[Akron Al]

"I feel favorably toward the idea," says Popcak, but how come none of his friends will agree with him. Instead, they launch strange parodies attempting to show only "radtrads" think strange the idea of a boy charting his teenage sister, or even worse his mom.

[Akron Al]

For the record, I have no probelm with couples using NFP under certain circumstances and I like Pope John Paul II.

[sinkspur]

For heaven's sake! How much shelf-life does Popcak have?

You can tell this is a dead time, newswise, in the Catholic Church. A 48-hour issue is dragging itself out for who know's how long.

Polycarp, what do you have to say about all this?

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Cowards.

[Loyalist]

PING.

Greg Popcak must be feeling the heat from more people than the denizens of FR and St. Blog's, if he and his defenders are getting shriller and louder in their insults.

What we don't see offline is how the news travels by word of mouth, and how it becomes embellished in third and fourth hand accounts.

Wait to see if he cancels public lectures and/or stops appearing in the Catholic media.

[Hermann the Cherusker]

"Report Use of Charitable Language"

That category is sorely needed on the Religion Forum!

[Romulus]

Hey, cheer up -- there's no such thing as bad publicity. The very fact that we're being parodied and misrepresented proves we're being heard.

[TradicalRC]

Thanks for the post; I thought it was funny as hell.

[dsc]

You've probably heard that old lawyer's saying--if the law is on your side, argue the law; if the facts are on your side, argue the facts. If neither the law nor the facts are on your side, call the other fellow a scoundrel.

He can't defend what he said, so he's mocking those who called him on it.

[Salvation]

I just found this:

Second Parenting Fair Planned

        The second annual Catholic Parenting Fair will be held on Saturday, September
20, 2003 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Fair will be held at LaSalle High School
(11199 SE Fuller Road) in Milwaukie. Gregory Popcak will be the Keynote speaker. He
is a nationally recognized psychotherapist and author of five books on marriage and
family life issues. Mr. Popcak will spend the morning speaking about topics of parenting
with grace and creating an exceptional marriage while raising children.

        During the afternoon sessions from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m., local educators will be
presenting on a variety of parenting topics. This year's topics include: Scripture,
Spirituality and Family Life; Surviving (and even benefiting from) the Stress in Our Lives;
Saving Sex for Marriage --- How to talk to your Teen; Rediscovering Playtime with Your
Children; Stepfamilies: Pitfalls and Possibilities; and Single Parenting: Going It Alone.

        There will also be a variety of pro-family organizations in attendance that will
have educational materials displayed.

        Gregory K. Popcak (pronounced POP-chak) is a nationally recognized
psychotherapist, speaker, and author of five books on marriage and family issues. As
founder and director of the Pastoral Solutions Institute, he provides a nationwide
telephone counseling service to help Christians apply their faith to tough marriage,
family, and personal problems. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology
and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from the Franciscan University of
Steubenville and a Masters in Social Work (clinical specialization) from the University of
Pittsburgh. In addition to his expertise in several models of marriage and family
therapy, he works extensively with individuals who suffer from depression, anxiety, and
other stress related problems as well as those adults who are recovering from the
trauma of childhood abuse.

        The cost of the Parenting Fair is $15.00 per person and includes the morning
Keynote session, two afternoon sessions and a boxed lunch.

[sockmonkey]

As far as I'm concerned they can mock all they want. I don't care if he knows "some" (what's that two?) families who even think it's a good idea. It's a bad idea, and it's downright creepy.

[Polycarp]

I just re read the parody again, and the follow-up comments on the link you provided.

I love good humor.

But this is just vicious.

On the one hand, one point in a 200 page book has been blown way out of proportion in the author's zeal to promote a Godly alternative to the culture of death contraceptive mentality.

Those criticizing and blowing out of proportion this one (obviously imprudent!) suggestion in this book were probably the same ones who lambasted critics of Michael Rose's "Goodbye, Good Men" who took tiny pieces of Rose's book that appeared erroneous and blew them completely out of proportion.

On the other hand, Popcak should just admit that section was imprudent.

And his defenders should be ashamed of themselves for their childish lampooning of what is valid criticism. His remarks and these further defenses make NFP supporters look cultish, just as this thread says. And as an NFP instructor, I resent that immensely.

Its hard enough to get society to understand and embrace NFP as a bridge out of the culture of death contraceptive mentality and into Abandonment to Divine Providence. But when the NFP supporters themselves go to such lengths as these, NFP loses credibility among both the culture at large and among orthodox Catholics!

NFP is NOT an end, it is NOT a way of life! It is to be the exception, under grave circumstances, to a Catholic family life of being open to LIFE! It is a bridge or ladder out of the contraceptive mentality and a tool to be used in grave circumstances which make complete openness to life imprudent.

This idea of instilling this NFP obsession even to our children, belies a misunderstanding of the proper role of NFP in marital life. It is to be an exception, not the rule. It is not to ever be a lifelong way of life!

The extreme trads who reject NFP out of hand are wrong. It is morally licit in certain grave circumstances.

Likewise, those who ardently promote NFP as a way of life, even forcing it upon their children in an impudent manner, and failing to emphasize first and foremost that NFP is only to be used for grave reasons, are also wrong.

Both sides here are guilty.