I need help explaining why condoms are wrong

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sherimarie

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I have to give a pro-life presentation for St Martin’s conformation class. I would like to briefly explain why condoms are opposed to church teaching. This will be hard for me because i’m a prude. Besides that I’m not sure how to show them that condoms are bad without getting into “stuff”. Most of these kids will be told all about condoms in school, they will be taught by people they respect how to size, apply and enjoy these things. They will probably be given to them and have a constant temptation close at hand. What can i say to get them to get them to see that condoms are in fact very bad for body and soul?
Thanks for the help.
 
Hmmmm.

Sure that you want to go there with that age group? That’s a tricky subject to deal with…

…I’d stick with marriage-before-sex, and when one wants to control the size and timing of their family, then there are certain ways that are against God’s plan for procreation.

Methinks it’s difficult to briefly touch on condom use in the context that you mention. Much easier to spend time in detail with young married couples.
 
I’m temped to agree with you newbie, but i think it’s because i have a lot of disgust for the subject, however, if these kids have a sexual experience before marriage then it will be with the information they are obtaining now in school. I feel we should counter that someway.
If we wait for precana it may be too late.
 
sherimarie said:
I have to give a pro-life presentation for St Martin’s conformation class. I would like to briefly explain why condoms are opposed to church teaching. This will be hard for me because i’m a prude. Besides that I’m not sure how to show them that condoms are bad without getting into “stuff”. Most of these kids will be told all about condoms in school, they will be taught by people they respect how to size, apply and enjoy these things. They will probably be given to them and have a constant temptation close at hand. What can i say to get them to get them to see that condoms are in fact very bad for body and soul?
Thanks for the help.
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I wouldn’t talk with the kids (high school age?) about condoms specifically. As a pro-life talk, it is sufficient to talk about all marital acts being open to life and then tie that into the sinfulness of all contraceptives for that reason. But a pro-life talk should be pro not a list of “shouldn’ts”.

Unless, that is, you have been given explicit permission by the parents to talk about sex-ed and birth control. I know I would be quite “hot” if my Freshman son came home and said he was told about condoms in Confirmation class, at a Catholic church!
 
Corki said:
I wouldn’t talk with the kids (high school age?) about condoms specifically. As a pro-life talk, it is sufficient to talk about all marital acts being open to life and then tie that into the sinfulness of all contraceptives for that reason. But a pro-life talk should be pro not a list of “shouldn’ts”.

Unless, that is, you have been given explicit permission by the parents to talk about sex-ed and birth control. I know I would be quite “hot” if my Freshman son came home and said he was told about condoms in Confirmation class, at a Catholic church!
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I find it a little strange that you would be angered if the catechism teacher touched base with a sex-ed concern about condom use in front of teenagers with conscious respect to driving home the moral teachings of the Catholic Church in relation to promiscuity.
I know a lot a parents who oppose having their teen-aged kids exposed to being taught sex-ed in secular schools who could careless about pro-life issues.
 
Newbie2 said:
Hmmmm.

Sure that you want to go there with that age group? That’s a tricky subject to deal with…

…I’d stick with marriage-before-sex, and when one wants to control the size and timing of their family, then there are certain ways that are against God’s plan for procreation.

Methinks it’s difficult to briefly touch on condom use in the context that you mention. Much easier to spend time in detail with young married couples.
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Confirmation class? How old does that make them?

Pfft! Doesn’t matter! The devil’s been honest with his position, you have to be completely honest with yours! Kids, people really, respect honesty, because you have to first respect them to be honest with them.

Tell them like it is. Tell them it is a sin.

Oh, and be sure to talk about HPV.

Tell them the Truth and they will love you for it.
 
You talk about abortion, and kids this age will ask about preventing making the baby in the first place.

Some are sophisticated and some are not.

I think it’s sufficient to say that sex before marriage is wrong, and, within marriage, one should accept the children that come along. Talk a little about NFP if you want.

The idea that resonates with my teenagers about the whole birth control thing is basically, “You had sex, you made a baby. What did you think was going to happen?” They find it incredibly humorous that people who have sex are surprised that they made a baby. That’s what’s supposed to happen!
 
This talk shouldn’t be about condoms so much as the nature of sexuality. When you use mechanical or chemical means to deny the procreative element of sexuality, you have ripped apart its essential nature. You don’t have to get into plumbing to make the point. In fact, if you focus on condoms, you run the risk of creating confusion about which artificial means of birth control are okay.

I’d stress these points about sexuality:
  1. God created the whole process
  2. He created it with infinite wisdom and understanding to fulfill certain parts of His holy will.
  3. He does not need our advice on how to make it better.
I’m sure there are better ways to express it. Hopefully someone will come on and give better advice.
 
I think this is a good point. We’ve far too long presented premarital sex merely as a command not to rather than explaining that living according to God’s plan FREES us, not restricts us.

Sins are sins because they cause us great harm. Sexual promiscuity destroys innocence, teaches mistrust between the sexes, spreads disease, causes unwanted pregnancies and damages one’s ability to be a faithful, loving spouse in the future. These are all REAL effects of fornication. Point out how badly screwed up or society has become since it largely betrayed the faith in this area.

I think it is a good idea to mention condoms if they are hearing about them in school. AFTER talking about the above, you can explain some of the culture’s responses to the clear and horrible damages that result from fornication. Explain that condoms are the current ‘solution’ in vogue to try to prevent some of the consequences of promiscuity (STDs and pregnancy). Point out how troublesome they are and that they do NOT make an inherently dangerous activity into a ‘safe’ one. Safe sex is married, faithful sex. Not coincidentally, it is also the kind that leads to lasting, loving permanent marriages. Those using condoms to sleep around may have fewer STD and pregnancies than those who sleep around without them. But BOTH groups have a lot more STDs and pregnancies than those who practice self-control and patience. And condoms have a 0% effectiveness in controlling the emotional damage that results from bonding your soul to someone just passing through your life.
 
I don’t know about wrong, but from what I’ve heard, they make sex less pleasurable. :cool:

If you think I’m joking, you are mistaken. 😛

Ironically Yours, Blade and Blood
 
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. Romans 1:24

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Ephesians 5:5

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22
 
Actually, the timing of this post is uncanny. I lead a group of post-Confirmation students (high school seniors) and last week was session 2 of 4 on Theology of the Body. Teenagers are much more aware about the use of condoms, the statistics surrounding their “effectiveness”, and the misconceptions of why the Church teaches against artificial contraception. I wouldn’t skirt the issue.

If you haven’t yet, I strongly encourage you to get the Theology of hte Body for Teens curriculum. It does a great job of breaking down Pope John Paul II’s teachings for teenagers. I think the key is to focus on how condoms go against God’s plan for sexual love to be Free, Total, Faithful, & Fruitful. I compared it to kissing someone with Saran Wrap between your mouths.

The key comparison to draw is that we are called to reflect God’s unconditional, eternal exchange of love. Placing an artificial barrier between two people keeps us from giving & receiving the gift of love in the truest sense.

Blessings - Proverbs3130
 
sherimarie said:
I have to give a pro-life presentation for St Martin’s conformation class. I would like to briefly explain why condoms are opposed to church teaching. This will be hard for me because i’m a prude. Besides that I’m not sure how to show them that condoms are bad without getting into “stuff”. Most of these kids will be told all about condoms in school, they will be taught by people they respect how to size, apply and enjoy these things. They will probably be given to them and have a constant temptation close at hand. What can i say to get them to get them to see that **condoms are in fact very bad for body **and soul?
Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
This is not true. Condoms save millions from disease and death each year. They are very good for one’s body.
 
Thanks for all the good advice, I’ll let you know how it goes.
 
Well, regardless if it is or isn’t right for children to be instructed about sex is nearly irrelevant in this matter since they hear it every where else. They are learning it from music, the radio, television, movies, sadly even from parents, and definately among their peers. So they’re going to hear about sex either way at that age, I had definately already been introduced to that topic by 6th grade. The sad thing is that as Christians, we need to inform others of the what is and what isn’t okay.

If I was in your situation, and they “wanted” to talk about it, then I guess I would. Because even if you don’t tell them, they’ll get it else where. I would say simply, that first of all, that sex is a gift from God given to those who are married. Also, a priest once told me that the gift of sex is directly linked to children, and should not be seperated. Thus, it is not right that once you are married you should prevent children. The difference between NFP and all other birth control methods is as such, and I will try to explain the best I can.

When I got married, I had to explain this to my husband. God gave us free will, and thus we can decide whether or not we will let God do his will in this part of our life. As Catholics, it is our obligation to live “for God” and not for ourselves. By choosing to use condoms, pills, etc. we are telling God we don’t want his intervention until “we feel it is right”. We are choosing our way rather than God’s way. When using Natural Family Planning (NFP), we are using the natural cycle of a woman as birth control. God gave us a fertle and infertile time for a reason. The difference is, if God wanted to intervene, during the gift of sex, we aren’t preventing anything. God will not intervene when it comes to our free will, he created us to be free and to live as we want. It is our choice, as Catholics, to give that up and live by him, thus using a method that allows him to be a part in our life and to give life when he so chooses. Does this make sense at all?

NFP is 99% effective, just as effective as condoms and pills. You simply can’t have sex for around 7 days a month, during your fertile time.
 
I would address it. Probably many of these kids will go to a public high school next year and this may be your last chance to address this particular group. I don’t know how go about it exactly, my school stuck with the “condoms are bad” line, which unfortunately isn’t very helpful. But include more than just condoms. Talk about not having premarital sex, and that condoms are not away to work around things because they are “safe”. Maybe mention the oxycontin stuff and how condoms don’t protect again emotional attachment. That would be my best guess. These are 8th graders, next year they will be in high school.

Oh, and a little information about NFP probably wouldn’t hurt because you hear so much about the rhythm method not working, and kids don’t understand the difference.
 
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