Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader
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Book Summary Information
Brand: Ignatius PressEditor: Janet Smith
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1993-06
ISBN: 0898704332
Number of pages: 591
Publisher: Ignatius Press
Book Reviews of Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader
Book Review: Prophetic Teaching
Summary: 5 Stars
In this book, Prof. Janet Smith collects essays written before and after the issuance of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968 reaffirming the Catholic rejection of contraception. It is a wonderful collection of essays, with my personal favorite being the incisive and crisp essay by the late British philosopher G.E.M. Anscombe (a woman, by the way) who cuts with brilliance through much of the muddled thinking about birth control. Another outstanding essay is by John Crosby on the philosophical personalism of John Paul II. In addition, included is a translation of the encyclical itself by Janet Smith based on the official Latin text.The prophetic nature of the Church's teaching against contraception is seen in the current approval by some liberal Christians of the gay lifestyle. This outcome is not surprising because once the ban on contraception is rejected, there is no logical basis for objecting to nonprocreative homosexual acts. Even the liberal Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, who favors actively gay clergy, is on record as admitting that the embrace of contraception logically and eventually leads to the approval of the gay lifestyle.
Thus, the defenders of Humanae Vitae have been shown to be right. The Church's ban on contraception is central to Christian sexual morality. That is why the essays collected in this book are more important today than ever before.
Summary of Why Humanae Vitae Was Right: A Reader
Edited by Janet E. Smith For the 25th anniversary year of the historic document Humanae Vitae (1968), Janet Smith has gathered together twenty-one outstanding essays and articles by well-respected thinkers to provide the demonstration that Pope Paul VI was not simply correct, but prophetic. While this document is still widely neglected and misunderstood, the Church continues to proclaim that contraception is a moral evil and that the view of man, sexuality, and marriage that leads to the use of the Pill is not one that is compatible with human dignity, sexual responsibility and spousal love. Many are unaware that there have been energetic and persuasive worth defenses of this teaching. The general reader, as well as the ethicist and moral theologian, will find much here to stimulate his thinking on this issue. Contributors include William May, Paul Quay, Elizabeth Anscombe, Dietrich von Hildebrand, Carlo Caffara, Cormac Burke, Ralph McInerny, John Kippley, John Finnis and Janet Smith. "From the perspective of the 1960s, few but the Pope saw the dire future consequences of a distorted understanding of human sexuality which separates conjugal love from its life-giving dimension. This Humanae Vitae `reader' puts at our disposal for layperson, professional, or priest, twenty one significant essays in a series of well-reasoned defenses of the Catholic position." - Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua, Archbishop of Philadelphia "We now have more reason to believe than ever before that Humanae Vitae, the encyclical that many Catholics fought against, scoffed at, dissented from, and even left the Church over, is right. Janet Smith's scholarly compendium will provide ample evidence for the open-minded reader of Humanae Vitae's personalistic foundation, philosophical breadth, practical soundness, and prophetic inspiration." - Donald DeMarco, Author, Biotechnology and the Assault on Parenthood "A superb collectiCatholicism Books
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