Why is artificial birth control usage so wrong?

[Abu]

Roy5
On the other hand, when it comes to artificial birth control, the church is simply wrong,

Playing Magisterium is playing into the devil’s hands. Did Christ give you His authority over His Church to teach faith and morals?
The doctrine against contraception is definitive and infallible in *Casti Connubii *(Pius XI, 1930) and *Humanae Vitae *(Paul VI, 1968), so why indulge your prejudices?

The wise will heed the truth from EWTN:
Answer by David Gregson of EWTN on Nov-22-2002:
“You are correct in stating that the Pope exercises his charism of infallibility not only in dogmatic definitions issued, ex cathedra, as divinely revealed (of which there have been only two), but also in doctrines definitively proposed by him, also ex cathedra, which would include canonizations (that they are in fact Saints, enjoying the Beatific Vision in heaven), moral teachings (such as contained in Humanae vitae), and other doctrines he has taught as necessarily connected with truths divinely revealed, such as that priestly ordination is reserved to men. Further details on levels of certainty with which the teachings of the Magisterium (either the Pope alone, or in company with his Bishops) may be found in Summary of Categories of Belief.”

St Peter warned: Repent ….save yourselves from this perverse generation.

 

[Roy5]

I do my best to be respectful of the opinions of others, and if people choose to practice only the church-approved method of birth control, fine. I have no problem. However, to try to tell others that it is immoral to follow their conscience on this question is another matter.

To begin with, except for a wild and rather absurd story in Genesis, there is nothing in scripture that forbids artificial birth control. We are encouraged to be good parents and also responsible. In my personal life my wife and I never used artificial birth control, which -by the way - was nobody's business but ours. She is deceased now, a continuing sadness in my life. 

 One couple we have known were faithful Catholics and used the approved method. After six children, two more than they wanted for pressing economic and other reasons, they reluctantly began to use artificial birth control. When the priest at confession lectured and scolded, they left and went to the local Episcopal Church and have no interest in the "journey home" to Catholicism. In fact, they have become outspoken critics of the church.

 As for "playing in to the devil's hands" that - forgive me - sounds like medieval thinking to me.  

 My God is a loving God who wants us to live faithful, happy, and responsible lives. As I stated at the beginning, those who feel that they must only use the church's approved methods in their love-making, bravo! But certainly I am not going to sit in judgment on all the other rmarried couples. The majority of married Catholics ignore the church's teaching on this, and it has been an important factor in many of the 30,000,000 American Catholics who have left the church and the 60-70% of those who have remained who are not regular attendees at mass.

 Intolerance gets the church nowhere. There should be room within Christ's church for legitimate differences of opinion, conscience and practice on some of these difficult issues. Jesus certainly lambasted the ecclesiastical authorities of his time and place for their pious condemnation of others. I try my best to follow Christ = 'Christ above all' - and I suggest that we all make a concerted effort to do the same.

 

[Corki]

I don’t believe the Church is ever going to change her teaching on artificial birth control. Humanae Vitae has turned out to be very prophetic in terms of some of the negative results of wide-spread use of ABC.

That being said, let’s take a journey to a future dream land and suppose that something drastic happened and the Church’s teaching changes. Let’s say the Church adopts a teaching similar to the Orthodox where a couple, under close counseling from their priest, in some situations, could be given permission to use a non-abortifacient form of ABC.

Does that mean that all the Catholics who used ABC in the current time are vindicated and absolved of wrong doing? NO. Catholics are obliged to follow the Church’s teachings as they apply today, under pain of sin. And today, a Catholic who uses any form of ABC, using free will and due consideration is guilty of grave sin. There is really no way to get around that. The constant teaching of the Church is that those not in a state of grace should not present themselves for Communion.

 

[murphjos]

I do my best to be respectful of the opinions of others, and if people choose to practice only the church-approved method of birth control, fine. I have no problem. However, to try to tell others that it is immoral to follow their conscience on this question is another matter.

The immorality of ABC is not a matter of opinion.

 Intolerance gets the church nowhere. There should be room within Christ's church for legitimate differences of opinion.

Intolerance of what? Of sin? By “gets the church nowhere” I assume that you mean that intolerance gains her no popularity. Probably true but that makes no difference at all. If the ice cream machine at the school cafeteria is more popular than the salad bar does that have any bearing of which is better for the bodies being fed? The churches that fallen Catholics turn to because of their tolerance of sexual sin are handing out spiritual junk food.

 

[bingbang]

The immorality of ABC is not a matter of opinion.

We will see when the church changes it stance on this AND gay marriage in the years to come. The generation that is growing up now is not going to stand for gay marriage being illegal. I am 23 and I don’t know one person my age that is against gay marriage. I can only imagine that my 20 month old son is going to be even more tolerant of gay marriage. And in 25-30 years (or sooner) the church is going to change its stance on gay marriage and ABC. The only thing that the church will keep its stance on is abortion because it is the only debated topic that can be argued through secular means.

 

[Roy5]

What some people insist is sin others of us consider intelligent, responsible behaviour. There probably is no point in debating this issue further. Those who believe the church cannot err in such areas are not going to be swayed by logic because they think that they are required by God to follow the dicta of the magisterium. If they feel that way, fine. Thank God we live in a free country where people can make choices depending upon their perception of good. acceptable and evil.

   I've always been amazed that Christianity elevates Old Testament 'heroes' like Abraham, David and Solomon, but assails normal, everyday, hard-working people who want to relax and enjoy their love-making without anxiety about adding to their family.. Abraham, you will recall, passed off his wife as his sister to stay out of trouble with the Pharoah. He also, of course, committed adultery with Hagar. In addition to his several wives, King David deliberately had a man killed so that he could steal his wife. King Solomon, whom the Bible states was the wisest of all men, had 1000 wives and 600 concubines. Give me a break!

  So, compare those Jewish and Christian Biblical icons with ordinary Joe and Josephine who have a wonderful family already but simply decide not to have the 10-12 children that many of my French-Canadian ancestors had because they were 'good Catholics'. I certainly am not going to judge Joe and Josephine, and I'm sure God doesn't condemn them either. I salute their decision to have the number of children that seen best for everyone concerned. 

  And what about the women?  I knew one who was warned by her doctor that after five children she and the baby would likely die if she became pregnant again? And what about all the natural miscarriages? How does God's plan fit in with those? There are too many complex and uncertain situations for any of us to be dogmatic and harsh in our judgments. I'll let God handle that and am confident that the Lord understands and respects decisions made out of concern and love and not out of the same sort of rigid legalism that was so opposed by Christ.

 

[Corki]

We will see when the church changes it stance on this AND gay marriage in the years to come. The generation that is growing up now is not going to stand for gay marriage being illegal. I am 23 and I don’t know one person my age that is against gay marriage. I can only imagine that my 20 month old son is going to be even more tolerant of gay marriage. And in 25-30 years (or sooner) the church is going to change its stance on gay marriage and ABC. The only thing that the church will keep its stance on is abortion because it is the only debated topic that can be argued through secular means.

I hope you are not holding your breath on this. If the Church hasn’t changed her position on ABC in the last 40 years, she isn’t going to do so now in the face of all the medical and social problems that have cropped up since ABC became socially acceptable. HV has been shown to be not only true but prophetic. The most liberal group of Church leaders we have ever seen is phasing out with retirements. They are being replaced by more orthodox leaders and the younger priests seem to be more orthodox still.

Your generation is going to be squeezed between my generation (born in the 50s), which opposes same-sex marriage and my kids’ generation which is strikingly more conservative than even I was growing up. My kids and their classmates are not at all tolerant of same-sex marriage. But even if you are right and a majority of Americans end up approving of same-sex marriage, the Church’s teaching won’t change. Thank God for that.

 

[bingbang]

What some people insist is sin others of us consider intelligent, responsible behaviour. There probably is no point in debating this issue further. Those who believe the church cannot err in such areas are not going to be swayed by logic because they think that they are required by God to follow the dicta of the magisterium. If they feel that way, fine. Thank God we live in a free country where people can make choices depending upon their perception of good. acceptable and evil.

   I've always been amazed that Christianity elevates Old Testament 'heroes' like Abraham, David and Solomon, but assails normal, everyday, hard-working people who want to relax and enjoy their love-making without anxiety about adding to their family.. Abraham, you will recall, passed off his wife as his sister to stay out of trouble with the Pharoah. He also, of course, committed adultery with Hagar. In addition to his several wives, King David deliberately had a man killed so that he could steal his wife. King Solomon, whom the Bible states was the wisest of all men, had 1000 wives and 600 concubines. Give me a break!

  So, compare those Jewish and Christian Biblical icons with ordinary Joe and Josephine who have a wonderful family already but simply decide not to have the 10-12 children that many of my French-Canadian ancestors had because they were 'good Catholics'. I certainly am not going to judge Joe and Josephine, and I'm sure God doesn't condemn them either. I salute their decision to have the number of children that seen best for everyone concerned. 

  And what about the women?  I knew one who was warned by her doctor that after five children she and the baby would likely die if she became pregnant again? And what about all the natural miscarriages? How does God's plan fit in with those? There are too many complex and uncertain situations for any of us to be dogmatic and harsh in our judgments. I'll let God handle that and am confident that the Lord understands and respects decisions made out of concern and love and not out of the same sort of rigid legalism that was so opposed by Christ.

Great post.

 

[bingbang]

I hope you are not holding your breath on this. If the Church hasn’t changed her position on ABC in the last 40 years, she isn’t going to do so now in the face of all the medical and social problems that have cropped up since ABC became socially acceptable. HV has been shown to be not only true but prophetic. The most liberal group of Church leaders we have ever seen is phasing out with retirements. They are being replaced by more orthodox leaders and the younger priests seem to be more orthodox still.

Your generation is going to be squeezed between my generation (born in the 50s), which opposes same-sex marriage and my kids’ generation which is strikingly more conservative than even I was growing up. My kids and their classmates are not at all tolerant of same-sex marriage. But even if you are right and a majority of Americans end up approving of same-sex marriage, the Church’s teaching won’t change. Thank God for that.

I think you are being a bit naive to be honest. Your children and friends are strikingly conservative likely because you live in the south. As soon as I read that your children are conservative I looked at your location because I knew it was in the bible belt. Go to any college campus and see what the kids think about gay marriage…and trust me, it is just going to get more and more pro gay marriage. It is like racism in the 50’s and 60’s.

 

[Priscilla_Ann]

The immorality of ABC is not a matter of opinion.

Intolerance of what? Of sin? By “gets the church nowhere” I assume that you mean that intolerance gains her no popularity. Probably true but that makes no difference at all. If the ice cream machine at the school cafeteria is more popular than the salad bar does that have any bearing of which is better for the bodies being fed? The churches that fallen Catholics turn to because of their tolerance of sexual sin are handing out spiritual junk food.

The immoraliity of ABC is strictly a matter of opinion. There is no commandment that says, “Thou shalt not practice ABC.” Birth control is a matter of conscience and moral responsibility. God does not forbid us to use our brain to make responsible decisions. Having six children when you cannot afford to feed and clothe them is not morally responsible.

 

[choose_to_love]

bingbang - - why would the Church be limited to secular arguments? Secular legislation may need secular reasons, but the Church’s own internal position need not have such reasons.

There may not be the level of interest/attention, but the Church will never approve of gay marriage. I submit it may be more like no-fault divorce. That was before my time, but I imagine the Church fought it, with varying degrees of intensity, society ignored the Church (to society’s great detriment), and in a generation, it is not a hot-button issue, but neither does the Church take divorce lightly.

Why do you think the Church would change its definitive teaching on contraception, which it has consistently taught for 2000 years? What about biology or human sexuality has changed in this generation? Because some people don’t agree with it? We would all be Arians if that was the standard.

 

[Priscilla_Ann]

Great post.

I agree!

 

[Corki]

I think you are being a bit naive to be honest. Your children and friends are strikingly conservative likely because you live in the south. As soon as I read that your children are conservative I looked at your location because I knew it was in the bible belt. Go to any college campus and see what the kids think about gay marriage…and trust me, it is just going to get more and more pro gay marriage. It is like racism in the 50’s and 60’s.

Did you see the “Texas - for now”? We are transplants and come from the northeast. My kids spend time every year with their NY school mates and the attitudes are not very different than here. My son is currently researching colleges. Did you know that colleges are rated on their tolerance to homosexual activism? Did you know that the colleges with high tolerance ratings are far outnumbered by those with little tolerance for homosexual activism?

I grew up in the 70s. The pendulum has swung to the right since then, just as it swung to the left in the 60/70s after a very conservative time in the 40/50s. It is not an ever-more-liberal continuum. It never has been.

You are 23. Maybe you shouldn’t be calling people with more, and more varied, experience than you, “naive”.

 

[Prophesy]

I think you are being a bit naive to be honest. Your children and friends are strikingly conservative likely because you live in the south. As soon as I read that your children are conservative I looked at your location because I knew it was in the bible belt. Go to any college campus and see what the kids think about gay marriage…and trust me, it is just going to get more and more pro gay marriage. It is like racism in the 50’s and 60’s.

I am both much more north than Corki and in post secondary. Now the interesting part is that my opinion on same sex marriage didn’t change until my senior year (I was vocally in favor). I really don’t think that it is all that comparable to racism. What we are denying them is a sacrament, we are not advocating persecution, nor are we repossessing land, nor are we trying to ostracize them from society.

-Prophecy

 

[murphjos]

What some people insist is sin others of us consider intelligent, responsible behaviour.

Condoms are less effective than NFP in delaying pregnancy. So that leaves “intelligent, responsible” couples with hormonal birth control and surgical sterilization. What is so responsible about abortifacient methods or mutilating the body God created? What is so responsible about polluting our water supply with artificial hormones?

Those who believe the church cannot err in such areas are not going to be swayed by logic…

We call ourselves Catholics.

normal, everyday, hard-working people who want to relax and enjoy their love-making without anxiety about adding to their family.

That anxiety is a symptom of the contraceptive mentality and of a distrust of God. What arrogance to take the gift sexuality that is clearly meant to be pleasurable but also unitive AND provocative, and make it into a pastime. Thinking of children as an unwanted byproduct of our need to get off has allowed us to get the point that 4000 little humans end up in medical waste bags every day.

I am confident that the Lord understands and respects decisions made out of concern and love and not out of the same sort of rigid legalism that was so opposed by Christ.

If you really believe that those of obeying the Church are being rigidly legalistic, then you have not really read what popes have had to say on this matter. Theology of the Body goes way beyond “because we say so, Thats why.” The reasoning is sound and steeped in truth that secular society denies. You seem to be suggesting just the opposite; That the secular notions are based on a truth that the Church is to rigid to accept.

 

[Priscilla_Ann]

Condoms are less effective than NFP in delaying pregnancy. So that leaves “intelligent, responsible” couples with hormonal birth control and surgical sterilization. What is so responsible about abortifacient methods or mutilating the body God created? What is so responsible about polluting our water supply with artificial hormones?

We call ourselves Catholics.

That anxiety is a symptom of the contraceptive mentality and of a distrust of God. What arrogance to take the gift sexuality that is clearly meant to be pleasurable but also unitive AND provocative, and make it into a pastime. Thinking of children as an unwanted byproduct of our need to get off has allowed us to get the point that 4000 little humans end up in medical waste bags every day.

If you really believe that those of obeying the Church are being rigidly legalistic, then you have not really read what popes have had to say on this matter. Theology of the Body goes way beyond “because we say so, Thats why.” The reasoning is sound and steeped in truth that secular society denies. You seem to be suggesting just the opposite; That the secular notions are based on a truth that the Church is to rigid to accept.

Contraception does not indicate a distrust of God. If that were true, things like seat belts, medicine, health insurance, and retirement accounts would also indicate a distrust of God.

Keep in mind that Theology of the Body and similar teachings come from men – not from God. God’s list of rules is quite short, and I don’t find evidence that he instructed men to “go forth and make more rules”, which is exactly what the Catholic Church has done. Jesus and the apostles did not tell us what to eat or how to have sex with our spouses. Do you think he forgot? Or is it possible that he expects us to think and make wise, responsible decisions?

 

[jilly4ski]

  And what about the women?  I knew one who was warned by her doctor that after five children she and the baby would likely die if she became pregnant again? And what about all the natural miscarriages? How does God's plan fit in with those? There are too many complex and uncertain situations for any of us to be dogmatic and harsh in our judgments. I'll let God handle that and am confident that the Lord understands and respects decisions made out of concern and love and not out of the same sort of rigid legalism that was so opposed by Christ.

Yes, please what about the women. What about the women who die from hormonal contraception, or develop cancer, or have it fail and then have complications from the resulting abortion? What about those women?

And you are bringing up natural miscarriages as a argument? God gives us life and he can take it away. People who have miscarriages morn for their children that they have lost, because indeed they have lost a baby. I wonder how many people who use abortive contraceptives morn for the babies that they killed? Miscarriages have nothing to do with contraception and you cannot use it as an argument in support of ABC.

 

[jilly4ski]

Contraception does not indicate a distrust of God. If that were true, things like seat belts, medicine, health insurance, and retirement accounts would also indicate a distrust of God.

Keep in mind that Theology of the Body and similar teachings come from men – not from God. God’s list of rules is quite short, and I don’t find evidence that he instructed men to “go forth and make more rules”, which is exactly what the Catholic Church has done. Jesus and the apostles did not tell us what to eat or how to have sex with our spouses. Do you think he forgot? Or is it possible that he expects us to think and make wise, responsible decisions?

Sigh, ABC may indicate a lack of trust in God, but this is not why the Church opposes ABC. The Church opposes ABC because is perverts and demeans the marital act from the way God intended it. Indeed the Church calls us to responsible parenthood, and gives a moral way to do this. Abstinence, either periodic or complete. Indeed, if a woman was going to die if she got pregnant again would you really feel comfortable telling her to use ABC with everything that that entails including the failure rate?

 

[Priscilla_Ann]

Sigh, ABC may indicate a lack of trust in God, but this is not why the Church opposes ABC. The Church opposes ABC because is perverts and demeans the marital act from the way God intended it. Indeed the Church calls us to responsible parenthood, and gives a moral way to do this. Abstinence, either periodic or complete. Indeed, if a woman was going to die if she got pregnant again would you really feel comfortable telling her to use ABC with everything that that entails including the failure rate?

I would tell her that she and her husband need to consult with their doctor, who would explain the potential risks and benefits of the various birth control methods, and suggest what would work best for this particular woman.

After 27 years of marriage, with birth control and without, before vasectomy and after vasectomy, before hysterectomy and after hysterectomy, I can assure you that none of these things demean or pervert the marital act in any way. Couples need to to make these decisions together, through prayer and competent medical advice, with husband and wife respecting the feelings and wishes of the other. If a woman’s health is a reason to avoid pregnancy, they need to consult with her doctor. A competent doctor can suggest the method that would be best, taking into consideration specific health issues and potential risks. Periodic or complete abstinance is usually not conducive to intimacy and bonding in marriage, unless you are both in agreement with that method – again that is the decision of the couple – not the Catholic Church. If God does not impose this requirement of sexual abstinance in marriage, why does the Catholic Church?

I

 

[murphjos]

Contraception does not indicate a distrust of God. If that were true, things like seat belts, medicine, health insurance, and retirement accounts would also indicate a distrust of God.

Seat belts, medicine, health insurance, and retirement accounts …

So your list of terrible things would be:

injury in a car crash
untreated disease
lack of medical care
financial destitution
children

You could not better illustrate the heart of the contraceptive mentality; that fertility and children are not a blessing. What a bill of goods Satan has sold us! And our culture is buying it in bulk.

Contraception is not a prevention of a bad thing, it is a refusal of a gift from God himself.