Time Immortal

What a wonderful world we have created with our post-Christian sexual morality:

People in their early 20s have grown up with heightened awareness of HIV/AIDS, and the dangers of having sex without a condom. So Youth Radio’s Pendarvis Harshaw argues that when a couple decides to forego condoms, it’s a serious commitment…that’s replaced the engagement ring…………………

Because clearly there is so much more meaning in something like that. Diamonds and gold? Who needs ‘em, baby…I love you so much I left the latex at home this time.

Cue the asteroid, please.

Update: Mark Shea’s take on this issue suggests that I was perhaps too quick to see the negative angle in this story.

Scripture describes Jesus as having pity on his flock because they were like sheep without a shepherd. I think the response of Jesus to a story like this is pity. In their own sad way, the youth in this story are facing reality far more clearly than their idiot parents who labored to reduce sex to a plumbing problem. marriage is indeed the sacrament of sex and the sexual act is indeed the body’s declaration of lifelong fidelity. contraception is the crossed fingers behind the back, the way of saying “Well, not really” while the lips say “I love you and give myself completely to you and our family.”

So the poor pitiable kids whose highest expression of love is to take off a condom is rather like the widow who offered two copper coins. It’s all he has and the Lord can work with that. Far more pitiable are the dolts who handed him that contraceptive culture in the first place and sold him the whole bill of good about the Imperial Autonomous Self. My generation has so much to answer for.

If there is one thing about becoming a parent that I fear, it is the part wherein I am responsible for educating my son(s?) or daughter(s?) about the need to approach sexuality with an attitude of sacramental reverence. It is my great fear that my child will turn out to be just another casual, callous youth who moves from bed to bed, and partner to partner, with the same carefree abandon one normally reserves for changing one’s socks.

Update II - The Road Warrior: Welcome, WebElf readers!