Contraception and Christianity

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captbackfire

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If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

If a woman in the military has a desire to follow all commands of her leaders, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
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What is more important?

Faith?

or military duty?

I say FAITH, in every instance.
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
Click to expand...
I would encourage her to contact Pope Paul VI Institute. They can help her with irregular cycles and support her in her desire to follow the teachings of the Church.
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
Click to expand...
I was taught that if you have a medical reason, such as for irregular periods, it’s ok. She is not intentially using it to stop the conception of a baby, so I would think it is ok.
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?
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The witness of the martyrs tells us yes.
captbackfire said:
The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
Click to expand...
This scenario doesn’t make much sense to me. There is no problem here at all.

If you are referring to the Catholic Church, the Church certainly does teach (rightly) that contraception is intrinsically evil. The Church does NOT teach that a woman whose health is at risk must have children.

The couple may avoid pregnancy through abstaining-- either totally or periodically using medical models of natural family planning.

A couple in this situation has a solution. There is no Church teaching requiring a woman to become pregnant when her health care professional advises against it.

So, your question has set up what is known as a “false dichotomy.” You have presented the idea that one must **either **use contraception **or **face death. This is not so. One does **not **have to use contraception or face death while remaining faithful to the Church’s teaching.
 
captbackfire said:
How, specifically, can the Pope Paul VI Institute help this woman with irregular cycles?

Thanks.

capt
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Well, define “irregular.”

The Pope Paul VI Institute specializes in fertility issues. They are specialists in women’s reproductive organs, so they certainly could assist in the case of truly “irregular” menstruation, which almost always has an underlying pathology.
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.

What to do?
Click to expand...
He who wishes to keep his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ will keep it. Christ is the life.
 
jeanne71350 said:
I was taught that if you have a medical reason, such as for irregular periods, it’s ok. She is not intentially using it to stop the conception of a baby, so I would think it is ok.
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Jean, this blanket statement is not quite accurate.

If one has a true medical need to take a medication that has a secondary effect of infertility, one may do so under certain circumstances.

However, that is not the case presented in the original post. The purpose of contracepting is to prevent pregnancy.
 
captbackfire said:
If a woman has a desire to follow all precepts of her religion, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?

The situation refers directly to a woman who cannot use The Pill because her periods are irregular, but her religion requires that she not use contraception of any kind. Pregnancy would endanger her life, possibly kill her; but her church tells her that contraception is forbidden. She is married, in a stable relationship, and following all other dictates of her faith.
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Most folks ignore the Catholic Church’s teachings or shop for a chuch that has no qualms at all about contraception, even abortificients.

Once they find this “church”, they are then taught by this church that certain other Catholic teachings are wrong, sinful, unbiblical, etc., etc., while this church completely ignores historical Christian (Protestant, Orthodox, and Catholic) teachings about the sinfulness of contraception. And almost magically, a new anti-Catholic is “born again”.

This same person could possibly leave Christianity altogether, and become part of this culture of killing, because once one denies the truth about contraception, the moral decay of the family will soon follow as will the rest of society.
What to do?
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Find out why the Church refuses to cave in on the contraception issue.
 
catharina said:
If a woman in the military has a desire to follow all commands of her leaders, even if it means risking her life, should she do it?What is more important?

Faith?

or military duty?

I say FAITH, in every instance.
Click to expand...
Hi Catharina,

I am not sure that I am following your post correctly. Do you mind expanding your thoughts on your comparison of following Catholic Church teaching with military authority? Thanks!

God Bless!
 
emeraldcoast said:
Hi Catharina,

I am not sure that I am following your post correctly. Do you mind expanding your thoughts on your comparison of following Catholic Church teaching with military authority? Thanks!

God Bless!
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Please re-read Post # 2. All of my comments are in red font - including the premise placed within the quoted post. Sorry if my style of posting made the message unclear to you. It’s simple: If we offer our lives UNTO DEATH in following military commands, how much more willingly, eagerly and even joyfully should we follow the laws of our faith - even unto death.
 
catharina said:
Please re-read Post # 2. All of my comments are in red font - including the premise placed within the quoted post. Sorry if my style of posting made the message unclear to you. It’s simple: If we offer our lives UNTO DEATH in following military commands, how much more willingly, eagerly and even joyfully should we follow the laws of our faith - even unto death.
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Thanks. I think that I understand better that you are clearly trying to equate man-made military rules with the Catholic Church teachings. Very interesting and thank you for clearing that up.
 
emeraldcoast said:
Thanks. I think that I understand better that you are clearly trying to equate man-made military rules with the Catholic Church teachings. Very interesting and thank you for clearing that up.
Click to expand...
Uh, no.

She is NOT equating “man-made military rules” with Catholic Church teaching.

What she is saying is that if we are willing to follow earthly leaders to the death, how much more should we be willing to follow CHRIST to the death if we are called to do so.

The Church and Christ are one-- the teachings of the Church are the teachings of Christ. They are not “man made.”

All of the martyrs stand as examples of what we should be willing to do rather than deny the Faith and deny Christ.
 
to emeraldcoast:

You’re welcome.

I’ll add the following too.

If we are willing to die for a country with all its flaws, then why would be unwilling to die for the Church that gives us the Body and Blood of Christ along with the other Sacraments?

Obedience is obedience.
If we’ll willingly obey a military order
then how can we feel entitled to disobey an order of the Church?
 
1ke said:
Uh, no.

She is NOT equating “man-made military rules” with Catholic Church teaching.

What she is saying is that if we are willing to follow earthly leaders to the death, how much more should we be willing to follow CHRIST to the death if we are called to do so.

The Church and Christ are one-- the teachings of the Church are the teachings of Christ. They are not “man made.”

All of the martyrs stand as examples of what we should be willing to do rather than deny the Faith and deny Christ.
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Excellent. Thanks. You got it.
 
catharina said:
Sounds like she should ask the Institute.
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I found nothing on the website indicating that irregular periods could be addressed. In fact, I found the website uninformative and uninviting.

capt
 
1ke said:
Well, define “irregular.”

The Pope Paul VI Institute specializes in fertility issues. They are specialists in women’s reproductive organs, so they certainly could assist in the case of truly “irregular” menstruation, which almost always has an underlying pathology.
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“Irregular periods” would be those occurring as such:

Beginning March 1, lasting for 4 days.
Not occurring again until April 21, lasting for 9 days.
Not occurring again until July 3, lasting for 20 days.
Not occurring again until July 30, lasting for 5 days.
Not occurring again for an entire 79 days . . . and so on.
After laparoscopy, colonoscopy, repeated bloodwork including thyroid function, etc., multiple medications to try to control the irregularity, and other measures, no reason or rhyme or control has been assigned. One of the finest infertility specialists in the United States was unable to diagnose this problem.

I’ve heard of miracles. And yet I have doubts that the Pope Paul VI Institute has anything up their sleeve for this patient.

capt
 
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