Well, it doesn't take a genius to work that one out. But why when they are celibate and have a zero birth rate do they encourage non use of contraception in developing South American, African countries and the Phillipines amongst others? Isn't it hypocritical and irresponsible to encourage people to have large families that will make it difficult to provide for them? I'm not Anti - Catholic, but I would appreciate some thoughtful answers instead of being proverbially cast into the lake of fire, so here's your chance to explain. Oh, and I'm affiliated with no one, so don't try and pin a proddie wrap upon me. Sentinel: If you can provide a link for that statement, then I will challenge the proddies and give more consideration to your answer, otherwise it's unsubstantiated. See what I mean?! Ex _Pro goes straight on the offensive. I don't even have the right to ask. Does Heaven... You make some good points. However, my lady is nominally catholic and comes from Africa. I assure you that I have been there and I'm not just making baseless assumptions. Mrs Catholic: While respecting your point of view, may I ask if you've ever been to Africa? The birth rate is low in some countries because of war, death, famine and disease will mask birth figures to a large degree. Try visiting Mozambique which is only just starting to overcome some of these terrible tragedies. Also, if God gave sexual desire, then why shouldn't people be allowed to fulfill it, using contraception if they wish? Remember a lot of people adhere to religions by social pressure, not because they truly believe.
Religion & Spirituality - 14 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
its really a personal choice....we have brains..
2 :
The short answer is: it's easy to give out bad advice when you're not the one who pays the consequences for it.
3 :
Don't forget about AIDS, the non use of contraceptives spreads the STD. But silly Christians make it blasphemy to use condoms.
4 :
I don't know really why either. Maybe it has something to do with the thinking that women being baby-making machines, or venereal diseases don't exist. @ Fireball: Sure we can, but why does the Catholic church, an institution, say we can't use condoms?
5 :
When one has painted one's self into a corner it is hard to get out. Okay, spell checker, how does one spell the possessive of "one"?
6 :
It stands to reason that if there are more catholics the vatican will have more power. The reason why they chose sexuality is because it's the one free pleasure we have in life and they want to control that. If they can control your sexuality, they are controling you. The vatican has already admitted it is more about the church than the spirituality so there we have it, straight from them.
7 :
The Catholic doctrine forbids interference in the gift of human life given by God and this includes contraception in both forms (coitus interruptus and sterilization), and this type of interference of life is condemned without exception (Gen. 38:9รข€“10, Deut. 23:1). The early Fathers recognized that the purpose of sexual intercourse in natural law is procreation; contraceptive sex, which deliberately blocks that purpose, is a violation of natural law. Every church in Christendom condemned contraception until 1930, when, at its decennial Lambeth Conference, Anglicanism gave permission for the use of contraception in a few cases. Soon all Protestant denominations had adopted the secularist position on contraception. Today not one stands with the Catholic Church to maintain the ancient Christian faith on this issue. How badly things have decayed may be seen by comparing the current state of non-Catholic churches, where most pastors counsel young couples to decide before they are married what form of contraception they will use, with these quotations from the early Church Fathers, who condemned contraception in general as well as particular forms of it, as well as popular contraceptive sex practices that were then common (sterilization, oral contraceptives, coitus interruptus, and orally consummated sex). Many Protestants, perhaps beginning to see the inevitable connection between contraception and divorce and between contraception and abortion, are now returning to the historic Christian position and rejecting contraceptive sexual practices. It should be noted that some of the Church Fathers use language that can suggest to modern ears that there is no unitive aspect to marital intercourse and that there is only a procreative aspect. It is unclear whether this is what some of them actually thought or whether they are intending simply to stress that sexual activity becomes immoral if the procreative aspect of a given marital act is deliberately frustrated. However that may be, over the course of time the Church has called greater attention to the unitive aspect of marital intercourse, yet it remains true that the procreative aspect of each particular marital act must not be frustrated. God bless.
8 :
I'm not sure you have any idea what being a Catholic means. Catholics believe that Jesus set up the Church and gave it authority in Faith and Morals, to protect His Message and be a light for the world. If you were going to disobey the Church on sexual morality WHY WOULD YOU EVEN BE A CATHOLIC. That makes no sense. If it is what it says and you believe it...then follow it. If not, don't. Simple as pie...'if you open your eye'
9 :
You must be affiliated with someone. You came from parents, right? Ok - seriously, I just don't think you can compare the two. Catholic clergy generally do not produce babies, and you and I and the rest of the free and not so free world know it. The reason they are not willing to promote birth control is because they want large families. It behooves a religion to grow, and this is their angle to get that. Doesn't make them bad or good, it's just their angle. It's not irresponsible, and I see you are assuming from the outset that those producing large families will have difficulty providing for them. I'm just going by your own words. And yes, indeed - Those that can't afford it, shouldn't. Most catholics worldwide practice their faith "al a carte". Whether that's right or wrong is subject to another debate, but it's been demonstrated that a plurality of catholics WORLDWIDE use birth control, and a majority of US catholics do as well.
10 :
The Catholic church does allow the use of the Rhythm Method when absolutely necessary (financial struggle, medical problems, etc). To use contraception to make sure you have no more children is to say you don't have faith that God will provide you with the means to care for the children you will have. I have three children, all of which I was forced to accept Medicaid to bring into this world. My husband and I struggled for seven years to provide them with everything they need in this world. Now we are enjoying the fruits of our labor. My husband was hired with a great department in a place with a low cost of living, and our salary has doubled. God will provide you with the means to care for every child He gives you. The problems in Africa and so on throughout the world are not large families, but premarital relations. And even then, most large countries are suffering from a low birth rate. Some countries are even paying women to have babies to make sure that their population doesn't dissapear! so in the end it is about having faith that God will provide. If you don't want to have babies, try abstinence. That is the responsible thing, not contraception. response to your personal addition for me... god gave us desire so that it would not be an appalling thing to be fruitful and multiply. Not so that we could have a fling whenever we feel like it. That is why disease is rampant in Africa. I come from Portugal, which is a poor country and I have seen women sell band aids in markets to make an extra escudo to feed the child strapped to their backs. Portugal is also 99% Catholic and they aren't complaining.
11 :
The Catholic Church only encourages couples to be open to life and open to God's will for their families. The Catholic Church does not say that people must have large families, only that it is wrong to have sex using artificial contraception. This takes God out of the sex act, and makes it one of physical pleasure only. The Church has always taught that sex is unitive and procreative and that they are both intregal aspects of sexual intercourse, and that sexual intercourse is only to be between a husband and wife. God created women with a natural fertility cycle. A woman cannot get pregnant everytime she has sex, by natural design. The Catholic Church only requires that we, as good and faithful Christisans, work with God's design and do not pervert it or circumvent it for our own pleasure. Couples who cannot afford a child, or have other licit reasons to avoid a pregnancy, should abstain from sex during the woman's fertile time. This is really only a few days a month. According to statistics, if a couple using NFP (natural family planning) and trying to avoid pregnancy, were to have sex every day they could...they'd have sex at twice the national average. The only thing is there are days that you may want sex, but need to abstain. On those days you offer this sacrifice to God, and show your love for your spouse in other non-sexual ways. It's actually good for the relationship. So, the Catholic Church is only doing as it has done for 2000 years. It states that God is the author of life and intricately involved in our marriage and family life. That sex is a gift and allows us to be co-creators with God and this makes it a sacred and life giving act. When we pervert the act by using contraception we cause it to be an unnatural and sterile act. The Catholic Church does not encourage those who cannot afford large families to have them. It does however encourage all the faithful to trust in God, and have faith in his design.
12 :
Peace and blessings be upon you. When sex by for free without marriage or responsability :why should people marry and carry a responsability?
13 :
I'm afraid there's only one answer to your question Solomon: This is the sort of rationale which occurs when men of religious authority believe their own "wisdom" supercedes the true wisdom of God. I could expound, but doing so would only turn into the ranting I hate so much. Your questions are more than valid - it's tragic that those who have enough power to impose such religious burdens don't ask themselves the same thing.
14 :
Meowzerrrs!!! - I'd just like to say that you can't throw all people who call themselves Christians into the same bag. It is the Catholics, not Christianity as a whole, that have those rules about contraception.
