RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
This thread got many thinking. Interestingly enough, Marsden, as do a few of Jonathan Edwards' biographers, note that many problems occured due to young men acting like adoloscents even into their late 20s.
I think we are seeing the same things today. Men are marrying later, having chirrens later, and, as Greco pointed out, "starting life later than previously."
The Following Analysis is a Generalization. This obviously does not apply to one's own unique case (also, I wrote this off the top of my head in a matter of minutes).
What are some of the sources of this problem?
1. The evangelical church has emasculated the men.
2. ?
What are some of the major obstacles facing us in combatting this?
1. I would suggest the modern educational/professional model itself is a problem. Consider the vicious cycle: Given the rise in inflation and the struggle to make a living having a non-specialized job, one must:
a. Go to college and major in a skill.
b. But of course, that's worthless in our technocracy unless one has a master's degree or equivalent.
c. Therefore, one has to go on to graduate and post-graduate studies.
d. The problem with this, however, is money. Graduate students are broke and college students are in massive debt (loans, anybody?).
e. Therefore, one has to spend money hoping--with no guarrantee, mind you--that this will be reimbursed later in life.
d. Therefore, men (and women--but I will get to that below) are starting life after graduate studies are over. But they are also starting in debt.
and this isn't the worst case scenario! Read on:
I worked in a third world country this summer--Bastrop, LA. I noticed, almost to the dot, that the women were holding steady jobs in their early 20s while the men of equivalent age and status were still playing games and spending their allowance on cold beers. Thus, we see women ready to start a family but no men were available.
Thus, using the above analysis, we can now pinpoint some problems in the modern sexual-ethic crisis. Youth are starting puberty at a younger age than ever before and are getting married (granting the Christian premise that marriage is the only proper outlet for sexual passion) later in life, leaving a dangerous gap where hormones run wild.
So, back to one of the original questions: what are some good ways to combat this phenomenon?
[Edited on 10--17-06 by Draught Horse]
I think we are seeing the same things today. Men are marrying later, having chirrens later, and, as Greco pointed out, "starting life later than previously."
The Following Analysis is a Generalization. This obviously does not apply to one's own unique case (also, I wrote this off the top of my head in a matter of minutes).
What are some of the sources of this problem?
1. The evangelical church has emasculated the men.
2. ?
What are some of the major obstacles facing us in combatting this?
1. I would suggest the modern educational/professional model itself is a problem. Consider the vicious cycle: Given the rise in inflation and the struggle to make a living having a non-specialized job, one must:
a. Go to college and major in a skill.
b. But of course, that's worthless in our technocracy unless one has a master's degree or equivalent.
c. Therefore, one has to go on to graduate and post-graduate studies.
d. The problem with this, however, is money. Graduate students are broke and college students are in massive debt (loans, anybody?).
e. Therefore, one has to spend money hoping--with no guarrantee, mind you--that this will be reimbursed later in life.
d. Therefore, men (and women--but I will get to that below) are starting life after graduate studies are over. But they are also starting in debt.
and this isn't the worst case scenario! Read on:
I worked in a third world country this summer--Bastrop, LA. I noticed, almost to the dot, that the women were holding steady jobs in their early 20s while the men of equivalent age and status were still playing games and spending their allowance on cold beers. Thus, we see women ready to start a family but no men were available.
Thus, using the above analysis, we can now pinpoint some problems in the modern sexual-ethic crisis. Youth are starting puberty at a younger age than ever before and are getting married (granting the Christian premise that marriage is the only proper outlet for sexual passion) later in life, leaving a dangerous gap where hormones run wild.
So, back to one of the original questions: what are some good ways to combat this phenomenon?
[Edited on 10--17-06 by Draught Horse]