7 Things the Great Books Teach Us About Marriage

The debate over issues such as same-sex “marriage” has only intensified in recent weeks, and conversations with those we disagree with can be frustrating. There are many reasons people may not understand the truth about family, children and society, but one of factor can definitely be educational background.

As Catholics faced with increasing challenges in the public sphere, we want to do more than just “like” a meme or relate an issue to our own experiences or emotions. Rather, those who receive liberal arts education are able to understand the issues, put them in context and put reason and faith at the service of defending the truth. Northeast Catholic College, an authentically Catholic liberal arts college in New England, explains how a liberal arts degree can prepare young men and women to share the truth of God’s great plan for our lives, including for marriages and families.

Catholic Students of the Great Books:

1. Receive Wisdom Directly From Great Thinkers: By reading primary texts spanning from Plato to Augustine to Dante, students enter into dialogue with philosophers, poets and theologians who teach us to discover and defend truth. President of Northeast Catholic, Dr. Harne relates that “Though they learn to be reflective and articulate during their time at Northeast Catholic, they also prepare to engage in the active renewal of the Church and the culture. The four years they spend in dialogue with the greatest authors of the west prepare them to listen well and be able to give an answer for the hope that is within them.”
2. Look Beyond Modern Debates into History: It is easy to forget that today’s understanding of issues (like same-sex “marriage) have not always been framed in this way. Dr. Harne explains that “our students learn speak to the contemporary challenges we face with a deep understanding of the intellectual and historical sources of those challenges. This understanding gives them credibility and an intellectual advantage over those who merely repeat the platitudes of the New York Times op-ed. page and other liberal pundits.”
3. Understand Natural Law: Today, many intellectuals have been taught to believe that man’s desires and will are supreme. If we want something and “it doesn’t hurt anyone”, then it should be lauded. Most great thinkers throughout history, however, will argue that there exists a natural law that is inscribed into the world and the human person. In other words, our natures have something to tell us about morality and ethics—there is an objective truth that we should strive to discover and protect.
4. Think for Themselves: One of the most frustrating things about today’s rapid shift on issues such as reproductive technologies, same-sex “marriage” and religious liberty, is the herd mentality. If one person turns their Facebook profile into a rainbow, suddenly ten more follow suit. Great Books students are encouraged to dissect texts, understand them thoroughly and make their own arguments for, against or proceeding from them.
5. Are Perpetual Students: At schools like NorthEast Catholic, students enter into an environment where love of learning is tangible. Rather than solely seeking a degree for a resume or a job (though those are important), Great Books students become seekers of truth, hopefully for the rest of their lives!
6. Embrace Faith Seeking Understanding: Students study the Catholic faith in-depth, pursuing a deeper understanding of why we believe what we believe. Recognizing that man was given the gift of knowledge and of revelation, students do more than recite back the teachings of the Church; they unpack their richness, integrating them into their lives. By reading the Great Books with a Catholic understanding, Dr. Harne says it “places these great thinkers and their ideas against a horizon of eternal truth and the call to communion with Christ and his Church.”
7. Are Counter-cultural: According to Dr. Harne “Being Catholic today is profoundly counter-cultural. We are not merely opposed to things: we have a radically different vision of human flourishing. The Great Books education offered at Northeast Catholic gives our students a full vision of Catholic flourishing rooted in the intellectual sources of the Catholic tradition. Thus, our graduates not only know the sources and the arguments of those who advocate agendas destructive to human flourishing but can also charitably and with joyful confidence offer an alternative.”

Interested in learning more about NortheastCatholic? Visit www.northeastcatholic.edu