What’s in this vision of a culture of life and hope? In this culture of life and hope—
•There is an almost universal conviction that, in the words of George Washington, the first president of the United States, “religion and morality are the indispensable supports of democracy.” The meaning of the “self-evident truths” of the American Declaration of Independence has been internalized. It is part of the culture to respect in others the “inalienable rights” to life, liberty (but not license) and the pursuit of happiness. There is a common sense recognition that without such respect for the God-given rights of others, civic life will eventually become governed either by the law of the jungle or a police state.
•Citizens of all ages are conscious that God has a plan for us, and they internalize the basic morality described in the Ten Commandments. This provides peer support to live virtuously and peer pressure not to sin.
•Legalized abortion is recognized as a national error of the past, and illegal abortions are almost non-existent.
•Men and women of all nations and cultures believe that sexual intercourse is exclusively a marriage act. Therefore, these ordinary men and women postpone the sexual expression of their love for each other until they are married. Those who still think they are above God’s law are few and are not taken seriously.
•Parents are married, have children, stay married, raise their own or adopted children, and strive to make each marriage act a renewal of the committed love of their marriage covenant.
•Babies and their mothers are healthier because of extended breastfeeding. Most couples experience the natural birth spacing of ecological breastfeeding.
•Couples who need additional spacing practice chaste systematic NFP.
•Thanks to a pervasive culture of life, sexual crimes are rare, the overall crime rate is low, some jails have closed, and others are half empty.
•Men and women of every continent appreciate and continue to build a culture of life and hope.
Next Week: Vision or Pipedream?
John F. Kippley
Sex and the Marriage Covenant: A Basis for Morality (Ignatius)