meant to be repeated, the rest are not.  Of all seven sacraments in the Catholic Church, marriage is by far the most misunderstood.  It is the only sacrament the state has taken full control of (so much for separation of church and state). 

            Marriage was designed by God to be a lifelong union between one man and one woman designed specifically as a partnership with God for the procreation and raising of children.  As Pope Francis has said, “Christ accompanies with grace all spouses who remain united to him.”  As described in Genesis 2:24, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”  Marriage was never, ever meant to be between two people of the same sex, as it is biologically impossible for them to become one flesh as well as to bear children. 

Contrary to the hookup culture, the marriage process is supposed to be taken seriously as demonstrated in the vows.  The priest directly asks both the man and the woman “Do you take this man or woman to be your lawfully wedded husband or wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do you part?” Every other sacrament in the Catholic Church has a great deal of preparation preceding it, the same goes for marriage.  The Catholic Church requires couples to contact the pastor six months to a year before the wedding so they can go through the marriage preparation process.  It is perhaps this process that causes some couples to circumvent the marriage prep and go to their county clerk and ask for a marriage license. 

Prenuptial agreements are also irrational; it is as almost as if the spouses want the marriage to fail and when it does they want to be entitled to “getting their stuff.”  

            Pop culture is partly to blame for the increased misunderstanding of the sacrament of marriage.  Shows like Murphy Brown and Teen Mom make it seem as if marriage need not be a prerequisite for having children. Shows like Modern Family and The New Normal have brainwashed the public into thinking homosexual marriage is just as valid as heterosexual marriage. 

            As with every other sacrament, marriage is a privilege not a right.  The state just handing out marriage licenses after a couple lives together for a certain period of time is a slap in the face to those who went through the hard work of preparing.  

            Marriage is not for the selfish or weak of heart.  Marriage is not about using someone else to get a green card or to inherit their death benefits.  Marriage is not meant to be an impulsive decision; it is a lifelong commitment, there is no turning back once the priest says “You may now kiss the bride.” 

            An annulment, which is the only way to completely erase a marriage; requires strict scrutiny and looks intensively at the marriage prep process.  Only an annulment, not a divorce, allows a remarriage to take place.  For example, if one of the spouses held key information from the other spouse, an annulment may be granted.  Having children after getting married or the presence of a long period of time between the marriage and the annulment makes getting an annulment a lot harder. 

            As long as Obergefell v. Hodges remains “the law of the land”, marriage will continue to be the most misunderstood sacrament.  It’s time to set the record straight.

            In order to understand marriage fully, one must recognize that the union of a man and a woman in marriage is a reflection of God’s love.  When a man and woman get married at Church, God’s grace is present in the marriage.  God’s grace helps husband and wife through sickness, health, and other stressful situations that may arise throughout the duration of the marriage.  By getting married in a civil ceremony, the couple is shutting the door to God’s grace.  The sacrament of marriage is a calling, just like a vocation to the priesthood. 

            For more information on the Catholic Church’s teachings on the sacrament of marriage, visit www.foryourmarriage.org.

 

 

I fully stand by the content in this article.  In addition to the religious reasons, there are plenty of other reasons why society should promote the traditional nuclear family that the left has done everything in its power to deconstruct and undercut.

 

Nearly two years after this article was originally written, the culture war continues. In that time, there have been lawsuits against Christian bakers who refuse to bake cakes for same-sex weddings as well as a firestorm surrounding the so-called “bathroom bill” passed by the North Carolina legislature. It seems as if the opposing forces in the culture war continue to drift further apart.  Conservatives have enjoyed small victories in the culture war in the past year; especially the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court.  This year, Vice President Pence became the first sitting Vice President to address the March for Life.  Declaring a conservative victory in the culture war will always be an uphill battle as the left controls the media, Academia, and the Courts.  The good news is: It’s not over yet.  We’ve only just begun.