Gold-digging And False Theology

 Preamble:

The list of woes resulting from the blind leading the blind could be almost inexhaustible. One of the classic cases of the blind leading the blind is that in which gold digging spree becomes a beneficiary of false theology in matters relating to marriage. 

How can this happen? That is the concern of this article

The Marriage Contract. 

Now, what food is to the individual, matrimony is to humanity in general. For as food serves to maintain the life of the individual, so marriage serves to maintain the life of the human race.

 Marriage is a reciprocal contract by which a man and a woman freely give and mutually receive a perpetual and exclusive right to each other's body for the performance of those actions which, of their very nature, are directed to the procreation of children. 

Quick facts about marriage can be itemized as follows:

•  it is of divine origin in the very law of nature.
• the free consent required for the contract cannot be supplied by any human authority
• its object and essential properties are beyond the free will of the contracting parties. 
•  the number and sex of the contracting parties, the purpose and duration of the marriage, are predetermined.
•  the number and sex: one man and one woman, and the union is indissoluble.
•  the purpose intends a union of bodies.
•  the duration of the contract lasts till the death of one of the parties.
•  the contract is strictly reciprocal, so that if even if one of the parties is unable to contract it, marriage is invalid for both parties. 
•  the primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children.
•  the secondary end is mutual aid and a remedy for concupiscence. 
• for Christians, matrimony is not merely a natural contract: it is a sacrament a great sacrament, because it is typical of the union of Christ with the Church (Eph. 5: 32).
• A marriage can only be concluded in the absence of all impediments to it. The impediments may be such as nullify marriage, or such as render it unlawful.
• The impediments that render marriage null or invalid, are: Coercion, defect of age, consanguinity, and affinity, a previous marriage tie still existing, the greater degrees of Holy Orders, solemn vows, the prohibition concerning the marriage of Catholics with unbaptized persons.
•  The impediments that render marriage unlawful, are: the prohibition in regard to certain times, diversity of religious belief, betrothal, simple vows, complete ignorance of religious truth.

Delicate Questions Concerning Marriage. 

There are many delicate questions that may arise concerning marriage with particular reference to the ability to contract marriage and cases of nullity due to force or fear as to what concerns the ability to contract marriage. Regarding this, it is prescribed that the judgement of each case must always be based on careful medical and legal examination of each individual party. 

Coercion and Defect of age: a case study.

Among the impediments that render marriage null or invalid, are: Coercion and defect of age. 

Here it should be noted that if undue stress is brought to bear on a man, if he is forced into marrying some one against his will by threats of personal injury, or fear of being disinherited, his marriage is invalid. With regard to defect of age: canonically, boys under fourteen, girls under twelve cannot enter into wedlock. However, intending couples are to be discouraged from entering marriage at this canonical age if it be before the age which people are wont to enter into marriage according to general custom. 

Linked with the question of defect of age is what pertains to the capacity to give the free consent which makes up the marriage contract. Under this title must be seen: 

• the capacity to understand the nature of marriage.
• the capacity to understand the ends and obligations of marriage.
• the capacity to fulfill the obligations of marriage. 

From this it can be seen that canonically, boys under fourteen, girls under twelve are considered incapable of the marriage contract. 

Perpetual Infants and Marriage

Infancy as a stage of growth covers up to two years after birth. During this stage, a child usually needs constant care and attention.   

Now, they are some people who are described as "perpetual infants", not because of their actual age bracket but on account of their mental age as a result of developmental challenges having their root cause in a genetic disorder known as "Down Syndrome". 

The question concerning the capacity to contract marriage takes on a peculiar interest in cases involving people with Down Syndrome. Here the prescription that the judgement of each case must always be based on careful medical and legal examination of each individual party is most relevant.

Generally, utilizing the expression "perpetual infants" for Down Syndrome patients is by no means euphemistic. No. But, just like among infants some may have some developmental advantages than others within the same age group, by some rare instance a Down Syndrome patient may be advantageous in his development as to be capable of being sui juris so much as to be able to validly contract a marriage. 

But, while we allow for this possibility, it must be noted that such would be an exceptionally rare case. 

Posing the right Questions:

Many a time people get stuck with wrong answers precisely because they posed wrong questions. When it comes to Down Syndrome patients, the right question to ask is not whether they are capable of performing the marital act or of giving birth. Neither is it about whether they can make dutiful partners or not. 

The fertility rate among female Down Syndrome patients is put at 50% while it is said to be lower among the males. It indeed often happens that Down Syndrome patients are vulnerable to sexual perversions on account their submissiveness. 

In the same way, their childlike simplicity makes them wonderful companions. But marriage is not primarily about sexual or psychological/ emotional partnership. 

What then is the right question to ask? It is precisely this: whether this particular Down Syndrome patient, given his appreciable response to therapeutic interventions, is capable of contracting marriage. That is whether he has:

•  The capacity to understand the nature of marriage.
• The capacity to understand the ends and obligations of marriage. 
• The capacity to fulfill the obligations of marriage. 

This mental and volitional capacity takes for granted biological capacity. If either of these were to be lacking and a marriage contract is attempted it would amount to an invalid marriage. 

Comes in gold digging backed by false Theology:

A concern having Modernist false theology of marriage for it's springboard... 

Often, when the question of gold digging is at stake a given individual stands in relation to this abominable crime either as the gold digger per se or as a (passive) instrument of the gold digger. 

Imagine a scenario in which a lady opts to be married to a male with Down Syndrome disorder. If this Down Syndrome male patient were to be from a poor family, all would generally applaud her genuine sentiment of love for the Down Syndrome male patient. 

But, does the supposed "sincere sentiment of love" suffice for the marriage to be contracted? Absolutely not. 

Given that the primary end of marriage is the procreation and education children and that the consent required for the marriage contract cannot be supplied by any human authority, it must be established that the male Down Syndrome partner is indeed capable of both giving the consent and of procreation and education of children. As noted earlier, this possibility is exceptionally rare.

Supposing that the male Down Syndrome party to this hypothetical marriage is from a family with the proverbial silver spoon, it is easy to smell some species of vested interest, call it gold-digging aura. And here, the lady in question would either be a gold digger or an instrument thereof. 

Now, irrespective of whether gold digging is involved in the hypothetical marriage in question or not, imagine that a supposed clergyman [a Novus Ordo lay-robed man] were to be presented with the case and his only concerns are: 

1. whether the wife knows he can't procreate and still goes ahead to contract the marriage. And
2. that the wife or relatives can teach the children, if any.

Here we have a classical case of Modernist false theology which swaps the secondary end of marriage for the primary and vice versa. The emphasis, in this scheme, is placed on mutual aid and remedy against concupiscence as the primary end of marriage, while making the procreation and education of children the secondary end. The Down Syndrome party, if virile, is set to be at once a conjugal machine and a fun-to-be-with pet. 

Now, if gold digging were to be involved in the hypothetical marriage contract in question, and if it were to have the counsel of a Novus Ordo lay-robed agent for its authority, we would then have a case of the gold digging party being a beneficiary of false theology. The blind leading the blind. Oops!

Summing up:

• Marital consent cannot be supplied by any human authority.
• Generally, Down Syndrome patients, being "perpetual infants" , are incapable of giving marital consent and thus incapable of contracting a valid marriage. 
• There may be a rare exception of a down syndrome patient attaining the desired development which makes him capable of marital consent and contracting valid marriage. 
• Modernist false theology swaps the primary end of marriage for the secondary end and is favorable to having a male Down Syndrome patient joined in marriage to a lady with no developmental challenges Whatsoever. This makes of the male Down Syndrome party, if virile, merely a conjugal-childbearing machine and a loyal fun-to-be-with pet. 
• Should the lady in the attempted marriage be up to a gold digging adventure, her gold digging would be a shamefully grateful beneficiary of false theology. Sad.