Pope says low birth rates in Canada due to 'pervasive effects of secularism'

[troung]

Pope says low birth rates in Canada due to 'pervasive effects of secularism'


http://www.canada.com/topics/news/wo...c5b6257&k=7952

Quote:
Canadian Press
Published: Saturday, May 20, 2006

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope Benedict said Saturday that low birth rates in Canada are the result of the "pervasive effects of secularism" and asked the country's bishops to counter the trend by preaching "with passion" the truth of Christ.

The pontiff's comments to visiting bishops from Canada echoed his statements last month to members of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, when he said that a lack of true love was behind an increase in failed marriages and a decrease in birth rates in much of the developed world.

"Like many countries . . . Canada is today suffering from the pervasive effects of secularism," Benedict said, speaking in English.

"The attempt to promote a vision of humanity apart from God's transcendent order and indifferent to Christ's beckoning light, removes from the reach of ordinary men and women the experience of genuine hope," the pope said. "One of the more dramatic symptoms of this mentality, clearly evident in your own region, is the plummeting birth rate."

Canada's birth rate in 2005 was 10.5 births for very 1,000 people, according to Statistics Canada.

Benedict blamed the low birth rate on social ills and moral ambiguities that result from secular ideology. He added that "Canadians look to you to be men of hope, preaching and teaching with passion the splendour of the truth of Christ who dispels the darkness and illuminates the way to renew ecclesiastical and civic life, educating consciences and teaching the authentic dignity of the person and human society."

Benedict has spoken out several times in favour of large families and called for legislation to help support families with children.
© The Canadian Press 2006

[gunnut]

Ever noticed nations with low birth rates all suffer from accute socialism? Socialism makes having babies very expensive and retirement very cheap. So people do what's best in their interest. Having fewer babies and keep spending money on themselves.

[THL]

I don't see Pope Benedict offering to take care of all these kids in the large families he wants.

Let him watch them during colic, stay up with a sick kid, hang out for a few days during the terrible twos, withstand a tantrum over not buying Beach Bum Barbie, explain to a 10 year old girl that "yes, this is going to happen every month for the next 40 years", and try to convince a 16 year old that "HE" is not the last boy alive and in a week or two she will meet her next true love...then we'll see how much he promotes a big family.

[Horrido]

Maybe the Catholic Diocese can pull their heads out of their collective asses and RE-allow their clergy to marry and procreate? As for not having kids, I'm just following JC's example by not marrying (unless you want to subscribe to Dan Brown's line of thinking, where-upon my argument folds and I'll just find some other historical example to use as an excuse. lol). Man, there are few things I hold in greater contempt, disgust, and disdain than proselytizing, evangelical, religious-rhetorical whack-jobs. I'd tell them to "blow me", but the clerical history of the Catholics risks a jubilant acceptance, and the more beligerent of the Muslims would misinterpret and explosivley oblige!

God? Save me from your followers!

[ZFBoxcar]

Ever noticed nations with low birth rates all suffer from accute socialism? Socialism makes having babies very expensive and retirement very cheap. So people do what's best in their interest. Having fewer babies and keep spending money on themselves.

Canada is not grossly more socialist than the US (I'm not denying that it is more socialist, but not to the extent that many Americans and Canadians believe), and also like the US, it varies from state/province to state/province. Canada is not nearly at the level of Europe in socialism, and yet birthrates are probably about the same in Europe. It isn't any one factor that is determining this, although I imagine that the pope is at least part right, Canadians and Europeans are not as religious as Americans (on the whole), abortion is not really considered immoral by a large segment of the population, and a greater percentage of Canada's population is in its largest cities (which tend to have lower birthrates).

But it really doesn't bother me, there are plenty of people who want to come here and as long as they integrate I couldn't care less if they are born Canadian or become them. If there is ever a shortage of people looking for a better life across the Atlantic and/or Pacific, or if we ever restrict the flow of immigration too heavily, then I will worry about a low birthrate.

[dalem]

Modern liberal societies offer and allow more choices, and avoiding children (or at least large numbers of them) is a feasible (and often desireable) choice now.

-dale

[RustyBattleship]

Actually, I truly think some of our global warming and the widening hole in the Ozone layer can be blamed on the Catholic Church AND all other local religions and personal CUSTOMS that believe it is MACHO for a man to keep his wife or wives barefoot and pregnant all their lives.

The worst example of over population is in the southern part of South America (South Africa is not far behind either). There is no room for the people in the cities so the governments give them a few acres of rain forest to slash and burn into farms to feed every body. The South American rain forests have trees hundreds of feet tall, or in many cases, trees growing on top of trees.

Now, follow my logic here. When you have densely wooded rain forests, they are caused by a lot of rain. Duhh.

But when you get a lot of rain and the trees are very tall, you get a lot of lightning. Duhh.

Lightning is a huge electric arc. Duhh duhh.

An electric arc can take two free Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom and combine them to create water molecules called H2O (also known as rain).

Breathable Oxygen is actually a molecule of two Oxygen atoms called O2. An electric arc often causes other free Oxygen atoms to form with O2 to make O3, which is commonly called Ozone.

Ozone rises and forms a protective layer of gas to prevent too much Solar radiation from the little people down below with axes, chainsaws and matches.

So if the rain forests dissappear, then there is nothing to help create lightning in the rain and less Ozone is manufactured. All because of permissive customs, cults and religions (in countries of much lesser education and knowledge of world affairs than the northern hemisphere) promoting large populations.

The human race will eventually die off from suffocation. What evolves from our oxygen starved species over the millenia will be interesting but probably not too pretty to look at.

[THL]

Modern liberal societies offer and allow more choices, and avoiding children (or at least large numbers of them) is a feasible (and often desireable) choice now.

-dale

I agree - I do everything I can to avoid large numbers of children, and certain children in small numbers.

[sparten]

I don't the the US and Canada are in any danger of repopulation, yet.

As for Europe, I think even with the declining population, the place is overpopulated with regards to the size of the and its resources. The European poplations of the past could be kept at those levels due to the stuff brought in from the colonies.

[dalem]

Actually, I truly think some of our global warming and the widening hole in the Ozone layer can be blamed on the Catholic Church AND all other local religions and personal CUSTOMS that believe it is MACHO for a man to keep his wife or wives barefoot and pregnant all their lives.

The worst example of over population is in the southern part of South America (South Africa is not far behind either). There is no room for the people in the cities so the governments give them a few acres of rain forest to slash and burn into farms to feed every body. The South American rain forests have trees hundreds of feet tall, or in many cases, trees growing on top of trees.

Now, follow my logic here. When you have densely wooded rain forests, they are caused by a lot of rain. Duhh.

But when you get a lot of rain and the trees are very tall, you get a lot of lightning. Duhh.

Lightning is a huge electric arc. Duhh duhh.

An electric arc can take two free Hydrogen atoms and one Oxygen atom and combine them to create water molecules called H2O (also known as rain).

Breathable Oxygen is actually a molecule of two Oxygen atoms called O2. An electric arc often causes other free Oxygen atoms to form with O2 to make O3, which is commonly called Ozone.

Ozone rises and forms a protective layer of gas to prevent too much Solar radiation from the little people down below with axes, chainsaws and matches.

So if the rain forests dissappear, then there is nothing to help create lightning in the rain and less Ozone is manufactured. All because of permissive customs, cults and religions (in countries of much lesser education and knowledge of world affairs than the northern hemisphere) promoting large populations.

The human race will eventually die off from suffocation. What evolves from our oxygen starved species over the millenia will be interesting but probably not too pretty to look at.

Umm, RBB, the above makes NO sense at all.

-dale

[troung]

Man, there are few things I hold in greater contempt, disgust, and disdain than proselytizing, evangelical, religious-rhetorical whack-jobs. I'd tell them to "blow me", but the clerical history of the Catholics risks a jubilant acceptance, and the more beligerent of the Muslims would misinterpret and explosivley oblige!

I agree...

It's silly to follow rules from people who really don't play the game, in fact many are playing a totaly different game. I would love to call the pope up to ask for advice on relationships with women... wait...

[gunnut]

Umm, RBB, the above makes NO sense at all.

-dale

Makes perfect sense to me...

[Horrido]

I agree...

It's silly to follow rules from people who really don't play the game, in fact many are playing a totaly different game. I would love to call the pope up to ask for advice on relationships with women... wait...

And now you know why the Catholics believe in miracles...

[troung]

ahahhaha....

[dalem]

Makes perfect sense to me...

So the Pope sez "Let There Be F*ckin'!" and so we get more poor South Americans and they cut down the trees that make lightning and so we get less ozone and so we suffocate?

Rusty Battleship may know a lot about rusty battleships, but his knowledge of the earthier sciences is rather appallingly nonexistant.

-dale