A Question on Contraception

[BruceK]

The person I’ve having this over the issue of contraception or artificial birth control, he believes it is natural and moral based on the following premise:

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them saying, Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and renew it.

This is a mandate to propagate the species, Homo. There are two components to God’s mandate: 1. Be fertile and mulitply, and 2. fill the earth and renew it. God created human sexuality with two separate ends to accomplish his mandate: procreation (be fertile and multiply) and the unitive function (fill the earth and subdue it) in support of lifelong marriages.

Once it is recognized that the propagation of the species is the primary end of conjugal intercourse and that procreation and conjugal bonding are separate, proximate ends, then that to artificially exclude procreation from conjugal acts represent natural means, therefore contraception is moral
**So what is the best and most effective rebuttal I can give to his argument? **

 

[ThereWasADream]

I think his or her argument fails to justify how they are separate ends according to God. God says do both, and the sexual act without contraception achieves both. The argument as you’ve presented it seems like a stretch. I don’t at all understand what marriage has to do with being dominant over the world, either.

You cannot contracept without denying one of them. Contraception is saying “I refuse to be fruitful and multiply.” I don’t understand how this argument is at all logical.

 

[mark_a]

The person I’ve having this over the issue of contraception or artificial birth control, he believes it is natural and moral based on the following premise:

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them saying, Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and renew it.

This is a mandate to propagate the species, Homo. There are two components to God’s mandate: 1. Be fertile and mulitply, and 2. fill the earth and renew it. God created human sexuality with two separate ends to accomplish his mandate: procreation (be fertile and multiply) and the unitive function (fill the earth and subdue it) in support of lifelong marriages.

Once it is recognized that the propagation of the species is the primary end of conjugal intercourse and that procreation and conjugal bonding are separate, proximate ends, then that to artificially exclude procreation from conjugal acts represent natural means, therefore contraception is moral
**So what is the best and most effective rebuttal I can give to his argument? **

If you need the debate experience, knock yourself out. But don’t expect a non-Catholic to ever, ever come to terms and agree with the Catholic position on contraception unless he becomes Catholic. Even Protestants who don’t contracept deny Catholic teaching about contraception because, well, it’s just too Catholic.

Or you could pass along this link about the 3000 year old Jewish and Christian position concerning contraception.

 

[BruceK]

If you need the debate experience, knock yourself out. But don’t expect a non-Catholic to ever, ever come to terms and agree with the Catholic position on contraception unless he becomes Catholic. Even Protestants who don’t contracept deny Catholic teaching about contraception because, well, it’s just too Catholic.

Or you could pass along this link about the 3000 year old Jewish and Christian position concerning contraception.

The person in question is a Catholic-so called, that is he’s cafeteria dissenter type. The previous poster more than adequetely answered my question, but thanks anyway.