The Case Against Contraception

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Debora123, Ditto on the above. And I repsect your opinion and your right to it. But if I see a comment from a Catholic that is directly contrary to Catholic teaching, I would shirking my responsibility to ignore it. I didn’t mean to be derogatory in saying “to which you claim your union”. You are right, and I apologize.

That said, we, as Catholics, cannot post things like you did that are directly contrary to Church teaching that portray those contrary ideas in an acceptable light. If we do, we risk the potential to provide a false or misleading witness to those who are ignorant of the teaching or have a weak Faith. That becomes scandal (CCC 2284-2287).
Ok, I’m out.

Sorry for challenging your beliefs and for having come here with nothing but the intention of letting you know that the arguments being made hold no water and that you should try something different if you truly intend on getting others to understand the immorality of contraception.
 
The intent of Natural Family Planning (NFP) is to have sex without getting pregnant. Based on your statement, it sounds as if sex for any other reason than procreation is a sin. I don’t think that this is the Church position, but if it is, then nothing other than abstinence should be used to avoid getting pregnant. Since sin is based on intent, this would prohibit the use of NFP to avoid pregnancy.
The intent of NFP is not to have sex without getting pregnant. The intent, if using NFP to avoid, is to abstain from sex on those days when getting pregnant is most likely. It really doesn’t matter what you do on the other days - sex/no sex.

The Church’s position on sex within marriage is that every act must be both unitive and ordered to procreation. It doesn’t say you should only be having sex for the reason of procreation although children are a fruit of marriage.

While intent is important, most sin is based on actions. No couple has sex every day. It is not prohibited to abstain from sex on any given day.
 
Ok, I’m out.

Sorry for challenging your beliefs and for having come here with nothing but the intention of letting you know that the arguments being made hold no water and that you should try something different if you truly intend on getting others to understand the immorality of contraception.
If a good argument was all it took to convince someone, then we wouldn’t have had the fiasco in Washington D.C like we did for the debt ceiling debate. I think for you to assume its not a good argument because you have yet to be convinced is weak.
 
Ok, how about this:

Going through great lengths to figure out exactly when I will not be around, and purposely scheduling parties ONLY when you KNOW I’ll be gone.

… This way, even if I HAD the key and could get in if I wanted to, I wouldn’t, because I wouldn’t be around to begin with.

…And you knew that and purposely planned it that way.
Yes but with NFP we have a talk about it every month with you to see if you would like us to throw a party when you are at the door. If you want a party, a party should be thrown and you should be welcomed in. The only reason a party isn’t happening is because you don’t want it to be happening.
 
Honestly, I think that there is infinitely worse stuff being said here on CAF that would make many people want to turn around and run the other way.

There are enough threads out there written by scrupulous people claiming that practically EVERYTHING is a sin, to make plenty of visitors/newbies get the impression that Catholics are all a bunch of crazies.

And then of course, there will be people who are rude, uncharitable, self righteous and very judgmental (I’m not saying any of you here are) towards those who disagree with something or struggle with a particular issue.

Why not give this same message to THEM?

I think that to blame ME for causing other people to leave or fall into sin or whatever, is pretty uncalled for, to be honest.
Well, right now I’m dialoguing with you. I don’t know why, I was trying to be helpful. I’ve made lots of mistakes in my life, and in retrospect, I would have liked someone older with life experience guide me.

But if you’re happy, I guess I’ll leave it at that. 😦
 
The intent of NFP is not to have sex without getting pregnant. The intent, if using NFP to avoid, is to abstain from sex on those days when getting pregnant is most likely. .
In that case, you are using NFP as a method to avoid bringing children into the world. This contrasts sharply with some of the Muslims in our neighborhood, who have six or seven children, and more on the way.
 
Yes but with NFP we have a talk about it every month with you to see if you would like us to throw a party when you are at the door. If you want a party, a party should be thrown and you should be welcomed in. The only reason a party isn’t happening is because you don’t want it to be happening.
Catholics can throw their parties, but Muslims are having larger families while Catholics are celebrating at their NFP parties.
 
In that case, you are using NFP as a method to avoid bringing children into the world. This contrasts sharply with some of the Muslims in our neighborhood, who have six or seven children, and more on the way.
That’s why you don’t just start with NFP. A couple may resort to NFP if, and only if, they have prayerfully discerned a serious reason to postpone the birth of a child.

It is wrong to generalize about a group of people. NFP is a decision individual to the couple. I have no idea if a given Muslim family may have had a serious reason to have fewer children than I can assume that the 2-child Catholic family sitting next to me in Church did not.
 
That’s why you don’t just start with NFP. A couple may resort to NFP if, and only if, they have prayerfully discerned a serious reason to postpone the birth of a child.

It is wrong to generalize about a group of people. NFP is a decision individual to the couple. I have no idea if a given Muslim family may have had a serious reason to have fewer children than I can assume that the 2-child Catholic family sitting next to me in Church did not.
It is not a generalisation. It is a fact. Take a look at Europe and the statistics on how many children, on average, in a Muslim family versus a Catholic family. The Catholic NFP parties, (and if you add to that the widepread rejection of Catholic teaching on ABC) are resulting in smaller families for Catholics. That’s one reason why Muslims are beginning to be a greater influence in Europe today.
 
Catholics can throw their parties, but Muslims are having larger families while Catholics are celebrating at their NFP parties.
You are wrong lol. Muslims use contraception just as much as Americans do. Their birth rate is sitting in the 2.8 range I believe. Watch demographic winter. They are not doing any better than we are and are following right behind us towards a birth rate below 2. We are currently sitting a birth rate of around 2.2. They might have a little surge as you suggest in Europe but if they keep on the same trend as they have been they will be only a few years behind us.
 
You are wrong lol. Muslims use contraception just as much as Americans do. Their birth rate is sitting in the 2.8 range I believe. Watch demographic winter. They are not doing any better than we are and are following right behind us towards a birth rate below 2. We are currently sitting a birth rate of around 2.2. They might have a little surge as you suggest in Europe but if they keep on the same trend as they have been they will be only a few years behind us.
Compare the birth rates in Muslim countries versus Catholic countries:
Afghanistan is 99.7% Muslim and its birth rate is:
38.11 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
For Syria: Birth rate
25.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
For Tajikistan: Birth rate
26.9 births/1,000 population
For Egypt: Birth rate
25.43 births/1,000 population
Compare with Catholic countries:
For Italy: 9.5 births/1000 population
For Spain: 10.1 births/1000 population
For Portugal: 9.4 births/1000 population
 
Compare the birth rates in Muslim countries versus Catholic countries:
Afghanistan is 99.7% Muslim and its birth rate is:
38.11 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)
For Syria: Birth rate
25.9 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
For Tajikistan: Birth rate
26.9 births/1,000 population
For Egypt: Birth rate
25.43 births/1,000 population
Compare with Catholic countries:
For Italy: 9.5 births/1000 population
For Spain: 10.1 births/1000 population
For Portugal: 9.4 births/1000 population
do you have a source? Also we need to make sure to realize the difference between birth rate and replacement rate. The life expectancies in many of those countries with high birth rates is much lower than that of Western countries. Replacement rate is what really matters in the big scheme of things. I think I messed this up as well in my last post where I should have said replacement rate. Most European countries are sitting at replacement rates of around 1.4 while the U.S is up at 2.2 still. The U.S would probably be at around 15-20 births/1000 population on your chart.
 
do you have a source? Also we need to make sure to realize the difference between birth rate and replacement rate. The life expectancies in many of those countries with high birth rates is much lower than that of Western countries. Replacement rate is what really matters in the big scheme of things. I think I messed this up as well in my last post where I should have said replacement rate. Most European countries are sitting at replacement rates of around 1.4 while the U.S is up at 2.2 still. The U.S would probably be at around 15-20 births/1000 population on your chart.
For the USA the latest current birth rate is 13.5/1000.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_United_States
 
From Wikipedia as well here are the life expectancies of the countries you picked out…

Afghanistan: 44.6
Syria: 74.1
Tajikistan: 66.7
Egypt: 72
Italy: 80.5
Spain: 81.17
Portugal: 78
U.S: 78.3

You can see some differences in life expectancy here especially for Afghanistan which had the highest birth rate. Also I never said that these countries weren’t ahead of the U.S but rather are on the same trend. 10 years ago we would have had a very similar birth rate to Syria. I think the fact that there birth rate is only twice as high as ours and 3,4,5, or 6 times higher is worth noting because 20 years ago the average family size there was around 6. Now like I said it is under 3 in most Islamic countries. As I said before they are right behind us in following the trend of a culture of death.
 
It is not a generalisation. It is a fact. Take a look at Europe and the statistics on how many children, on average, in a Muslim family versus a Catholic family. The Catholic NFP parties, (and if you add to that the widepread rejection of Catholic teaching on ABC) are resulting in smaller families for Catholics. That’s one reason why Muslims are beginning to be a greater influence in Europe today.
What does this have to do with the case against contraception? If anything it points to an overuse of NFP AND contraception.
 
Actually Jesus Christ said this and since He is God I think He would know best.
True…it’s not ambiguous…we don’t have to rely on opinions based on opinions such as in the case of NFP and related issues.
The reason for why it’s so vague is because Catholics believe in God’s mercy and thus believe if a person makes a perfect act of contrition (even if they were in mortal sin) then they would receive God’s mercy and be saved. Since we don’t know the persons thoughts or hearts at the time of death we cannot make a judgment on them.
I don’t want to get into that particular issue in this thread. But briefly, the wording is

“By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance”

That clearly does not imply perfect contrition.
 
Unfortunately Catholics have to throw infallibility down when fellow Catholics in the room could not be swayed by common sense.
I don’t call incoherent arguments common sense. It’s not a problem for some folks, though, because they start with a foregone conclusion and reasoning be damned.
 
Adding, with NFP.

I am having a dinner party while Deborah is out of town, the door is open if Deborah shows up. She most likely won’t come but is she does, she will be welcomed.

In which scenario would you feel more welcome…having to break in? Or being welcomed when you come?
Adding, with contraception:

I have a feeling that if it was me showing up instead of Debora, you’d be locking the doors.

👍
 
What does this have to do with the case against contraception? If anything it points to an overuse of NFP AND contraception.
So it is a case against both NFP and contraception, since the use of either one puts Catholics at a disadvantage to Muslims, who have a higher birth rate.
 
So it is a case against both NFP and contraception, since the use of either one puts Catholics at a disadvantage to Muslims, who have a higher birth rate.
Well, it’s not a comptetition but I agree that both contraception and NFP are overused. NFP is a moral solution if a couple finds themselves in a serious position where they cannot have another child. Contraception is not.
 
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