So you all know how I love my little contrived Bubble features, right? Well, I proudly present a new one this day!
I've decided that there are some comments in the Bubble that are worth repeating, so they are getting their own forum. For those readers who follow the combox drama closely, you'll get to appreciate them all over again, but for those who don't have time to follow all the comments (most of you!), it will be your first peak at these thought-provoking gems. I've dug out some memorable ones from the past week, in no particular order:
From Jan, on the post "Catholics: Your misguided compassion will come back to bite you in the rear":
That is exactly my point, Zach, we all make judgments and believe some things are right, or wrong. The thing is, I, and many orthodox Catholics DO judge actions as right or wrong, we do discriminate as to how we live our lives, etcetera...the difference is that we do NOT feel the need to pretend that we are TOLERANT and open minded to all viewpoints. The liberal left, however, make just as many judgments...(i.e. they have too many children, they don't think for themselves, they just blindly follow formal religion, they shouldn't infringe on a woman's right to choose, they refuse to change, they are too judgmental, they are homophobic...on and on). Yet they somehow pretend or deceive themselves that they are so much better because they are tolerant. It is a lie. It is hypocritical.
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From Barbara, on the same post:
I do feel that same sex parents are "playing house", especially when they use extraordinary means to create a child of a surrogate or a sperm donor. They are consciously creating a human being and then alienating that human being from half of his genetic history, half of his background and half of his identity. On top of that they are creating a situation by which that child will either lack a parental figure of the same gender or one of the opposite gender, neither of which is favorable for developing interpersonal skills.
A gay couple "doctoring" up a child is a kind of "playing house". They are "constructing" a heterosexual family without the opposite sex partner. It's an imitation of heterosexuality and is also parasitic on it. Homosexuals who want children have to get some of the "other guys stuff" in order to make these people.
The thing is, we have no idea how this is going to affect the children who are being born in these scenarios. How is not having a mother, with a mother's touch and a mother's sensibility going to affect these children? How is not having a father going to affect them? We used to consider it a tragedy when a baby had no Mama to hold him, to nurse him, to sing to him, but now we're purposefully creating it.
And why? because of some messed up idea of compassion which amounts to little more than squishy emotionalism. Some "Care Bears" philosophy in which "It's aww about wuuv,". Um, no, it's making Social Science experiments out of human lives, and we have no idea what is going to happen when these kids grow up.*
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Not only are Catholic adoption agencies no longer able to serve effectively, but... these socially sanctioned "alternative" arrangements affect children (adopted and created through ART) for a lifetime. It is appalling to me that with so. many. studies. showing that the healthiest situation for a child is with his/her mother and father, married to each other, stable (and traditional adoption is unique but equivalent to this arrangement), that our culture has so carelessly opened wide the doors to all sorts of odd arrangements, going even as far to have three parents listed on birth certificates.
Many respond to the idea that non-traditional homes are a hardship for the kids with, "Oh are [you] saying a single mom can't do a good job???" No, that is not what I am saying or what others are saying. Single moms CAN do a good job. But in the past, single parenthood was seen as a hardship, as something that was not ideal, and as a situation that benefits from outreach and ministry for support. Back in the 80's, that began to change some with folks trying to convince kids like me that my "different" family (divorced parents) was "just fine", no big deal.
Oh the damage that did! My generation is filled with folks my age who are struggling to make sense of love, marriage, and family thanks to their "great" arrangements growing up. My little mind NEEDED to hear, "Hey, what you're experiencing IS sad, and needs to be mourned, and will affect you." Not, "Oh, your father living across town is just another beautiful expression of diversity." Ugh. How does a child even begin to properly mourn something everyone is telling them is "great"??? And these poor kids with "three" parents will be even more confused (isn't it great that your daddy was a sperm donor??*). No, sorry, for the child, it's not great. The parents may enjoy their "freedom" to live however they want, but it's not great, it's not fair, it's not a "free choice" for the kids. Can you tell I get worked up about this? Lol. It doesn't help that even secular publications will occasionally run these stories about kids brought into alternative situations having a hard time with it... yet no one connects the dots.
And there you have it! I hope you enjoyed these readers' pearls of wisdom. Don't worry if your comment wasn't showcased this time around; keep on commenting and you may see it here next time!
*Slate had an interesting article on the feelings of the children born from sperm donors, here.
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