No arms, no legs! I thought Nick Vujicic was an extraordinary man when I blogged about him last year. He has done amazing things since he came into the world without limbs – he found God, he found meaning in his life, he has helped millions of others to also find meaning. It gives me great happiness to post the video below. Nick, at 29, has found a beautiful wife, Kanae Miyahara, and they have learned that they are now expecting a baby – a boy complete with the usual number of limbs, toes, and fingers. What hath God wrought?

The Incredible Love Story of Nick Vujicic and His New Wife from keephopealive on GodTube.

We do not know what God has planned for those who love him. “In God we trust” is the wisdom of the ages.

Sometimes it seems to me that “back in the day” people were kinder, gentler, more trustworthy, and even funnier. I’ve written at some length in the past about a prophecy concerning Ronald Reagan’s presidency and also about Reagan’s faith. As a president he was unabashedly Christian and also known as a man who enjoyed a good laugh.

In order to flesh out our memories of him and his lovely wife, Nancy (still alive at 92) I am happy to share the following video of the handsome couple in their younger days enjoying some good, clean, actually funny entertainment. I am a little surprised to learn that Nancy is only two years older than me–she’s been looking so OLD lately!

Don’t pass up this video. It’s really a riot!

Michael Davis was a comedian, juggler, musician back in the 1980’s. He appeared on Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, HBO’s Best Young Comedian, Comic Relief, Night of 100 Stars.

He starred in 3 Broadway shows, including “Sugar Babies” along side Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller. Michael Davis has been a special favorite of Presidents, having been invited to the White House several times by Presidents Reagan, President George H.W. Bush, and President Bill Clinton

Just thought you’d like to know. Here is the beginning of the performance above. That’s talent!

Wonder what he’s doing now.

I cannot get enough of the wedding of granddaughter, Amy, and her beloved Ryne. Fortunately for me they had superb planning, no matter how you want to look at it, and a photographer who made the most of the beauty she had to work with. Enjoy. And pray the marriage will live up to the hype.

Amy & Ryne’s Trailer from Two Are Better on Vimeo.

Dan Savage has quite a presence on the internet as a defender of gay sex and an advocate for gay marriage.  To anyone who watches any of these three videos, which are presented as a kind of overview, I would beg them not to miss my commentary at the end of the post.  In the third video, a debate between Dan Savage and the head of the National Organization for Marriage, Brian Brown, I think something important is missing which I will add at the end.

Dan Savage and his “spouse,” Terry, talk about their family:

Dan Savage discusses bullshit in the Bible about homosexuality at High School Journalism Convention

Dan Savage and Brian Brown of the National Organization for Marriage debate gay “marriage” over the dinner table (mediator: Mark Oppenheimer of the New York Times)

Towards the end of this dinner table debate the moderator asks Brian if he could imagine some evidence that could be brought forth that would make him change his opinion about gay marriage. Brian talks about the beautiful complementarity of male and female and says something to the effect that he could no sooner accept gay marriage than he could call a circle a square. I wish he could have made much more clear the fact that man and woman were made – designed – for each other. They fit together like a key in a lock.  Their togetherness is appropriate, functional, and normal.  It is in the very nature of a male to have sex with a female, of a man to have sex with a woman.

What is unnatural is usually also harmful.  The anus is an exit, not an entrance. Anal sex is not only disordered, it is unhealthy. Ask any proctologist. AIDS was originally called the gay disease because the HIV virus is much more easily spread homosexually than heterosexually. See this  Lancet article of July 20, 2012,  titled HIV in Men Who Have Sex With Men.

When certain persons were first referred to as “queer” it was because they were instinctively recognized as abnormal, or disordered, or dysfunctional. To recognize something as abnormal does not mean one hates it.   The abnormality is simply a matter of fact and stating a fact is a truthful rather than a hateful thing.   We are all peculiar in our own  way and bullying anyone because they are somehow different is not acceptable.

Two men or two women can love each other.  In fact, we are called to love each other as ourselves.  Expressions of affection between two humans who love are normal and natural.  But however much they love, TWO MEMBERS OF THE SAME SEX  CANNOT MATE!   And marriage has always been about an agreement to mate.  Whatever else they may do in search of an orgasm, it is not mating.

Sarah Rowe stands for marriage in Anti-Marriage Defamation League.  And she pays for it.

Never before in history has the issue of homosexuality been so front and center in a presidential election.

Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum on Meet the Press answer questions about their stance on gay rights. Santorum tells what he would say to his son if he announced he was gay.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin speaks for 850 rabbis.

Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney point out the media bias and bigotry with regard to marriage issues works both ways!

When the PEOPLE are allowed to vote on same sex marriage they are clearly against it.   In all 31 states where referenda have been held, traditional marriage has been upheld and same sex marriage rejected.  They understand that marriage must be between a man and a woman. They know intuitively that man and woman go  together, like a key in a lock. “Marriage” between two keys or two locks is an exercise in futility.

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The left, which thought it had buried Santorum years ago, is going after him with a hatred unmatched. They hate him with that special ire reserved for a man’s virtues, not his vices. — Maggie Gallagher

One part of America believes we are headed for a wonderful new age.  The silent majority thinks the country has lost its mind. — Pat Buchanan, in  Suicide of a Superpower

I’d call this hard-hitting. It speaks for itself. Michael Voris is not one to mince words!

Letter from Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York to President Obama written “with a growing sense of urgency.”

It has come to this.  I’m in church, waiting for mass to begin.   I’m 88.  And what am I thinking of?   Sex!!

This might seem less odd if you consider how distressed I am that my very own state, Connecticut, has recently passed a law making same-sex “marriage” legal.   I can’t write “marriage” without quotation marks because I can’t comprehend how anyone can think gays can marry when they can’t even mate.  From the beginning of humanity, marriage has meant the commitment of a man and a woman to each other with the intent of having sexual intercourse and caring for offspring that might result from that union.   Even heterosexual marriage was not valid unless it was consummated.   That meant mating.  And gays can’t mate.  Or have offspring.

For several years I have been watching a couple at mass who sit a few pews in front of me.  I would guess they are about fifty-ish.  I suspect they may have grown children but, of course, I don’t know.  I don’t even know their names.  They sit close enough to each other to touch.  They kiss at the sign of peace. They wear wedding rings.  They have a nice rapport.

Then, right there in church, I imagine them in the marital embrace.  The first word I think of is “comfortable.”  Then “enjoyable.”  Two-in-one-flesh comes to mind.  There is a rightness to it.  Like a key in a lock.  A coming together of things designed for each other.

Long ago there was a line in my missal that read: “It is meet and fitting and availing unto salvation…”  I remember this line because even back then “meet” and “fitting” were seldom used  that way in ordinary conversation.    To me there is a “meetness” and a “fittingness” about this couple coming together sexually.

Try as I may, I cannot visualize two men or two women having “meet and fitting” sex.  It is good for men to love each other, and women to love each other.  Indeed, they are commanded to love one another.  But whatever they might do sexually, it is not mating.  It is not the way sex was designed to work.  It might better be considered some variant of  mutual masturbation.  Or that old-fashioned word,  sodomy.

If I may be permitted a bit of anthromorphism, you have to feel for the poor sperm that had hopes of meeting up with an egg and finds that it is not even in the right ball park and doesn’t have a fighting chance.  Also, there are bioactive chemicals in the seminal fluid (“there’s good in that goo”) (see seminal thoughts) that are going to waste.  What a perversion of purpose!

Did you know that humans are the only animals that mate face to face?  Could it be that human sex is supposed to be a person-to-person encounter and not just a instinctive animal activity?  Human sex can be – and should be –  a holy thing.

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Definition of sodomy:  Anal or oral copulation with a member of the same or opposite sex.  Also copulation with an animal.   — Merriam-Webster

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;  Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:  That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.  — 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8

Long, long ago, way back before I was born, way back in the olden days, there was a thing called marriage. From the beginning it was apparent that men and women were attracted to each other and they had discovered a thing called sex. They had also figured out that the thing called sex caused babies. They believed there was a Person called God who was in charge of the world, who had told them how they were to live.

Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder. – Matt. 19:4-6.

In the olden days, marriage was a holy convenant, a promise before God and man, “for better, for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, until death shall us part.”   Such a thing was not to be taken lightly; it was no casual hook-up. The promises were the glue, society would watch over the union, and God would provide the grace to make it work. Rings were exchanged which were a sign to others that they were in a convenant relationship. No wonder people cried at weddings! A marriage was a beautiful, awesome, holy thing. A vow was made before God.   Friends  were asked to be witnesses. Two young people with stars in their eyes and love in their hearts were serious about making this union work! And they were committed to caring for any offspring that might result.

Ronald Sider, President of Evangelicals for Social Action, writes:

The core idea of marriage–as a relationship between a man and a woman that obligates them to work together to nurture their biological children–has been important to every known civilization. Why? Because it corresponds with three fundamental realities of human existence: It takes both a man and a woman to make a child; any society that wants to survive must have children; children deserve both their mother and father.

In the old days when marriage came before sex and the baby carriage, society was more stable.  Vows were taken seriously.  Even if the actuality of living out the marriage left something to be desired (which is usually the case!) there was more belief that with God’s help they could make it work.  The world was not full of single moms desperately trying to feed their kids, and single men out on the prowl. The men had a woman to go home to and the woman had a man to provide home and food while she cared for the babies. Babies had a present and available mother. It was a plan. One might even say it was God’s plan.  It provided parents for the kids. The kids knew who made them and knew who would care for them as long as necessary.

From Janet Smith

Think of the difference between these two phrases: “I want to have sex with you.” and “I want to have a baby with you.” It’s awesome – the difference. Our society says, “I want to have lunch with you, I want to go to movies with you, I want to play tennis with you, and I want to have sex with you.” No big deal. But if someone comes up to you and says, “I want to have a baby with you,” you should be knocked off your feet. Because, if they have any idea what they’re saying, they’re saying: “I want to be with you from now till forever. First of all, we’d be bringing forth a new immortal soul and we have an immortal link through this immortal soul that wouldn’t exist if we hadn’t engaged in this act. It also means, I like you eyes and your smile and the way you walk and I want to bring another one of you into this world. And I like the way you think and I want my children to think like you. And I’m willing to be there for midnight feedings and breakfast and PTA’s and weddings and the long haul. I want to have a baby with you.” That’s an incredible thing to say to someone. “I want to have sex with you.” We say that with the greatest of casualness. “I want to have babies with you.” If you know what you’re saying, it’s an incredible statement. You are expressing the desire for an incredible bond with a person when all of your acts of sexual intercourse leave open the ordination to procreation. Whether it’s literal or symbolic, at least it’s there and preserved in some sense.

Janet Smith obviously takes the fertility as a gift and I cannot recommend highly enough the article from which this quote was taken.

Steven  Greydanus, in his article Redefining Marriage, writes:

And yet whatever cultural vagaries or ambiguities have existed, whatever wiggle room has been permitted, tolerated or carved out, there remains a clearly recognizable institution, found everywhere that human beings are found, in which a man and a woman are socially recognized to have formed an enduring union, a union that is the socially sanctioned context for sexual relations between a man and a woman, from which it is generally expected that children may arise.

Activists have labored mightily to avoid this conclusion. Historical and anthropological records have been scoured with vigilance for any possible departure from the pattern. Numerous proposed precedents for same-sex have been compiled: accounts of this or that Roman emperor “marrying” a male slave; reports of curious customs in this or that African culture. Nearly all these supposed precedents collapse on second glance, and none of them provide a true precedent for gender-blind marriage, or pose a serious challenge to the universality of marriage as the enduring union of a man and a woman.

Catholics believe that Christ changed marriage, that for baptized Christians marriage is a sacrament, the sacrament of matrimony. Marriage itself, however, is a natural institution that still exists for all men of any religion or of none.

A thoughtful essay on sterile marriages

Is real marriage “just one of a range of legally-recognised options” as one writer put it?  Well, yes, because it is one of  many things people do.  But, no, it is not on a par with other sexual hook-ups.  It is not only God’s plan but demonstrably a better plan for society and for children.   Time will tell, won’t it?

Dr. Donald Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association, wrote the following in his August, 1999, issue of the AFA Journal. With good reason, his son, Tim, reprinted it in the current June, 2011 issue. I am so struck with its aptness back then, its appropriateness still, and Dr. Wildmon’s prescience that I couldn’t resist reprinting it yet again.  (emphasis mine)

In 1973 The Supreme Court said it was OK to kill unborn babies. Since then, we have killed more than the entire population of Canada. And it continues.   A woman’s choice? Half of those who have died in their mothers’ wombs have been women. They didn’t have a choice. It is called abortion.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

First it was in dingy, dirty theaters. Then, convenience stores. Then, grocery stores.Then on television. Now it is in the homes of millions via the Internet. It is called pornography.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

They called it no-fault. Why should we blame anyone when something so tragic happens. Haven’t they already suffered enough? Half of the marriages in America end this way. The children suffered. The family broke down. It is called divorce.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

At one time it was a perversion. We kept it secret. We secured help and hope for those who practiced it. Now it is praised. We have parades celebrating it, and elected officials give it their blessing. Now it is endowed with special privileges and protected by special laws. Even some Christian leaders and denominations praise it. It is called homosexuality.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

It used to be an embarrassment. A shame. Now a third of all births are to mothers who aren’t married. Two-thirds of all African-American children are born into a home without a father. The state usually pays the tab. That is why we pay our taxes, so that government can take the place of parents. After all, government bureaucrats know much better how to raise children than parents do. It is called illegitimacy.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

At one time it was wrong. But then the state decided to legalize it, promote it and tax it. It has ripped apart families and destroyed lives. But just look at all the money the state has raised. No longer do we have to teach our children to study and work hard. Now we teach them they can get something for nothing. We spend millions encouraging people to join the fun and excitement. Just look at the big sums that people are winning. They will never have to work again! It is called gambling.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

Not long ago, Christians were the good guys. But now any positive image of Christians
in movies or on TV is gone. We are now depicted as the bad guys – greedy, narrowminded hypocrites. The teacher can’t have a Bible on her desk, but can have Playboy. We don’t have Christmas and Easter holidays – just winter and spring break. We can’t pray in school, but can use foul language. It’s called being tolerant.
Me? I go to church, the minister preaches, I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

Yes, all these things came to pass within 30 years. Where were the Christians? Why, they were in church. All these things are for someone else to deal with. Times have changed. Involvement has been replaced by apathy. Don’t blame me. I didn’t do anything.
I go to church. The minister preaches. I go home. That’s what Christians do now.

I stole the video. I stole the title. Just wanted to repeat once more the unvarnished truth — cohabitation sucks. It demeans women. It demands contraception, otherwise known as fertility poison. It threatens children with permanent instability, if there be such a thing. How can we have fallen for this scam? SUCKERS!!!