It’s worth noting here that greed is called idolatry, and that obscenity, impurity and vulgarity are called out. The second group tends to get us called prudes. The first — calling out the greedy and envious, is something that nobody in the prosperity gospel talks about.

But perhaps a bit of prudishness and caution is needed.

So perhaps what we are seeing is another turn in the circular matrix in which female chastity is brought back around by external control on males in the form of these odd new sexual assault and rape policies. I have what I believe is evidence that women as a group are responsible for this and the reason they are doing this is to bring females back to pre-marital chastity. I do not believe the players understand the game, but I think this is a plausible explanation for what we observe. However, I don’t want to lay out my evidence quite yet, as I am still trying to understand the whys for what we see.

In the real world, it is important for us as parents to understand what is going on so that we can properly advise our children. If girls are damaged by pre-marital sex (whether they admit it or not), we have a duty to explain this to them; if boys are at risk of having their lives destroyed by a sexual-assault allegation, we have a duty to explain this to them. Just railing against sluttery and false rape allegations doesn’t help us understand why things are the way they are and what function these changes serve on a society-wide scale.

We have to understand that greed will get people marketing either impure thoughts or impure actions — for profit or status. We consider the dating scene as a market and describe it, including plenty of PUA teaching how to manipulate. Anyway, to the passage.

Ephesians 5:1-20

¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

³But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. ⁵Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. ⁷Therefore do not be associated with them. ⁸For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light — ⁹for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. ¹⁰Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹²For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; ¹³but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, ¹⁴for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.”¹⁵Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, ¹⁶making the most of the time, because the days are evil. ¹⁷So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, ²⁰giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are to love as Christ loved. This is sacrificially, joyfully, and (within marriage) includes sexually. For sex has a purpose: this is classic Catholic teaching, but it is worthwhile thinking about.

The ultimate end of sex – which is to say, the true end of sex – is the actualization of human souls in the lives of immortal persons who by virtue of their very existence have the option of enjoying forever the Beatific Vision, and the endless other beauties of Heaven outside the throne room. Each life that succeeds to Heaven represents an infinite increase in the realized value of Creation. A forgone human life then represents an infinite cost to the whole economy of Heaven, forever and ever. Being himself infinite, God can of course cover that defect of creaturely perfection with no problem; but for all the other citizens of Heaven, the failure to implement a single tiny life is a catastrophic injury to the wealth of glory they might have enjoyed, had the imperfection of procreative potential implicit in creation ab initio never occurred.

So the question now is how should we live wisely?

Firstly, we need to know our weakness and failings. We need to confess and turn from them each day. This is one reason I revolt at the idea of all these things being addictions: they are sins that we habitually do, to our detriment.

Secondly, we have to assume that everyone is watching us. Regardless of what we do, malware and distorted links can take us places we do not want to be, and it’s fairly clear to me that the tinfoil hat brigade are correct: evidence can be planted in your computer — for malware surely can be. This world is against us: even in the free west people die doing their duty for Christ.

As noted yesterday, we are not brutes. We have to live in a different manner from those around us, because what we have now is a form of anarcho-prudery.

It is anarchistic in that the official ideology is that anything goes. Do you want to marry homosexual couples? Perform public acts of indecency? Perfectly legal, perfectly licit, provided everyone is over 18.

But woe betide anyone who breaks any of the shibboleths such as saying anything against the Black Slave Narrative, or that homosexuality may be as immoral as fornication. Or that there is such a thing as a healthy weight.

People get the vapours over the truth, but let stuff that would have been classified when I was a young man play on the news because it is a new video from the latest auto-tuned starlet (Yes, that is a reference to Miley).

What is good and healthy advice (don’t spend all day looking at manga or worse: don’t eat that cake, don’t sleep with her unless you are prepared to raise her kids (or pay what the court demands for the kids until they are in their mid 20s).

But saying that the social welfare system has done more to damage the middle class — black and white, Maori and Pakeha — than any oppressive wars or jim crow laws. Our republics are at risk.

But that’s raciss. Or sexist. Or just mean.

Well, yeah, but we are called to use our time wisely. Summer colds or not (yes, I have one). And that is not in dissipation and partying as the decline happens, but living in a functional manner.

For two things will drag people to the gospel: the difference between the fruits of love (such as children, happiness, and a security in Christ) and dissipation (which is despair, for we all lose our beauty and wealth and power, given enough time).

The second is that the world will see that we love each other, unto death. Words will help, but living our lives in a counter cultural manner is what is needed. And here, given that we live in a corrupt time, we all need prayer.