Paradox Humane Vitae vs. Environmental Conservation

Introduction: - Paradox Humane Vitae vs. Environmental Conservation

For the past several years I have been working on an apostolate of the Word and have found great satisfaction in that project. There are times, however, that issues surface that take my musings outside the purely hermeneutic and I feel called to reflect upon things of the world and forces affecting our lives as faithful Christians striving to live our values in a world that is rapidly turning away from them.

It is for this reason that I am starting this companion Blog. I place this in the public domain where I can invite others to help me refine my own understanding through dialogue. Your thoughts and challenges are welcome.

Today, as on most days, I take a look at what other Catholic Bloggers have concerned themselves about. A fellow Deacon, Greg Kendra who writes Deacon’s Bench has surfaced an issue that points squarely at a paradox that challenges to Humane Vitae encountered when seen from the purely rational perspective. Deacon Greg writes:

“The nation’s largest Catholic university will feature a commencement speaker who believes ‘the rest of life would benefit enormously’ from the extinction of mankind, considers Christianity ‘the most dangerous of devotions,’ and boasted about weakening the ‘dissolutive, oppressive institutions of organized religion.’”

He goes on to describe how E.O. Wilson will address a combined ceremony of DePaul University‘s College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and its College of Science and Health.

Anonymous Catholic Universities

Let’s first make some observations about a majority of large “Catholic Universities” founded over one hundred years ago. Most of them have become highly secularized and in a number of cases, where the name of the university is not blatantly religious (e.g. DePaul, Georgetown, Boston College, etc.) I would hazard a large part of the population does not even know they are technically Catholic institutions. In an attempt to continue to serve the universal population (and generate revenue), many of these universities have embraced the inclusionary principles of secular universities and colleges – providing a voice for new age rhetoric and secular morality. Under the banner of academic freedom, many philosophies and moral views have grown up in these organizations which are anathema to the Church’s teachings.

It is only when situations arise like Notre Dame inviting President Obama to speak (and giving him an Honorary Doctorate) and Georgetown inviting (and apparently un-inviting) Kathleen Sebelius, head of the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to speak, that the fact that they are Church-affiliated organizations comes to light.

Smart People without Faith

Back to E.O. Wilson – he is a humanist! That’s the best short description of his highly recognized and awarded life-view. Like MOST academics in the life sciences he has the Darwinian view that life, far from being divinely created, is simply a culmination of billions of years of natural experimentation (or, as another famous Atheist/Humanist, Richard Dawkins has stated – life on earth was brought here by aliens). He cannot or will not consider that there is a power in this universe that he cannot deduce through logic that would have an impact on natural selection.

The Catholic Paradox

While this paradox does not apply to everyone, there is a significant group of the faithful that have to come to grips with it. Here are the challenging facts:

1. The Earth is a closed system. That is, for all practical purposes, nothing comes in from outside (except heat energy from the Sun and limited mater from meteorites and other space-born particles that may be attracted by the planet’s gravity); and nothing leaves except some atmospheric erosion and what we shoot into space.

2. While matter can be neither created nor destroyed, it can be changed from useful and healthful into toxic and harmful.

3. As the earth’s population increases there is a greater and greater strain on the natural resources of the planet and Wilson’s logic begins to look sound. Since resources are finite – the only solution appears to be that which files in the face of what the Church teaches about the dignity of human life and the sanctity of the gift God shares with us in procreation.

There is the paradox; logic says population control and even reduction is becoming necessary and yet we know that contraception and sterilization are not solutions we can accept let alone embrace. So what is the global solution? Does it lie in prayer alone?

It has been argued by a close friend that the concerns expressed above are overstated; that God will provide and that, as great as our scientific knowledge is, the omniscience of God will not allow us to fall into the abyss of global famine and starvation. I am more of the opinion that was expressed by St. Ignatius of Loyola who tradition holds said, “We must work as if it all up to us, and pray as if it is all up to God.”

Pax - Dcn. Jim