On 98% of Catholic women using contraception

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Yes I think you are right. I had not considered that the Catholic view of ‘trying to get pregnant’ and ‘intended’ might lead to different responses. I also think it likely on reflection that a number of Catholic women may have opted out, and this would be disproportionately Catholic women who support church teaching. But as I said earlier, even if you discount the figures by a third, the Church still has a problem, and criticism of the survey methodology will probably just lead to better surveys saying similar things. The issue to me remains the question of why this teaching is so widely and consistently rejected, in the sense that many people who go against it do not see it as a sin.
That’s a loaded question. It’s like asking why the teaching against genocide is so widely and consistently rejected since many people who go against it do not see it as a sin.

Why do you think morals should be judged solely by the people who disregard it? 🤷
 
That’s a loaded question. It’s like asking why the teaching against genocide is so widely and consistently rejected since many people who go against it do not see it as a sin.

Why do you think morals should be judged solely by the people who disregard it? 🤷
My question would be why was it rejected after being consistently regarded as Truth for so long? Now I’m sure Hokomai would then say well we just got smarter and discarded old notions, but I would argue that we disregarded the Truth in favor of even older notions back in the Pagan days. Our approach to sex in the modern day is nothing new and to all purposes is actually a step back. There is nothing progressive about the mainstream view of sex today at all and I would actually call it regressive.

The number of people who accept or don’t accept a teaching has nothing to do with the teachings value if it is done for a misguided notion. Past acceptance of the teaching on contraception means nothing if it was misguided and current disregard for it means nothing if it is misguided.
 
I thought I’d post a thread which actually polls CAF members on this issue.

Even if the 98% figure were right, there’s no way that CAF is made up solely of those people. I think this forum has to be at least somewhat representative of the Catholic population at large.

It’s also in this sub-forum.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=644921

So, go there if you want to vote about your views of contraception, and whether you’ve used it in the past.
 
That’s a loaded question. It’s like asking why the teaching against genocide is so widely and consistently rejected since many people who go against it do not see it as a sin.

Why do you think morals should be judged solely by the people who disregard it? 🤷
Well, yes - this would be an excellent question about genocide, given (just one example) the history of Catholic Croatia. A difference would, I suppose, be that there is scriptural support for genocide (Joshua, Jericho to cite but one), but none for contraception.

I do not, of course think that “morals should be judged solely by the people who disregard them”. My interest here is in the failure of the Church to gain support for what it considers a key teaching, even among its faithful.
 
Well, yes - this would be an excellent question about genocide, given (just one example) the history of Catholic Croatia. A difference would, I suppose, be that there is scriptural support for genocide (Joshua, Jericho to cite but one), but none for contraception.

I do not, of course think that “morals should be judged solely by the people who disregard them”. My interest here is in the failure of the Church to gain support for what it considers a key teaching, even among its faithful.
I’ve argued all day long on this forum and elsewhere that on a parish level, many Catholics never receive any form of instruction in Catholic theology, and that’s why many Catholics view certain teachings as arbitrary and tyrannical, for the same reason a child doesn’t understand why he has to go to bed earlier than he wants to, or why he’s not allowed to eat without washing his hands first. When those children are educated, they no longer kick and scream about following these rules.

Unfortunately, I suspect that many parish priests are afraid of scaring off more liberal parishioners. But if those Catholics are prepared to disobey Church teaching in favor of worldly distractions, were they ever really in communion with the Church to begin with? It was like their presence at Mass was basically a lie.
 
Surveys always have many refusals to participate. You are confusing what you think people should do with actual human behaviour. Here’s a link demonstrating the problem:

fcsm.gov/committees/ihsng/ASA2001.pdf
This is absolutely true. I am trained in statistics and understand polling methodologies. I have designed focus groups for private industry. Many of these polls are very flawed.

You remember the polls in November at election time. They can be quite wrong, as I’m sure you have seen. Relying on just one poll is very dangerous, and can well tell you nothing at all. It’s called “lying with statistics.” It takes very sophisticated technologies to get even a fair idea of what people are thinking. And if there are many people who won’t participate in a poll when asked, even the finest-designed poll is completely worthless.

Have you ever seen this picture before?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Deweytruman12.jpg

[That’s not President Dewey. “President” Dewey never existed because he did not win the election. That’s President Truman on the morning after the Presidential election in 1948. The newspaper company, the Chicago Tribune, had projected Dewey as the winner based on their polls, so they printed up the newspaper and sent it to the stores and had it delivered around the city. OOOOOPS. :D:D:D Needless to say, they got more careful and knowledgeable about polling after that. ]

Go ahead and click. The link still works. By a funny coincidence “: D” without the space is in the URL title.
 
“On 98% of Catholic women using contraception
This stat is fatally flawed.”

Of course it is. Because that is not the stat. The poll says that 98% of Catholic women have use birth control at one time. You re-worded it to say that 98% of Catholic women are on birth control right now, then went on to say that 98% of Catholic women have been on birth control at some point.

In other words, you agreed completely with what the poll said. You just didn’t agree with the incorrect interpretation you gave the poll.
 
“On 98% of Catholic women using contraception
This stat is fatally flawed.”

Of course it is. Because that is not the stat. The poll says that 98% of Catholic women have use birth control at one time. You re-worded it to say that 98% of Catholic women are on birth control right now, then went on to say that 98% of Catholic women have been on birth control at some point.

In other words, you agreed completely with what the poll said. You just didn’t agree with the incorrect interpretation you gave the poll.
You might want to check out the poll and the methodology used to conduct it. Their definition of “Catholic women” is pretty narrow. That’s the issue.
 
“On 98% of Catholic women using contraception
This stat is fatally flawed.”

Of course it is. Because that is not the stat. The poll says that 98% of Catholic women have use birth control at one time. You re-worded it to say that 98% of Catholic women are on birth control right now, then went on to say that 98% of Catholic women have been on birth control at some point.

In other words, you agreed completely with what the poll said. You just didn’t agree with the incorrect interpretation you gave the poll.
I’ll assume this was addressed to me, as the OP.

This thread is actually just a response to the popular media line that is not factually accurate, but that nevertheless holds a lot of sway among liberal circles and supporters of the Obama administration. I’m not a liberal pundit hijacking this study, appearing on network news programs and claiming “98% of Catholic women use contraception…”

Just last night on Geraldo At Large Sally Cohn made this claim again, falsely implying that having EVER used contraception constitues a tacit approval and frequent use on the part of Catholic women. Because I vehemently disbelieve in the supposed validity of the claim, I mentioned the origin of the claim, and that it comes from a study conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood.

Factually speaking, all the study proved is that heretical Catholics who reject the authority of Church teaching practice a certain condemnable behavior. No brainer at first glance, but that doesn’t stop liberals with intellectual street-cred from distorting the findings.
 
I’ll assume this was addressed to me, as the OP.

This thread is actually just a response to the popular media line that is not factually accurate, but that nevertheless holds a lot of sway among liberal circles and supporters of the Obama administration. I’m not a liberal pundit hijacking this study, appearing on network news programs and claiming “98% of Catholic women use contraception…”

Just last night on Geraldo At Large Sally Cohn made this claim again, falsely implying that having EVER used contraception constitues a tacit approval and frequent use on the part of Catholic women. Because I vehemently disbelieve in the supposed validity of the claim, I mentioned the origin of the claim, and that it comes from a study conducted by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, an affiliate of Planned Parenthood.

Factually speaking, all the study proved is that heretical Catholics who reject the authority of Church teaching practice a certain condemnable behavior. No brainer at first glance, but that doesn’t stop liberals with intellectual street-cred from distorting the findings.
On just about every metric I have seen measured, the Catholic population as a whole tends to mirror the US population, on most every topic. Not precisely of course, but it is a pretty safe bet that if the US population support something at x%, the Catholic population as a whole will be withing a few percentage points. There are exceptions, but I do not think birth control use is one of them. And I agree, 98% is a silly number to claim are actively using, but as the study claim, 98% probably have at one point or another, which is pretty close to the general population. Makes sense.
 
On just about every metric I have seen measured, the Catholic population as a whole tends to mirror the US population, on most every topic. Not precisely of course, but it is a pretty safe bet that if the US population support something at x%, the Catholic population as a whole will be withing a few percentage points. There are exceptions, but I do not think birth control use is one of them. And I agree, 98% is a silly number to claim are actively using, but as the study claim, 98% probably have at one point or another, which is pretty close to the general population. Makes sense.
Lol possibly but it is incredibly dishonest to use it as a stat with any meaning. It would be like if we were having a discussion on drugs and I said “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”.
 
On just about every metric I have seen measured, the Catholic population as a whole tends to mirror the US population, on most every topic. Not precisely of course, but it is a pretty safe bet that if the US population support something at x%, the Catholic population as a whole will be withing a few percentage points. There are exceptions, but I do not think birth control use is one of them. And I agree, 98% is a silly number to claim are actively using, but as the study claim, 98% probably have at one point or another, which is pretty close to the general population. Makes sense.
I agree but you’re missing part of the point. Since Catholics aren’t damned for eternity for a single sinful misstep, and since repentance is such a central theme of the Catholic faith, compiling statistical information on women whom have EVER used birth control is bordering on meaningless.

The only valuable statistic is on the number of ‘Catholic’ women obstinately using contraception with full consent of their will and knowledge of Church teaching.
 
Lol possibly but it is incredibly dishonest to use it as a stat with any meaning. It would be like if we were having a discussion on drugs and I said “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”.
What is your problem with simple posts I make? Is ANYTHING I said inaccurate? I didn’t say “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”! The question is if the “98%” figure is valid. I said it was only accurate in a specific sense, but my opinion is that birth control usage among Catholics is consistent with the general population. It is incredibly dishonest of YOU to put words in someones mouth!
 
What is your problem with simple posts I make? Is ANYTHING I said inaccurate? I didn’t say “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”! The question is if the “98%” figure is valid. I said it was only accurate in a specific sense, but my opinion is that birth control usage among Catholics is consistent with the general population. It is incredibly dishonest of YOU to put words in someones mouth!
Relax…as to the claim of dishonesty, I think he was referring to the organization that authored the study, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, or the liberal pundits recycling the pseudo-fact.
 
I agree but you’re missing part of the point. Since Catholics aren’t damned for eternity for a single sinful misstep, and since repentance is such a central theme of the Catholic faith, compiling statistical information on women whom have EVER used birth control is bordering on meaningless.

The only valuable statistic is on the number of ‘Catholic’ women obstinately using contraception with full consent of their will and knowledge of Church teaching.
Well, I do think I understand that point. Which is why I was speaking only to credibility of the stat, which I think I was clear on. Regardless, I agree with you.

But, I would venture to guess that the way you worded your last sentence would still lead to a rate that was similar to the population as a whole. Just a guess, but I think its a pretty safe one.
 
Relax…as to the claim of dishonesty, I think he was referring to the organization that authored the study, the Alan Guttmacher Institute, or the liberal pundits recycling the pseudo-fact.

Also:
Ahhh, could be. My bad, Nate has been following me and disagreeing else where. Too feisty.
 
What is your problem with simple posts I make? Is ANYTHING I said inaccurate? I didn’t say “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”! The question is if the “98%” figure is valid. I said it was only accurate in a specific sense, but my opinion is that birth control usage among Catholics is consistent with the general population. It is incredibly dishonest of YOU to put words in someones mouth!
Redacted… need to sleep…
 
What is your problem with simple posts I make? Is ANYTHING I said inaccurate? I didn’t say “drugs should be legalized because 98% of people have used some kind of drug before in their life”! The question is if the “98%” figure is valid. I said it was only accurate in a specific sense, but my opinion is that birth control usage among Catholics is consistent with the general population. It is incredibly dishonest of YOU to put words in someones mouth!
Lol I was semi agreeing with you actually in my post. My point was against people in the news who are using it as if it means something. I was not insinuating that you were doing so, although if that is what you thought I was doing forgive me for that was not my intention.
Ahhh, could be. My bad, Nate has been following me and disagreeing else where. Too feisty.
I was in those threads first! Your following me 😃
 
Lol I was semi agreeing with you actually in my post. My point was against people in the news who are using it as if it means something. I was not insinuating that you were doing so, although if that is what you thought I was doing forgive me for that was not my intention.

I was in those threads first! Your following me 😃
NO! You’re all following me. But I’m following somebody else.
 
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