Wisdom For Your Weekend: your weekly installment of things we’ve been reading around the web.
Articles of the Week
Every Woman a Mother, Zoe Erler. In light of the upcoming Mother’s Day, this is a helpful perspective on what true motherhood is. Motherhood is a high calling, but it is a calling for all women—single, married, fertile, or infertile. As Erler says, “Womanhood is motherhood, but not how we’ve been defining it.” (And, I might add, true fatherhood is a calling for all men as well!)
From Godlessness to Ruthlessness: The True Causes of WW1, The Economist. “In his article, elaborating on an earlier lecture, Mr. Weigel lists the secular ideas that were supplanting religion before 1914. They include racial theories based on the superiority of the Slavic or Teutonic peoples, and their incompatibility with each other; Friedrich Nietszche’s glorification of destruction and power; distorted forms of Darwinism which saw the survival of the fittest as a prescription for an endless arms race. He thinks that religion itself was corrupted by secular nationalism, to the point where many of Europe’s clergy saw nothing but merit in killing fellow Christians of a different nation.”
What Happened to Wedding Vows? Catherine Parks. “If you’ve attended many recent weddings, you’ve likely heard more and more couples alter the traditional vows or write their own—going along with the Pinterest-fueled movement to personalize nearly every element of the wedding day. They’ll stand before witnesses to pledge things like: ‘I will always peel your clementines.’ ‘I promise to support your coffee habit.’ ‘I vow to be on time.’” Is there any merit to insisting on preserving the classic “for better, for worse, in sickness, and in health”? Catherine Parks argues that there is—and it is precisely what is not unique about wedding vows that makes them valuable.
Christianity Is a Crutch for the Weak, Matt Chandler. “I often hear unbelievers make the statement that Christianity is a crutch. It’s a statement intended to insult believers—to imply that only a weak person needs religion. And, in our culture, it’s a statement that hits its mark more often than not because our culture despises weakness. We don’t want to be seen as weak. We want to be perceived as strong. So when I hear someone say that Christianity is a crutch, I agree. I’m a guy whose legs are broken. I need that crutch.”
“I Feel Super Great About Having an Abortion.” Albert Mohler. Emily Letts made news recently by filming the process of her abortion, ostensibly to show the world that there is no guilt involved and that abortions should be joyous occasions. Mohler reflects on this viral video and points out that while it did “lift the curtain” for many, what it revealed is hardly as joyous as Letts intended.
On The Lighter Side
Spaghetti and Meatballs: Not Italian, but Definitely Italian-American. If you care about Italian cuisine—either because you are Italian, you eat Italian, or you love Italians—this is an interesting (albeit nerdy) article about the history of the classic dish.
