Contraception

[Bballer32]

Hello everyone,

Can someone explain to me why the Eastern Orthodox allow Contraception (or at least some form of it).

God Bless,

Bballer32

 

[dronald]

STD prevention?

Not sure, but that’s just a guess.

 

[rcwitness]

Keep membership?

We must realize, though, this is a very challenging call to Catholics. And huge, huge amounts of Catholics use contraception. My sister inlaw uses and then touts her devotion to Padre Pio, who in his last letter praised the pope for his encyclical and refered all his spiritual children to adhere to it.

So, go figure. Catholics once again need to worry about Catholics first.

 

[Even_So]

Maybe the problem with contraception is not whether it is used, but is used during marriage or outside of it.

 

[rcwitness]

Maybe the problem with contraception is not whether it is used, but is used during marriage or outside of it.

Well, the Church doesnt make any maybies about it. It is called intrisically evil to remove the life giving properties out of the act of sex. Sex should not be happening outside of marriage anyway, right?

 

[Memaw]

Maybe the problem with contraception is not whether it is used, but is used during marriage or outside of it.

It’s sinful either way !! Being married doesn’t make the sin go away. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Vanez]

Orthodox allows contraception only if it concerns about a serious health problem of the mother.

Edited: oh wait the minute…now i’m thinking whether or not i mixed contraception with abortion. Abortion is when the mother has a serious health problem which causes her death or the baby.

 

[Vanez]

Maybe the problem with contraception is not whether it is used, but is used during marriage or outside of it.

Excuse me?!? By saying that and us reading that you’re a Protestant, you’re unpurposely giving Protestantism a bad name!

No Christian is allowed to have sex before marriage!

 

[rcwitness]

Excuse me?!? By saying that and us reading that you’re a Protestant, you’re unpurposely giving Protestantism a bad name!

So are the countless Catholics who use contraception somehow exempt from giving the whole Christian community a bad name? After all, we have the fullness of Truth!

You see, I realize why protestants are unable to see the work of the Holy Spirit in the Catholic Church, when we are a bunch of hypocrates. Because I honestly have not met any young Catholics, or older ones who actually reject contraception. I know their out there. But they are few. Most just say its a man made Church rule. Ya know, like the protestant view. Thats what they are… protestants in the Catholic Church… many. But I have more respect for a protestant outside the Communion than inside.

Does that mean I dont think Humanae Vitae was inspired by Jesus? No. And I have used contraception in the past. I admit this, as we should all admitt our faults and then when we adhere to the Teaching against contraception, we can then be a voice of one witnessing to others, out of love.

Sorry to get distracted from the OP. I really dont know the position of the EO on contraception.

 

[Vanez]

Well, It is not said that Catholics are all holy/do only good things. i myself sin every day

I must admit tho, at my mom’s church (she is not Catholic) i see—pardon me—hypocrites too. Hypocrisy is inside of human’s character.

But inside or outside marriage is not what EO said about allowing contraception.

Well, i have been attending EO Church for a month now. I must say it’s beautiful! Although there are still lot of things for me to learn.

If there is still no answer to this contraception question, i will ask father Stephan (EO priest at the Church i attend)

 

[prodromos]

If there is still no answer to this contraception question, i will ask father Stephan (EO priest at the Church i attend)

Here is wisdom.
I’m still trying to get my head around why anyone would ask a question about Orthodoxy on a Catholic forum.

 

[Thorolfr]

Here is wisdom.
I’m still trying to get my head around why anyone would ask a question about Orthodoxy on a Catholic forum.

Because this is the Non-Catholic Religions section?

 

[Abu]

Bballer32 #1
Can someone explain to me why the Eastern Orthodox allow Contraception (or at least some form of it).

Because they reject the Magisterium established by Christ to teach with the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and make up their own faith and morals when it suits them.

So, besides denying Papal Infallibility they would, of course, deny Papal Supremacy. They grant that the Pope has a primacy of honour, but not that he has supreme jurisdiction over the whole Church. They deny, also, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as regards her exemption from original sin, although holding that she was ever personally sinless. In cases even of a valid marriage they permit divorce and remarriage.
radioreplies.info/radio-replies-vol-5.php?t=15&n=787

 

[Vanez]

The Orthodox Churches don’t tend to put out statements such as the Vatican does -papal encyclicals, bulls, curial statements, etc. But in the year 2000 the Russian Orthodox Church felt the need to proclaim some basic Christian principles for the guidance of the Russian people after the country’s depressing 70 years of repression by the atheistic powers. A Millennial Synod which gathered all of Russia’ bishops was held in Moscow and it promulgated a major statement on the Church and modern society “Bases of the Social Concept of the Russian Orthodox Church.”

The Russian Orthodox Church allows non-abortive contraception and speaks of it in the Millennial Statement from the Synod of Bishops.

BASES OF THE SOCIAL CONCEPT OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

XII. 3. Among the problems which need a religious and moral assessment is that of contraception. Some contraceptives have an abortive effect, interrupting artificially the life of the embryo on the very first stages of his life. Therefore, the same judgements are applicable to the use of them as to abortion. But other means, which do not involve interrupting an already conceived life, cannot be equated with abortion in the least. In defining their attitude to the non-abortive contraceptives, Christian spouses should remember that human reproduction is one of the principal purposes of the divinely established marital union (see, X. 4). The deliberate refusal of childbirth on egoistic grounds devalues marriage and is a definite sin.

Section XII.3 of the 2000 Synodal document

“BASES OF THE SOCIAL CONCEPT
OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH”
mospat.ru/en/documents/social-concepts/xii/
also here
incommunion.org/articles/the-orthodox-church-and-society/introduction

-oOo-

The Orthodox Churches allow contraception when

1. it is non-abortive

1. it is for grave and justifiable reasons

1. it is for a limited time
   …(although health consideration may influence this)

4 it is used with the blessing of the parish priest or spiritual father or mother
…(although this is not strictly necessary)

Fr Ambrose
Russian Orthodox Church (Abroad)

orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,25368.msg397242.html#msg397242

 

[Memaw]

orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php/topic,25368.msg397242.html#msg397242

The Catholic Church will never give us permission to sin. It is quided by the Holy Spirit to never teach error. That doesn’t mean every Catholic will live up to the teachings of the Catholic Church but that is where our free will comes in as did Adam and Eve’s when they choose to disobey God. Sin is not worth the consequences. Thank God for the Sacrament of Confession as well as the other 6 Sacraments of the Catholic Church. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Vanez]

The Catholic Church will never give us permission to sin. It is quided by the Holy Spirit to never teach error. That doesn’t mean every Catholic will live up to the teachings of the Catholic Church but that is where our free will comes in as did Adam and Eve’s when they choose to disobey God. Sin is not worth the consequences. Thank God for the Sacrament of Confession as well as the other 6 Sacraments of the Catholic Church. God Bless, Memaw

if there was a “like” button on this forum, i would have clicked it on your post

 

[commenter]

Hello everyone,

Can someone explain to me why the Eastern Orthodox allow Contraception (or at least some form of it).

Bballer32

A better question would be, “why did some parts of Eastern Orthodoxy bend their views on this?”
Prior to 1930 all Christian communions, as well as most other groups such as Jews and Muslims, and even many non religious people opposed contraception because they upheld the Natural Law. The Natural Law forms the basis of traditional understanding not only on contraception, but also abortion, same sex marriage, and other areas, particularly on the dignity of the human person (see St. JP II writings). The Natural Law understanding is incorporated into the Declaration of Independence, and other documents emphasizing freedom and human dignity, respected by religious, and non-religious persons. The Natural Law not only rules out certain actions, it affirms other actions, by the individual and society.

All orthodox Christians (small “o”) support the Natural Law. Some people argue we can forfeit one part of the Natural Law (such as on contraception) but that won’t in any way weaken our resolve on other parts of the Natural Law (such as opposing same sex marriage and abortion, and affirming the dignity of the human person).

Personally I feel our experience of the last few decades has proven the imprudence of a partial surrender on the Natural Law by some Christian groups. A partial surrender is a partial step towards a total surrender.

 

[Abu]

The capitulation by the Eastern Orthodox can be seen in the weakening reason and faith which resulted in the Anglican capitulation in 1930 at the Lambeth Conference as, before that, 99 Protestant theologians had taught against Onanism; Martin Luther, John Wesley and John Calvin were opposed to artificial birth control. They taught that it was very immoral. Many Protestant theologians were strongly opposed to it from the beginning of the Protestant Revolt. (Charles D Provan, The Bible and Birth Control, Zimmer printing, 1989, p 63).

 

[Randy_Carson]

Here is wisdom.
I’m still trying to get my head around why anyone would ask a question about Orthodoxy on a Catholic forum.

Because there are knowledgeable Orthodox members of this forum?

 

[CatholicHockey7]

Folks, if we’re going to call the action of the Russian Orthodox church a “sinful capitulation” (paraphrasing the comments I’ve read) then what does that say about our own Catholic Church?

Do you not realize that Catholicism teaches the same thing?

Catholics are not allowed to use artificial birth control methods for the purpose of preventing or aborting pregnancy, but they are allowed to take prescription medication normally prescribed for birth control for other medical issues. These medications still do the job they are normally used for, but what is different is the intent.

catholic.com/quickquestions/am-i-right-to-tell-my-ccd-students-they-should-not-take-the-pill-for-medical-purposes

chastity.com/question/due-to-medical-problems-my-doctor-wants-me-to-undergo-a-procedure-that-will-stop-my-menstru

chastityproject.com/qa/i-take-the-pill-for-ovarian-cysts-and-my-friend-uses-it-to-regulate-her-cycle-but-neither-of-us-is-sexually-active-is-that-a-sin/