The virtue of chastity
It's Sunday so perhaps it is appropriate that it was today that Dr Grumble came across something a patient was wearing that he has never noticed before. It was a red and white cord tied around the middle of a lady he needed to examine. Curious, Dr Grumble asked the patient what it was. It was a St Philomena Cord.
The cord provides marvellous protection against many mishaps. It seems particularly good at safeguarding the virtue of chastity. Had it been effective for Dr Grumble's patient? Ignorant as to the benefits of wearing the cord, Dr G didn't ask.
There's always something new to learn in this job.
4 comments:
If we all embraced the so called "virtue" of chastity there would be no human race.
The old pagans had the right idea, in valuing fertility above all else, although in their day they did not have overpopulation to worry about
St Phelomena, and there those scholars who doubt she ever existed, died aged '13'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philomena
So, with all due respect, how does anyone know whether she would have continued to wear that cord or not if she had lived a normal life?
And my point is, she most probably would have continued to wear it. Not because it was forced on her, but out of own 'choice'. And this is where everybody makes terrible errors of judgement re women, because, for one, chastity can never be enforced on any woman but is 'always' the individual's choice. One that stems from her own will to give herself only to the one man she loves and one who would honour that love.
Then again, chastity usually runs in families, of all faiths, creeds and cultures. Usually, parents, mothers in particular, acting as role models themselves, they feed the concept to their daughters from a very young age then hope they will continue with the ideal themselves once grown up, and the young women usually do. The problem is what happens when a mother neglects her duty to teach and the girl grows older and offends. This is when crimes including murder take place, like honour killing, for example.
Also, you need to understand Dr Grumble that nobody can neglect their roots, especially those one believe are a good thing themselves. This is one of them for many cultures around the globe, but would everybody go killing their own daughter if she offends? No! ... but you still 'hope' you raised her well enough that she doesn't.
What happens when that devotion to that one man goes sour? Well, there is always divorce, or just lump it and continue to live a loveless life of chastity and purity, specially if she has children. Something lots of women silently do, even while married.
"Then again, chastity usually runs in families".
Beautiful - couldn't make it up!
It's my experience, but I acknowlege that you may have a different one.
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