March 2, 2006 | Sex & Society

Pizza prince's porn-free paradise

Imagine a society without condoms, birth control or porn of any sort. Well that may sound hellish to our readers, for Thomas S. Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza, it's heaven on earth. Monaghan's utopia will be called Ave Maria, and it's already under construction in southwest Florida.

Located near Naples, Fla., Ave Maria will be situated next to Ave Maria University, the first Catholic university to be built in the United States in more than four decades, according to The Associated Press. The town is being built at the expense of Monaghan, who promised it will be governed according to strict Catholic principles. That means no condoms or birth control at local pharmacies, no pornographic magazines at local bookstores and no X-rated channels on local cable TV.

So, without sex, how will residents of Ave Maria entertain themselves? They'll attend the town's massive church -- the centerpiece of the planned community -- and worship at the country's largest crucifix, which will stand tall at nearly 65 feet high.

According to Monaghan, the town is "God's will." According to civil libertarians, however, it's unconstitutional. That's because while there are religiously uniform communities across the country, from Hasidic Jews to Mormons, none of those communities can exercise governmental authority based upon their religious beliefs, Florida's chapter of the ACLU told The AP.

    

Monaghan hopes to make Ave Maria home to about 30,000 die-hard Christians, making it one of the most frightening places in America (second only, perhaps, to Utah and the White House).

• Domino's Pizza founder wants to create porn free town [ABC13.com]