Who’s next William Ayers?

I’ll go further: I think that traditionalism can lead to promiscuity. Let me explain:

Those children who are raised with a set of rules that are reasonable, consistent, and reflective of the world around them know that they can use these rules for a successful and meaningful life. But those who are raised with a set of rules that are arbitrary and based on “tradition” cannot trust those rules once they determine their nature.

Take, for example, a kid who was raised to believe that promiscuity is sin, and premarital sex is sin, and lust is sin, and masturbation is sin, and thinking about sex is sin, and all sin is equal in the sight of God.

Then give him puberty.

At some point this kid is going to “sin”. And if all shades of gray are black, then what is to distinguish between mastubation and a gang-bang in a back alley?

Too often, kids raised in fundamentalist or traditionalist families have a very long list of “do not’s” without a strong foundation in why such things are harmful. Rather than focus on the possibilities of disease or the dehumanizing or insensitizing nature of promiscuity, they are told that God bans sex outside marriage, end of story, book closed.

And then there are often a whole slew of other “sins” that are thrown right in there – sins which have almost no detectable harm. When I was growing up, the list included secular music, dancing, bowling, movies, television, shorts, going shirtless, swimming with kids of the other sex, drinking (even in moderation), smoking, a lot of the current slang, and a plenty of other things I’m sure I’ve forgotten.

Well what happens when the kid discovers that watching Top Chef isn’t going to warp their mind (much), pervert their spirit, or damn their eternal soul.

The kid is left with no framework, a blank slate. So there’s nothing to give them a sense of direction for what is best in their life, the community, or society as a whole.

I’ll admit to an increased exposure to disease (for promiscuity) if he admits to a higher likeliehood of disillusionment for the “traditional” marriage bunch. The promiscuous masses are full of disillusioned tradtionalists.

Besides, I’d rather be disillusioned by the occasional lover than by how I’ve lived my entire life. I know that a lifetime with one person would never work for me…it already hasn’t.

As Stephen Colbert said, you are not the Rosa Parks of intolerance, Charles Colson.

You know, you can praise someone’s work without giving them one of the highest honors given to a US civilian.

January 20th simply cannot come soon enough.