Last week, a Family Court judge (Justice Peter Murphy) stepped down from hearing a case, having been unable to get the parents to agree about anything. (Herald Sun, 4 February)

He described their disputing as “pathetic, stupid and relentless”.

The 12-year old daughter had had to call the police because the parents couldn’t agree on a drop-off point in a park.

* * *

In our culture, marriage has always been society’s attempt to provide the most stable environment for a child to be born into and reared in.

That’s why Matrimony is a Sacrament of the Church . . . .

Marriage is primarily about the welfare of children.

God’s children.

Parents join with God, cooperating in his role as creator — becoming co-creators with God.

Being a Sacrament, marriage brings with it real, objective, literal grace — the power to do God’s will in a way impossible without such grace . . . .

* * *

Not everything calling itself marriage is marriage.

Performances with no priest, but lay “celebrants” . . . .

Held at sites other than a church . . . .

The couple not having prepared themselves by going to Confession . . . .

Do we really expect any benefit from such happenings?

World Vision is believed by many to be a basically Christian organisation.

Unaware, no doubt, of an article appearing on WV’s website concerning “Improving Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Papua New Guinea” (October 2011) — which says that, amongst other things, the provision of “safe abortion” is “very good” value for money.

The Salvation Army represents itself as a Christian group — but it’s a fence-sitter regarding the sanctity of human life.

It teaches that in cases of rape or incest “an abortion may be justified because . . . .”

Also that abortion “may also be justified where reliable diagnostic procedures determine that a foetal abnormality is present which is incompatible with life other than a brief post-natal survival . . . .”

And the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association) in its recent policy platform recommends “protection and promotion of reproductive health, including . . . secure access to safe, affordable, Medicare-funded abortions . . . .”

Oxfam Australia, CARE Australia and Save the Children Australia jointly published a media statement praising President Obama’s 2009 decision to “abolish the rule that denies US taxpayer dollars to international family planning clinics that provide . . . abortion to women in developing countries.”

* * *

Some well-meaning donors to the above groups might feel they’ve been recruited under false pretences if they ever learn what their agency really stands for.

For some children Christmas is a long day.

Mummy and daddy not living together, they must present themselves to mummy plus a “partner” whom they are expected to be nice to.

Then to daddy plus another “partner” . . . .

Then to multiple grandparents, not necessarily very keen on each other.

How can children know whom they belong to and whom they can trust?

In our culture it is common to select a partner on the basis of taking a fancy to each other while inebriated at the nightclub . . . .

Then impregnating each other after the nightclub closes . . . .

Then discovering they must work together raising a child, when they hardly know each other.

How to do better?

Phase out nightclubs, enforce under-age drinking laws, curfews . . . ?

Whatever it takes.

No need to ask young people if they like the idea.

Being young, their opinion is not worth much.

On 31 October 2011, we were told that on that day, or close enough, the baby bringing the world’s total population to 7 billion was born.

United Nations agencies and “environmentalist” groups consider that a disaster.

Are they right?

(1) The figure itself is probably incorrect.

Every local administration, world-wide, which gets funding from a bigger government tends to over-state the number of people it currently provides for – hoping to extract bigger handouts.

(2) We face a future of under-population.

80-plus nations now reproduce at rates insufficient to maintain a constant population.

Russia’s population will have fallen by 25 million by the year 2050.

Likewise Japan, Italy Spain etc.

(3) De-population will increase numbers of dependent elderly — exactly when numbers of young adults entering the workforce start plummeting.

(4) Big families are best for children to grow up in.

The older ones learn to look after the younger ones.

The “what’s in it for me” mentality is harder to get away with.

The other day, Brisbane Times newspaper reported the marriage of a man, Joseph Guiso, and his dog, Honey, in Toowoomba, Queensland, on 30 November 2011:

“Thirty of the couple’s closest friends and family were in attendance for the emotional ceremony, held at dusk”.

“You’re my best friend and you make every part of my day better,” Mr Guiso’s vows read.
(www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/toowoomba-man-marries-dog-20101201-18g5o.html)

At present most people would not want the law to recognise such a “marriage”.

But anybody who supports same-sex marriage is logically obliged to support man-animal marriage.

For those who don’t believe in Natural Law (eternal laws written in the heart of every man by God) there are no absolutes – nothing is absolutely right or absolutely wrong.

Our guide to behaviour can only be to do whatever turns us on.

This is the perverse world which the Australian Labor Party and their friends, the Greens, plan for your children to live in.

Labor MPs will have a “conscience vote” re same-sex marriage.

Malcolm Turnbull wants a conscience vote for Liberal MPs as well.

But if MPs really used their conscience on this issue, wouldn’t the vote be 100 percent against and zero for?

A vote should be unnecessary.

* * *

Any party containing members willing to vote for such an extreme nonsense as same-sex marriage is a good party not to have running your country.

Perhaps better not to have any party running the country.

Ideally it doesn’t matter what party is the nominal government — so long as we don’t let them govern us.

In a decent country, the Church would be the de facto government.

* * *

If the government passes bad laws, the Church should explain why they are wrong — and the people should simply disobey.

Such a situation needs to happen.

But first the Church must pull up its socks.

If you are a Catholic who has quit over the child-abuse issue, or some other reason — please get back into gear.

The Church has a job to do.

You can help make it happen.