Does Catholicism put less of an emphasis on asceticism

[Pope_Noah_I]

…than the Orthodox? I mean, some of the things that have been said in the Catholic Church about sex just bother me. It seems so liberal. The Orthodox on the other hand seem to put more emphasis on less possesions and less sex. Also, the Catholic Church seems to have just about cut down fasting everywhere. What do you guys think?

 

[dixieagle]

…than the Orthodox? I mean, some of the things that have been said in the Catholic Church about sex just bother me. It seems so liberal. The Orthodox on the other hand seem to put more emphasis on less possesions and less sex. Also, the Catholic Church seems to have just about cut down fasting everywhere. What do you guys think?

The Catholic Church LIBERAL about sex? How so?

I don’t think that regular Catholics are actually called to asceticism, unless one chooses that path. We aren’t all monks. There is nothing negative about sex when used according to God’s plan and natural law.

With regard to possessions, I think that we must be careful not to become obsessed with “things” and to share our blessings with others.

I can’t really comment on the Orthodox, as that is not my tradition.

 

[CollegeKid]

I think that to equate less sex between married persons with asceticism is misguided, in my view this would not be a proper ascetical practice at all. It would seem that in marriage, barring any extenuating circumstances, it would only be natural for the couple to have marital relations on a fairly frequent basis, especially when they’re newlyweds. Naturally, with the arrival of children and the advancement of age they would probably have relations less frequently, but this would most likely be due to biological factors and quite simply being more tired more often due to the stresses of managing a family and work simultaneously. There isn’t any Church teaching that it is better for two married people to abstain from rathern than engage in procreative sexual relations in the interest of “asceticism.” In addition to carrying out God’s command to go forth and bear fruit, this activity between a husband and wife serves to bind them more closely together in authentic marital love.

 

[CollegeKid]

In addition, Noah, I have heard (and any Orthodox out there please correct me if I am mistaken) that in some Orthodox Churches it is now being taught that in some instances it may be alright for a married couple to decide to use artificial birth control. There’s been no such liberal relaxation of the Catholic Church’s ancient teaching that for marital relations to be licit they must be open to life, hence any form of artificial birth control is to be condemned.