Free Republic

Author: Barb Ernster | Source: National Catholic Register Modesty En Vogue   At a time when exposed midriffs, pierced navels and tattooed backsides are all the rage, "Pure Fashion" shows hope to offer an antidote. At a time when exposed midriffs, pierced navels and attooed backsides are all the rage, the pressure is on young girls to grin and "bare" it. Everywhere you turn, Catholic parents - their influence challenged by the onslaught of writhing pop idols on TV and the prevalence of racy attire at the shopping mall - are lamenting the loss of their daughters´ modesty. "It used to...

Political and social activist Chastity Bono – the only child of entertainers Cher and the late Sonny Bono – began undergoing a sex change shortly after her 40th birthday on March 4. "Cher is very supportive and has known about Chastity wanting to do this for a very long time," a source tells PEOPLE. "This will be a long process but it's something Chastity has wanted to do for many years." Bono's spokesman, Howard Bragman, told TMZ, which first reported the story, "Yes, it's true – Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his...

Fatima and the Theology of the Body: Part II May 22nd, 2009 by Christopher West In honor of Mary, I’ve chosen to focus my columns this month on what I consider an intriguing connection between the messages of Fatima and John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). In the previous column, I explained how the assassination attempt on John Paul II was a fulfillment of the "third secret" of Fatima. Coincidentally, the day he was shot – May 13, 1981 – was not only the annual memorial of Fatima, it was also the day he had planned to establish...

Buenos Aires, Argentina, May 7, 2009 / 04:13 pm (CNA).- Bishop Juan Ruben Martinez of Posadas in Argentina said celibacy cannot be reduced to a "mere imposition of the Church" and that "bad examples and even our own limitations do not invalidate the contribution of so many who, in the past and today, give their lives for others." Bishop Martinez said that a "materialistic vision" of man that is based solely on "instinct and the physiological" makes it difficult to see these values as a "gift of God" and an "instrument of service to humanity and to the common good."...

Father Alberto Cutié appeared on CBS this morning to defend his actions and discuss the Catholic Church's celibacy policy. "This is someone who I love," he says.

Celeste Behe’s Register story “Modesty in Motion” quotes Power Ranger actress/model Jessica Rey and Paige Reese of the Cajun band L’Angelus (shown above) about modesty. Paige, says: “I keep in mind that external appearance is a reflection of an interior attitude,” she says. “St. Peter tells us that our adornment ‘should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God’s sight’”(1 Peter 3:4). “Many times, mothers have thanked us for dressing in a way that is attractive and modest. They tell us that their daughters want to dress the...

(Note: David MacDonald is a Christian singer/artist who recently revealed that prior to his conversion he had been heavily involved in the gay lifestyle. Read his testimony here: www.GayTestimony.com) I hate to quote statistics, but Canada's largest gay paper XTRA recently reported that, "A group of six Canadian queers is taking on homophobia in Canada's healthcare system by filing a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission." Gens Hellquist, one of the complainants, is the executive director of the Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition. She explained at length her concerns about the health status of homosexual men and women in Canada,...

The item of jewellery owned by Kioni Lansbury represents her intention to stay a virgin until she marries. But her school has deemed it potentially dangerous and against uniform rules. Kioni, who is a regular church-goer, was inspired to wear the ring by the American pop group the Jonas Brothers, who have all made pledges of celibacy. Purity rings are popular in America where organisers have persuaded a vast number of teenagers to abstain from sex. Kioni, of Ottery St Mary in Devon, said: 'Lots of girls sleep around. I want to keep myself pure. 'Many of my friends want...

Feminists around the world have reacted with horror to a new line of lingerie that comes equipped with a GPS tracking system. The 'find me if you can' range of underwear has been described as a modern-day, high-tech chastity belt. 'It is outrageous to think that men can buy this, programme it and give it to their partners and then monitor them,' said Claudia Burghart, leader of a Berlin feminist group. 'It is nothing more than a chastity belt for insecure men.' Lingerie maker Lucia Lorio of Brazil says her design targets the 'modern, techno-savvy woman'.

Friend and fellow blogger Dawn Eden, touring Australia for Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the country for World Youth Day, reported on her site on Tuesday that she fell prey to the Down Under version of liberal media bias. "A Current Affair," a program on Sky Television that shares the same name and ilk with the Maury Povich program, interviewed Eden, an author and convert to Catholicism, for a segment they labeled "No Sex Pilgrims" (video available here). The Aussie tabloid television reporters who featured her seemed incredulous that anyone in this day and age would live chastely. ...[C]orrespondent Ben...

News Release OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS 703-413-1100 x5117 and 310-451-6913media@rand.org FOR RELEASE Tuesday June 10, 2008 Virginity Pledges May Help Postpone Intercourse Among Youth Making a virginity pledge may help some young people postpone the start of sexual activity, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Researchers found that adolescents who made pledges to remain virgins until they are married were less likely to be sexually active over the three-year study period than other youth who were similar to them, but who did not make a virginity pledge, according to the study published online by the Journal of Adolescent...

WASHINGTON, November 15, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) has applauded the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for its new guidelines promoting chastity education in Catholic curricula and urging Catholic colleges to make chastity “the cornerstone of Catholic campus life.” The USCCB announced at the end of their annual meeting in Baltimore this week the introduction of a new chastity education program for helping Catholic schools and other institutions develop curricula. The program, titled, “Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living: Guidelines for Curriculum and Publication Design,” will form the basis of curricula for high school teaching on chastity....

Women get 'virginity fix' NHS operations in Muslim-driven trend By JAMES CHAPMAN 15th November 2007 Women are being given controversial "virginity repair" operations on the NHS, it emerged last night. Taxpayers funded 24 hymen replacement operations between 2005 and 2006, official figures revealed. And increasing numbers of women are paying up to £4,000 in private clinics for the procedure apparently under pressure from future spouses or in-laws who believe they should be virgins on their wedding night. Doctors said most patients are immigrants or British of ethnic origin. The trend has been condemned by critics as a sign of social...

New Study Finds Christian Counseling Effectively Assists Leaving Homosexual Life-Style Study also finds leaving the lifestyle not psychologically harmful By Meg Jalsevac NASHVILLE, September 18, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A new study, entitled the Exodus Project and conducted by two psychologists, has determined that, through "religiously mediated means", it is possible for homosexual individuals to leave their old lifestyle and embrace the heterosexual lifestyle.  The study also determined that, contrary to mainstream scientific thought, the effort to change one's inclinations away from homosexuality does not appear to be psychologically problematic. In the words of the authors themselves, "The study is the...

Guatemala Bishops Reject "Post-Abortion Care" Plan as Doorway to Abortion Ministry initiative would train medical personnel to use suction machines on women in "post-abortion situation" By Elizabeth O'Brien GUATEMALA CITY, August 23, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Yesterday the Bishops Conference of Guatemala rejected a "post-abortion care" initiative by the Ministry of Health, pointing out that it would provide a direct opening towards abortion and other abuses of women, CatholicNewsAgency reports. In a document criticizing the World Health Organization's anti-life policies, the bishops also warned against the Ministry's "care" campaign, saying, "Our Constitution protects human life from the moment of conception." They...

LONDON, July 16, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A teenage girl lost her legal battle for the right to wear a chastity ring in class after the United Kingdom's High Court ruled the school's ban did not constitute "unlawful interference" with her Christian faith.Lydia Playfoot, 16, had challenged the ban imposed by Millais School in Horsham, saying the ring was an expression of her Christian faith and commitment to abstain from sex until marriage. Playfoot was among a dozen other girls that had worn the chastity rings until the school ordered them to remove them saying that it violated the uniform policy....

Millions of teenagers nationwide, including male university students, have chosen to remain virgins until marriage. In doing so they unflinchingly clash head on with a modern day culture that implicitly condones free love.  A friend of mine was once riding the subway late at night when the doors opened and in stepped two couples returning from a night out on the town. They laughed and carried on until one of the ladies noticed a poster promoting abstinence on the wall behind them. She read it out loud for the others. “Virgin: it’s not a dirty word,” it said. Then half...

Schoolgirl goes to court over chastity ring By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent, and Hazel Southam  Last Updated: 3:52am BST 28/04/2007     A teenage girl banned from wearing a Christian chastity ring at school is taking her case to the High Court.Lydia Playfoot wanted to wear a silver ring that showed her commitment to remain a virgin until marriage. But her school refused permission on health and safety grounds and because the ring infringed its jewellery policy.The dispute echoes last year's row over whether a British Airways employee could wear a cross and that of Shabina Begum, a Muslim excluded...

An American couple going out for two years have enjoyed their first kiss - at their wedding. Katie and Tim McAfee agreed to a sex ban and no kissing before they wed. The couple from Bismarck, North Dakota, are devout Christians. They prayed with their parents for God's strength before going out on dates. Tim, 25, touched his 24-year-old wife's lips for the first time at Bismarck's Evangel Temple. Tim said his kiss with Katie was great but added: "I don't have anything to compare it with." Katie's sister, Margie, 21, and her new husband Nadir Torres, 22 also took...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - It has all the ingredients of a wedding. The proud tuxedo-clad father, the frosted white cake, the limousines and an exchange of vows. But there is no groom and the girl in the long gown is no bride. She's daddy's little girl, there to take a vow of chastity. In what is becoming a trend among conservative Christians in the United States, girls as young as nine are pledging to their fathers to remain virgins until they wed, in elaborate ceremonies dubbed "Purity Balls." The gala affairs are intended to celebrate the father-daughter relationship. The highlight is...

WASHINGTON - Dawn Eden is no shrinking violet. “I’ve got just a tad of the exhibitionist in me,” the former rock journalist turned Catholic convert recently told the National Review Online — and with the launch of her new book, “The Thrill of the Chaste,” Eden does nothing short of baring her soul. “The Thrill of the Chaste” translates Eden’s heart-on-her-sleeve candor into an intimate confessional where nothing is off the table: private sexual fantasies, self-gratification, personal insecurities, various cringe-worthy moments (one involves dressing up like Cher, but not as a prank) and — get ready — “desperately longing for...

A Romanian priest wants women to pay a "white-dress fine" if they're not virgins when they marry. Father Petrica Bratu, 37, says he hopes the fines will stop couples from living in sin. Couples who had just moved in together would pay about $20 but brides who were pregnant or had children would pay about $120. The average Romanian salary is about $200 per month.

The Man Who Stepped Out of LineIn this post-feminist age where men are still learning remedial masculinity, we have a model of manhood lived heroically which we would do well to emulate. In the early twentieth century Poland gave us that manly priest, John Paul II, but also his hero, Maximilian Kolbe, priest, missionary, spiritual father and martyr of brotherly love. St. Maximilian’s feast day is August 14th, the vigil of his beloved Virgin Mary’s Assumption and the day which commemorates the conquest of virile love over the totalitarian creeds of his generation. As men, we could all learn a...

The battle for purity is ultimately fought deep in the recesses of the human heart. Our hearts were made to love, but since the Fall, they have been tainted by a desire to use others. This effect of original sin is seen perhaps most dramatically in our encounters with the opposite sex, wherein our hearts often are drawn to the other person more for the emotional or sensual pleasure we may derive from them than for any true commitment to what is best for them and their true value as a person. In this reflection, we will see that chastity...

A SAINT TO EMULATE Margaret M. Breiling St. Maria Goretti"By the loving providence of God, we have assisted this evening at the supreme exaltation of a humble daughter of the people, in a ceremony whose solemnity and dignity are unique in the history of the Church.For tonight's canonization has been held in this vast and inviting place of mystery, made for the occasion into a sacred temple whose vault is the open heaven that proclaims the glories of Almighty God—a choice for which you first expressed the desire before We had decided to make the disposition.The concourse of the...

Sikh bracelets, but no Christian rings at school bans pupils from wearing 'purity rings' A group of teenage Christians have been banned by a secondary school from wearing "purity rings" as a symbol of their religious belief in chastity until marriage. At least one of the dozen pupils, who all attend the same girls' comprehensive in Horsham, West Sussex, is considering legal action against the Millais School for "a breach of human rights". Although the school allows Muslim and Sikh pupils to wear headscarves or kara bracelets as a means of religious expression, the purity ring - a small band...

Teens fight for a chaste Valentine's ABSTINENCE: Some high school students suggest honoring Feb. 14 as a "Day of Purity. BY STEPHANIE SIMON LOS ANGELES TIMES High school sophomore Ally Hall plans to exchange valentine cards with her friends today. But her true tribute to the romance of the season was Monday, in the principal's office at Lebanon High School in the small town of Lebanon, Ohio. Hall wrote a brief script to be read over the public-address system. Her message: The most romantic way to celebrate Feb. 14 is to honor it as a "Day of Purity," by pledging...

Note: This commentary may not be suitable for young children. This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley. A 25-year-old Christian man e-mailed a friend—a young Christian author named Lauren Winner—and asked her a question. He claimed he had endless opportunities for casual sex—including one that very evening. Why should he not take advantage of them? After all, he said, he was already “dealing with seventeen other things in my Christian walk. Shouldn’t I just focus on learning to pray, and deal with the sex stuff later?” Nice try, buster. Winner, the author of Real Sex: The Naked...

Most sexually active teenage girls know relatively little about sexually transmitted diseases until it is too late, according to new research. In a survey of 300 adolescent girls in the Pittsburgh area, Carnegie Mellon University researchers found that girls who reported having been diagnosed with an STD knew more about that particular disease than other girls, but did not know more about the other diseases. The findings are published in the January edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health. On average, with the exception of HIV/AIDS, the teens did not know many basic facts about STDs, said Julie Downs, lead...

Front Royal, Va, Dec. 06, 2005 (CNA) - "The Church recognizes that people with 'homosexual tendencies' can be good Christians, social workers, and administrators, but being a priest is all of these things and much more,” stated  Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International. His comment came following the release of Concerning the Criteria of Vocational Discernment Regarding Persons with Homosexual Tendencies in View of their Admission to Seminaries and Holy Orders by the Congregation for Catholic Education."Engaging in homosexual acts is a grave, mortal sin that endangers the immortal soul of the practitioner and such a lifestyle...

by Matt C. Abbott Other Articles by Matt C. Abbott Defending Chastity in the Priesthood 10/04/05 Three Roman Catholic priests have been gracious enough to provide me with their observations (edited) on the recent report that Pope Benedict XVI "has given his approval to a new Vatican policy document indicating that men with homosexual tendencies should not be ordained as Catholic priests." In This Article...Human Nature as God Created ItOrdination Is Not a RightWe Are the Better for It Human Nature as God Created It Father Burns Seeley of the Chicago-based Society of St. John Cantius: "Note that the document (I...

Swaziland's King Mswati III, who imposed a five-year sex ban on the kingdom's teenage girls, has dropped it a year early. The girls have had to wear large woolen tassels as a sign of their chastity since 2001. The sex ban was imposed to fight the spread of HIV/Aids. Swaziland has one of the world's highest HIV infection rates, at almost 40 percent of the population. The king meanwhile fined himself a cow for breaking the ban by marrying again, a 17-year-old who became his ninth wife. (UPI)

Something is going wrong in Christian communities. ... many Christians, even in churches that teach sex is only for marriage, have premarital sex. • Three surveys of single Christian adults [showed that]one third were virgins—meaning, of course, that two thirds were not. • In 2003, researchers at Northern Kentucky University showed that 61 percent of students who signed sexual-abstinence commitment cards broke their pledges. • Of the remaining 49 percent who kept their pledges, 55 percent said they'd had oral sex, and did not consider oral sex to be sex. So what is going on? In combating [unchaste behavior], we...

"People think I have the hardest job in the world to sell chastity to high school kids," says 29-year-old chastity speaker Jason Evert of Spring Valley. "But it's like giving out free steaks to hungry dogs. All they want is someone to give them permission to take care of themselves." Part of what got Evert into the chastity apostolate was when he started leading high school retreats. "When you do the small groups, you realize how much of sexuality is a huge problem and how they have such little guidance." During that time he also did several years of...

Jan 2005 (CWR) - My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: I write as your bishop and spiritual father on a matter of great importance and great good news: chastity. Why chastity? That is really two questions wrapped up in one. First, why do I write on this subject just now? Violations of chastity in our Church and our diocese have made some people skeptical when the Church speaks on sexual morality. But for just that reason it is more necessary, not less, to speak the truth about sexual morality. Sin and confusion cry out for honest, truthful speech. The...

Challenging earlier findings, two studies from the Heritage Foundation reported yesterday that young people who took virginity pledges had lower rates of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases and engaged in fewer risky sexual behaviors. The new findings were based on the same national survey used by earlier studies and conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. But the authors of the new study used different methods of statistical analysis from those in an earlier one that was widely publicized, making direct comparisons difficult. Independent experts called the new findings provocative, but criticized the Heritage team's analysis as flawed and...

Comcast has refused to run a Catholic Social Services public service announcement on abstinence on several of its channels because the ads might be seen by children in the 6- to 9-year-old range, Comcast officials said. A senior manager at the cable giant's New York City headquarters reviewed the Catholic agency's 30-second spot and determined that it was not appropriate for young viewers tuning into the Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and the Family Channel. Comcast will allow the spot to appear on MTV, the Sci-Fi Channel, FX, the Comedy Central and E! Entertainment Channel. The spot, entitled "Care Enough to Wait,"...

The other day I was listening to my local classic rock station. The Billy Joel classic, Only The Good Die Young came on and of course I was singing along with it. You know it’s a catchy tune, and I don’t listen to the lyrics so it doesn’t affect me blah blah blah… OK, but this time I was listening and the lyrics did affect me. I was thinking what are the results of living the life that he was lambasting? And, what are the results of the lifestyle that Billy Joel was advocating in the song?

US chastity ring funding attacked The silver ring is a constant reminder of the abstinence promise The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the US government over its funding of a nationwide sexual abstinence programme.The ACLU says the Silver Ring Thing programme violates the principle that the state budget cannot be used to promote religion. The programme, which targets teenagers, is an offshoot of a Christian ministry. Since 2003, it has received more than $1m from the Department of Health and Human Services. Symbolic ringThe funding is part of a government initiative to expand abstinence-only sex...

He's celibate until marriage, and dates won't tolerate it June 15, 2003 BY MARY MITCHELL SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST Ten years ago, Darren Washington, 33, made a dramatic lifestyle change. He decided to abstain from sex until he got married. It is a choice that makes sense in a world where sex can literally kill you. But the fear of sexually transmitted diseases was not the only thing that motivated Washington to try celibacy. Given the pain sexual relationships can cause, he wanted to be part of the solution--not part of the problem. On Saturday, June 21, he will be one of...

Lauren F. Winner started a lot of conversations when she published her 2003 memoir, "Girl Meets God," about her journey from Orthodox Judaism to evangelical Christianity. Now, with the publication of her new book, "Real Sex: The Naked Truth About Chastity," Winner, a former Beliefnet books editor, again is turning heads with her frank arguments about Christian sexual ethics. Winner spoke to Beliefnet about everything from why masturbation is a "separation from reality" to how she and her now-husband reined in their sexual impulses while they were dating.What is the sexual ethic of "Real Sex?" Is it as simple as,...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- There is no way to understand the horror of priestly pedophilia in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere unless one accepts the existence of the Evil One as a powerful reality. The Catholic celibacy rule is doubtless a contributing factor, as is the collapse of the structure of the priesthood since the Second Vatican Council. But what is Scripture if not the story of a cosmic struggle between God and the Prince of the World, as Luther called Satan? Suppose you were the Devil, extremely intelligent, mighty, and determined to destroy God's creation -- where...

by Russell Shaw  Contact this Author The Third Rail? 12/29/04 Is sex the third rail of Catholic homiletics and catechesis — just touch the subject and you're dead? Considering the lengths to which some preachers and religion teachers seem to go to avoid the topic, you have to suppose that's how they think of it. If so, they're wrong. In today's sex-saturated society, after all, nobody else steers clear of sex. The routine presence of scandalous sexual content in popular media has reached epic proportions, and lately — a sign of the times — we've been treated to a movie...

Sex and True Love   The news has recently reported that a leading media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, and advertising, has agreed to pay the Federal Communications Commission $3.5 million, one of the largest fines ever given by this agency, to end allegations of indecency.  Yet even as the debate about public decency goes on, TV continues to challenge its viewers with ever new boundaries about public decency.  Not to be outdone by an alleged wardrobe malfunction that bared a performer's breast during halftime at last January's Super Bowl, a Cleveland news anchor, a...

Hey Kids! Want Good Sex? Try Abstinence.Warren ThrockmortonAs a mental health counselor, I am really troubled by the numbers of adolescents that I have counseled who cried for days and hurt for years because they engaged in "safer sex" within dead end, unfulfilling relationships. Sadly, they learned that “safer sex” can be hazardous to their emotional health. I think the current political debate concerning abstinence vs. contraceptive based sexual education has failed to include an important variable in the discussion of what to teach in school: sexual well being. In many contemporary sexual education curricula, young boys and girls who...

LOS ANGELES: When Josie and Michael reach the altar next June, after spending £15,000 booking everything from the church to a European honeymoon, they fear they will feel "very old". Both will have just turned 22. After the ceremony, the Californian couple are likely to be eager to escape to their hotel; for they, like an increasing number of young Americans, have vowed to retain their chastity until they are married. The couple, who have dated since they were 17, are not unusual. As Americans discuss the "new morality" said to have helped George W Bush to win a second...

Archbishop Sheen Today! -- Sex and holy purity (Part One) Barbara Kralis Barbara Kralis October 19, 2004 What is the single greatest gift a young man and woman can give each other in marriage? It is their holy purity or chastity. Without holy purity, human love — popularly known as 'sex' — becomes corrupt. There is no true human love without holy purity. What is the single greatest virtue a young man and woman find most difficult to practice in this 21st century? It is the virtue of holy purity or chastity. The sixth and ninth Commandment of God teaches...

Peer pressure may not be as persuasive as the silver rings being worn by a group of teens as a reminder of their pledge to wait until marriage to start having sex, reports ABC news. According to the report, nearly 25,000 teens have taken the vow of chastity with the group, Silver Ring Thing. The ring, worn like a wedding ring to symbolize their vow of chastity, is "a constant reminder on the young person's hand that they've actually made a decision about this," Silver Ring Thing founder Denny Pattyn told Good Morning America. Kids "have a lot of information...

Maria was born October 16, 1890 in Corinaldo, Italy, near Ancona to Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. In 1896, her father, a farmer, moved the family to Ferriere di Conco, near Anzio. Soon afterward, he died, and the family was forced to move to the Serenelli farm to survive. At age 12, Maria was stabbed to death on July 6, 1902 by Alexander Serenelli, the son of her father’s partner, while resisting his attempt to rape her. She was canonized in 1950 by Pius XII. Her murderer, through her intercession, converted and became a penitent Franciscan brother. Comments of Prof....

An intriguing - maybe even kinky - documentary-style film airing tonight is billed as a tour of the socio-religious roots of the practice of sexual abstinence. In fact, it's an unsubtle knock on the Catholic Church spiced with a peep at some of the world's more peculiar self- abuse practices performed in the name of religion. "Celibacy," at 8 p.m. on HBO, clearly takes a dim view of its subject. Filmmaker Antony Thomas ("Death of a Princess") is a controversial, award-winning British writer-producer-director. Here, he makes his point by allowing therapists and scientists to warn that repressing the primal human...