There is a HUGE difference between it not being sinful to have sex during what happen to be infertile times and having sex ONLY during infertile times, on purpose, in order to achieve sexual pleasure without conceiving. A close reading of these texts stresses in no uncertain terms that the primary function of sex is and should be procreation and sex at other times is merely tolerated. Had it occurred to Hess individuals hat people would be charting and graphing and taking temperatures and putting their hands inside their own bodies to check cervical position and mucous testing and spending hundreds of dollars on ovulation predictor kits in order to AVOID children while still being able to have sex, these men would have been appalled.
I think anyone who honestly reads these early writings and somehow gleans that such would have been acceptable is seriously kidding themselves.
I have to strenuously disagree with you. There are those popes much wiser than any of us who read those early writings and understood quite well that it was pointing directly to the modern day understanding of NFP. Pope Pius IX, Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI, just to name a few in the last and current centuries.
The “charting and graphing” is just the science of it. What is the most important part is that Scripture advises *prayerful *periodic continence. That is what they are talking about. If your circumstances make conception ill-advised, prayerful periodic continence has *always *been the remedy. That is not new information. The key is *prayerful *continence. To be continent has never been sinful. Choosing *when *to be continent is done through prayer. Fertility cycles **were **known and they were allowed and encouraged to make use of them.
Another modern error is to believe that just because certain things were not described for modern “scientific times” that they really didn’t know what they were talking about. The idea of a “mini abortion” from spilling of the seed is one often brought up. Modern people say, “See, it was abortion those early people thought was happening, so that is why they put the death of Onan in Scripture, not contraception.” Incorrect. God knows how babies are made. *God *would not kill Onan because the people around him “didn’t know science.” My friend, the student (now graduated) of Dr. Waldstein says, “That is the egotistical thinking of, ‘We are modern. We are smart. They are old, so they were dumb’.”
We almost
lost an understanding of the the fertility cycle. In the OT when the Jewish people needed to *grow *their population they were told, by law, when to *have *relations. (I think someone already referenced this. Whomever did, please refresh my memory.) They are accurate for fertility. How can anyone read Scripture and deny that any society lacked an intuitive understanding of fertility. The descriptions might seem strange to our modern ears, but they are still correct. There are extra-biblical writings that note “red show” as infertile, and “white show” as fertile. It is not the big mystery many modern people believe.
I do grant you that ***exclusive *
use of the infertile phase is serious. No one here denies that. To be unable to bask in the blessings of many babies is very serious. A family with few children has historically been one that everyone prayed for, because something serious was going on to keep that couple from the blessings of children. (Still true actually.) And at the same time, to become completely celibate was something done *only *when called by God to it. Few married couples have been called there.
Those of us who are called to a smaller family due to our difficult circumstances find it very strange that other people are calling us to total celibacy.
Why would you ask of us what God hasn’t? **He **says the door is still open. **He **says that our circumstances might change. **He **says if we are faithful, He might call us to more blessings. **He **might lift the burden that makes it necessary not to conceive. To close that door because modern people misunderstand the constant teaching of the Church, is to us, very strange.
Through
prayerful periodic continence, God makes it very clear what His plan is for each couple. Some people are called to continence during fertility, and some are called to it during infertility. But it is clear in Scripture. Many, if not most couples, will be called to continence at some times during their lives.
Good work, Little Deb!