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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, FEBRUARY 14, 1986
The pontiff's call for collaboration among the world's
religions in the cause of freeing people from poverty,
suffering and the threat of war, was considered by members of
John Paul's entourage to be a serious reiteration of his
earlier call for a joint peace vigil in Assisi. One of the
aims of the collaboration, he told the New Delhi audience,
would
be
to
"eliminate
hunger,
poverty,
ignorance,
persecution, discrimination and every form of enslavement of
the human spirit." In an unusually forthright call for the
right of every man to make his own religious choice, John Paul
said, "To work for the attainment and preservation of all
human rights, including the basic right to worship C--0d
according to the dictates of an upright conscience and to
' profess that faith externally, must become ever more a subject
of inter-religious collaboration at all levels."
Thus, John Paul's game plan appears two-pronged:
revitalize Europe
and then use it as a platform from which to have greater influence on
the world scene. This analysis implies no inherent evil intent on his
part. The present Pope sees the world confronted with severe crises
f which, of course, threaten the very life of his church. Perhaps a
1.__successor will direct John Paul's efforts into less noble channels.
fTmmoral Advice In this godless age, when men were prophesied to be
J :iovers of themselves" and "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God," the leaven of sin abounds. One must be careful, for example, of
reading material, which though published generally for one specific
purpose, can contain some perverse advice. For example, publi.cations
dealing with fashion and fitness are popular with young men today.
One such less-than-a-year-old publication which recently came to my
attention is MGF--MEN'S GUIDE TO FASHION.
Much of the material
contained in the December 1985 issue is relatively innocuous--fashion
features and tips, health and fitness, body-building, grooming,
financial advice. But one article, entitled "In Praise of Solitary
Sex," was a bombshell. Here are just a few exerpts, especially the
quotes from "experts" that the author used to prove his point.
Diane Brashear, Ph.D., a marriage and sexual counselor from
Indianapolis, Indiana.... says ..."Self-pleasuring and its
accompanying fantasies can be a rich experience in an
otherwise tedious existence."
Washington, DC. psychiatrist
Walter R. Stokes, M.D., puts it this way:
"I have arrived at
the view, after a lifetime of clinical experience with sex
problems, that the time has come not only to throw out all
traces of our ancient negative ideas about masturbation, but
boldly and unequivocally to defend it and give it the
important affirmative position it should have...• I feel we
owe it to young people to give our frank and warm endorsement
of auto-erotic pleasure as a completely desirable and
acceptable end in itself...• "
The author obviously agreed with this "expert advice" because nowhere
else in the article did he contradict it.
Instead he delved into
1
various techniques to help his audience enjoy, as he said, "the full
ctrum of auto-erotic riches."
--Gene Hogberg, News Bureau
..