The 1930's and Contraception

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Can anyone please advise or point me in the right direction on obtain information about what happened in the 1930’s that lead to the use of contraception in all denominations except the RCC?

It’s my understanding that the protestants didn’t use any artificial means until the 30’s, nor believed in them

Was it just that they were more widely available then, etc.?

Thanks in advance.

Jimmy
 
I know it had something to do with the Anglican Church…
 
The Lambeth Conference of 1930 (yes, the Anglican Church). These conferences are the assemblies by invitation of the bishops of the Church. The 1930 conference was the 7th one. It approved contraception ‘under limited circumstances’. And once it approved, most other Protestant churches followed its lead.

Contraceptives have been available for a long time–well prior to 1930, depending on the methods.

Interestingly enough just 10 years earlier at the 6th conference the bishops had this to say about contraception:

The Conference’s uncompromising and unqualified rejection of all forms of artificial contraception, even within marriage, was contained in Resolution 68, which said, in part:

"
We utter an emphatic warning against the use of unnatural means for the avoidance of conception, together with the grave dangers - physical, moral and religious - thereby incurred, and against the evils with which the extension of such use threatens the race. In opposition to the teaching which, under the name of science and religion, encourages married people in the deliberate cultivation of sexual union as an end in itself, we steadfastly uphold what must always be regarded as the governing considerations of Christian marriage. One is the primary purpose for which marriage exists, namely the continuation of the race through the gift and heritage of children; the other is the paramount importance in married life of deliberate and thoughtful self-control."
Click to expand...
A mere 10 years later came the first ‘crack’.

28 years later In 1958 the conference “called for respect for the consciences of married couples who use birth control”.

It is also interesting that while in 1948, arguments to ordain a woman
dismissed the need for further examination of women’s ordination
Click to expand...
, a mere 20 years later, the conference recommended women in the diaconate and found arguments against female clergy ‘inconclusive’.

It is especially interesting to see how things which are decried in the strongest possible language at one time are permitted in 10 to 20 years, and LAUDED in another 10 to 20.

1920: Contraception abhored.
1930: Contraception to be permitted in a limited basis.
1968: Contraception a matter of 'individual conscience.
2008: Contraception a done deal, anyone, anytime, anywhere, any reason.
 
Tantum_ergo said:
The Lambeth Conference of 1930 (yes, the Anglican Church). These conferences are the assemblies by invitation of the bishops of the Church. The 1930 conference was the 7th one. It approved contraception ‘under limited circumstances’. And once it approved, most other Protestant churches followed its lead.

Contraceptives have been available for a long time–well prior to 1930, depending on the methods.

Interestingly enough just 10 years earlier at the 6th conference the bishops had this to say about contraception:

The Conference’s uncompromising and unqualified rejection of all forms of artificial contraception, even within marriage, was contained in Resolution 68, which said, in part:

"

A mere 10 years later came the first ‘crack’.

28 years later In 1958 the conference “called for respect for the consciences of married couples who use birth control”.

It is also interesting that while in 1948, arguments to ordain a woman , a mere 20 years later, the conference recommended women in the diaconate and found arguments against female clergy ‘inconclusive’.

It is especially interesting to see how things which are decried in the strongest possible language at one time are permitted in 10 to 20 years, and LAUDED in another 10 to 20.

1920: Contraception abhored.
1930: Contraception to be permitted in a limited basis.
1968: Contraception a matter of 'individual conscience.
2008: Contraception a done deal, anyone, anytime, anywhere, any reason.
Click to expand...
Fabulous response… very informative… this will go into my memory banks when someone asks about this in the future as to why Catholics teach that contraception is against God.

Thank you
Paul
 
Yes, I too echo Paul, excellent response, thank you.

I’m always looking for tools for my toolbox.

I will do more research on the Lambeth Conference.

Thank you again.

J.
Tantum_ergo said:
The Lambeth Conference of 1930 (yes, the Anglican Church). These conferences are the assemblies by invitation of the bishops of the Church. The 1930 conference was the 7th one. It approved contraception ‘under limited circumstances’. And once it approved, most other Protestant churches followed its lead.

Contraceptives have been available for a long time–well prior to 1930, depending on the methods.

Interestingly enough just 10 years earlier at the 6th conference the bishops had this to say about contraception:

The Conference’s uncompromising and unqualified rejection of all forms of artificial contraception, even within marriage, was contained in Resolution 68, which said, in part:

"

A mere 10 years later came the first ‘crack’.

28 years later In 1958 the conference “called for respect for the consciences of married couples who use birth control”.

It is also interesting that while in 1948, arguments to ordain a woman , a mere 20 years later, the conference recommended women in the diaconate and found arguments against female clergy ‘inconclusive’.

It is especially interesting to see how things which are decried in the strongest possible language at one time are permitted in 10 to 20 years, and LAUDED in another 10 to 20.

1920: Contraception abhored.
1930: Contraception to be permitted in a limited basis.
1968: Contraception a matter of 'individual conscience.
2008: Contraception a done deal, anyone, anytime, anywhere, any reason.
Click to expand...
 
Tantum_ergo said:
The Lambeth Conference of 1930 (yes, the Anglican Church). These conferences are the assemblies by invitation of the bishops of the Church. The 1930 conference was the 7th one. It approved contraception ‘under limited circumstances’. And once it approved, most other Protestant churches followed its lead.

Contraceptives have been available for a long time–well prior to 1930, depending on the methods.

Interestingly enough just 10 years earlier at the 6th conference the bishops had this to say about contraception:

The Conference’s uncompromising and unqualified rejection of all forms of artificial contraception, even within marriage, was contained in Resolution 68, which said, in part:

"

A mere 10 years later came the first ‘crack’.

28 years later In 1958 the conference “called for respect for the consciences of married couples who use birth control”.

It is also interesting that while in 1948, arguments to ordain a woman , a mere 20 years later, the conference recommended women in the diaconate and found arguments against female clergy ‘inconclusive’.

It is especially interesting to see how things which are decried in the strongest possible language at one time are permitted in 10 to 20 years, and LAUDED in another 10 to 20.

1920: Contraception abhored.
1930: Contraception to be permitted in a limited basis.
1968: Contraception a matter of 'individual conscience.
2008: Contraception a done deal, anyone, anytime, anywhere, any reason.
Click to expand...
The is one part of the total collapse of liberal Protestant moral teaching in the U.S. and Europe.

I was just reading a brief bio of William F. Buckley and how he decried the abandonment of Christianity at Yale in the 1940’s.

It’s fascinating how within 30 years following the end of WW II the mainline Protestants, especially the elite went from being traditional or morality and Christianity and staunchly patriotic to almost complete relativism and secularism and a near hatred of Western culture.

When confronted by the challenge of 1960’s radicalism the traditional liberal Protestant world view just completely collapsed. The same men who helped face down Nazis and Soviets from 1940-65, totally capitulated when faced by a mob of hippy agitators and the “youth culture”. I’d love to understand why.

God Bless
 
bilop said:
When confronted by the challenge of 1960’s radicalism the traditional liberal Protestant world view just completely collapsed. The same men who helped face down Nazis and Soviets from 1940-65, totally capitulated when faced by a mob of hippy agitators and the “youth culture”. I’d love to understand why.
God Bless
Click to expand...
A similar but less widespread swing in culture took place after WW I. The roaring 20’s followed by the depression. Women got the vote and we got prohibition and things just went down hill. You all may remember the sobriquet "How you gonna keep im down on the farm, once they’ve seen Paree?’

I believe that when we have these world wide conflicts that “religion” for many people gets lost in the struggle to survive. Tradition takes a real hit when families are torn apart and many people are displaced and become refugees. I expect that such changes will occur in the lives of the many many people displaced by the warfare in the Middle East and in Africa.
 
soldiers in Europe got a wide exposure to methods of contraception in wider use there and available w/o doctor’s presecription (mainly condoms) as did influential Americans living in Europe during the 20s. during that decade there were several books written by doctors and self-styled “marital experts” on marriage in general and family planning in particular which promoted ABC, through condoms, diaphraghms and other means. It became a signature of the educated, the intellectuals and by extension anyone with “modern” ideas. Parallel ideas included of course women’s rights, PP, eugenics and social darwinism. So bodies that prided themselves on being up to date, modern, relevant, progressive etc. got on the BC bandwagon (sound familiar?). Lobbying and activism against state and local laws banning contraceptives went on well into the 60s when the last laws were overturned, and of cource, the depth of the rot was RvW in 1973. But the availability and promotion of ABC began in Europe, esp. England and France, and spread here.

dissenters in the Anglican communion and other Protestant bodies, as well as the Catholic Church, warned of the dire social consquences, and of course have proven to be prophetic voices.
 
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