Pledge of Chastity for Girls and Young Women
I, a woman of God and daughter of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, promise to keep my mind and body chaste my whole life. I will flee from all situations that are a threat to my chastity. I will stay clear of bad publications and bad fashions, which Our Lady of Fatima spoke of, and I will not associate with those who refuse to stay clear of them. I will not date or kiss a man out of curiosity. I will not flirt. If I decide that I want to marry, during any courtship I will conduct myself in the most virtuous manner. I will do my best to emulate Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, in all things.
That is, if I am a virgin I will remain so for my future spouse, which is highly pleasing to God, the Most Holy Virgin, all of the angels and saints, and to godly men. I will spend much of my time in prayer and adoration of Our Lord in the Tabernacle, just as Mary spent her time in prayer and vigil before her son, the Son of God, while He was on the Holy Cross. Any thoughts of mine for marriage will be devoted to the holiness of the children I can raise, which is pleasing to God and will bring me great merit and grace, because God desires a holy people. My priority for a husband will be a man who is Christ-like and has the qualities of St. Joseph in family matters, that is, a man of great zealousness for the Lord, piety, maturity, and chastity.
I will not waste all my time gabbing with friends, but instead, will devote myself to learning the family skills that will help me to be pleasing before God during my marriage. If I marry I will remain faithful to my husband. I will remain, unmarried, living in my father's house if he is a godly man, under his protection and under the protection of any godly brothers, which is biblical. If my natural family is not godly, I will make the arrangements as to where I will live, when I am of age, with the help of the priests and religious, to ensure that I am righteous before God, who is all good. If I am thinking of the consecrated life, I will do all of these things with an eye to God being my future spouse. Throughout the course of my days I will flee from the worldly life, that is, thoughts of a career, independence from family life, a worldly social schedule, going away to a secular college, and never-ending amusement, which are not good. Rather, I pledge to be a sign of contradiction to the world, to the way the pagan peoples go about doing things, who do not know God.
Doing what is right, I understand that not only will I assist in the salvation of my own soul but will also assist in meriting God's graces and protection for others as well, those I know and those I don't know, as well as in the release of the holy souls in Purgatory, who will pray for me. I will not be discouraged by all of the sin I see all around me, but rather, I will be heroic in virtue, because we are all called to be saints. I will ask others to pray for my virtue and righteousness before God, and will pray to Mary the Memorare and other prayers if I am ever tempted to do wrong. And whenever I am in doubt I will prayerfully ask those with authority over me, my parents if they are godly, and the priests and religious, for their counsel. I understand that my reward for doing right is in Heaven, not on earth, and will expect nothing more.
Signed this ______ day of ____________ in the year of our Lord __________
______________________
Woman of God
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Pledge of Chastity for Boys and Young Men
I, a man of God and son of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, promise to keep my mind and body chaste my whole life. I will flee from all situations that are a threat to my chastity. I will stay clear of bad publications and bad fashions, which Our Lady of Fatima spoke of, and I will not associate with those who refuse to stay clear of them. I will not date or kiss a woman out
of curiosity. I will not flirt. If I decide that I want to marry, during any courtship I will conduct myself in the most virtuous manner. I will do my best to emulate St. Joseph, the most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mother of God, in all things. That is, I pledge that my life will be conducted in zealousness for the Lord, piety, maturity, and chastity. I will spend my time growing in godliness, maturity, and in my ability to financially and psychologically support my future family and my parish. I will strive for excellence in my secular work, which will be pleasing to my co-workers and employers and a witness to them concerning the glory of God, and will also
help me to obtain the skills and to advance in ways that will help me in governing my own family. I will look after any unmarried sisters or other female relatives I may have, for the protection of their chastity and virtue, which is biblical. I will scrutinize any potential suitors that may be interested in my unmarried female relatives and will assist in shielding these female relatives from no-hopers and low-life people, with the advice of any godly parents of mine, as well as the priests and religious.
I will strive to learn and use the power of fervent prayer in all of my endeavors. If I seek to marry I will look for the qualities of the Most Holy Virgin in any potential spouse, that is, the desirability of her being a virgin, her prayerfulness and adoration of the Lord, her desire for holy children, her spending her time in learning the family skills that will help her in her marriage, and her priority for a husband that is both Christ-like and patterns his life after St. Joseph in family matters. If I marry I will remain faithful to my wife. If I am thinking of the consecrated life, I will do all of these things with an eye to God being my future family. Throughout the course of my days I will flee from the worldly life, that is, independence from family life, a worldly social schedule, and never-ending amusement, which are not good. Rather, I pledge to be a sign of contradiction to the world, to the way the pagan peoples go about doing things, who do not know God.
Doing what is right, I understand that not only will I assist in the salvation of my own soul but will also assist in meriting God's graces and protection for others as well, those I know and those I don't know, as well as in the release of the holy souls in Purgatory, who will pray for me. I will not be discouraged by all of the sin I see all around me, but rather, I will be heroic in virtue, because we are all called to be saints. I will ask others to pray for my virtue and righteousness before God, and will pray to Mary the Memorare and other prayers if I am ever tempted to do wrong. And whenever I am in doubt I will prayerfully ask those with authority over me, my parents if they are godly, and the priests and religious, for their counsel. I understand that my reward for doing right is in Heaven, not on earth, and will expect nothing
more.
Signed this ______ day of ____________ in the year of our Lord __________
______________________________
Man of God
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Experimental research, psychology, personal testimony and social scientific studies have all been tools in the pornography debate. Yet neither side of the debate has viewed all of these tools collectively and thus 'proof' of harm has proved elusive. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families has now viewed all of the major tools, facts and perspectives collectively and has concluded that the evidence is not only persuasive but overwhelming that pornography use is harmful, to the individual user and beyond.
Constitutional rightsfreedom of speech and expressiondo not factor in to the risk of harm carried by pornography. There is pornography protected by the First Amendment and illegal pornography which is not. Pornography use is a choice. This document serves to provide evidence that those who choose to use pornography risk suffering harmful side effects. Research suggests pornography is like an addictive drug; a little can get you hooked and too much can damage your life.
Sex for sale
US News and World Report said the porn industry grossed $8 billion in 1997. Pornography aside, sex is selling for businesses that aren't even selling sex. The mere existence of the advertising industry and the billions of dollars spent on advertising are proof that visual images persuade. Pornography's selling point is visual imagesa visual communications medium advancing a message. To deny the power of pornography is to deny the influence of advertising.
Attitudes and porn's messages
Pornography shapes attitudes and the way people view relationships and sex roles, specifically by 'normalizing aggression towards women for some men in sexual and other interpersonal encounters and increasing the tolerance for aggression toward women in the larger culture.' (Surrette, 1992) Sexual interest and sexual acts of any kind are mistaken for acts of love. Sex gives the illusion of being loved and appreciated. In the absence of love, people seek intimacy through porn and sex.
Casual sex is portrayed as exciting and desirable outside of a committed relationship. Beauty is measured by proportion of body parts, shaping unrealistic expectations of what a woman's body should look like. Pornography's messages about sex and sexual fulfillment are misleading. Fulfillment comes from personal, human relationships, not media.
Pornography hurts kids
Studies show that boys ages 12 through 17 are among the primary consumers of porn. This becomes a major source of sex education. Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS are completely nonexistent in porn, giving a false belief that there are no adverse consequences to behaviors depicted in pornography. Teaching that sexual experimentation with anyone, anywhere is a major theme considered 'fun' in pornography. Pornography teaches that women enjoy being stripped, forcibly abused and even raped. Other messages in pornographydrug addiction, prostitution, exhibitionism and voyeurism are branded in the minds of children as normal behavior. One such message is that women are sex toys readily available for sexual fulfillment by anyone and are devoid of value, worth and feelings. These messages found to hurt adults have an even greater impact on kids.
Child pornography
Child pornography consists of photographs, videotapes, magazines, books and films that depict children in sex acts, all of which are illegal. These laws also include some child nudity, simulated sex involving children and material that is computer-doctored to look like child porn. All production of these visual materials is an illegal and permanent record of the abuse.
The typical child molester befriends the child, and after building 'trust,' introduces the child to pornography, sometimes 'kiddy' porn, to break down inhibitions and lure the child to participate in sexual activities. These acts are then videotaped or photographed and used to blackmail child victims. It is also used to arouse the pornographer when the child is not around. Child porn has become a sophisticated multi-million dollar black market industry. (Enough Is Enough, 1989)
Consider...
1.3 million children a year are sexually abused. (Gallup, 1995)
An estimated 61 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18. (AMA, 1995)
Approximately one in three girls is sexually abused before age 18 and one in four by age 14; one in six boys is sexually abused before age 16. (Hopper, 1997)
The average age of child sexual abuse is 11, although some predators strike upon children much younger. (Sedlak and Broadhurst, 1996)
Internet pornography
Though a valuable information resource, the Internet caused explosive growth for the pornography market. It is essentially the fastest, cheapest and most anonymous pornography outlet. Only certain commercial sites require a credit card to enter and most sites display hard-core 'teasers' through which computer users connect to porn sites within seconds.
The most dangerous aspect of the Internet is its use by pedophiles. Child molestors and predators use the Internet to pose as youngsters themselves in order to communicate with other children, expose them to pornography and arrange to meet them in person.
The Internet Online Summit held in 1997 in Washington, D.C., revealed that 70 percent of children viewing pornography on the Internet are doing so in public schools and libraries. Few measures have been taken thus far to protect children from pornography and Internet predators in public access points.
USA Today (1997) reported that 45 percent of children ages 9 to 13 who use computers use the Internet to chat with others. The ability to communicate with strangers is the Internet's biggest threat to children since pedophiles and sexual predators have direct contact with victims through Internet chat rooms. Also, bulletin boards provide an essentially anonymous means of posting illegal pornography for any and all users to access. This includes child pornography and obscenity.
Corporate America has been negatively affected by Internet pornography use since 'about 16 million to 20 million people in North America are estimated to use the Internet, with about half gaining access primarily at work.' (New York Times, 1996) One analysis by Nielsen Media Research, Inc., New York, found that International Business Machines Corp., Apple Computer Inc., and AT&T Corp. together lost more than 347 eight-hour days of employee time in a single month to the Penthouse magazine website alone. (Wall Street Journal, 1996).
Pornography hurts relationships
Whether a recreational user or an addict, porn affects relationships with spouses, family members, work associates and even strangers. It is often viewed in secret and this clandestine use of pornography creates deception within a relationship. The signs and symptoms of a chronic porn user are not unlike those of an unfaithful lover. Regarding relationships, pornography also (NCPCF, 1998):
Portrays women as sex objects and reflects even in the day to day poor treatment of the female counterpart.
Introduces a third (or fourth or fifth...) partner into the relationship, weakening commitment.
Promotes the allure of forbidden relationships, namely adultery and prostitution.
Leads to unreal expectations of sexual fulfillment.
Promotes fantasization, distracts from real life and relationships.
Stimulates interest in deviance, such as group sex and torture.
Encourages violence. One study found a link between pornography use and hostility, saying men who use pornography are more likely to rape if they knew they would not be found out. (Hall, 1996)
Pornography is addictive
A person is hooked on pornography when they keep coming back for more, unable to turn down just one more glance. Just like drugs, alcohol or other addictive substances, pornography, through sexual release, brings about significant mood alteration and gives an intensely pleasurable high from one's own brain chemicals. (Carnes, 30) Four factors characterize the condition: (Cline, 1996)
Addiction - Porn provides a powerful sexual stimulant or aphrodisiac effect, followed by sexual release, most often through masturbation. The exciting and powerful imagery can then be recalled and elaborated on in subsequent fantasies.
Escalation - Over time, addicts require more explicit and deviant material to get 'high.' They may push their partners into increasingly bizarre sexual activities. And they come to prefer the imagery of pornography, accompanied by masturbation, to sexual intercourse itself, diminishing their capacity to express real affection.
Desensitization - Books, magazines or films/videos, first perceived as shocking, illegal, repulsive or immoral - though still sexually arousing - is seen as acceptable. The sexual activity depicted becomes legitimized in the person's mind, and he/she comes to believe that 'everybody does it.'
Acting Out Sexually - There is an increasing tendency to act out behaviors viewed in pornography. Addiction locks persons into these behaviors - no matter what the negative consequences. It weakens marital and family bonds, and as the result of unfulfilled sexual urges, increases the possibility of a person committing a serious sex crime. (Cline, 1996)
Consider...Among 932 sex addicts studied, 90% of men and 77% of women said pornography was significant to their addictions. Also, childhood sexual abuse and frequent use of pornography accompanied by masturbation are key parts of the formation of sexually addictive behavior. (Carnes, 1991)
Pornography triggers crime
Pornography's impact on crime is twofold. Live porn or sexually oriented businesses (SOBs)strip clubs, massage parlors and the likeattract crime to a community; and the general content of pornography supports sex, abuse, the rape myth, that women enjoy forceful sex, and serves as a how-to for sex crimes, primarily the molestation of children.
In your neighborhood...Land Use Studies in 16 US cities support that the presence of SOBs has detrimental effects on the surrounding community. In Phoenix neighborhoods alone, where SOBs were located, the number of sex offenses was 506 percent greater; the number of property crimes 43 percent greater; and the number of violent crimes, four percent higher. The Cleveland study found that in 'one tract with five SOBs and 730 residents, there were 136 robberies in one year. In the city's largest tract of 13,587 people and zero pornography outlets, there were only 14 robberies that year.' (NLC, 1996)
In Oklahoma City, as more than 150 SOBs were eliminated, the rape rate declined more than 27 percent over six years. During that same time, rape rates in the rest of the state continued to rise more than 19 percent. (Uniform Crime Report, 1990)
In your relationships...Most hard-core pornography depicts sexual aggression toward women as 'forced, violent sex depicted as 'pleasurable rape,' and increases male viewers' subsequent aggressiveness toward females...increases the willingness of a man to say he would rape a woman...strengthens the attitude that women want to be raped.' (Surrette, 1992)
What about Playboy?...Though pictorially less graphic than most pornography, magazines like Playboy and Penthouse still carry the risk of harm. The influencing factor is a 'hypermasculine' cultural pattern that supports male dominance, the use of women as sexual objects and the acceptance of interpersonal violence. Some researchers found the circulation of magazines like Playboy significantly related to rape rates, and say the 'general consumption of pornographyrather than the use of any particular forminfluences offending.' (Murrin and Laws, 1990) Despite mixed research results that may conflict, the threat of harm is still posed.
Also, soft-core pornography is often the entree to more violent, hard-core material that can lead to the latter stages of sex and pornography addiction.
Pornography and the law
Some argue the words of the First Amendmentfreedom of speechinclude all speech. Yet there are laws against consumer fraud, conspiracy, libel, slander or falsely shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater. Many assume if pornography is available in a community, it is legal. This simply isn't so: there is a difference between enacting and enforcing legislation. Many prosecutors have limited resources as to the obscenity and pornography laws of their community. Since they tend to respond to the most clearly expressed priorities of their constituents, community inaction can be mistaken for community approval.
What's legal?
Material which is illegal to possess refers only to child pornography. The very existence of child porn is considered 'contraband,' or illegal because the very act of photographing a child in any sexual context is abusive. Thus, when technology enabled pedophiles to prepare 'synthetic' child pornography (digitally blending an adult body with a child's face, or vice versa), the law was extended to include such material.
Material which is legal to possess but illegal to distribute. Much hard-core pornography has this standing, although the term includes a broad spectrum from 'just beyond' soft-core to erotica. The legal term for prosecutable hard-core pornography is 'obscenity,' which is defined by the following Miller test:
Would the average person, applying contemporary community standards, find that:
(a) the material taken as a whole, appeals to
an unwholesome ('prurient') interest?
(b) the material depicts specific defined sex-
ual conduct in a patently offensive way?
(c) the work taken as a whole lacks serious
literary, artistic, political, or scientific
value?
Material which is illegal to distribute to minors includes the legal terms 'indecent' and 'harmful to minors'material which has First Amendment protection for adults but not for minors because of the surpassing value of protecting the young. Restrictions on broadcast indecency and telephone pornography extend into this category, as does much concern about Internet porn.
References
Brief Amicus Curiae, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, United States Court of Appeals, Washington, D.C. 1998.
Carnes, P., Don't Call It Love. New York, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1991.
Cline, V., Pornography's Effects on Adults and Children. New York, New York: Morality in Media, 1996.
Edgley, Charles, 'Commercial Sex: Pornography, Prostitution and Advertising,' Human Sexuality: The Societal and Interpersonal Context, 1989.
Gabriel, T., 'New Issue At Work: On-Line Sex Sites,' New York Times, June 27, 1996.
Hall, C. & McLean, E., 'USA Snapshots.' USA Today, 1997.
Hall, Laurie, An Affair of the Mind. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996.
Laaser, Mark R., The Secret Sin: Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Marshall, W.L., 'The Use of Sexually Explicit Stimuli by Rapists, Child Molesters, and Nonoffenders,' Journal of Sex Research, 1988.
Murrin, Mary R. & Laws, D. R., 'The Influence of Pornography on Sexual Crimes,' Handbook of Sexual Assault, 1990.
Nelson, M. & Sanner, D., What One Woman Can Do, 1995-96.
Nemes, Irene, 'The Relationship Between Pornography and Sex Crimes,' The Journal of Psychiatry and Law, Winter 1992.
New York Post, 'Apples sex shops faces xxx-ile,' by Gregg Birnbaum, Robert Hardt, Jr., and David Seifman. Feb. 25, 1998.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Annual Report, 'Uniform Crime Report,' 1990.
'Pornography's Subtle Effects,' NCPCF In Action Special Report, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families: Cincinnati, OH., 1998.
Rigdon, Joan, 'Curbing Digital Dillydallying on the Job,' Wall Street Journal, Nov. 25, 1996.
Schlosser, E., 'The Business of Pornography,' U.S. News and World Report, February 10, 1997.
Surrette, Ray, 'The Media as a Cause of Crime,' Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice. Pacific Grove, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing, 1992.
Watson, B. & Welch, S. 'Safe Journeys on the Information Superhighway,' 1998.
Copyright 1998 National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families
Men's Attire Worn by Women
by Giuseppe Cardinal Siri
Genoa, June 12, 1960
To the Reverend Clergy To all Teaching sisters To the beloved sons of Catholic Action. To Educators intending truly to follow Christine Doctrine. (Note 1)
The first signs of our times of our late arriving spring indicate that there is this year a certain increase in the use of men’s dress by girls and women, even family mothers. Up until 1959, in Genoa, such dress usually meant the person was a tourist, but now it seems to be a significant number of girls and women from Genoa itself who are choosing at least on pleasure trips to wear men’s dress (men’s trousers).
The extension of this behaviour obliges us to take serious thought, and We ask those to whom this Notification is addressed to kindly lend to the problem all the attention it deserves from anyone aware of being in any way responsible before God. We seek above all to give a balanced moral judgement upon the wearing of men’s dress by women. In fact our thoughts can only bear upon the moral question. (Note 2)
Firstly, when it comes to covering of the female body, the wearing of men’s trousers by women cannot be said to constitute as such a grave offence against modesty, because trousers certainly cover more of a woman’s body than do modern women’s skirts.
Secondly, however, clothes to be modest need not only to cover the body but also not to cling too closely to the body. (Note 3) Now it is true that much feminine clothing today clings closer than do some trousers, but trousers can be made to cling closer, in fact generally they do, so the tight fit of such clothing gives us no less grounds for concern than does exposure of the body. So the immodesty of men’s trousers on women is an aspect of the problem which is not to be left out of an over-all judgement upon them, even if it is not to be artificially exaggerated either.
However, it is a different aspect of women’s wearing of men’s trousers which seems to us the gravest. (Note 4)
The wearing of men’s dress by women affects firstly the woman herself, by changing the feminine psychology proper to women; secondly it affects the woman as wife of her husband, by tending to vitiate relationships between the sexes; thirdly it affects the woman as mother of her children by harming her dignity in her children’s eyes. Each of these points is to be carefully considered in turn:--
Male Dress Changes the Psychology of Woman
In truth the motive impelling women to wear men’s dress is always that of imitating, nay, of competing with, the man who is considered stronger, less tied down, more independent. This motivation shows clearly that male dress is the visible aid to bringing about a mental attitude of being "like a man". (Note 5) Secondly, ever since men have been men, the clothing a person wears, demands, imposes and modifies that persons gestures, attitudes and behaviour, such that from merely being worn outside, clothing comes to impose a particular frame of mind inside.
Then let us add that women wearing man’s dress always more or less indicates her reacting to her femininity as though it is inferiority when in fact it is only diversity. The perversion of her psychology is clear to be seen. (Note 6)
` These reasons, summing up many more, are enough to warn us how wrongly women are made to think by wearing men’s dress.
Male Dress Tends to Vitiate Relationships
between Men and Women
In truth, when relationships between the two sexes unfold with the coming of age, an instinct of mutual attraction is predominant. The essential basis of this attraction is a diversity between the two sexes which is made possible only by their complementing or completing one another. If this "diversity" becomes less obvious because one of its major external signs is eliminated and because the normal psychological structure is weakened, what results is the alteration of a fundamental factor in the relationship.
The problem goes further still. Mutual attraction between the sexes is preceded both naturally, and in order of time, by that sense of shame which holds the rising instincts in check, imposes respect upon them, and tends to lift to a higher level of mutual esteem and healthy fear everything that those instincts would push onwards to uncontrolled acts. To change that clothing which by its diversity reveals and upholds nature’s limits and defence-works, is to flatten out the distinctions and to help pull down the vital defence-works of the sense of shame.
It is at least to hinder that sense. And when the sense of shame is hindered from putting on the brakes, then relationships between man and women sink degradingly down to pure sensuality, devoid of all mutual respect or esteem. Experience is there to tell us that when woman is de-feminised, then defences are undermined and weakness increases. (Note 7)
Male Dress Harms the Dignity of the Mother
in Her Children’s Eyes
All children have an instinct for the sense of dignity and decorum of their mother. Analysis of the first inner crisis of children when they awaken to life around them before they enter upon adolescence, shows how much the sense of their mother counts. Children are as sensitive as they can be on this point. Adults have usually left all that behind them and think no more on it. But we would do well to recall to mind the severe demands that children instinctively make of their own mother, and the deep and even terrible reactions roused in them by observation of their mother’s misbehaviour. Many lines of later life are here to be traced out and not for good in these early dramas of infancy and childhood.
The child may not know the definition of exposure, frivolity, or infidelity, but he possesses an instinctive sixth sense to recognise them when they occur, to suffer from them, and be bitterly wounded by them in his soul. Let us think seriously on the import of everything said so far, even if women’s appearing in man’s dress does not immediately give rise to all the upset caused by grave immodesty.
The changing of feminine psychology does fundamental and, in the long run, irreparable damage to the family, to conjugal fidelity, to human affections and to human society. (Note 8) True, the effects of wearing unsuitable dress are not all to be seen within a short time. But one must think of what is being slowly and insidiously worn down, torn apart, perverted.
Is any satisfying reciprocity between husband and wife imaginable, if feminine psychology be changed? Or is any true education of children imaginable, which is so delicate in its procedure, so woven of imponderable factors in which the mother’s intuition and instinct play the decisive part in those tender years? What will these women be able to give their children when they will so long have worn trousers that their self-esteem goes more by their competing with the men than by their functioning as women?
Why, we ask, ever since men have been men, or rather since they became civilised, why have men in all times and places been irresistibly borne to make a differentiated division between the functions of the two sexes? Do we not have here strict testimony to the recognition by all mankind of a truth and a law above man?
To sum up, wherever women wear men’s dress, it is to be considered a factor in the long run tearing apart human order. The logical consequence of everything presented so far is that anyone in a position of responsibility should be possessed by a sense of alarm in the true and proper meaning of the word, a severe and decisive alarm. (Note 9)
We address a grave warning to parish priests. To all priests in general and to confessors in particular, to members of every kind of association, to all religious, to all nuns, especially to teaching Sisters. We invite them to become clearly conscious of the problem so that action will follow. This consciousness is what matters. It will suggest the appropriate action in due time. But let it not counsel us to give way in the face of inevitable change, as though we are confronted by a natural evolution of mankind, and so on!
Men may come and men may go, because God has left plenty of room for the to and fro of their free-will; but the substantial lines of nature and the not less substantial lines of Eternal Law have never changed, are not changing and never will change. There are bounds beyond which one may stray as far as one sees fit, but to do so ends in death; (Note 10) there are limits which empty philosophical fantasising may have one mock or not to take seriously, but they put together an alliance of hard facts and nature to chastise anybody who steps over them. And history has sufficiently taught, with frightening proof from the life and death of nations, that the reply to all violators of the outline of "humanity" is always, sooner or later, catastrophe.
From the dialectic of Hegel onwards, we have had dinned in our ears what are nothing but fables, and by dint of hearing them so often, many people end up by getting used to them, if only passively. But the truth of the matter is that Nature and Truth, and the Law bound up in both, go their imperturbable way, and they cut to pieces the simpletons who upon no grounds whatsoever believe in radical and far-reaching changes in the very structure of man. (Note 11)
The consequences of such violations are not a new outline of man, but disorders, hurtful instability of all kinds, the frightening dryness of human souls, the shattering increase in the number of human castaways, driven long since out of people’s sight and mind to live out their decline in boredom, sadness, and rejection. Aligned on the wrecking of the eternal norms are to be found the broken families, lives cut short before their time, hearths and homes gone cold, old people cast to one side, youngsters wilfullyy degenerate and at the end of the line, souls in despair and taking their own lives. All of which human wreckage gives witness to the fact that the "line of God" does not give way, nor does it admit of any adaptation to the delirious dreams of the so-called philosophers! (Note12)
We have said that those in whom the present Notification is addressed are invited to take serious alarm at the problem at hand. Accordingly they know what they have to say, starting with little girls on their mother’s knee. They know that without exaggerating or turning into fanatics, they will need to strictly limit how far they tolerate women dressing like men, as a general rule.
They know they must never be so weak as to let anyone believe that they turn a blind eye to a custom which is slipping downhill and undermining the moral standing of all institutions. They, the priests, know the line that they have to take in the confessional, while not holding women to be dressing like men to be automatically a grave fault, must be sharp and decisive. (Note 13)
Everybody will kindly give thought to the need for a united line of action, reinforced on every side by the co-operation of all men of good will and all enlightened minds, so as to create a true dam to hold back the flood.
Those of you responsible for souls in whatever capacity understand how useful it is to have for allies in this defensive campaign, men of the arts, the media and the crafts. The position taken by fashion design houses, their brilliant designers and the clothing industry, is of crucial importance in this whole question. Artistic sense, refinement and good taste meeting together can find suitable but dignified solutions as to the dress for women to wear when they must use a motorcycle or engage in this or that exercise or work. What matters is to preserve modesty, together with the eternal sense of femininity, that femininity which more than anything else all children will continue to associate with the face of mother. (Note 14)
We do not deny that modern life sets problems and makes requirements unknown to our grandparents. But we state that there are values more needing to be protected than fleeting experiences, and that for anybody of intelligence there are always good sense and good taste enough to find acceptable and dignified solutions to problems as they come up. (Note 15)
Out of charity, (i.e. love of God) we are fighting against the flattening out of mankind, against the attack upon those differences on which rests the complementarity of man and woman. When we see a woman in trousers, we should think not so much of her as of all mankind, of what it will be when women will have masculinized themselves for good. Nobody stands to gain by helping to bring about a future age of vagueness, ambiguity, imperfection and, in a word, monstrosities.
This letter of Ours is not addressed to the public, but to those responsible for souls, for education, for Catholic associations. Let them do their duty, and let them not be sentries caught asleep at their post while evil crept in.
Giuseppe Cardinal Siri
Archbishop of Genoa June 12, 1960
Translator’s Notes
1.At the end of the Cardinal’s Notification, he explains that it is not addressed by him directly to the public at large, but only indirectly, through the Catholic leaders here listed. However, that was in 1960, when the Church still had a framework of leaders. In 1977, those capable by their Faith of responding to the Cardinal’s instruction are scattered amongst the public at large, to whom therefore his instruction is fittingly diffused.
2.The Cardinal heads off many objections at the outset when he reminds us by what right he tackles such a subject at all: as a teacher of Faith and morals. Who can reasonably deny that clothing (especially, but not only women’s) involves morals and so the salvation of souls?
3. Jeans are now virtually universal. How many women’s jeans are not tight-fitting?
4. Trousers on women are worse than mini-skirts, said Bishop de Castro Mayer, because while mini-skirts attack the senses, women’s trousers attack man’s highest spiritual faculty, the mind. Cardinal Siri explains why, in depth.
5.When the women wish to be like men (somebody said the feminists are more scornful of womanhood than anybody), it is up to the men to make women proud of being women.
6.The enormous increase since 1960 in the practice and public flaunting of the vice against nature is surely to be attributed in part to this perversion of psychology.
7.When woman is feminine, she has the strength God gives to her. When she is de-feminised, she has only the strength she gives herself.
8.For an example of this damage, see the relationship between the sexes as portrayed in Rock music.
9.In 1997, can we say the Cardinal was exaggerating?
10.All great art and literature testifies to this moral structure of the universe which one violates at one’s peril, and which is as much part of the natural order as is its physical structure. The plays of Shakespeare are a famous example. The Cardinal is here at the heart of the question.
11.It has been said, God is ready to forgive always, man sometimes, but nature, never.
12.The Cardinal is not just indulging in rhetoric. For an example of "human wreckage", witness Pink Floyd’s misery.
13.How much wisdom and balance in all these apparently severe conclusions of the Cardinal!
14.In other words, the femininity of the mother, not of Eve.
15.In 1997 we see all around us the age of monstrosities which in 1960 Cardinal was doing his best to prevent. In the Cardinal’s own country, Italy, the birth rate has been the lowest in all of Europe! Italian youth is devastated. The Cardinal was not listened to then. Will he be listened to now? Pink Floyd has the problem. Cardinal Siri has the answer.
Hair Care & Clothing Material
Added by Fr. Lucian Pulvermacher, O.F.M.Cap. August 20, 1997.
The following texts have to do with conduct in Church. Furthermore we may draw some conclusions for our daily life in regard to hair care. We quote from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, chapter two:
(12) “For as the woman is of the man, so also is the man by the woman; but all things of God. (13) You yourselves judge. Doth it become a woman to pray unto God uncovered? (14) Doth not even nature itself each you that a man indeed, if he nourish his hair, it is a shame unto him? (15) But if a woman nourish her hair it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering. (16) But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor the Church of God.”
Whether men and women are in Church or in the wide world of civil life they always stand before God their creator and judge.
Unless special circumstances demand otherwise the haircuts of men and women must be distinct. The man who gets a woman’s hair cut and make up gives up his manly appearance. The woman who gets a man’s hair cut gives up her feminine appearance. What is true of clothing is equally true of hair fashions. Unisex clothing and unisex haircuts have the same baneful effects as explained above by Cardinal Siri.
We are dealing with an outward sign of an inward reality. God made Adam first, and He took the body of Eve from the body of Adam. God did not just make Adam out of the slime of the earth and then make Eve out of the slime of the earth; He made Adam so that he alone represents the whole human race. Eve has no independent creation of her body, since it was taken from the body of Adam.
By the ordinances of God, for all time, the woman has to be subject to man. Catholics merely have to study the Mass formulary for weddings to understand what I have just written.
Here is the EPISTLE of the Mass (Eph. 5, 22-33):
“Brethren: Let wives be subject to their husbands as to the Lord; because a husband is head of the wife, just as Christ is head of the Church, being Himself Savior of the body. But just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also let wives be to their husbands in all things. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, cleansing her in the bath of water by means of the word; in order that He might present to Himself the Church in all her glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and without blemish. Even thus ought husbands also to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife, loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh; on the contrary he nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ also does the Church (because we are members of His body, made from His flesh and from His bones). ‘For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.’ This is a great mystery - I mean in reference to Christ and to the Church. However, let each one of your also love his wife just as he loves himself; and let the wife respect her husband.”
We understand that water is made of H2O (two parts of hydrogen and one part of oxygen). Natural law requires these two different elements in right combination to make the one product - water. Husband and wife are such different objects to make up a marriage, and society must always keep those objects distinct in mind and in external appearances.
Clothing
Over and over see unisex not only in the shape but also in the type of material used in their garments. In the prayers of the Church in regard to women martyrs frequently they are refered to as the fragile sex.(quoting St. Peter). Denim and such-like sturdy and rugged materials ordinarily should not be incorporated into women’s dresses. A baby is fragile, and we do not expect it to be dresses in denim clothing. It just is not fitting. Likewise, the fragile sex must dress in fragile materials, according to the rules of common sense.
Once again, a society that violates natural law will be punished by natural law, and a society that obeys natural law will be rewarded by natural law. The choice is ours!
SOLEMN ENGAGEMENT OR BETROTHAL
{It is praiseworthy and in accord with ancient ecclesiastical custom for a Catholic young man and young woman who become engaged to have the engagement solemnized and blessed by the Church. For detailed discussion of a betrothal and its consequences one may consult Canon Law (canon 1017) and a commentary. Let it suffice here to say that no action is admissible to compel the celebration of marriage, even after a formal engagement has taken place, although a damage suit would be permitted before a competent judge, either in ecclesiastical or civil court.}
Today there is no prescribed ritual for a formal engagement. But it is fitting that it take place before the altar of God and be followed by Mass and Holy Communion.
1. The priest vests in surplice and white stole, or if Mass is to follow, in the Mass vestments. He is assisted by two servers, and at hand are holy water and an altar missal. He awaits the couple at the communion table; and as they come forward the following psalm may be sung on the eighth psalm-tone (see music supplement).
Psalm 126
P: Unless the house be of the Lord's building, * in vain do the builders labor.
All: Unless the Lord be the guard of the city, * in vain does the guard keep his sentry.
P: It is futile that you rise before daybreak, * to be astir in the midst of darkness,
All: You that eat the bread of hard labor; * for He deals bountifully to His beloved while they are sleeping.
P: See, offspring come from God's giving, * a fruitful womb is the reward of His blessing.
All: Like arrows in the hand of the warrior, * are children begotten of a youthful father.
P: Happy the man who has filled with them his quiver; * they shall uphold him in contending at the gate with his rival.
All: Glory be to the Father.
P: As it was in the beginning.
2. Now the priest addresses them, either in his own words or in the short form that follows:
Allocution
Beloved of Christ: It is in God's designs that you are called to the holy vocation of matrimony. For this reason you present yourselves today before Christ and the Church, before His sacred minister and the Church, to ratify in a formal manner your engagement. You are here to ask the blessing of God and of the Church on your proposal, and to ask the good prayers of the faithful here present. You realize that what has begun at the inspiration of your heavenly Father requires equally His grace to be brought to a happy conclusion.
We trust that you have given serious and prayerful deliberation to your promise that you will one day be married; also that you have consulted with your parents and elders. In the time that intervenes until your wedding day, may you prepare for the sacrament of matrimony by a virtuous courtship. Then, when the happy day arrives on which you will give yourselves irrevocably to each other, you will have laid a sound religious foundation for the many years you will spend together, years that will be filled with joy and prosperity, and years that will finally give way to an eternity of joy and blessedness. May the union you purpose to consummate one day in Christian marriage be truly a sacramental image of the union of Christ with His beloved bride, the Church.
3. With their right hands joined the couple repeat after the priest what follows:
The man first:
In the name of our Lord, I, N.N., promise that I will one day take you, N.N., for my wife, according to the ordinances of God and holy Church.
I will love you as I love myself. I will keep faith with you and be loyal to you, and so aid you and comfort you in all your necessities. These things and all that a man ought to do for his espoused, I promise to do for you, and to keep the promise by the faith that is in me.
Then the woman:
In the name of our Lord, I, N.N., do declare that, in the form and manner in which you have promised yourself to me, I will one day bind and oblige myself to you, and will take you, N.N., for my husband. And all that you have pledged to me, I promise to do for you, and to keep the promise by the faith that is in me.
4. Then the priest takes the two ends of his stole and in the form of a cross places them over the clasped hands of the couple. Holding the stole in place with his left hand, he says:
I bear witness to your solemn proposal and I declare you engaged; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Ghost.
As he pronounces the last words he sprinkles them with holy water in the form of a cross.
All: Amen.
5. Then he blesses the engagement ring:
P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.
All: Who made heaven and earth.
P: The Lord be with you.
All: May He also be with you.
Let us pray.
Almighty God, Creator and preserver of the human race and the giver of everlasting salvation, may it please you to make holy this ring, which we bless + in your name; through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
He sprinkles the ring with holy water.
6. The man takes the ring and places it first on the index finger of the left hand of the woman saying:
In the name of the Father, then on the middle finger, adding: and of the Son, finally placing and leaving it on the ring finger he concludes: and of the Holy Ghost.
7. The priest opens the missal at the beginning of the Canon, and presents the page imprinted with the crucifixion to be kissed, first by the man and then by the woman.
8. After this the priest may read these passages from Sacred Scripture:
Tobias 7 and 8
Tobias said: "I will not eat nor drink here this day, unless you first grant me my petition, and promise to give me Sara, your daughter."
...The angel said to Raguel: "Be not afraid to give her to this man, for to him who fears God is your daughter due to be his wife; therefore another could not have her." ...And Raguel, taking the right hand of his daughter, gave it into the right hand of Tobias, saying: "The God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob be with you, and may He join you together, and fulfill His blessing in you." And taking paper they made a writing of the marriage. And afterwards they made merry, blessing God. ...Then Tobias exhorted the virgin, and said to her: "Sara, arise, and let us pray to God today, and tomorrow, and the next day; because for these three nights we are joined to God; and when the third night is over, we will be in our own wedlock. For we are the children of saints, and we must not be joined together like heathens that know not God." So they both arose, and prayed earnestly both together that health might be given them.
John 15.4-12
At that time Jesus said to His disciples: "Remain united with me, and I will remain united with you. A branch can bear no fruit of itself, that is, when it is not united with the vine; no more can you, if you do not remain united with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. One bears abundant fruit only when he and I are mutually united; severed from me, you can do nothing. If one does not remain united with me, he is simply thrown away like a branch, and dries up. Such branches are gathered and thrown into the fire to be burned. As long as you remain united with me, and my teachings remain your rule of life, you may ask for anything you wish, and you shall have it. This is what glorifies my Father--your bearing abundant fruit and thus proving yourselves my disciples. Just as the Father loves me, so I love you. Be sure to hold my love. If you treasure my commandments, you will hold my love, just as I treasure my Father's commandments and thus secure His love. I have told you this, that my joy may be yours, and your joy may be perfect. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you."
9. Lastly the priest extends his hands over the heads of the couple and says:
May God bless your bodies and your souls. May He shed His blessing on you as He blessed Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. May the hand of the Lord be on you. May He send His holy angel to guard you all the days of your life. Amen. Go in peace.
Remedies for Lust
1. Natural & Physical:
a) Proper food needs to be taken, with not too much flesh meat or sweets. Thus light foods should be eaten, which are easily digested. Avoidance of foods which you like a lot and get great satisfaction from eating. Thus avoid alcohol, especially at night.
b) Not too soft a bed, nor too many blankets causing you to get too hot, nor too tight clothing, or too soft like satin and such like materials. Try not to sleep on the back but on the right side.
c) Order your life with set hour of rising and sleeping. Work the body or the mind hard with physical labour, exercise and study. Go to the toilet just before you retire for bed. Rise immediately in the morning.
d) When washing, use as cold a shower as you can take, in order to keep the body temperature low and mortified.
e) Play games or sport until you are really tired, thus when it is time to sleep you are not troubled by the imagination.
f) Mortify the senses by less food and sleep.
2. Psychological Remedies : That is, the interior senses.
a) Distract the mind by nourishing better and higher ideas.
b) Fight against the passions and bind the imagination with good images.
c) Don't confuse happiness with pleasure.
d) Avoid solitude and bad companions.
e) Do lots of good reading.
3. Moral remedies : That is the soul
a) Remote:
i) Think less of self but of others and how you can help them.
ii) Cultivate sincerity.
iii) Have confidence in your parents, your confessor, your superiors.
iv) Be high-minded and have a high aim in life.
v) Be modest in looks and touches.
vi) Have a great humility and piety towards:
a) God and His presence
b) Christ's sufferings
c) The Blessed Virgin Mary
d) Your Guardian Angel
vii) Frequent the Sacraments regularly especially go to confession immediately after a fall.
viii) Foster a high regard for purity and a horror of vice.
ix) Think of the great power of chastity and the sorrow of the unchaste.
b) Proximate; Negative:
i) Fly from all possible occasions, keeping great custody of the eyes.
ii) Avoid useless reading of magazines, newspapers.
iii) Abstain from television and videos.
iv) Avoid too much familiarity with the opposite sex.
c) Positive things to do:
i) Strengthen the will to apply the remedies, by little acts of self-denial.
ii) Frequently renew the resolution to live a chaste life.
iii) Keep the soul firm and calm in the face of temptations in order to resist and flee the occasion, and possibility of a relapse.
iv) Have confidence in the Divine help. Pray for light as to your vocation, and give yourself totally to God.
v) Immediately and strongly resist, even ask for the love of the cross.
vi) Seek out a partner for marriage, not as a means of having unlimited satisfaction, but as one to whom you can give yourself selflessly and with a desire to fruitful life-giving love.
Experimental research, psychology, personal testimony and social scientific studies have all been tools in the pornography debate. Yet neither side of the debate has viewed all of these tools collectively and thus 'proof' of harm has proved elusive. The National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families has now viewed all of the major tools, facts and perspectives collectively and has concluded that the evidence is not only persuasive but overwhelming that pornography use is harmful, to the individual user and beyond.
Constitutional rightsfreedom of speech and expressiondo not factor in to the risk of harm carried by pornography. There is pornography protected by the First Amendment and illegal pornography which is not. Pornography use is a choice. This document serves to provide evidence that those who choose to use pornography risk suffering harmful side effects. Research suggests pornography is like an addictive drug; a little can get you hooked and too much can damage your life.
Sex for sale
US News and World Report said the porn industry grossed $8 billion in 1997. Pornography aside, sex is selling for businesses that aren't even selling sex. The mere existence of the advertising industry and the billions of dollars spent on advertising are proof that visual images persuade. Pornography's selling point is visual imagesa visual communications medium advancing a message. To deny the power of pornography is to deny the influence of advertising.
Attitudes and porn's messages
Pornography shapes attitudes and the way people view relationships and sex roles, specifically by 'normalizing aggression towards women for some men in sexual and other interpersonal encounters and increasing the tolerance for aggression toward women in the larger culture.' (Surrette, 1992) Sexual interest and sexual acts of any kind are mistaken for acts of love. Sex gives the illusion of being loved and appreciated. In the absence of love, people seek intimacy through porn and sex.
Casual sex is portrayed as exciting and desirable outside of a committed relationship. Beauty is measured by proportion of body parts, shaping unrealistic expectations of what a woman's body should look like. Pornography's messages about sex and sexual fulfillment are misleading. Fulfillment comes from personal, human relationships, not media.
Pornography hurts kids
Studies show that boys ages 12 through 17 are among the primary consumers of porn. This becomes a major source of sex education. Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS are completely nonexistent in porn, giving a false belief that there are no adverse consequences to behaviors depicted in pornography. Teaching that sexual experimentation with anyone, anywhere is a major theme considered 'fun' in pornography. Pornography teaches that women enjoy being stripped, forcibly abused and even raped. Other messages in pornographydrug addiction, prostitution, exhibitionism and voyeurism are branded in the minds of children as normal behavior. One such message is that women are sex toys readily available for sexual fulfillment by anyone and are devoid of value, worth and feelings. These messages found to hurt adults have an even greater impact on kids.
Child pornography
Child pornography consists of photographs, videotapes, magazines, books and films that depict children in sex acts, all of which are illegal. These laws also include some child nudity, simulated sex involving children and material that is computer-doctored to look like child porn. All production of these visual materials is an illegal and permanent record of the abuse.
The typical child molester befriends the child, and after building 'trust,' introduces the child to pornography, sometimes 'kiddy' porn, to break down inhibitions and lure the child to participate in sexual activities. These acts are then videotaped or photographed and used to blackmail child victims. It is also used to arouse the pornographer when the child is not around. Child porn has become a sophisticated multi-million dollar black market industry. (Enough Is Enough, 1989)
Consider...
1.3 million children a year are sexually abused. (Gallup, 1995)
An estimated 61 percent of sexual assault victims are under the age of 18. (AMA, 1995)
Approximately one in three girls is sexually abused before age 18 and one in four by age 14; one in six boys is sexually abused before age 16. (Hopper, 1997)
The average age of child sexual abuse is 11, although some predators strike upon children much younger. (Sedlak and Broadhurst, 1996)
Internet pornography
Though a valuable information resource, the Internet caused explosive growth for the pornography market. It is essentially the fastest, cheapest and most anonymous pornography outlet. Only certain commercial sites require a credit card to enter and most sites display hard-core 'teasers' through which computer users connect to porn sites within seconds.
The most dangerous aspect of the Internet is its use by pedophiles. Child molestors and predators use the Internet to pose as youngsters themselves in order to communicate with other children, expose them to pornography and arrange to meet them in person.
The Internet Online Summit held in 1997 in Washington, D.C., revealed that 70 percent of children viewing pornography on the Internet are doing so in public schools and libraries. Few measures have been taken thus far to protect children from pornography and Internet predators in public access points.
USA Today (1997) reported that 45 percent of children ages 9 to 13 who use computers use the Internet to chat with others. The ability to communicate with strangers is the Internet's biggest threat to children since pedophiles and sexual predators have direct contact with victims through Internet chat rooms. Also, bulletin boards provide an essentially anonymous means of posting illegal pornography for any and all users to access. This includes child pornography and obscenity.
Corporate America has been negatively affected by Internet pornography use since 'about 16 million to 20 million people in North America are estimated to use the Internet, with about half gaining access primarily at work.' (New York Times, 1996) One analysis by Nielsen Media Research, Inc., New York, found that International Business Machines Corp., Apple Computer Inc., and AT&T Corp. together lost more than 347 eight-hour days of employee time in a single month to the Penthouse magazine website alone. (Wall Street Journal, 1996).
Pornography hurts relationships
Whether a recreational user or an addict, porn affects relationships with spouses, family members, work associates and even strangers. It is often viewed in secret and this clandestine use of pornography creates deception within a relationship. The signs and symptoms of a chronic porn user are not unlike those of an unfaithful lover. Regarding relationships, pornography also (NCPCF, 1998):
Portrays women as sex objects and reflects even in the day to day poor treatment of the female counterpart.
Introduces a third (or fourth or fifth...) partner into the relationship, weakening commitment.
Promotes the allure of forbidden relationships, namely adultery and prostitution.
Leads to unreal expectations of sexual fulfillment.
Promotes fantasization, distracts from real life and relationships.
Stimulates interest in deviance, such as group sex and torture.
Encourages violence. One study found a link between pornography use and hostility, saying men who use pornography are more likely to rape if they knew they would not be found out. (Hall, 1996)
Pornography is addictive
A person is hooked on pornography when they keep coming back for more, unable to turn down just one more glance. Just like drugs, alcohol or other addictive substances, pornography, through sexual release, brings about significant mood alteration and gives an intensely pleasurable high from one's own brain chemicals. (Carnes, 30) Four factors characterize the condition: (Cline, 1996)
Addiction - Porn provides a powerful sexual stimulant or aphrodisiac effect, followed by sexual release, most often through masturbation. The exciting and powerful imagery can then be recalled and elaborated on in subsequent fantasies.
Escalation - Over time, addicts require more explicit and deviant material to get 'high.' They may push their partners into increasingly bizarre sexual activities. And they come to prefer the imagery of pornography, accompanied by masturbation, to sexual intercourse itself, diminishing their capacity to express real affection.
Desensitization - Books, magazines or films/videos, first perceived as shocking, illegal, repulsive or immoral - though still sexually arousing - is seen as acceptable. The sexual activity depicted becomes legitimized in the person's mind, and he/she comes to believe that 'everybody does it.'
Acting Out Sexually - There is an increasing tendency to act out behaviors viewed in pornography. Addiction locks persons into these behaviors - no matter what the negative consequences. It weakens marital and family bonds, and as the result of unfulfilled sexual urges, increases the possibility of a person committing a serious sex crime. (Cline, 1996)
Consider...Among 932 sex addicts studied, 90% of men and 77% of women said pornography was significant to their addictions. Also, childhood sexual abuse and frequent use of pornography accompanied by masturbation are key parts of the formation of sexually addictive behavior. (Carnes, 1991)
Pornography triggers crime
Pornography's impact on crime is twofold. Live porn or sexually oriented businesses (SOBs)strip clubs, massage parlors and the likeattract crime to a community; and the general content of pornography supports sex, abuse, the rape myth, that women enjoy forceful sex, and serves as a how-to for sex crimes, primarily the molestation of children.
In your neighborhood...Land Use Studies in 16 US cities support that the presence of SOBs has detrimental effects on the surrounding community. In Phoenix neighborhoods alone, where SOBs were located, the number of sex offenses was 506 percent greater; the number of property crimes 43 percent greater; and the number of violent crimes, four percent higher. The Cleveland study found that in 'one tract with five SOBs and 730 residents, there were 136 robberies in one year. In the city's largest tract of 13,587 people and zero pornography outlets, there were only 14 robberies that year.' (NLC, 1996)
In Oklahoma City, as more than 150 SOBs were eliminated, the rape rate declined more than 27 percent over six years. During that same time, rape rates in the rest of the state continued to rise more than 19 percent. (Uniform Crime Report, 1990)
In your relationships...Most hard-core pornography depicts sexual aggression toward women as 'forced, violent sex depicted as 'pleasurable rape,' and increases male viewers' subsequent aggressiveness toward females...increases the willingness of a man to say he would rape a woman...strengthens the attitude that women want to be raped.' (Surrette, 1992)
What about Playboy?...Though pictorially less graphic than most pornography, magazines like Playboy and Penthouse still carry the risk of harm. The influencing factor is a 'hypermasculine' cultural pattern that supports male dominance, the use of women as sexual objects and the acceptance of interpersonal violence. Some researchers found the circulation of magazines like Playboy significantly related to rape rates, and say the 'general consumption of pornographyrather than the use of any particular forminfluences offending.' (Murrin and Laws, 1990) Despite mixed research results that may conflict, the threat of harm is still posed.
Also, soft-core pornography is often the entree to more violent, hard-core material that can lead to the latter stages of sex and pornography addiction.
Pornography and the law
Some argue the words of the First Amendmentfreedom of speechinclude all speech. Yet there are laws against consumer fraud, conspiracy, libel, slander or falsely shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater. Many assume if pornography is available in a community, it is legal. This simply isn't so: there is a difference between enacting and enforcing legislation. Many prosecutors have limited resources as to the obscenity and pornography laws of their community. Since they tend to respond to the most clearly expressed priorities of their constituents, community inaction can be mistaken for community approval.
What's legal?
Material which is illegal to possess refers only to child pornography. The very existence of child porn is considered 'contraband,' or illegal because the very act of photographing a child in any sexual context is abusive. Thus, when technology enabled pedophiles to prepare 'synthetic' child pornography (digitally blending an adult body with a child's face, or vice versa), the law was extended to include such material.
Material which is legal to possess but illegal to distribute. Much hard-core pornography has this standing, although the term includes a broad spectrum from 'just beyond' soft-core to erotica. The legal term for prosecutable hard-core pornography is 'obscenity,' which is defined by the following Miller test:
Would the average person, applying contemporary community standards, find that:
(a) the material taken as a whole, appeals to
an unwholesome ('prurient') interest?
(b) the material depicts specific defined sex-
ual conduct in a patently offensive way?
(c) the work taken as a whole lacks serious
literary, artistic, political, or scientific
value?
Material which is illegal to distribute to minors includes the legal terms 'indecent' and 'harmful to minors'material which has First Amendment protection for adults but not for minors because of the surpassing value of protecting the young. Restrictions on broadcast indecency and telephone pornography extend into this category, as does much concern about Internet porn.
References
Brief Amicus Curiae, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families, United States Court of Appeals, Washington, D.C. 1998.
Carnes, P., Don't Call It Love. New York, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 1991.
Cline, V., Pornography's Effects on Adults and Children. New York, New York: Morality in Media, 1996.
Edgley, Charles, 'Commercial Sex: Pornography, Prostitution and Advertising,' Human Sexuality: The Societal and Interpersonal Context, 1989.
Gabriel, T., 'New Issue At Work: On-Line Sex Sites,' New York Times, June 27, 1996.
Hall, C. & McLean, E., 'USA Snapshots.' USA Today, 1997.
Hall, Laurie, An Affair of the Mind. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Focus on the Family Publishing, 1996.
Laaser, Mark R., The Secret Sin: Healing the Wounds of Sexual Addiction. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Marshall, W.L., 'The Use of Sexually Explicit Stimuli by Rapists, Child Molesters, and Nonoffenders,' Journal of Sex Research, 1988.
Murrin, Mary R. & Laws, D. R., 'The Influence of Pornography on Sexual Crimes,' Handbook of Sexual Assault, 1990.
Nelson, M. & Sanner, D., What One Woman Can Do, 1995-96.
Nemes, Irene, 'The Relationship Between Pornography and Sex Crimes,' The Journal of Psychiatry and Law, Winter 1992.
New York Post, 'Apples sex shops faces xxx-ile,' by Gregg Birnbaum, Robert Hardt, Jr., and David Seifman. Feb. 25, 1998.
Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations Annual Report, 'Uniform Crime Report,' 1990.
'Pornography's Subtle Effects,' NCPCF In Action Special Report, National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families: Cincinnati, OH., 1998.
Rigdon, Joan, 'Curbing Digital Dillydallying on the Job,' Wall Street Journal, Nov. 25, 1996.
Schlosser, E., 'The Business of Pornography,' U.S. News and World Report, February 10, 1997.
Surrette, Ray, 'The Media as a Cause of Crime,' Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice. Pacific Grove, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing, 1992.
Watson, B. & Welch, S. 'Safe Journeys on the Information Superhighway,' 1998.
Copyright 1998 National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families
Pledge of Chastity for Girls and Young Women
I, a woman of God and daughter of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, promise to keep my mind and body chaste my whole life. I will flee from all situations that are a threat to my chastity. I will stay clear of bad publications and bad fashions, which Our Lady of Fatima spoke of, and I will not associate with those who refuse to stay clear of them. I will not date or kiss a man out of curiosity. I will not flirt. If I decide that I want to marry, during any courtship I will conduct myself in the most virtuous manner. I will do my best to emulate Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, in all things.
That is, if I am a virgin I will remain so for my future spouse, which is highly pleasing to God, the Most Holy Virgin, all of the angels and saints, and to godly men. I will spend much of my time in prayer and adoration of Our Lord in the Tabernacle, just as Mary spent her time in prayer and vigil before her son, the Son of God, while He was on the Holy Cross. Any thoughts of mine for marriage will be devoted to the holiness of the children I can raise, which is pleasing to God and will bring me great merit and grace, because God desires a holy people. My priority for a husband will be a man who is Christ-like and has the qualities of St. Joseph in family matters, that is, a man of great zealousness for the Lord, piety, maturity, and chastity.
I will not waste all my time gabbing with friends, but instead, will devote myself to learning the family skills that will help me to be pleasing before God during my marriage. If I marry I will remain faithful to my husband. I will remain, unmarried, living in my father's house if he is a godly man, under his protection and under the protection of any godly brothers, which is biblical. If my natural family is not godly, I will make the arrangements as to where I will live, when I am of age, with the help of the priests and religious, to ensure that I am righteous before God, who is all good. If I am thinking of the consecrated life, I will do all of these things with an eye to God being my future spouse. Throughout the course of my days I will flee from the worldly life, that is, thoughts of a career, independence from family life, a worldly social schedule, going away to a secular college, and never-ending amusement, which are not good. Rather, I pledge to be a sign of contradiction to the world, to the way the pagan peoples go about doing things, who do not know God.
Doing what is right, I understand that not only will I assist in the salvation of my own soul but will also assist in meriting God's graces and protection for others as well, those I know and those I don't know, as well as in the release of the holy souls in Purgatory, who will pray for me. I will not be discouraged by all of the sin I see all around me, but rather, I will be heroic in virtue, because we are all called to be saints. I will ask others to pray for my virtue and righteousness before God, and will pray to Mary the Memorare and other prayers if I am ever tempted to do wrong. And whenever I am in doubt I will prayerfully ask those with authority over me, my parents if they are godly, and the priests and religious, for their counsel. I understand that my reward for doing right is in Heaven, not on earth, and will expect nothing more.
Signed this ______ day of ____________ in the year of our Lord __________
______________________
Woman of God
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.
Pledge of Chastity for Boys and Young Men
I, a man of God and son of the Holy Roman Catholic Church, promise to keep my mind and body chaste my whole life. I will flee from all situations that are a threat to my chastity. I will stay clear of bad publications and bad fashions, which Our Lady of Fatima spoke of, and I will not associate with those who refuse to stay clear of them. I will not date or kiss a woman out
of curiosity. I will not flirt. If I decide that I want to marry, during any courtship I will conduct myself in the most virtuous manner. I will do my best to emulate St. Joseph, the most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mother of God, in all things. That is, I pledge that my life will be conducted in zealousness for the Lord, piety, maturity, and chastity. I will spend my time growing in godliness, maturity, and in my ability to financially and psychologically support my future family and my parish. I will strive for excellence in my secular work, which will be pleasing to my co-workers and employers and a witness to them concerning the glory of God, and will also
help me to obtain the skills and to advance in ways that will help me in governing my own family. I will look after any unmarried sisters or other female relatives I may have, for the protection of their chastity and virtue, which is biblical. I will scrutinize any potential suitors that may be interested in my unmarried female relatives and will assist in shielding these female relatives from no-hopers and low-life people, with the advice of any godly parents of mine, as well as the priests and religious.
I will strive to learn and use the power of fervent prayer in all of my endeavors. If I seek to marry I will look for the qualities of the Most Holy Virgin in any potential spouse, that is, the desirability of her being a virgin, her prayerfulness and adoration of the Lord, her desire for holy children, her spending her time in learning the family skills that will help her in her marriage, and her priority for a husband that is both Christ-like and patterns his life after St. Joseph in family matters. If I marry I will remain faithful to my wife. If I am thinking of the consecrated life, I will do all of these things with an eye to God being my future family. Throughout the course of my days I will flee from the worldly life, that is, independence from family life, a worldly social schedule, and never-ending amusement, which are not good. Rather, I pledge to be a sign of contradiction to the world, to the way the pagan peoples go about doing things, who do not know God.
Doing what is right, I understand that not only will I assist in the salvation of my own soul but will also assist in meriting God's graces and protection for others as well, those I know and those I don't know, as well as in the release of the holy souls in Purgatory, who will pray for me. I will not be discouraged by all of the sin I see all around me, but rather, I will be heroic in virtue, because we are all called to be saints. I will ask others to pray for my virtue and righteousness before God, and will pray to Mary the Memorare and other prayers if I am ever tempted to do wrong. And whenever I am in doubt I will prayerfully ask those with authority over me, my parents if they are godly, and the priests and religious, for their counsel. I understand that my reward for doing right is in Heaven, not on earth, and will expect nothing
more.
Signed this ______ day of ____________ in the year of our Lord __________
______________________________
Man of God
The Memorare
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my mother; To thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.