Review of “Sex au Naturel: What it is and Why it’s Good for your Marriage” by Patrick Coffin

Leave it to a well-informed Catholic to be able to write for 134 pages about sex without being “sexy”. Despite the romantic cover, this book is actually a rather technical and philosophical treatise explaining the true meaning and reasoning behind Humanae Vitae and other church documents pertaining to human sexuality and marriage.

“Sex au Naturel: What it is and Why it’s Good for your Marriage” by Patrick Coffin was written primarily for practicing Catholics but all Christians may benefit from it. Whether the reader believes whole-heartedly in the teachings of the Catholic Church regarding sexuality, dissents, or is confused either about what the catechism teaches or how he or she feels about it, this book offers rational clarification. One may disagree at the end, but with a better understanding of many different facets of the issues.

Coffin first explains the basics of the 1968 papal encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“On the Regulation of Human Life”) and the world’s reaction to it, in the context of the 1960’s, the introduction of the Pill and the Sexual Revolution, and the Second Vatican Council. Other little known encyclicals are referenced.

The author explains the mistaken view of conscience that powers the movement of dissent against the Church’s sexual ethics. Then he delves into the scriptural basis for these teachings and the logic of natural law that coincides with the same. He explains how Protestant churches originally reached the same conclusions and why they diverged from them.

What does the marital act have to do with the Trinity? This section is mind-blowing in its comparisons of pro-creative sex with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The argument for “Sex au Naturel” from here on gets more and more powerful.

Proceed from there to the explanation of how contraception contradicts natural law. Coffin also goes into how exactly contraception is different, both physically and spiritually, from natural family planning, and how couples who have been sterilized can get a “second chance” in following Catholic teaching in their marriage. He also explains how reproductive technologies go against the grain of Christian teaching when marital love is taken out of procreation.

The appendix includes many informational references on Natural Family Planning, Theology of the Body, Catholic Teaching on Sex and Marriage, Educational Organizations, Sexual Addiction, and Marriage Counseling and Support.

This book is excellent reading for anyone who wants to be better informed about Catholic teaching on sex and marriage. It would be a great complement to marriage preparation classes or marriage counseling sessions.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. I was sent the book for free in exchange for my honest review. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Sex au Naturel .

The Night’s Dark Shade: A Novel of the Cathars by Elena Maria Vidal

I had the pleasure of reading Elena Maria Vidals’ new historical romance, “The Night’s Dark Shade”, released by Mayapple Press in November, 2009.

The Night’s Dark Shade tells the story of a young heiress, Lady Raphaelle, who is caught up in the turmoil of the Albigensian Crusade in thirteenth century France. En route to meet her betrothed in the castle in the Pyrenees that is hers by right, she is rescued from an ambush by the brave and alluring Sir Martin.

The sparks between the two are flying from the very beginning, while the readers learns of the history of the crusade as well as the mysterious Cathars, a polytheistic sect which claimed to be Christian. In the first chapter the setting, plot, and all the main characters are all well-established. The second chapter instructs us on some history as told by the sweet-smelling knight as he carries her on horseback to her castle. The novel moves on, mixing history and drama, at a good pace. Raphaelle is caught up in several major dilemmas; we can truly sympathize with what she is going through.

Raphaelle is a strong character who insists on doing what is right for her people. All that she does, including following through on her betrothal to a man she does not love, is seen as her duty to them. Even so, she is torn by the feelings she has for another man. She also chooses to harbor an evil object which results in dire consequences. Vidal shows us how even the very best of us can struggle with sin.

The book addresses some surprising delicate moral issues of the time that are seldom brought up in a Christian novel. The Cathars were against marriage because it regularized procreation, and they thought children were evil. The religious midwives used herbs to prevent conception or to abort, even killing live babies if they were not deemed fit to survive. They promoted homosexuality because it did not result in children. People were encouraged to live together without marriage because they were more likely to contracept.

These topics are intertwined through the plot; the immoral acts are alluded to but never described explicited. The historical research is well documented, and moral deductions drawn by the author are all consistent with Catholic doctrine.

The more you read about history, the more you realize that there is truly nothing new under the sun. What is going on in modern society is a rerun of what was happening in the Middle Ages. If you haven’t heard about the “dark side of being green”, many environmental groups have been saying that children are “emitters” and the best thing we can do for the environment is to stop having children! Planned Parenthood is supported by so many large and well-reputed organizations that it is hard to go shopping, go to a movie, or go to a theme park without purchasing a product that will go toward their “cause”.

I was pleasantly surprised by the ending. I was up until 3 AM reading the suspenseful ending! Justice is served (medieval style!) to the protagonists. The main characters all make turn-arounds for the better and there is forgiveness all around. The choice Raphaelle makes in the end is completely satisfying.

Elena Maria Vidal sent me a copy of the newly released book in exchange for my honest review of her book. The author studied the Cathars at SUNY Albany before receiving her Master’s Degree in European History. She also authored Trianon and Madame Royale. You can follow her blog at http://teaattriannon.blogspot.com

The book is available from Lulu.com and will be available from Amazon in a few weeks.

Signed copies can also be bought directly from the author at her blog Tea at Trianon

Thanks to a sensationalized report on Nightline (I mean, what did you expect, in depth treatment, they only reported on TOB in order to shock the public?) Christopher West is answering charges that he is over the top, misinterpreting Pope John Paul, and idolizing Hugh Hefner. He gives an explanation here to misinterpretations of his comments regarding Hugh Hefner;
"I never said Hugh Hefner is a hero, never," he remarked, explaining that Hefner said he started Playboy as a personal response to the hurt and hypocrisy of Americans’ Puritan heritage."The point I was making with ABC was that we as Catholics agree with Hefner’s diagnosis of the disease of Puritanism, a fearful rejection of the body rooted in heritage of Manicheanism. Sadly, that very important point did not come out in the interview.""Let the record stand very clearly: the pornographic revolution that Hugh Hefner inaugurated, the medicine that he suggested, proves to be in many ways more dangerous than the disease itself.'"

West went on to that while ABC took time to do a good interview, it was boiled down to a 7 minute clip with sound bites which were misleading. This is a danger of being part of tabloid TV; only the juicy bits make the cut, and who knows what the agenda of the editor is. I was asked to review The Dangerous Book for Girls (see my review here) on the Today Show, but after finding suggestions to practice both Yoga and the occult in the otherwise good book, I refused, on the basis that my comments on TV would be edited, and my appearance on the show with the book might be misconstrued as approval. As a Catholic film and book critic, I value my reputation of being orthodox and forthright too highly to risk it for 3 minutes of fame.
Maybe Christopher West should be more careful in the future about to what type of program he gives interviews. I have reviewed his latest book "Heaven's Song" very positively, in fact Ascension Press used my blurb(as well as Jeff Miller's who also writes for CMR) for their advertising, so obviously I feel his interpretation of Pope John Paul's Theology of the Body is important. Too important to trust to the National Enquirer of TV: Nightline. Maybe Huckabee or Bonnie Hunt would give him adequate time to express the true meaning of Theology of the Body.

Read the entire story on Catholic News Service.

Emily's Hope: A Pro-life Love Story

Emily’s Hope
Author: Ellen Gable
Full Quiver Publishing, June 1, 2005
Paperback: 360 pages

Emily's Hope is an engaging love story and a young Catholic woman’s search for the truth as she travels the difficult journey from adolescence to adulthood in the late seventies through the present day. It also depicts the story of another woman’s journey, that of Emily’s great-grandmother, who appears to be the antithesis of Emily. While Emily is an innocent, unselfish, religious young woman who seeks the truth in life and love, and discovers their real meaning via Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, her great – grandmother, journeying through the early part of the 20th century to the 1960’s, abused as a child, raised without religion, married to a man she doesn’t love, haphazardly enters into one affair after another, and embraces Margaret Sanger’s philosophy. The two stories are craftfully interwoven, creating a delightful suspense for the reader.

The target audience for Emily’s Hope is clearly the young adult, aged 16 – 30, though men and women of all ages would enjoy this compelling personal story which is written in a lucid, intimate style. Young women will most certainly be drawn into the story by the romance and the lively escapades of adolescence and adulthood presented, and at the same time, will learn about the Catholic teachings regarding sexuality and marriage.

What I found most interesting about this semi- fictitious story based on the real life experiences of the author was the relationship that Emily shares with her boyfriend, who later becomes her husband. A young, Catholic man (at the peak of his sexual drive), strongly grounded in his faith, he convinces Emily, the older, and slightly more “worldly” woman, of the importance of chastity and abstinence. He is an excellent model for male youth today – someone for them to emulate in their struggles with chastity.

There is so much to love about Emily’s Hope – the innocence of young love, the beautiful, miraculous, healing power of love, and the beauty of sacrificial married love and its life-giving splendor. The story is not a fantasy, but is a tender and sensitive portrayal of what makes love real and lasting.

My rating: ***** out of a possible 5 stars.

~ Jean M. Heimann, Copyright, 2006

Crossposted at Catholic Fire.