FROM
THE PRESIDENT'S KITCHEN TABLE
Dear Readers,
Ever hear of bait and switch? It's a marketing fraud where the con man hooks you with a really good offer on quality merchandise then substitutes junk. I'm beginning to think that all so-called chastity programs are bait & switch frauds. Let me tell you about two. A parent attending the Mount 2000 retreat as a chaperone for the girls from her parish heard a "chastity" speaker tell the kids that among the no-no's was "finger-f***ing." I thought I'd heard it all, but that's a new one on me. Now exactly how does an adult modeling foul language foster the virtue of chastity, much less modesty? Keep in mind that this retreat is mandatory for confirmandi in some parishes in the diocese. Parents are blackmailed into sending their children who are then exposed to this type of rot because "we have to meet kids where they are." What about the innocent 12 year old 7th grader who never even thought of this stuff? It doesn't pass muster. And if a child is sitting in a cesspool, well pull her out; don't push her under!
Another parent called to complain about a Youth Apostles Institute "chastity" seminar that was given to the confirmandi and CYO in her parish. Age range: 13 to 17. Boys, girls, and parents each had their own speaker. She attended the girls' talk. The presenter let her stay because she had no child in the class. It would violate the child's "right to privacy." (The DRE locked the door to prevent parents entering the room.) After a brief explanation of chastity, the woman spent 45 minutes on everything that violates it including pornography described as "two beautiful bodies coming together." After the break it was Q & A time. The kids had to write down a question they'd been too afraid or embarrassed to ask. A question on oral sex got an explicit description of how it's done.
If a stranger came up to my minor child on the street and began to describe oral sex I'd call the police. What makes pastor-approved abuse by a stranger (falsely advertised as "chastity education") okay? Not to mention the message sent by locking parents out. "Hey, kids, your parents are too dumb to handle this! We 'experts' know better." Parents, don't send your children to "chastity" talks. There is NO acceptable classroom program. They all tend to undermine natural modesty and make your children vulnerable to abuse. These people are the strangers you warned your children not to talk to. Tell them to keep their trenchcoats and their foul mouths zipped up!