Humanae Vitae and the Coming End of Atheism
You'll not find much optimism on this blog. If there is a theological virtue against which I am especially prone to sin, it is Hope, although I can't say much for my Faith or Charity either. I came of age in the post-Brezhnev, pre-Gorbachev years, under the shadow of the mushroom cloud, and my survivalist tendencies are now happily played out in the ruins of the Church, as the Civilization that she created reverts to barabarism.

Well, I am happy to announce that there is cause to be hopeful, and Humanae Vitae has a lot to do with it. This piece of Catholic futurism is a long, detailed, and fascinating read: Theistic Revolution (Seattle Catholic).

Here's how it begins:

Within less than 20 years, theistic religion will become the developed world's primary organizing and motivating force — not through orderly growth, but suddenly and by default, as today's wrongheaded social patterns and perspectives become untenable. Atheism in particular is about to fall victim to its own errors, while Roman Catholicism is uniquely positioned to gain tremendous stature. Historians may one day refer to this event as the "Theistic Revolution."

The "baby bust" and its resulting destabilization of nations (witness the French riots) will be the impetus for the Western mind's returning to God, says the author. This is where Humanae Vitae, "the most controversial papal encyclical of the last 400 years," and 2000 years of Catholic teaching on artifical birth control come in:

The condemnation of artificial contraception, which is the most distinctive and controverted point of Catholic moral doctrine, will be vindicated spectacularly. The credibility and influence of the Catholic Church will skyrocket.

Here's what the great Flannery O'Connor said to a friend in a letter about the subject:

The Church’s stand on birth control is the most absolutely spiritual of all her stands and with all of us being materialists at heart, there is little wonder that it causes unease.

Conservative and Liberal Protestantism's acceptance and even promotion of contraception do not bode well for their future survival. Their fate will be that of Onan.

Only Holy Mother Church has remained constant in her teaching on this most fundamental of isses, which addresses the very nature of human life. Will Humanae Vitae save us from the Abyss?

Here it is in all its revolutionary and counter-cultural beauty: HUMANAE VITAE.