"The Beauty of Marriage and the Family"

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More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"

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The idea that people need to have children, if a society is going to last more than several decades, should have been obvious. That detail seems to have been overlooked for about a half-century now.

Some folks, like researchers in Japan, noticed declining birth rates, crunched some numbers, and didn't like the results. (June 9, 2012)

Benedict XVI discussed why having babies - and families - is a good idea in "Caritas in Veritate," 44.

It's a longish section, and I think the Pope made sensible points, so I've been taking my time posting about babies, economics, and all that, for two weeks. Three, counting this post:

• "Authentic Development, Kids, and the Hypothetical Case of Yougaria"
  (August 15, 2012)
• "New York City, Sauk Centre, and a 'Brain Pool' "
  (August 20, 2012)

Basically, since human beings don't last more than about a century, tops, we need new people on a regular basis, to replace folks who die. That's a blunt, even grim, way to put it: but that's the way things are.

Replacement Levels; Bad News; Good News

When a country's birth rate drops below the 'replacement level,' the population gets older, on average. And smaller. Eventually there aren't enough folks around who can get jobs done, and fewer folks who might work out innovative ways to deal with the problems.

That's the bad news. The good news, from my point of view, is that we've got 7,000,000,000 or so folks around: many of whom haven't stopped having kids.

"The Primary Vital Cell of Society"

Getting pregnant, and letting the child live, is just part of the the picture. Somebody's got to take care of us as we grow into adults. That's where something called "family" comes in:

"...It is thus becoming a social and even economic necessity once more to hold up to future generations the beauty of marriage and the family, and the fact that these institutions correspond to the deepest needs and dignity of the person. In view of this, States are called to enact policies promoting the centrality and the integrity of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, the primary vital cell of society...."
("Caritas in Veritate," 44)

Deciding to become husband and wife takes a sort of commitment that hasn't always been fashionable: and which goes far beyond 'dollars and cents' concerns.

Maybe "the beauty of marriage and the family" sounds too idealistic. I don't think so.

Expecting a 'perfect' marriage and family isn't prudent.

But working toward an ideal? That, I think, is a good idea: one which could involves human relationships, marriage, and more topics than I want to try covering today.

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More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"

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Related posts:

• Marriage
  • "Natural Family Planning and Future Generations"
    (July 29, 2012)
  • " 'For Each Other' "
    (May 9, 2012)
  • "Vocations for Everyone"
    (December 11, 2011)
  • "Sex, Marriage, and the Catholic Counter-Culture"
    (February 17, 2011)
  • "Why State Definitions of Marriage Matter to This Catholic"
    (June 23, 2010)
• Family
  • "Catholics, Families, and Hope"
    (June 9, 2012)
  • "Family Values: Addams and Otherwise"
    (July 12, 2011)
  • "Losing a Child, Charity, and All That"
    (June 4, 2011)
  • "Diapers and the End of Civilization"
    (November 10, 2010)
  • "A Social Worker, a Stubborn Latina, and Another Hispanic Baby"
    (May 21, 2010)
• Population growth
  • "Authentic Development, Kids, and the Hypothetical Case of Yougaria"
    (August 15, 2012)
  • "Population Explosion, Birth Dearth, and a Changing World"
    (June 9, 2012)
    Particularly
    • Fallout From "The Population Bomb"
    • Japan's Population Crisis, 2012
    • More Statistics - or - The Incredible Shrinking Countries
    • Living in a Big World
  • " 'Without Children there is no Future' "
    (February 19, 2012)
  • "My Take on the News: Condoms; Incredible Shrinking Countries"
    (November 4, 2011)
  • "The 2010 Winter Olympics, Russia, and Babies"
    (March 2, 2010)

More:

• "Populorum Progressio"
  Encyclical of Pope Paul VI on the Development of Peoples (March 26, 1967)
• "Decree on the Apostolate of Laity - Apostolicam Actuositatem"
  Paul VI (November 18, 1965)