Sex, Marriage & Birth Control

[Andrew2009]

Hi

I would like to ask something about the Church’s teachings on the above. My question is not meant to be provocative - I’m genuinely curious about the real-world implications of these teachings.

The Church teaches that sexual activity can only take place between man and wife, and that no form of artificial birth control may be used. Each and every sexual act must be open to the possibility of new life being created (i.e. pregnancy).

The population of the world is currently over 6 billion. What would happen if the world suddenly embraced Catholicism en masse and started following the Church’s teachings on sex and birth control. There would be a sudden and exponential explosion of the world’s population - the rise in population would be rapid and extreme.

How would the world cope with this? Wouldn’t this result in huge problems - overcrowding, water shortages, famine, disease, war over territory and natural resources, etc?

So my question is - I think I more or less understand the theological and Biblical reasons for the Church’s teachings on sex, marriage and birth control (and I don’t disagree with them either, by the way). But could these teachings really work in the real world if everyone actually followed them? Wouldn’t this cause enormous problems, due the increase in the world’s population that would result?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

 

[flyingfish]

Hi

I would like to ask something about the Church’s teachings on the above. My question is not meant to be provocative - I’m genuinely curious about the real-world implications of these teachings.

The Church teaches that sexual activity can only take place between man and wife, and that no form of artificial birth control may be used. Each and every sexual act must be open to the possibility of new life being created (i.e. pregnancy).

The population of the world is currently over 6 billion. What would happen if the world suddenly embraced Catholicism en masse and started following the Church’s teachings on sex and birth control. There would be a sudden and exponential explosion of the world’s population - the rise in population would be rapid and extreme.

How would the world cope with this? Wouldn’t this result in huge problems - overcrowding, water shortages, famine, disease, war over territory and natural resources, etc?

So my question is - I think I more or less understand the theological and Biblical reasons for the Church’s teachings on sex, marriage and birth control (and I don’t disagree with them either, by the way). But could these teachings really work in the real world if everyone actually followed them? Wouldn’t this cause enormous problems?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

The Catholic Church allows couples to use NFP, which is up there with the pill in terms of effectiveness (sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070221065200.htm).

Catholics can limit their family size to 1 or 2 children using this method just like non-Catholics can use artificial birth control.

It’s not birth control itself that’s forbidden, it’s methods that physically interfere with the person’s fertility.

 

[that_name]

Since we could take all the population of the world and put them in Texas and everybody would get room for a small house, we are no where near running out of room.

 

[Andrew2009]

***Quote:

Since we could take all the population of the world and put them in Texas and everybody would get room for a small house, we are no where near running out of room.

---

Maybe you could fit the world’s population as it is now in Texas, but what about in 20 years time when the world’s population is 20 billion or more?

Also - there may be enough room in Texas to fit the world’s population into, but could the world’s population actually live there, over the long term? No way. The problem is more than just physical space - food, water, land degradation etc would be huge problems.

 

[Andrew2009]

***Quote:

The Catholic Church allows couples to use NFP, which is up there with the pill in terms of effectiveness (sciencedaily.com/releases…0221065200.htm**).

Catholics can limit their family size to 1 or 2 children using this method just like non-Catholics can use artificial birth control.*

Thanks, that’s interesting. If this is the case, why is it that poor Catholic families in the USA and Ireland etc used to have massive families of 6 children or more? This used to be quite common. Did they not know about NFP?

 

[flyingfish]

***Quote:

The Catholic Church allows couples to use NFP, which is up there with the pill in terms of effectiveness (sciencedaily.com/releases…0221065200.htm***).

Catholics can limit their family size to 1 or 2 children using this method just like non-Catholics can use artificial birth control.

Thanks, that’s interesting. If this is the case, why is it that poor Catholic families in the USA and Ireland etc used to have massive families of 6 children or more? This used to be quite common. Did they not know about NFP?

NFP is a relatively recent technology, in the past Catholics use the relatively ineffective rhythm method.

But even with NFP, some Catholics want to have large families and choose to do this despite the ability to do otherwise.

 

[chevalier]

It’s not birth control itself that’s forbidden, it’s methods that physically interfere with the person’s fertility.

Which is not to say that any and all use of NFP automatically makes it right to make any decision one wishes. The criteria for the use of NFP must be serious, it can’t be something trivial. The way I see it, rarely will serious reasons occur for a Catholic couple to limit the size of the family to 1 child.

Moreover–expanding a bit on the above, as you know but the Opening Poster doesn’t–it’s not fine for the one spouse to make a unilateral decision without taking the other spouse into consideration. In fact, the decision is to be mutual.

All in all, the substance does matter, not just the method (although it’s hard to call NFP a “method” for the same purpose as contraception achieves, sometimes it does end up like that; there is such a risk). As far as the method goes, obviously, contraception is forbidden, it’s morally wrong, and the pill has abortifacient properties, making it more than just contraception but a potentially homicidal drug (I’m denouncing the drug here, not imputing homicide to individual users).

 

[Texas_Roofer]

Hi …
The Church teaches that sexual activity can only take place between man and wife, and that no form of artificial birth control may be used. Each and every sexual act must be open to the possibility of new life being created (i.e. pregnancy).

The population of the world is currently over 6 billion. What would happen if the world suddenly embraced Catholicism en masse and started following the Church’s teachings on sex and birth control. There would be a sudden and exponential explosion of the world’s population - the rise in population would be rapid and extreme.

How would the world cope with this? Wouldn’t this result in huge problems - overcrowding, water shortages, famine, disease, war over territory and natural resources, etc?
…
Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

***Quote:

Since we could take all the population of the world and put them in Texas and everybody would get room for a small house, we are no where near running out of room.

---

Maybe you could fit the world’s population as it is now in Texas, but what about in 20 years time when the world’s population is 20 billion or more?

Also - there may be enough room in Texas to fit the world’s population into, but could the world’s population actually live there, over the long term? No way. The problem is more than just physical space - food, water, land degradation etc would be huge problems.

***Quote:

The Catholic Church allows couples to use NFP, which is up there with the pill in terms of effectiveness (sciencedaily.com/releases…0221065200.htm***).

Catholics can limit their family size to 1 or 2 children using this method just like non-Catholics can use artificial birth control.

Thanks, that’s interesting. If this is the case, why is it that poor Catholic families in the USA and Ireland etc used to have massive families of 6 children or more? This used to be quite common. Did they not know about NFP?

Today the population exceeds what WAS capable, same would be true, then (like 2100AD) our capacity will increase. Second those new Catholics are not required to increase the population. They could use NFP and celebacy to hold or even reduce the population. And finally NFP gets easier everyday by better understanding the human body and easier ways to track and test the body for ovulation. For example look at how cheap a high quality thermometer is today.

 

[agapewolf]

Hi

The population of the world is currently over 6 billion. What would happen if the world suddenly embraced Catholicism en masse and started following the Church’s teachings on sex and birth control. There would be a sudden and exponential explosion of the world’s population - the rise in population would be rapid and extreme.

. But could these teachings really work in the real world if everyone actually followed them? Wouldn’t this cause enormous problems, due the increase in the world’s population that would result?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

Do you have any facts to back up your assumption in the first place that the population would explode? Do you have any facts to back up that if there were to be a population explosion, that it would be a problemm?

Your question is asking us to assume several very large points that I think should be put into question first.

You are assuming that ABC actually works as it is. I challenge those facts.

 

[Geremia]

What would happen if the world suddenly embraced Catholicism en masse and started following the Church’s teachings on sex and birth control. There would be a sudden and exponential explosion of the world’s population - the rise in population would be rapid and extreme.

How would the world cope with this? Wouldn’t this result in huge problems - overcrowding, water shortages, famine, disease, war over territory and natural resources, etc?

So my question is - I think I more or less understand the theological and Biblical reasons for the Church’s teachings on sex, marriage and birth control (and I don’t disagree with them either, by the way). But could these teachings really work in the real world if everyone actually followed them? Wouldn’t this cause enormous problems, due the increase in the world’s population that would result?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Thanks!

This is basically the argument of the overpopulation myth. It assumes humans are net consumers, not producers. It assumes that the fewer people there are in the world, the better—e.g., fewer scientists to invent new technologies, fewer doctors to treat patients, fewer farmers to grow crops, fewer economists to distribute resources more justly, fewer people in the workforce, fewer producers in the economy, fewer people to help the elderly, a shrinking economy, etc. Is this better? I suggest Pope Benedict’s latest encyclical Caritatis in Veritate. He discusses economics, birth rates, etc., and it would answer your question much better than can I.

Sadly, Obama’s science “czar” John Holdren, holding the perverted “neo-Malthusian” conception of man as a net consumer and not a net producer, actually advocates global forced sterilization and abortion to avoid the nebulous overpopulation crisis and the related “climate change” crisis that sees man, especially newborns, as pollution to the environment—“ecological time bombs.”

Humans have a lot of potential, but when we kill millions of them—as through abortion—or do not even welcome them before they are conceived—as with contraception—we are shutting the door to a hopeful future. As Pope John Paul II said: “A people that kills its own children is without a future.”

One of my favorite ads against the pro-abortion overpopulation myth is this one by Neil Armstrong et al. astronauts; it gives me chills every time I watch it. It shows what amazing things are possible due to people, not just our technological and scientific “laurels.” Science and technology are a means to an end, but ultimately people are our hope. They are the ones, not science in itself, who are advancing our knowledge and applying their God-given intellects to such amazing feats that would make 14 billion people on earth no problem. Even a trillion people. Just imagine the potential of a group of a trillion people. In a group that size, there would definitely be enough scientists, e.g., to invent technologies to conquer the solar system and even the Milky Way Galaxy!

 

[ac_claire]

Do you have any facts to back up your assumption in the first place that the population would explode? Do you have any facts to back up that if there were to be a population explosion, that it would be a problemm?

Your question is asking us to assume several very large points that I think should be put into question first.

You are assuming that ABC actually works as it is. I challenge those facts.

Ditto this.

 

[Geremia]

But even with NFP, some Catholics want to have large families and choose to do this despite the ability to do otherwise.

NFP should be used to lessen chances of pregnancy only in very exceptional circumstances (e.g., if a pregnancy could cause death to the mother, etc.). NFP used to increase chances of pregnancy is always licit.

 

[Jennifer_J]

NFP should be used to lessen chances of pregnancy only in very exceptional circumstances (e.g., if a pregnancy could cause death to the mother, etc.). NFP used to increase chances of pregnancy is always licit.

We need to be careful here, the Church uses words along the lines of serious/grave/licit and outlines that reasons could be physical and mental health/financial reasons/the greater good of society (broadly defined because the couple needs to discern the licitness of their reasons w/a priest or spiritual director if needed). The reason to use NFP doesn’t have to be life and limb, but it should be a serious/grave/licit reason.

 

[PassingThru]

It is really odd that the OP posted this, I was thinking of posting the exact same thing some time ago!!! I have the exact same thought.

I think it is fair to say, that if everyone starting relying on NFP, that birthrates in industrialized countries would increase. This is NOT because NFP in its proper practice is unreliable, but proper practice of NFP is unreliable!

I would also agree that ABC is not as reliable as the box indicates. However, family sizes in industrialized nations plummeted down to roughly 2 kids per family over the course of the early/mid 1900s. I don’t think people started having sex less!

And no one knows how many people we can support at any given time. We have what, 6 billion now? We can support that. I think it is fair to say that 250 billion, we could not. So, where is the line? Who knows, but it IS there. As a hypothetical, it would be interesting to see how fast we would increase, and that effect that would have on any official positions…

Hmmmm

 

[ac_claire]

It is really odd that the OP posted this, I was thinking of posting the exact same thing some time ago!!! I have the exact same thought.

I think it is fair to say, that if everyone starting relying on NFP, that birthrates in industrialized countries would increase. This is NOT because NFP in its proper practice is unreliable, but proper practice of NFP is unreliable!

I would also agree that ABC is not as reliable as the box indicates. However, family sizes in industrialized nations plummeted down to roughly 2 kids per family over the course of the early/mid 1900s. I don’t think people started having sex less!

And no one knows how many people we can support at any given time. We have what, 6 billion now? We can support that. I think it is fair to say that 250 billion, we could not. So, where is the line? Who knows, but it IS there. As a hypothetical, it would be interesting to see how fast we would increase, and that effect that would have on any official positions…

Hmmmm

What I don’t understand though is how y’all think you can know exactly what the planet can and can’t handle.

To me, it’s like admitting that God’s design was faulty. God made the world, and God says multiple children are BLESSINGS and we’re not to arbitrarily limit family size. So have some faith, your concerns and fears-- as far as I can tell-- are based on nothing.

 

[PaulinVA]

Overpopulation? Oh come on! Right now, there are some demographics that aren’t even replacing the people that die.

That’s why the hispanic population will be the majority in the US in our kids’ lifetime. That’s why Europe will be Muslim in our kids’ lifetime, maybe ours.

Overpopulation is a myth perpetuated by people who want free availability of birth control, abortion, divorce, and living lives with no consequences and no responsibility.

Unfortunately, the only people dumb enough to fall for this are the middle class WASPs.

 

[ac_claire]

Overpopulation? Oh come on! Right now, there are some demographics that aren’t even replacing the people that die.

That’s why the hispanic population will be the majority in the US in our kids’ lifetime. That’s why Europe will be Muslim in our kids’ lifetime, maybe ours.

Overpopulation is a myth perpetuated by people who want free availability of birth control, abortion, divorce, and living lives with no consequences and no responsibility.

Unfortunately, the only people dumb enough to fall for this are the middle class WASPs.

Amen to that.

 

[wanner47]

If everyone magically started following the teachings of the Church regarding sex, there would be no children born out of wedlock. I believe, according to current statistics, that would drop the birth rate by about 50%.

 

[apricot_yogurt]

So God can create each unique and complex human being, but cannot ensure there is enough water/food to go around?
Overpopulation is Satan’s nasty idea. He hates you, and your children because God loves you so much. If he can get you never to exist, then good for him, and if he can get you to think it is a noble idea that other precious people should never exist also, then all the better.

 

[DJgang]

If everyone magically started following the teachings of the Church regarding sex, there would be no children born out of wedlock. I believe, according to current statistics, that would drop the birth rate by about 50%.

Wow…now there you go!

I recently flew over your state (Arizona) and some surrounding states…looks like we have a lot of land to put people if we were to become overpopulated.

Don’t you just hate when people use overpopulation to promote death.