Good News About Sex and Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching

Features

• Cover Type: Paperback with 200 pages
• Published by: Servant Publications
• Edition: Revised Edition June 2004
• Written in: English
• ISBN 10 Number: 0867166193
• ISBN 13 Number: 978-0867166194
• Book Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Weighs: 8 ounces

From AudioFile
Based largely on Pope John Paul's "theology of the body," West's message is that sexual bonding is an aspect of Christ's connection to His Church on earth. Read with youthful enthusiasm by Paul Smith, the program discusses the Christian practice of cloaking sexual impulses in spiritual imagery and promoting strategies for managing such impulses. In West's confusing view of the Church's teachings about homosexuality, being gay is not a sin, but it is evil, a deviation from God's plan, and a sign of man's fallen nature! Still, the writing sounds less punitive than some religious approaches to sex and might help people who are desperate for some outside authority to manage this part of their lives. T.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Reader Reviews
This review is from: Good News About Sex and Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching (Paperback) Having been a student of John Paul II's writings and teachings on the Theology of the Body and having studied his personalistic approach to the human person in graduate school (yes, I am tooting my horn...but more on that in a minute) I can speak to this book with an informed conscience. First off this book is a useful tool for all who want to understand the Pope?s Theology of the Body better. West uses mostly a Q&A format that is user-friendly and easy to read yet he answers most questions very adequately. I recommend that you read the book front to back rather than skipping ahead to the questions that interest you most because your familiarity with the foundational material will help you understand the questions that follow. West approaches topics timely to all people. It would be a favor to yourself if you read it. Now as a response to those that think he is "one-sided" in his approach to Catholic moral teaching I would like to give an answer to this. The critics on this site seems to reduce their arguments against West's text to the argument that he has simplified something much more complex. I beg to differ. I will address a few statements by one reviewer that adequately sum up their disagreements. They say "We shouldn't just willy-nilly disagree with a Church teaching without first researching what the Church says about it." --In other words, this person seems to say that all we have to do to disagree with a teaching of the Church is to research it enough and THEN disagree. But, they go on: "However, if we do research it and pray about it, and still honestly do not agree with the Church, then our conscience should be our guide." --My response is Yes and No. Yes, freedom of conscience is paramount, but that doesn't mean we can act on a decision to disagree with the Church so easily. True freedom isn't to do what we wish, but is freedom FOR the good. In this freedom we find our dignity. Our uniqueness and freedom isn't lost in aligning ourselves with the truth, but is rather found there. Freedom of conscience is NOT freedom from the truth but rather freedom IN the truth. While Veritatis Splendor by JPII goes into much more detail of this freedom (as does the Catechism in 1776-1809) I can only briefly touch on it here. The moment that one opens himself to the huge metaphysical claim that truth exists, then you have to ask the question of epistemolgy - how does one know this objective truth? The Church in the CCC and in the tradition of the Church has consistently said that it is known in right reason and Revelation and that the conscience can be wronly formed away from these truths. Here is where the error in the critics lies. To argue that no moral teaching of the Church can take precedence over our conscience is correct in the sense that we must follow our consciences. But, it forgets that we are a fallen people that seemingly want to do as we please and can misform our own consciences. The teachings that you can dissent from the teaching on contraception (and other teachings) and stay in that place is dangerous. We are still called to assent to the teachings. The real question isn't whether or not authority is a good or bad thing but rather which authority is most reasonable and prudent to follow. A conscience that could possible be misformed or the teachings of the Church of Christ...okay, that is enough. By the way, the only reason I started out putting up some credentials is because I have heard more than once the statement that those that actually assent to the Church teachings just aren't educated in the alternative. I highly disagree and won'tfurther, but to say that I have an article on this subject in the May/June 2002 The Catholic Faith magazine that goes into greater detail. Peace. Comments (2) | | (Report this)