Marriage Advice: Always Keep a Sense of Humor
In celebration of National Marriage Week, Ave Maria Press is featuring a short series of stories with important pieces of marriage advice. For more information about this celebration of National Marriage Week visit, www.avemariapress.com/marriageweek. While they probably won’t admit it, every married person holds on to some little things that annoy them about their spouse. […]
Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins
Book Summary, by Bai Macfarlane, posted here. One quarter of today’s young adults are children of divorce (66) and a book from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute examines anew the nature and meaning of marriage: Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins. The book’s back cover blurb […]
Premiado Arzobispo de Oregon por la defensa de la enseñanza católica sobre el matrimonio
Por su oposición a las interpretaciones rupturistas de Amoris Laetitia El Instituto Ruth ha enviado una carta de recomendación y 24 rosas blancas al Arzobispo Alexander Sample felicitándolo y agradeciéndole por su defensa de la enseñanza católica sobre el matrimonio. From infocatolica.com 5/03/17 (LifeSiteNews/InfoCatólica) El Instituto Ruth ha enviado una carta de recomendación y 24 […]
Archbishop awarded for defending Catholic teaching on marriage against ‘misuses’ of Amoris Laetitia
This article was first posted March 2, 2017, at Lifesitenews.com. Archbishop Alexander Sample February 28, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – The Ruth Institute has sent a letter of commendation and 24 white roses to Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, congratulating and thanking him for his defense of Catholic teaching on marriage. In his Pastoral Letter, “A […]
Sex Before Dating
by Penna Dexter This article was first posted February 24, 2017, at pointofview.net. A new study commissioned by the dating service Match.com shines a light on today’s hook-up culture, and it isn’t flattering. Match.com recently announced the results of its survey in which a shocking 34 percent of young adults report having sex before even […]
HEY, LIBERALS: Here’s A Pro-Family Argument Even YOU Might Like
by Jennifer Johnson Published on March 2, 2017, at clashdaily.com. This is an image of the Holy Family that I used to keep in my office. I would look at this image from time to time and pray to Jesus for wisdom for defending marriage and the family. One day I was looking at this […]
Practical, pastoral guidance for Catholics
A January conference in Phoenix will tackle tough issues of homosexuality, transgenderism by James Graves at OSV Newsweekly on January 27, 2017 Clergy process out of the chapel at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Mich., in August 2015 after the opening Mass of the Truth and Love Conference. CNS photo by Mike Stechschulte […]
Padres: please tell us the full truth!
by Jennifer Roback Morse on February 14, 2017 In my line of work, people tell me their stories of family breakdown and heartbreak. I recently heard the following story. I will tell it in first person, roughly as it was told to me. My comments are in italics. “Like you and your husband, my wife […]
Roses from Ruth for Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, Commendation
The Ruth Institute commends Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, for his clear and humane teaching about marriage, and his clear interpretation of Amoris Laetitia. We believe our world needs to hear his prophetic words. “The indissolubility of marriage is a precious and essential teaching of the Church, revealed by Jesus and cherished in our unbroken Tradition… The marriage bond is indissoluble because the Gospel covenant is indissoluble, for the sacrament signifies Christ’s permanent union with his Church.” The Ruth Institute is a global non-profit organization dedicated to finding Christ-like solutions to the problems of family breakdown. Literally every day, the Ruth Institute hears from people who have been harmed by divorce and other forms of family breakdown. Straying from Jesus’s teaching on the permanence of marriage has devastated millions of children and deserted spouses. We want the Archbishop to know that these wounded souls deeply appreciate his words. We also commend Archbishop Sample for his clarity regarding three possible misuses of the Holy Father’s Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia. Misuse One: Conscience Legitimizes Actions Contravening Divine Commandments. Misuse Two: Under Certain Conditions Divine Prohibitions Admit of Exceptions. Misuse Three: Human Frailty Exempts from Divine Command. Time has shown the Archbishop’s foresight in this area. Many people continue to be confused and are misusing the Holy Father’s words in exactly these ways. The Ruth Institute dreams of the day when every child will be welcomed into a loving home with a married mother and father. Archbishop Sample’s clear teachings protect the interests of children, as well as the interests of men and women in lifelong married love. As a sign of support for Archbishop Sample, the Ruth Institute offers these roses and our prayers for him and for everyone in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon.
Sex before 1st date? Shocking trend means big regrets
‘We are separating ourselves from our bodies’ An interview of Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse by Greg Corombos This article was first posted at World Net Daily on February 11, 2017. A new survey detailing the extent of casual sex among singles shows many are having intimate relations before the first date, a development that […]
Poor Kids Need Their Parents Too
By Jennifer Roback Morse Published on January 29, 2017, at stream.org. Life-long married love benefits children. Why then, is our government creating incentives for parents to not marry? Poor children need their own parents and a stable family life every bit as much as children of the middle and upper classes. If you are not […]
How to marry the right person
Five tips to get you started on the path to a happy marriage. by Betsy Kerekes This article was first posted November 25, 2016, at Mercatornet.com. If you are a take-your-vows-seriously type of person and believe in “till death do us part,” your life will be much simpler if you marry the right […]
Man Woman Marriage Creates Equality for children (in more ways than one!)
Marriage and Equality – How natural marriage promotes equality for children By Jennifer Johnson, Associate Director, the Ruth Institute “Gay marriage” supporters aren’t the only ones who care about equality. The ancient Christian teachings on sex and marriage ensure that every child is raised with his or her own married mother and father, except for […]
Study finds skyrocketing rate of abstinence among Millennials
by Ben Johnson This article was first published August 3, 2016, at LifeSiteNews. Think Millennials are the most sexually active generation in history? Think again, say the authors of a new study released on Monday. The number of young adults born in the 1990s who report they are not having sex is more than twice […]
Brief thoughts on 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person
by Erika Marie at onesimplemama.com. 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person: Helping Singles Find Each Other, Contemplate Marriage, and Say I Do by Betsy Kerekes and Jennifer Roback Morse. After reading and reviewing 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage: Simple Ways for Couples to Grow Closer to God and to Each Other , Betsy […]
CDC Report: Virgin Teens Much Healthier Than Their Sexually Active Peers
This article was first published at The Christian Post on December 6, 2016. by Brandon Showalter A new Centers for Disease Control study examines teenage health behaviors in connection to their self-reported sexual activity and shows those who remain abstinent are much healthier on many fronts than their sexually active peers. (Photo: Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi)Teen girls […]
Probably a dumb thing to do right before Christmas….
Writing a long, heart-felt letter on a difficult topic is probably a dumb thing to do right before Christmas. You’re looking for cheer and comfort. But I’m reaching out to you because I have something on my heart that I’m guessing is on your heart too. I know that some of you are deeply concerned […]
Finding Mr. (or Mrs.) Right
This article was first published at Fathers for Good on November 23, 2016. New book outlines Catholic plan for marriage If the “101 Tips” of this handy little book could be summed up in a few words, they would be: Know thyself. The wisdom of Socrates holds true today, though the modern dating scene may […]
How To Marry an Idiot
by Betsy Kerekes This article was first posted at Catholic Lane on November 17, 2016. It seems many people have marrying an idiot as their goal. The amount of couples getting divorced proves to me that many have already become experts. Sadly, there are still those hold-outs who insist on taking their vow of “till […]
In Louisiana congressional campaign, there is a guy that can’t be bought
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Blaze on October 7, 2016. In this year of frustration with mainstream establishment candidates, I made a refreshing discovery, right in my own back yard. My doctor, Dr. Bryan Barrilleaux is running for Congress in Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional district. His unique selling proposition is that he will not spend any money on his campaign, neither his own, nor any campaign contributions. He calls himself, “The Guy you Can’t Buy.” Some might think his campaign is a futile gesture. But I think a radical and principled stand for good government may be exactly what we need. Dr. Barrilleaux (pronounced “Bear-e-o,” after the Cajun fashion) is a physician in South Louisiana, a practicing Catholic, a passionately pro-life homeschooling father of six who has been married for 35 years. He was inspired to run when the Republican majority in Congress did next to nothing about the issues they were elected to address. The Tea Party turned out millions of citizen-activists for the 2010 election. But the Republican majority offered token resistance to the Affordable Care Act, and token defense of life and marriage. Dr. Barrilleaux, the Guy You Can’t Buy, at the Alligator Festival with the author. (Jennifer Roback Morse, Ruth Institute) Dr. Barrilleaux, the Guy You Can’t Buy, at the Alligator Festival with the author. (Jennifer Roback Morse, Ruth Institute) The turning point came for Barrilleaux in 2012. He attended a public meeting at which his recently-elected congressman, Jeff Landry, was the featured speaker. Dr. Barrilleaux asked him why no action? Landry described how the Republican establishment sat him down when he arrived in Washington and explained how the system works. “If you do what the party wants, you will have lots of campaign money for your reelection, and no opponent in the primary. If you don’t go along, you will have a well-funded opponent in the primary.” Dr. Barrilleaux must have been a bit like “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” He was shocked by wh
Decision 2016: Quack, quack, quack
by Jennifer Roback Morse Originally published at The Blaze on October 21, 2016. I have friends who are Never Trump, Reluctantly Trump and Members of the Trump Advisory Team. I understand the reasons behind these positions. I intend now to speak only for myself, and not for the Ruth Institute, which of course, does not take positions on political candidates. My dream in life is that every child be welcomed into life to a loving home with a married mother and father. My life goal is to create a Christ-like mass social movement to end the agony and injustice of family breakdown. From this perspective, both major candidates are deeply flawed. I did not vote for either in the primary. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP/Getty Images) However, the third debate cemented my belief that the choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is a choice between a sworn enemy of all I believe in, and an uncertain ally. Their exchange on abortion removed all doubt. Clinton has never seen an abortion she wouldn’t support. Trump described late term abortions graphically, and declared them “terrible,” something “nobody has the right” to do. I do not find this a difficult choice. I realize that some people find Trump so morally repugnant that they won’t vote for him. So, let me tell you what I plan to do. Between now and the election, I do not plan to excuse, defend, “endorse” or “support” Trump. Nor do I plan to agonize, wring my hands or clutch my pearls over how to vote. On Election Day, I plan to go into the voting booth and pull the lever for Trump. I plan to give it no further thought. I will leave the voting booth, and go right back to doing my primary vocation. Before, during and after Election Day, I plan to not lose any friends over Trump. If people feel they must “unfriend” me, I can’t stop them. But I will not attack my friends for making a different decision than I do. I am opposed in principle, to circular firing squads. I am not the slightest bit concerned about any new “revelations” coming up
A Guidebook for Young Adults
By Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS This article was first posted November 10, 2016, at CatholicMom.com. Two marriage-and-family writers have teamed up to put together a book of tips for Catholic singles seeking marriage. Jennifer Roback Morse and Betsy Kerekes compiled 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person. Subtitled “Helping Singles Find Each Other, Contemplate Marriage and […]
Pocket-Sized Pointers for Picking a Partner (Review: “101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person”)
by Lindsay Wilcox This article was first published November 8, 2016 at atxcatholic.com. Today’s review is of a short book, so this will be a short review. Following on the heels of their successful book 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage , Jennifer Roback Morse and Betsy Kerekes have released a guide for getting to […]
Make America Good Again
Donald Trump is our next president. What does this mean for Christian conservatives? On the plus side: America repudiated the Establishment of both political parties. America repudiated the Mainstream Media. America repudiated the Chattering Classes of both parties. Above all, Americans acted like Americans. We refused to let ourselves be manipulated by the people […]
Book Review: 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person
by Terri Kimmel This article was first published on October 24, 2016, at CatholicLane.com. In today’s electronic world of tweets and status updates, communicating with brevity is everything. 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person: Helping Singles Find Each other, Contemplate Marriage, and Say I Do by the Ruth Institute’s Jennifer Roback Morse and Betsy […]
‘Healing Family Breakdown’ retreat set
by Crystal Stevenson / American Press This article was first published October 21, 2016, at AmericanPress.com. How to heal after the breakdown of one’s family unit will be the topic of the San Diego-based Ruth Institute’s inaugural Louisiana event. The “Healing Family Breakdown” retreat will be 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at Our Lady […]
Top 10 Tips for Marrying the Right Person
by Marcia Segelstein This article was first published at NCRegister.com on October 20, 2016. One of the first sermons I heard at the Catholic parish where I would eventually be received into the Church was on the subject of marriage. The priest spoke about the relationship between a husband and wife as being indissoluble. Like […]
Social justice warriors: Here’s a cause for you
by Jennifer Roback Morse Originally published at The Blaze on October 14, 2016. Dear Social Justice Warriors, In some circles, the term “Social Justice Warrior” is a slur: an overly sensitive, obliviously privileged college student in a continual uproar over trivia. I don’t agree with this caricature. I agree with you that social justice is […]
Recapturing the public square: Sept. 17 event to provide ‘pep talk’ to Catholics
By Joyce Coronel This article was first published September 10, 2016, at CatholicSun.org. In the midst of a contentious political season, Catholics might be tempted to obey the maxim about steering clear of politics and religion in public. But that’s not what they’re called to do. That’s one of the messages Catholics will hear at […]
Legislative seminar calls on Catholics to be active in the public square, live faith fearlessly
By Joyce Coronel This article was first posted at CatholicSun.org on September 20, 2016. Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted celebrated the Catholics in the Public Square Mass at St. Mary’s Basilica Sept. 17 ahead of a legislative seminar. In his homily he reminded the congregation that it is Jesus who “fills us with hope and courage […]
Commendation: Bishop Francis DiLorenzo, Richmond
The Ruth Institute commends Bishop Francis Xavier DiLorenzo of Richmond, Virginia, for his defense of Catholic teaching. Tim Kaine, Democratic candidate for Vice President, has said that the church will change its teaching on marriage. Bishop DiLorenzo, Kaine’s local bishop, disagrees. The Bishop’s office posted: “Despite recent statements from the campaign trail, the Catholic Church’s 2000-year- old teaching to the truth about what constitutes marriage remains unchanged and resolute.” The statement continues by pointing out a foundational belief shared by the Ruth Institute: “Redefining marriage furthers no one’s rights, least of all those of children, who should not purposely be deprived of the right to be nurtured and loved by a mother and a father.” For his steadfast defense of the true nature and purpose of marriage, the Ruth Institute commends and thanks Bishop DiLorenzo. As a sign of support for Bishop DiLorenzo, the Ruth Institute offers these roses and our prayers for him and for everyone in the Diocese of Richmond.
Not your momma’s free market
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Blaze on September 29, 2016. I got into the conservative movement as a 19-year-old economics undergraduate at Ohio State University. My OSU professors were all recent graduates of the University of Chicago and were true believers in the free market. The theory was elegant, […]
Why the Prophetic Voice of Pope Paul VI Still Matters
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Blaze on September 12, 2016. Those of us who live in prosperous countries may not realize the full impact of the contraceptive ideology around the world. You know the ideology I mean: everyone old enough to give meaningful consent is entitled to unlimited sex […]
NEWSFLASH: YOU Don’t Get To Decide What Marriage Is
by Jennifer Johnson This article was first published at Clash Daily on September 1, 2016. There is a lot of controversy over the Catholic annulment process, both within the Catholic world and outside of it. I am grateful that the Church has such a process, but there is confusion about it. So I thought […]
The LGBT Movement Will Not Self Destruct
The fact that an ideology is incoherent does not mean that people are not deadly serious about implementing it. By Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Federalist on June 6, 2016. I hate to disagree with Rachel Lu, whom I admire and consider a friend. But we simply cannot count on […]
101 Tips for a Happier Marriage
This book is great – simple, achievable hints for a better relationship. by Tamara El-Rahi This article was first published August 16, 2016, at Mercatornet.com. It’s not often that couples are in unhappy relationships because of big things like star-crossed fates or the fact that their families are feuding. More often than not, it’s the […]
Pro-Choice Puritans
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published August 18, 2016 at The Blaze. For a very short time, Puritanism was the dominant religion in America. The need to populate a large continent led to lots of immigration of lots of people from different religions. Since then, we Americans have developed a sardonic definition […]
HOME ECONOMICS: Jennifer Roback Morse proclaims the social utility of the family
First published August 11, 2016 at heymiller.com and will be in the NATIONAL REVIEW August 29, 2016. by John J. Miller “It’s a discouraging time to be a social conservative,” says Jennifer Roback Morse. “We’ve been marginalized everywhere: the media, the academy, the legal system, and now even in politics.” Many of her brethren know […]
It’s Time to Make Marriage Great Again By Redefining Divorce
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published July 23, 2016, at The Blaze. Earlier this week, the Ruth Institute sent a letter of commendation and 24 white roses to Charles Chaput, the Archbishop of Philadelphia. Our letter thanked him for “his clear teaching on marriage, family and human sexuality in the Pastoral Guidelines […]
Transgender People are Not Sick
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first published at The Blaze on August 3, 2016, under the title, “Under Obama, Transgenderism Is Not Medical Condition. It’s a Political Stepping Stone.” This may seem to be a remarkable headline for a well-known social conservative. But I must defer to the authority of the Obama administration’s […]
Darwinism, Contraception, and the Decline of Manhood
By Ryan MacPherson, a Ruth Institute Circle of Experts member Book Review: The Decline of Males, Lionel Tiger (New York: Golden Books, 1999) This article was first published at hausvater.org. Why would a confessional Lutheran (who recognizes that God created humanity male and female, instituted marriage, and designed the one-flesh union for procreation) want to read a book written by an evolutionist who claims that Darwin’s theory of sexual selection is the key to interpreting the breakdown of the American family? If the evolutionist is Dr. Lionel Tiger, a Rutgers University anthropologist, and the book is The Decline of Males, then the answer is simple: his insightful analysis offers lessons that transcend the gap between Darwinian assumptions, which fundamentally contradict Scripture, and the confessional Lutheran worldview, which proclaims that God “impressed upon [human] nature” a “divine ordinance” for marital procreation (Apol. XIII (XI), 7, 12). Tiger differs from many scholars. He identifies the root of America’s culture war over “family values,” with its recurring “battle of the sexes,” not in politics, not in religion, not in any particular ideology, but rather in biology. He argues that male and female bodies, and the social behaviors that typically go with them, have evolved over millions of years to perfect a mammalian reproductive cycle in which offspring are preserved by males who care for pregnant and lactating females. The introduction of modern contraception in the 1960s, however, radically altered the human social environment. Biology—slow to evolve—is struggling to catch up. The result is social chaos, involving an escalation of single motherhood and absent fatherhood. A confessional Lutheran would want to correct Tiger’s evolutionary presuppositions with the doctrine that God the Creator designed human nature in such a way that “a husband should labor to support his wife and children … that a wife should bear children and care for them.” (AC XXVI, 10) The interesting thing is that many of Tig
How a Christian Child’s Love Won Jane Roe’s Heart
By Ryan MacPherson, a Ruth Institute Circle of Experts member This article was first published at hausvater.org on January 22, 2009 (36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade). Book Review: Won by Love, Norma McCorvey (with Gary Thomas), (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1998) In her own small world she was Norma McCorvey, a battered, then abandoned, wife and drug addict, pregnant but not desiring a child. The wider world would know her as “Jane Roe” of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. The story told there was tragic: a woman gang raped, forced into pregnancy, and denied the opportunity to terminate that pregnancy since abortion was outlawed in Texas. This story, however, was a lie—fabricated by attorney Sarah Weddington, who herself had obtained an illegal abortion and now was on a mission to make abortion available legally. When McCorvey became “Roe,” she provided the tool Weddington needed to push the issue in the courts. But after McCorvey signed “Roe’s” affidavit, affirming the fabricated story as her own, Weddington reneged on her promise to help McCorvey deal with her crisis pregnancy. Weddington did not even so much as telephone McCorvey until four months after the child was born. The “Roe” of Roe v. Wade did not abort her baby, a child saved, ironically, by an attorney’s need for a pregnant plaintiff in order to sue for abortion access. McCorvey had never even been inside an abortion clinic, though later she would work for one. She was both the victim of deceit and the perpetrator of deception. Marijuana helped her to cope. So did alcohol. And coarse humor, too: “I tell women we aren’t killing little babies on Wednesday; they have to come in Thursday through Saturday to do it.” (150) But her verbal defense mechanisms, like her lesbian relationship with an abortion clinic coworker, only took her deeper into the pit of despair and anger, a bitter mixture of relentless grief and suppressed guilt. Even “Jane Roe” knew that abortion killed babies. While working at A Choice
Does Sex Have Meaning? (And Who Can Really Say?)
by Ryan C. MacPherson, a Ruth Circle of Experts member Book Review: On the Meaning of Sex, J. Budziszewski ISI Books, 2011; 145 pages, $27.95 Reprinted with permission from the author from The Family in America. Noah Webster was no intellectual slouch. Proficient in the languages of the ancient Near East as well as of modern Europe, he painstakingly compiled the etymology, orthography, and signification of 70,000 words for the great American Dictionary of the English Language published in 1828. A product of his times, but also a product of one of the best intellectual traditions humanity has mustered in all of time, Webster did not hesitate to follow the guidance of natural law when defining terms that refer to humanity in its personal, social, and political manifestations. Webster defined sex as “the distinction between male and female,” male as “pertaining to the sex that procreates young,” and female as “noting the sex which produces young.” And marriage? “The act of uniting a man and a woman for life; wedlock; the legal union of a man and a woman for life . . . for the purpose of preventing the promiscuous intercourse of sexes, for promoting domestic felicity, and for securing the maintenance and education of children.” Two centuries removed from Webster, many people now reject his definitions as being too morally restrictive, too narrowly traditional, too out of step with the hodgepodge of Facebook status updates, YouTube videos, and MP3 downloads that shape personal identities today. Indeed, for college students such as “Harris,” the question no longer is whether Webster got the definition of “sex” right, but whether “sex” has any meaning at all. Harris is certain that sex is meaningless. And yet, Harris is just as certain that the factories for human reproduction depicted in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World are appalling. In the opinion of Harris’s philosophy professor, J. Budziszewski, Harris must be confused. How can the student say that sex has no meaning and nevertheless find it appalling that procreati
DOJ Transgender Guidelines Disconcerting
The guidelines the DOJ recommends for protecting the Civil Rights of transgender students are tremendously disconcerting.
Petition: Archbishop Chaput
Petition to: Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia Thank you for the wisdom and clarity in your Guidelines. We will pray for you! The Ruth Institute and its global network of followers congratulates and thanks Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia for his clear teaching on marriage, family and human sexuality. The Pastoral Guidelines for Implementing Amoris Laetitia in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are the work of a compassionate pastor who loves the souls under his care. These Guidelines will assist the priests, deacons and laity in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to reach out with genuine mercy and justice to Catholics, and to the wider community, who are hungry for the truth. The publication of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, has caused worldwide confusion over Catholic teaching on marriage. Archbishop Chaput’s Guidelines provide a clear and practical statement of traditional Catholic teaching, in the spirit of genuine mercy. We are particularly encouraged that these Guidelines are comprehensive, dealing with all the major issues encountered in pastoral care of the family. The Archbishop addresses the problems of 1) married couples, 2) those who are separated and divorced but not remarried, 3) those who are separated and divorced and have a civil remarriage, 4) those who are cohabiting and finally, 5) those who experience same sex attraction. The Ruth Institute dreams of the day when every child will be welcomed into a loving home with a married mother and father. We believe every child has the right to a relationship with both natural parents, unless some unavoidable tragedy prevents it. We believe every adult without exception has the right to know his or her cultural heritage and genetic identity. The Philadelphia Guidelines represent an implementation of the ancient teachings of Christianity and of Jesus Christ Himself. These teachings protect the interests of children, as well as the interests of men and women in lifelong married love. The Ruth Institute sent a letter of co
Commendation: Archbishop Charles Chaput, Philadelphia
The Ruth Institute congratulates and thanks Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia for his clear teaching on marriage, family and human sexuality. The Pastoral Guidelines for Implementing Amoris Laetitia in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia are the work of a compassionate pastor who loves the souls under his care. These Guidelines will assist the priests, deacons and laity in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to reach out with genuine mercy and justice to Catholics, and to the wider community, who are hungry for the truth. We are particularly encouraged that these Guidelines are comprehensive, dealing with the major problems encountered in pastoral care of the family. The Archbishop’s Guidelines address the problems of 1) married couples, 2) those who are separated and divorced but not remarried, 3) those who are separated and divorced and have a civil remarriage, 4) those who are cohabiting and finally, 5) those who experience same sex attraction. The Ruth Institute dreams of the day when every child will be welcomed into a loving home with a married mother and father. We believe every child has the right to a relationship with both natural parents, unless some unavoidable tragedy prevents it. We believe every adult without exception has the right to know his or her cultural heritage and genetic identity. The Philadelphia Guidelines represent an implementation of the ancient teachings of Christianity and of Jesus Christ Himself. These teachings protect the interests of children, as well as the interests of men and women in lifelong married love. We thank Archbishop Chaput for his wisdom and charity. As a sign of support for Archbishop Chaput, the Ruth Institute offers these roses and our prayers for him and for everyone in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
Kinsey Institute’s Commerical Connections
An alert reader of the Ruth Institute newsletter pointed out a financial connection between the Kinsey Institute researcher on the latest “study”and the sex lubricant industry. I’m not making this up. The “study purported to show that virgins are too old-fashioned to have any friends or marriage prospects. I took down that study here. The […]
Elite Women Wage Social Warfare on Everywoman
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at The Blaze on July 5, 2016. So a radical feminist and two childless women walk into a courtroom. How do you expect them to rule on abortion or contraception? Their lives as they know them, depend on both. In Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt, the […]
Study claims premarital virginity is now ‘antiquated’
by Fr. Mark Hodges BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, July 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) — A new study from the Alfred Kinsey Institute claims premarital sex is so universally accepted and practiced that virgins are considered social misfits stigmatized as undesirable relationship partners. Published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Sex Research, the study, titled “Has Virginity Lost Its Virtue? […]
Don’t Feed the Trolls – It Just Encourages Them
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at The Blaze on June 21, 2016. As an observer of the human species, I believe I have discovered a new type. I call them “paid internet protesters,” or “PIPs” in internet-speak, who are all armchair culture warriors. Dr. Rachel Lu, a senior contributor at The […]
School Condom Programs That Increase Teen Pregnancy, STDs Are ‘Propaganda for Sexual Revolution,’ Scholar Says
By Brandon Showalter This article was first published June 21, 2016, at the Christian Post. A new study shows that providing free condoms to teenagers worsens the problem it purports to solve. The finding is unsurprising given that the programs are “propaganda for the Sexual Revolution,” Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse says. In an extensive working […]
Young Women Are Gambling On a Losing Game
by Jennifer Roback Morse This article was first posted at The Blaze on June 1, 2016. The image from the Huffington Post staff meeting created an immediate backlash for editor Liz Heron’s rhetorical question: “Notice anything about this Huffington Post editors’ meeting?” Unlike many of the internet commentators, I am not interested in the […]
All Roots Matter: A Call for Action on Father’s Day
Submitted to the Ruth Institute by Ellen Giangiordano I applaud the History Channel for airing Alex Haley’s “Roots” reimagined over Memorial Day weekend. As co-producer LeVar Burton noted, “Roots” generates a dialogue that is needed now more than ever. Today, the loss of ancestry is still keenly felt by slave descendants. In February of 2016, […]
Another non-surprise: giving kids condoms doesn’t help.
Suuprize, Suuprize, Suuprize! A recent study (behind a paywall) looked at schools that gave out condoms vs schools that did not. Lo and behold. Giving out condoms, without any counseling, was associated with an increase in teen pregnancy. Vox, that bastion of social conservatism reports. (And no, I don’t think that is literally what kind of […]
Suuprize, Suuprize, Suuprize! Sex Ed doesn’t help teens.
For those who may not remember, Gomer Pyle, USMC was a sitcom featuring Jim Nabors as a dumb but loveable Marine private. One of his most famous lines was “Suuprize, Suuprize, Suuprize.” He would utter these words when he was about to do something to irritate the Sargent or say something obvious. I’ve decided […]
Ruth Institute Statement on Orlando Terrorist Attack
The Ruth Institute issued this statement regarding the terrorist attack in Orlando. “The Ruth Institute categorically condemns the terrorist attack on The Pulse nightclub in Orlando. No one, no matter their nationality, religion, sex or sexual orientation, deserves to die at the hands of terrorists. The danger of Islamic terrorism threatens all of us. We […]
Turning back the tide of sexual promiscuity through religion
By Jenet Jacob Erickson, a Ruth Inst. Circle of Experts member Published: May 1, 2016 at the Deseret News Feminism swept into American culture during the 1960s in the name of women’s equality. While much has been said about feminist efforts to alter gender roles and workplace dynamics, scant attention has been paid to the […]
Arguments about religious liberty failed to defend traditional marriage
By Marilyn Rodrigues May 27, 2016 at Catholicweekly.com.au. Dr Jennifer Roback Morse believes surrogacy will become more prevalent if same-sex marriage is introduced along with a renewed push for legalisation of commercial surrogacy. Photo: Patrick J Lee The inherent right of children to be raised by their biological mother and father should be the […]
Abortion Today: Preterm Birth Tomorrow?
A new metastudy shows increased risks of preterm birth for mothers who have previously had an abortion. A meta-analysis of 36 international studies involving more than one million women has concluded that abortions are associated with “significantly higher risk” of subsequent premature births, and underweight babies. Prematurity is, in turn, associated with far greater […]
The New Trans Patriarchy
today’s “trans movement”… takes us back to a time when women were valued based on their appearance, and whether they fit someone else’s preconceived notion of femininity. In essence, all it takes to be a woman today are [fake] breasts and good hair. As a culture, we are telling women that the feelings and sentiments […]
Pro-Family Political Leaders and legislators: low-hanging fruit
Pro-Family Political Leaders and legislators: here is some low-hanging legislative fruit. Propose that your state standardize the reporting for all IVF clinics in your state. The measure you want is Live Birth per Cycle Initiated. This proposal allow you to educate the public, including women who are being misled by the industry. This proposal […]
Career women: Counting on IVF after 40? Think again
An Australian study came out with success rates for women over 40, using their own fresh (that is, not frozen from years before) eggs. The figures are shocking: The latest, Australian-only numbers given to Four Corners by the industry show the chance of a live delivery for initiated cycles by all age groups for […]
G’Day Mates! At the bottom of the world
I spent less than 24 hours in Tasmania.Yes, there really is such a place. I have a dear friend, Dr. Christine Wood who lives there. She is the director of evangelization for the Archdiocese of Hobart. That means she works for the heroic Archbishop Julian Porteus. I got to stay with her and her husband. […]
G’Day Mates: The Ordinary Bloke
It’s been a whirlwind tour so far! I have barely had time to sleep, much less write anything on this blog. I will tell this one story before I go for breakfast. I have done a couple of radio interviews with the Australian Broadcast Corporation (ABC). After one of them, we dashed out to catch […]
G’day Mates! Day 1
Yes, I’m in Australia! My son and I traveled Down Under to be part of the Marriage Alliance educational campaign. The Australians are going to have a vote on the marriage issue later this summer. Australia is the largest English-speaking country that still recognizes marriage as a child-centered, gender-based social institution. We aim to help […]
Pro-Life Leaders Decry Scandals, Urge Catholic Colleges to Reject Culture of Death
From the Cardinal Newman Society and a collection of Pro-Life Leaders on May 11, 2016. Concerned by recent high-profile events at Catholic colleges featuring pro-abortion leaders — including Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards, Bill Clinton, Wendy Davis and Vice President Joe Biden — 29 Catholic and pro-life leaders joined a statement urging Catholic colleges to […]
Whose fault was no-fault divorce?
by Ryan C. MacPherson, a Ruth Institute Circle of Experts member This article was first published at Mercatornet.com on May 9, 2016. When language aficionado Bo Mitchell judged 461 entries for the “Great Oxymoron Contest” in 1983, he ranked “wedded bliss” in third place. In fourteenth place came “happily married.” Mitchell distinguished two kinds of […]
Men and Abortion: Comforting Those Who Cry Alone
by Ryan MacPherson Reprinted, with permission of the author, from LifeDate (Lutherans for Life, Fall 2013) Abortion is a men’s issue. Yes, abortion is also a women’s issue. And it certainly is a children’s issue—a child’s life is at stake. But abortion is a men’s issue—a fact too readily overlooked these days. In 1992, the […]
