Aggie Catholics: Is Pre-Marital Sex Always A Sin?

Aggie Catholics: Is Pre-Marital Sex Always A Sin?

A Letter From My Heart

May our Lord bless you and keep you in His care.
You have made the ultimate sacrifice, against your will.
Your mother and your father decided they didn't want you.
You may even feel they hated you.

I don't hate you.
I'm sorry I didn't speak up.
I'm sorry I didn't do something to stop this.
I'm sorry we didn't get the chance to know you.
I'm sorry we didn't give you that chance.

God loves you so much.
I know you are safe now.
Maybe we will see each other some day.
I think about you all the time.

I'm so very sorry what we have turned into.
I pray that it changes some day.
But I know it will take some time.

I just want you to know that I wish things were different.
I just want you to know that I'm praying hard.
I just want you to know that I love you.

Albert Einstein

Me, Myself, and I

What is it that you do when you're proud or you lack humility? You kind of nourish yourself: "Mmm, I'm wonderful, I'm always right, I'm always good, I'm always persecuted.  I'm always this, I'm always that."  It's me, myself, and I.  You see, you're going to live with a trinity one way or another.  The trinity is either me, myself, and I, or it's the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  The choice is yours.  But if you're not with God, you're with yourself.

~ Mother Angelica, Private and Pithy Lessons from the Scriptures

God VERSUS Science?

I got an email a while ago from my dad titled, "God vs. Science."  Now he just recently told me that he wasn't sure God even existed so I was skeptical about reading it.  I didn't know what in the world I would be getting into.  So it sat in my inbox for a little bit, but I decided to read it.  If it got too bad, I would close and delete.  Well, the beginning wasn't too good and I almost stopped reading it until it started to take a turn for the better.  I will let you read it (I apologize for the formatting.  It came from my inbox.).  Read it all the way through:                                                                                                                                                                                                          
 True Story
                                                                                                                                                 
  'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.'                  
                                                                           
  The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks
  One of his new students to stand.                                     
                                                                                                                                               
  'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'                                   
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Yes sir, 'the student says.                                             
                                                                                                                                                      
 'So you believe in God?'                                                 
                                                                                                                                                      
  'Absolutely.'                                                            
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Is God good?'

                                                                                                                                                        
  'Sure! God's good.'                                                      
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'                              
                                                                                                                                                    
  'Yes'                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                      
  'Are you good or evil?'                                                  
                                                                                                                                                     
  'The Bible says I'm evil.'                                               
                                                                                                                                                    
  The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a      
  Moment. 'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here   
  And you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?' 
                                                                                                                                                      
  'Yes sir, I would.'                                                      
                                                                                                                                                    
  'So you're good...!'                                                     
                                                                                                                                                     
  'I wouldn't say that.'                                                   
                                                                                                                                                     
  'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. 
  Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'                          
                                                                                                                                                     
  The student does not answer, so the professor continues. 'He doesn't,    
  Does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he   
  Prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Can you answer that 
  One?'                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                     
  The student remains silent. 'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says.
  He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time
  To relax. 'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'                 
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Er..yes,' the student says.                                             
                                                                                                                                                   
  'Is Satan good?'                                                         
                                                                                                                                                    
  The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Then where does Satan come from?'                                       
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
  The student falters. 'From God'                                          
                                                                                                                                                       
  'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?' 
                                                                                                                                            
  'Yes, sir..'                                                             
                                                                                                                                                    
  'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'     
                                                                                                                                                       
  'Yes'                                                                    
                                                                                                                                                    
  'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created          
  Everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to   
  The principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'       
                                                                                                                                                     
  Again, the student has no answer. 'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred?
  Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'       
                                                                                                                                                     
  The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'                                  
                                                                                                                                                  
  'So who created them?'                                                   
                                                                                                                                                  
  The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question.
  'Who created them?' There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer      
  Breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.  
  'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus   
  Christ, son?'                                                            
                                                                                                                                                      
  The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'      
                                                                                                                                                    
  The old man stops pacing. 'Science says you have five senses you use to  
  Identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'    
                                                                                                                                                      
  'No sir. I've never seen Him.'                                           
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'                          
                                                                                                                                                      
  'No, sir, I have not..'                                                  
                                                                                                                                                   
  'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus?   
  Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that
  Matter?'                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                    
  'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'                                         
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Yet you still believe in Him?'                                          
                                                                                                                                                      
  'Yes'                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                                    
  'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,   
  science says your God doesn't exist... What do you say to that, son?'    
                                                                                                                                                    
  'Nothing,' the student replies.. 'I only have my faith.'                 
                                                                                                                                                  
  'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has
  with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'                             
                                                                                                                                                   
  The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His 
  own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'                           
                                                                                                                                                   
  'Yes.'                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                    
  'And is there such a thing as cold?'                                     
                                                                           
  'Yes, son, there's cold too.'                                            
                                                                           
  'No sir, there isn't..'                                                  
                                                                                                                                           
  The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room  
  suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have
  lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat,     
  white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called  
  'cold'. We can hit down to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but 
  we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold;      
  otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees.    
  Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits    
  energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. 
  Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold  
  is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure 
  cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold  
  is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'               
                                                                                                                                                    
  Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding
  like a hammer.                                                           
                                                                                                                                                    
  'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'     
                                                                                                                                                    
  'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation.. 'What is night if it   
  isn't darkness?'                                                         
                                                                                                                                                     
  'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of
  something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing  
  light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's     
  called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. 
  In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make        
  darkness darker, wouldn't you?'                                          
                                                                                                                                                
  The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will  
  be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'           
                                                                                                                                                      
  'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to    
  start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'                 
                                                                                                                                                    
  The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you
  explain how?'                                                            
                                                                                                                                                     
  'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You 
  argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad    
  God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we
  can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.' 'It uses        
  electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood
  either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of   
  the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.. Death is not   
  the opposite of life, just the absence of it.' 'Now tell me, professor.. 
  Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'             
                                                                                                                                                      
  'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,    
  yes, of course I do.'                                                    
                                                                                                                                                   
  'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'              
                                                                                                                                                    
  The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes    
  where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.               
                                                                                                                                                     
  'Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and     
  cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not 
  teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?'
                                                                                                                                                    
  The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion   
  has subsided. 'To continue the point you were making earlier to the other
  student, let me give you an example of what I mean.' The student looks   
  around the room. 'Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the     
  professor's brain?' The class breaks out into laughter. 'Is there anyone 
  here who has ever heard the professor's brain, felt the professor's      
  brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have    
  done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable,    
  demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain, with all due 
  respect, sir.' 'So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust   
  your lectures, sir?'                                                     
                                                                                                                                                 
  Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his    
  face unreadable. Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man      
  answers. 'I Guess you'll have to take them on faith.'                    
                                                                                                                                                  
  'Now, you accept that there is faith, and, in fact, faith exists with    
  life,' the student continues. 'Now, sir, is there such a thing as evil?' 
  Now uncertain, the professor responds, 'Of course, there is. We see it   
  Everyday. It is in the daily example of man's inhumanity to man. It is in
  The multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These       
  manifestations are nothing else but evil.'                               
                                                                                                                                             
  To this the student replied, 'Evil does not exist sir, or at least it    
  does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just
  like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the      
  absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what      
  happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like
  the cold that comes when there is no heat or the darkness that comes when
  there is no light.'                                                      
                                                                                                                                                  
  The professor sat down.                                                  
                                                                                                                                                           
  PS: the student was Albert Einstein.                                     
                                                                           
  Albert Einstein wrote a book titled God vs. Science in 1921..

Now I'm not exactly sure how "true" of a story this "True Story" is, but I liked the argument in it about the absence of God.

But my question is: Is this really about science VERSUS God, or is God science? What I mean is, God created everything on this planet.  He created everything to be able to work together in nature.  He created our cells to divide and to perform certain functions.  He created beings to procreate and live on.  He created the pollen and the bees and all the creatures of the Earth, big and small.

I think this whole notion of science VERSUS God is something we have created in our own minds to be.  We, as humans, have taken science and turned it against God when really, science works WITH God and everything that happens on this Earth, does it not? Without God, nothing "scientific" would ever work.

Thoughts?? Comments??

So...

OK so it's been a while since I have written.  Things catch up with me fast.  The kiddos really keep me on my toes!

There have been quite a few things on my mind lately though that have been giving me headaches.  It gets me so irritated that I end up clenching my teeth in frustration.  Ever since I found my way to God and His truths, I want everyone else to see it too.  The way a family functions, the way women are perceived (and men too by the way~ portrayed as bubbling idiots on television), abortion, gay marriage, the list goes on. 

I get confused with how much to get involved in.  I have three children and one on the way.  I know that my first job is to be a wife to my husband, and then a good mom to my children.  I get that and totally accept every part of that.  But I also feel like if I don't DO something, my headaches are going to get worse.  For instance, abortion really irks me.  I just don't understand how we can keep letting people misconstrue the definition of a life to make our lives easier.  And there's the kicker, "choice" doesn't even make our lives easier!! Do you know how many times I have heard women say, "It wasn't an easy choice to make."  Then why fight for the right to make it?? Who in the world wants to have to decide whether or not to kill their own baby?

And what is really frustrating is that the main argument in favor of abortion is that the baby can't survive outside of the womb, so it's OK to kill it.  DUH!!!! It's not SUPPOSED to be able to live outside the womb!!! That's mother nature! It's the way GOD created things to be! It happens in humans AND in animals! And if we're going on the argument that we should be able to kill the baby because it needs a mother, then are we going to say that until the age of 15 or so that we can kill the child because he needs me?? NO WAY! It makes absolutely NO SENSE to me whatsoever. 

Since when was it a crime for a baby to need her mother (AND father by the way)?? It's so infuriating.  It's this mentality that strips women of our femininity.  We are stripping ourselves of our freedoms, rights and gifts to be female.  And it's other females mostly that are doing it! It just absolutely blows my mind that women are allowing themselves to be subjected like this.  I know, the probably don't even realize what they are doing. 

I could go on about birth control.  Really.  Birth control FREES us?? NO WAY!! If anything, it promotes promiscuity and situations where we contract a sexually transmitted disease that could KILL us! Or we end up with pregnancies we didn't intend for so we opt to kill the baby instead of be responsible for our actions.  Ugh.  It just makes my stomach churn and if I'm not careful, my headache will come back soon.  Seriously, why can't we talk to our children about sex the same way we talk to them about drugs... "Just say NO!" Drugs can kill us, so can sex.  The birth control pill is a drug, and the condom is less effective than natural family planning! We are supposed to be the most intelligent beings on the face of this Earth! So why aren't we acting like it?!

Oh my goodness I could just go on and on.  I need a venue.  I need something to do to change something.  To just change one person's way of thinking....  I know that forcing info down their throats doesn't work, but this makes so much sense to me and it's frustrating that we walk around lying to each other to make a buck.  I know I need to throw this all up to God, and I did that the other day at Church and have felt better, but I feel like I need to yell at the world.  WAKE UP AMERICA!!!

Thanks for letting me vent.  I'm done, for now.

Unproductive

OK so I'm having a problem with productivity lately. I'm being drawn to my computer instead of the chores I have staring me in the face here. I have gotten better since my morning sickness has lightened up a bit, but I'm feeling completely unmotivated. I do Flylady, but haven't gotten myself back on track since I started working part-time.

Is there any advice out there?? I mean, it's the lazy days of summer and all, but I feel like I'm taking it a little too literally!

Trying AGAIN!

Hi out there if anyone is still listening!! I'm going to try this blogging thing again! But this time, I'm going to be a little less serious. I might blog every day, I might not. I might blog on some serious thoughts, I might not! I'm excited to be back here though and can't wait to catch up with my blogging friends!

Now for some news: We are pregnant!! Having baby #4. It was quite a surprise, but a blessing nonetheless. I am completely exhausted right now, but hopefully it will get better once this first trimester is OVER! We are due January 23. Right after the busy Christmas season. At least we will be able to get through that, hopefully right?

So pop in and say hello my long-lost friends!