Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



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aussieannie
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Posted: June 23 2006 at 1:31am | IP Logged Quote aussieannie

Just quoting Mary Ellen from the previous openness to life and husbands thread...it's got me thinking.

MEBarret wrote:
My husband was raised in a family that regards children much the same way we would regard pets.


Ouch! Potent & but sadly true! You hit the nail on the the head describing many couples today, Mary Ellen.

Increasingly children get tied up and confused with the commodity lifestyle. I have my new car, new holiday, new boat, my exotic breed of dog and my pigeon pair!

I had Jack first and then Grace and that is when I first heard the term 'pigeon pair' and puzzled over it - what did it mean? People were then really surprised I continued to have more children, "you had your pigeon pair!" Most of my relatives (not close family) first words to me these days are, "now Anne are you going have more?" FIRST words! These are really lovely people too! They say it teasingly, they say it affectionately (as if it is a long-standing joke) but they SAY it!

I think the culture of death has alot to do with it too. It forces couples to think this way, especially those directly touched by it. We always have a pro-life slogan on the back of our car, and I have wanted to design a 'homemade one' in recent times, but felt it was probably to confronting to do it and so I have shelved those plans - this is what I would have written:

              The Abortion Culture
The unwanted child becomes a corpse.
The wanted child becomes a commodity.

and if you felt like it on the opposite side of the car's back window you could put something like this (unless someone can think of something better - I would love that feedback!)

            The Culture of Life
The wanted child is an expected blessing.
The unwanted child is an unexpected blessing.

Hmm....don't know whether that is that heart-pulling..can anyone think of anything inspirational?

....is all this too hard hitting to have on the back of a car and can anyone improve on the second slogan?

I certainly don't want to start road rage, or for it to be perceived that pro-life people don't care,



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Dawnie
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Posted: June 23 2006 at 6:20pm | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

Here's my idea for the second slogan:

The Culture of Life
The wanted child is an expected blessing.
There are no unwanted children.

Dawn

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aussieannie
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 3:27am | IP Logged Quote aussieannie

Thanks Dawn, you made me realise, that I am affected by the culture of death too (pro-life that I am) and not immune to their subtle indoctrination - powerful sedatative that it is!   

Never to talk their 'terminology' is important and your slogan corrected that beautifully...just thinking, if I wanted to make it a play on words like the first one I could word what you have written this way:

                      The Culture of Life
The wanted child is an expected blessing.
The unexpected blessing is a wanted child.

I think it is saying the same? Can't trust myself though! What do you think?

Doing an update...may be that is not correct either when I ponder on it....this maybe, if I still want the play on words:

The expected child is a wanted blessing.
The unexpected blessing is a wanted child.

Oh, I getting confused I think! I'm not sure I know what I mean now!
(I don't even know how to colour it! )

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Dawnie
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 10:45am | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

aussieannie wrote:

                        Th e Culture of Life
The wanted child is an expected blessing.
The unexpected blessing is a wanted child.

I think it is saying the same? Can't trust myself though! What do you think?


I think it is saying the same! The whole point is, that if we take the Catholic view that children are always a blessing, then there is no such thing as an unwanted child, even though the child may be a surprise.

Dawn

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teachingmyown
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 3:30pm | IP Logged Quote teachingmyown

How about:

There are no unwanted children, only unexpected blessings.



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aussieannie
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 8:24pm | IP Logged Quote aussieannie

Thanks for that Molly, how about incorporating the first verse in there like this?:
                     

                          The Culture of Life
                        children are blessings.
There are no unwanted children, only unexpected blessings.

I really would like to use both or at the least the Culture of Life one, do you have any thoughts on whether the Culture of Death verses are too confronting?

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aussieannie
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 8:33pm | IP Logged Quote aussieannie

dawnie wrote:
The whole point is, that if we take the Catholic view that children are always a blessing, then there is no such thing as an unwanted child, even though the child may be a surprise.


Yes Dawn, and it is not just because we Catholics 'believe' so, but because it is a incredible reality (which is what you were emphasising in your that verse) - all this has had me thinking about Mother Teresa, where she would say something to the effect of: if you don't want your child, I want it, someone else wants it, the world NEEDS it!

So even if the parents do not want their baby, it is soul that has been in the mind of God from all eternity - it has a serious, incredible purpose so it's existence is not an accident.


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Dawnie
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Posted: June 24 2006 at 9:19pm | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

aussieannie wrote:
Yes Dawn, and it is not just because we Catholics 'believe' so, but because it is a incredible reality (which is what you were emphasising in your that verse) - all this has had me thinking about Mother Teresa, where she would say something to the effect of: if you don't want your child, I want it, someone else wants it, the world NEEDS it!

So even if the parents do not want their baby, it is soul that has been in the mind of God from all eternity - it has a serious, incredible purpose so it's existence is not an accident.


Amen, amen, amen!!!

Dawn

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Posted: June 26 2006 at 1:06pm | IP Logged Quote teachingmom

I think both of these are clever and get the point across really well!

aussieannie wrote:
The Culture of Life
The expected child is a wanted blessing.
The unexpected blessing is a wanted child.


aussieannie wrote:
The Culture of Life
Children are blessings.
There are no unwanted children, only unexpected blessings.


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Posted: June 26 2006 at 10:31pm | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

aussieannie wrote:
The Culture of Life
Children are blessings.
There are no unwanted children, only unexpected blessings.


I like this slogan the best for a bumper sticker. It would make me smile to see it on the car in front of me at a stoplight.

As far as whether or not "The Culture of Death" slogan is too confrontational, I don't know. On the one hand, it seems that you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. On the other hand, I think that sometimes the hard truth needs to be told--we need to call a spade a spade. Know what I mean?

I've seen a bumper sticker here in the US which quotes Mother Teresa saying "It is a poverty that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." A woman who has had an abortion might find that statement painful--but it's true! Should we refrain from proclaiming the truth b/c it might be painful for people who aren't living it? I mean, people SHOULD feel uncomfortable when they're in a state of mortal sin. It's a mercy from God that moves us to repentence!

Those are my thoughts, but I still don't know which is the better course. Perhaps it depends on the situation...

Dawn

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Posted: June 27 2006 at 2:03pm | IP Logged Quote aussieannie

Thank you again Dawn! That is so AWESOME! And I feel personally that it is far more convicting and less inflammatory than mine (just to have Mother Teresa’s name at the end, convicts!)

Wow! You have the best bumper stickers!!!

This is what I love about Americans, if you will permit me to say this, there is obviously many passioniate and dynamic people! Here in a Australia, it is like boiling slowly, the proverbial toad.

People here, laugh and say that in America, you see and very worst and the very best. Believe it or not, it is mostly not said to insult and I see it as a compliment because when I hear it I think of Our Lord when He said that he would vomit out the lukewarm.

Please, please, can you post more ‘gems’ anyone? Especially one’s that are a religious, Catholic quote of some kind. I can have a collect that I can 'rotate' for the back of our car. Great things to advertise on, aren't they?

(Well, I’m off Dawn, to make a new sticker for my car!)



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Posted: June 28 2006 at 5:38am | IP Logged Quote Bridget

I started a new thread and moved some posts over, hopefully I broke it up in a sensible way. Speaking the truth in charity

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Posted: June 28 2006 at 12:26pm | IP Logged Quote Dawnie

Annie,

Here's another quote from Mother Teresa:

"Children are like flowers. How can anyone say there are too many?"

Dawn

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