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Does
Your Non-Catholic 'Christian' Religion Sometimes (or Generally)
Tolerate Contraception? |
Consider:
*
How can a religion calling itself 'Christian' tolerate the
intentional prevention of conception? Scripture clearly praises
fertility and also condemns contraception. Consider that:
*
The very first command given by God to the human race was God's
command to Adam and Eve to go forth & multiply: "Be
fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (Gen.
1:28)
*
After the flood, God twice commanded to multiply: "Be fertile
and multiply and fill the earth." (Gen. 9:1) and "Be
fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it."
(Gen 9:7)
*
When Onan wasted his seed on the ground, he was killed (cf. Gen.
38:9-10). Note: Onan could have refused to unite with his
brother's widow. Therefore, it is clear that his contraceptive act
was condemned.
*
In Scripture, fertility is often shown as a blessing (e.g. Gen.
17:6, 17:20, 28:3, 35:11, 48:4, Ex. 23:25-26, Deut. 7:14, Ps.
127:3-5, 128:3), whereas childlessness as seen as a reproach
or disgrace (e.g. Hannah, Rachel, Elizabeth). Scripture calls
children a gift and a reward (see Ps. 127:3), and tells that
fathers worry over their daughter's sterility (see Sirach 42:10).
*
In the New Testament, we are told that women are saved through
motherhood (see 1 Tm. 2:11-15), and Jesus even curses a fruitless
tree (see Mt. 21:19, Mk. 11:14). We also see that Jesus looks
favorably on children and even says that "whoever receives
one child such as this in my name receives me." (Mt.
18:5)
*
Contraception contradicts the primary purpose of marriage - the
procreation and education of children.
*
Contraception is bad for one's health (it may be associated with
many health difficulties, including very serious ones, and has
even been associated with deaths).
*
Contraception may act as an abortifacient (that is, it causes
abortions - unknown to the woman).
*
Contraception is linked to promiscuity, venereal disease,
abortion, adultery, etc.
*
Contraception promotes the a myth of "safe sex". Even
despite the many heath risks that artificial contraception it is
linked to, birth control is also directly linked to fornication -
and thus may result in the loss of one's eternal soul. So-called
"safe sex" is not "safe for the soul" ["Do
you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived; neither fornicators...nor adulterers nor boy
prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals...will inherit the kingdom
of God." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 6:9-10)] and is also not safe
for the body.
*
"Contraception is rather like bulimia. One enjoys the
pleasure the action affords, but takes measures to prohibit the
natural consequences."
*
"Contraception is a rejection of a woman's fertility and
motherhood. It reduces her to an object of personal
pleasure". As St. Thomas Aquinas has stated: "A
man seeks wanton pleasure in his wife when he sees no more in her
that he would in a wanton."
*
Contraception places man's desires over the will of God.
*
Contraception frustrates the end of the marital act: the very act
was designed for the purpose of procreation.
*
Contraception is contrary to natural law. "Artificial
birth control is contrary to the natural law because it is a
frustration of the proper end of the [marital act], which is
procreation. Physical expression or consummation of love, the
sealing and increase of affection by the mutual enjoyment of one
of another, are also objects of the act, but only proximate
objects. To pursue such is good; but at the same time deliberately
to avoid the ultimate end of the act, for the due attainment of
which the proximate objects were ordained as a means, is
unnatural, contrary to right reason, conduct unbecoming rational
beings, and so morally wrong." (Catholic Dictionary)
*
Contraception shows a contempt for the laws of God and a distrust
for God's Providence.
*
"Contraception deigns to prevent God from continuing His acts
of Creation"
*
Contraception contradicts God's will. "Likewise,
if they consider the matter, they must admit that an act of mutual
love, which is detrimental to the faculty of propagating life,
which God the Creator of all, has implanted in it according to
special laws, is in contradiction to both the divine plan,
according to whose norm matrimony has been instituted, and the
will of the Author of human life. To use this divine gift
destroying, even if only partially, its meaning and its purpose is
to contradict the nature both of man and of woman and of their
most intimate relationship, and therefore it is to contradict also
the plan of God and His will." (Pope Paul VI)
*
Contraception is a rejection of Christ:
"[R]ejection
of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really a
rejection of Christ. This is the fascinating but also demanding
truth which Christ reveals to us and which his Church continues
untiringly to proclaim: 'Whoever receives one such child in my
name receives me' (Mt 18:5); 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it
to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me' (Mt
25:40)." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)
*
Contraception rejects self-giving and results in selfishness.
*
"Contraception devalues women as mothers and instead induces
society to look upon them as 'units of production'...
Contraception has directly led to the large percentage of women in
the workforce who have abandoned their children for hours on end
to perform 'work for hire'."
*
Contraception leads to the destruction of the family.
*
Contraception has led to a "under-population
crisis"
*
Contraception may dangerous to a woman's health, leads to
promiscuity, acts of fornication, adultery, etc., lowers morality,
and hurts society. It also leads to more abortions.
*
Until the 20th century, all so called 'Christian' denominations
held that contraception was immoral. Nowadays, the Catholic
Church, the "the pillar and foundation of truth" (1 Tm.
3:15), stands nearly alone in condemning contraception as a grave
sin. This is because she is divinely guided and protected. Despite
mockery and pressure from those outside the Church (and, sadly,
even from within), she has not changed (and will not change) her
position that contraception is gravely sinful.
*As
Scripture reminds us, "All man's works will perish in
decay" (Sirach 14:19). What will not perish, however, are
works of God - the eternal souls of their children. Parents are
primarily called to beget and educate their children to truly
worship and love God and to spend eternity with Him. Those who
have large families tend to appreciate their awesome
responsibility, whereas those with few children tend to
subordinate parenting to work and other activities. Mothers with
many children generally stay home and raise their children, and
even homeschool them - so necessary in this confused age. They are
surrounded by "innocent little ones" and dedicate
themselves to their husband and children and generally enjoy a
warm and loving home. In contrast, those who contracept may tend
to be distracted by dual careers, excessively busy, and neglectful
(they simply may not have time for their children or spouses).
They may be surrounded by all sorts of occasions of sin
(immodesty, pressure to lie or engage in unethical behavior,
etc.). Their few children may be raised by strangers and educated
in schools which are contrary to the true faith. Such parents
often seek divorces and family life may be unstable. Faithful
Catholics who diligently follow the Church's teaching on
contraception, by comparison, are said to have a "virtual 0%
divorce rate".
*
Those who avoid the contraceptive mentality put their trust in God
when children come. They see new life not as a burden, but as a
joy and a blessing from God. Siblings also learn the value of life
and enjoy God's blessings on their family. And, rather than face
their old age alone, they may be surrounded by many loving
children and grandchildren. They know that "children are a
gift, not a burden" and that "God will not give them
'too many' gifts." They understand that being a disciple of
Christ is not a matter of convenience, but may require great
sacrifice, and even martyrdom. They know that Christians may not
choose whatever "lifestyle" they desire, offending God
in the process, and still expect salvation. Finally, they trust
that "God is not a deceiver, that He should offer to support
us, and then, when we lean upon Him, should slip away from
us."
*
The Catholic Church teaches that the only approved method for
"birth control" is abstinence. As stated by St. Robert
Bellarmine, Doctor of the Church: "But
if it sometimes happens that married people should be oppressed
with the number of their children, whom, through poverty, they
cannot easily support, there is a remedy pleasing to God. And this
is for the couple, by mutual consent, to separate from the
marriage-bed and spend their days in prayer and
fasting." Not only is this method "full
proof" and free of side effects, it has the advantage of
enriching family life: "To dominate
instinct by means of one's reason and free will undoubtedly
requires ascetical practices, so that the affective manifestations
of conjugal life may observe the correct order, in particular with
regard to the observance of periodic continence. Yet this
discipline which is proper to the purity of married couples, far
from harming conjugal love, rather confers on it a higher human
value. It demands continual effort yet, thanks to its beneficent
influence, husband and wife fully develop their personalities,
being enriched with spiritual values. Such discipline bestows upon
family life fruits of serenity and peace, and facilitates the
solution of other problems; it favors attention for one's partner,
helps both parties to drive out selfishness, the enemy of true
love; and deepens their sense of responsibility. By its means,
parents acquire the capacity of having a deeper and more
efficacious influence in the education of their offspring; little
children and youths grow up with a just appraisal of human values,
and in the serene and harmonious development of their spiritual
and sensitive faculties." (Pope Paul VI) Further,
remember that "no one ever got pregnant, AIDS, or a venereal
disease by fully following the teachings of the Catholic Church -
that is, abstinence."
*
Married couples who do not use contraception may enjoy many
benefits, including: better & stronger marriages, better
family life, better health, living in a manner more pleasing to
God, more respect from each other, increased trust in God, better
values...
*
Finally, note that the Catholic Church's position against
contraception was not invented by men, but is based on the laws of
God. And certainly, the Church has no power to change divine law.
As Pope Leo XIII said: "To take away
from man the natural and primeval right of marriage, to
circumscribe in any way the principal ends of marriage laid down
in the beginning by God Himself in the words 'Increase and
multiply' (Gen. 1:28), is beyond the power of any human law."
(As quoted by Pope Pius XI in "Casti Connubii",
1930 A.D.) Note that even if a priest says the opposite, he is in
error and is expressing his personal opinion. The Catholic Church
rejects artificial contraception, regardless of what any particular
(misguided) priest may say.
Note:
Of course, Scripture praises fertility only in the bonds of holy
matrimony. Intimate relations outside of marriage are gravely
sinful and may result in the loss of one's eternal soul: "Do
you not know that the unjust will not inherit the kingdom of God?
Do not be deceived; neither fornicators...nor adulterers nor boy
prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals...will inherit the kingdom
of God." (St. Paul, 1 Cor. 6:9-10)
Some
Closing Quotations...
"[E]ach
and every marriage act (quilibet matrimonii usus) must remain open
to the transmission of life" (Pope Paul VI)
"[A]s
often as he knows his wife without a desire for children...without
a doubt he commits sin" (St. Caesar of Arles, c. 540
A.D.)
"Only a person of very
small faith could believe that so great a God doesn't have the
power to give food to those who serve Him." (St. Teresa of
Avila, Doctor of the Church)
"As a gift and a
commitment, children are [a parent's] most important
task...Children are more important than work, entertainment and
social position." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"To the degree that
a person weakens chastity, his or her love becomes more and
more selfish, that is, satisfying a desire for pleasure and no
longer self-giving." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"For since the bringing
of children into the world is the principal end of marriage, to do
anything in order to prevent the accomplishment of this end is
always a mortal sin." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the
Church)
Error CONDEMNED by Pope
Innocent XI: "The act of marriage exercised for pleasure only
is entirely free of all fault and venial defect." (This
proposition was condemned by Pope Innocent XI, 1679 A.D.)
"The two dimensions of
conjugal union, the unitive and the procreative, cannot be
artificially separated without damaging the deepest truth of the
conjugal act itself." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"When a couple refuses
to collaborate with God to transmit the gift of life, they have
great difficulty in finding in themselves the resources to sustain
mutual understanding." (Pope John Paul II)
"Can. 1013
§ 1 The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education
of children; the secondary [end] is mutual support and a remedy
for concupiscence." (1917 Code of Canon Law)
"Even with a lawful
wife, the marriage act is unlawful and shameful if the
conception of offspring is prevented. That is what Onan, the
son of Juda, did and on that account God put him to
death." (St. Augustine, Doctor of the Church, 5th century
A.D.)
"To take away the
natural and primeval right of marriage, or in any way to
circumscribe the chief purpose of marriage established in the
beginning by the authority of God, Increase and multiply' [Gen.
1:28], is not within the power of any law of man." (Pope Leo
XIII)
"Such practices are
rooted in a hedonistic mentality unwilling to accept
responsibility in matters of sexuality, and they imply a
self-centered concept of freedom, which regards procreation as
an obstacle to personal fulfillment" (Pope John Paul II)
"In the presence of the
people, my Redeemer and Savior embraced children and blessed them,
in order to show how pleasing to him are the purity and innocence
of that age. Truly is he worthy of all praise, who loves to be
surrounded by innocent little ones." (St. Ephrem)
"And finally this love
is fecund for it is not exhausted by the communion between husband
and wife, but is destined to continue, raising up new lives.
'Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward
the begetting and educating of children. Children are really the
supreme gift of marriage and contribute very substantially to the
welfare of their parents.'" (Pope Paul VI)
"Nuptial commerce,
which is so holy, just and commendable in itself, and so
profitable to the commonwealth, is, nevertheless, in certain
cases dangerous to those that exercise it, as when the order
appointed for the procreation of children is violated and
perverted; in which case, according as one departs more or
less from it, the sins are more or less abominable, but always
mortal." (St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church)
"No one can deny that
the first example and the greatest help that parents can give
their children is their generosity in accepting life, without
forgetting that this is how parents help their children to
have a simpler lifestyle. Moreover, '...it is certainly less
serious to deny their children certain comforts or material
advantages than to deprive them of the presence of brothers
and sisters, who could help them to grow in humanity and to
realize the beauty of life at all its ages and in all its
variety' (Pope John Paul II)." (Pontifical Council for
the Family)
"It must never be
forgotten that the disordered use of sex tends progressively
to destroy the person's capacity to love by making pleasure,
instead of sincere self-giving, the end of sexuality and by
reducing other persons to objects of one's own gratification.
In this way the meaning of true love between a man and a woman
(love always open to life) is weakened as well as the family
itself. Moreover, this subsequently leads to disdain for the
human life which could be conceived, which, in some
situations, is then regarded as an evil that threatens
personal pleasure." (Pontifical Council for the Family)
"Heinous is the sin
committed against the creative act of God, Who through the
marriage contract invites man and woman to cooperate with Him in
the propagation of the human family. To take life after its
inception is a horrible crime; but to prevent human life that the
Creator is about to bring into being, is satanic. In the first
instance, the body is killed, while the soul lives on; in the
latter, not only a body but an immortal soul is denied existence
in time and in eternity. It has been reserved to our day to see
advocated shamelessly the legalizing of such a diabolical
thing." {Archbishop Hayes}
"The responsible
exercise of parenthood implies, therefore, that husband and wife
recognize fully their own duties towards God, towards themselves,
towards the family and towards society, in a correct hierarchy of
values. In the task of transmitting life, therefore, they are not
free to proceed completely at will, as if they could determine in
a wholly autonomous way the honest path to follow; but they must
conform their activity to the creative intention of God, expressed
in the very nature of marriage and of its acts, and manifested by
the constant teaching of the Church." (Pope Paul VI)
"[Birth control is a]
misnomer for the practice of carrying out [the marital act] within
or without marriage in such a way as to prevent conception. The
church condemns such practices as gravely contrary to the natural
law. She sanctions only such true control as may be procured by
abstinence... Artificial birth control is contrary to the natural
law because it is a frustration of the proper end of the [marital
act], which is procreation. Physical expression or consummation of
love, the sealing and increase of affection by the mutual
enjoyment of one of another, are also objects of the act, but only
proximate objects. To pursue such is good; but at the same time
deliberately to avoid the ultimate end of the act, for the due
attainment of which the proximate objects were ordained as a
means, is unnatural, contrary to right reason, conduct unbecoming
rational beings, and so morally wrong." (Catholic Dictionary)
"We are deeply touched
by the sufferings of those parents who, in extreme want,
experience great difficulty in rearing their children. However,
they should take care lest the calamitous state of their external
affairs should be the occasion for a much more calamitous error.
No difficulty can arise that justifies the putting aside of the
law of God which forbids all acts intrinsically evil. There is no
possible circumstance in which husband and wife cannot,
strengthened by the grace of God, fulfill faithfully their duties
and preserve in wedlock their chastity unspotted. This truth of
Christian Faith is expressed by the teaching of the Council of
Trent. 'Let no one be so rash as to assert that which the Fathers
of the Council have placed under anathema, namely, that there are
precepts of God impossible for the just to observe. God does not
ask the impossible, but by His commands, instructs you to do what
you are able, to pray for what you are not able that He may help
you.'" (Pope Pius XI, "Casti Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"Our Encyclical
'Humanae vitae' has caused many reactions. But as far as We
recall, the Pope has never received so many spontaneous messages
of gratitude and approval for the publication of a document as on
this occasion. And these messages have poured in from every part
of the world and from every class of people. We mention this to
express Our cordial thanks to all those who have welcomed Our
Encyclical Letter and assured Us of their support. May the Lord
bless them. We know, of course, that there are many who have not
appreciated Our teaching, and not a few have opposed it. We can,
in a sense, understand their lack of comprehension and even their
opposition. Our decision is not an easy one. It is not in line
with a practice unfortunately widespread today which is regarded
as convenient and, on the surface, helpful to family harmony and
love. Once again We would remind you that the ruling We have
reaffirmed is not Our own. It originates from the very structure
of life and love and human dignity, and is thus derived from the
law of God." (Pope Paul VI)
"It can be foreseen
that this teaching [against artificial contraception] will
perhaps not be easily received by all: Too numerous are those
voices - amplified by the modern means of propaganda - which are
contrary to the voice of the Church. To tell the truth, the Church
is not surprised to be made, like her divine Founder, a 'sign of
contradiction', yet she does not because of this cease to proclaim
with humble firmness the entire moral law, both natural and
evangelical. Of such laws the Church was not the author, nor
consequently can she be their arbiter; she is only their
depositary and their interpreter, without ever being able to
declare to be licit that which is not so by reason of its intimate
and unchangeable opposition to the true good of man. In defending
conjugal morals in their integral wholeness, the Church knows that
she contributes towards the establishment of a truly human
civilization; she engages man not to abdicate from his own
responsibility in order to rely on technical means; by that very
fact she defends the dignity of man and wife. Faithful to both the
teaching and the example of the Savior, she shows herself to be
the sincere and disinterested friend of men, whom she wishes to
help, even during their earthly sojourn, 'to share as sons in the
life of the living God, the Father of all men.'" (Pope Paul
VI)
"First consideration is
due to the offspring, which many have the boldness to call the
disagreeable burden of matrimony and which they say is to be
carefully avoided by married people not through virtuous
continence (which Christian law permits in matrimony when both
parties consent) but by frustrating the marriage act. Some justify
this criminal abuse on the ground that they are weary of children
and wish to gratify their desires without their consequent burden.
Others say that they cannot on the one hand remain continent nor
on the other can they have children because of the difficulties
whether on the part of the mother or on the part of family
circumstances. But no reason, however grave, may be put forward by
which anything intrinsically against nature may become conformable
to nature and morally good. Since, therefore, the conjugal act is
destined primarily by nature for the begetting of children, those
who in exercising it deliberately frustrate its natural power and
purpose sin against nature and commit a deed which is shameful and
intrinsically vicious. Small wonder, therefore, if Holy Writ bears
witness that the Divine Majesty regards with greatest detestation
this horrible crime and at times has punished it with death. As
St. Augustine notes, 'Intercourse even with one's legitimate wife
is unlawful and wicked where the conception of the offspring is
prevented. Onan, the son of Juda, did this and the Lord killed him
for it.' Since, therefore, openly departing from the uninterrupted
Christian tradition some recently have judged it possible solemnly
to declare another doctrine regarding this question, the Catholic
Church, to whom God has entrusted the defense of the integrity and
purity of morals, standing erect in the midst of the moral ruin
which surrounds her, in order that she may preserve the chastity
of the nuptial union from being defiled by this foul stain, raises
her voice in token of her divine ambassadorship and through Our
mouth proclaims anew: any use whatsoever of matrimony exercised in
such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural
power to generate life is an offense against the law of God and of
nature, and those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt
of a grave sin." (Pope Pius XI, "Casti Connubii", 1930 A.D.)
"Upright men can even
better convince themselves of the solid grounds on which the
teaching of the Church in this field is based, if they care to
reflect upon the consequences of methods of artificial birth
control. Let them consider, first of all, how wide and easy a road
would thus be opened up towards conjugal infidelity and the
general lowering of morality. Not much experience is needed in
order to know human weakness, and to understand that men -
especially the young, who are so vulnerable on this point - have
need of encouragement to be faithful to the moral law, so that
they must not be offered some easy means of eluding its
observance. It is also to be feared that the man, growing used to
the employment of anti-conceptive practices, may finally lose
respect for the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and
psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of considering
her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as
his respected and beloved companion. Let it be considered also
that a dangerous weapon would thus be placed in the hands of those
public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies. Who could
blame a government for applying to the solution of the problems of
the community those means acknowledged to be licit for married
couples in the solution of a family problem? Who will stop rulers
from favoring, from even imposing upon their peoples, if they were
to consider it necessary, the method of contraception which they
judge to be most efficacious? In such a way men, wishing to avoid
individual, family, or social difficulties encountered in the
observance of the divine law, would reach the point of placing at
the mercy of the intervention of public authorities the most
personal and most reserved sector of conjugal intimacy."
(Pope Paul VI)
"In order to facilitate
the spread of abortion, enormous sums of money have been invested
and continue to be invested in the production of pharmaceutical
products which make it possible to kill the fetus in the mother's
womb without recourse to medical assistance. On this point,
scientific research itself seems to be almost exclusively
preoccupied with developing products which are ever more simple
and effective in suppressing life and which at the same time are
capable of removing abortion from any kind of control or social
responsibility. It is frequently asserted that contraception, if
made safe and available to all, is the most effective remedy
against abortion. The Catholic Church is then accused of actually
promoting abortion, because she obstinately continues to teach the
moral unlawfulness of contraception. When looked at carefully,
this objection is clearly unfounded. It may be that many people
use contraception with a view to excluding the subsequent
temptation of abortion. But the negative values inherent in the
'contraceptive mentality' - which is very different from
responsible parenthood, lived in respect for the full truth of the
conjugal act - are such that they in fact strengthen this
temptation when an unwanted life is conceived. Indeed, the
pro-abortion culture is especially strong precisely where the
Church's teaching on contraception is rejected. Certainly, from
the moral point of view contraception and abortion are
specifically different evils... But despite their differences...
contraception and abortion are often closely connected, as fruits
of the same tree... The close connection which exists, in
mentality, between the practice of contraception and that of
abortion is becoming increasingly obvious. It is being
demonstrated in an alarming way by the development of chemical
products, intrauterine devices and vaccines which... really act as
abortifacients in the very early stages of the development of the
life of the new human being." (Pope John Paul II, 1995)
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