Why does the Catholic Church dislike condoms?

Question

I've read a lot lately about how the Catholic Church is telling people to not use condoms. Why is this so and when did this craziness start?

Answer 1

Judeo-Christian tradition has taught for thousands of years:
1. Single people should be celibate.
2. Married people should be faithful to each other (adultery is wrong).
3. Married couples should welcome God's gift of children and, therefore, artificial birth control was against the will of God.

This teaching, in relation to condoms, is as old as condoms are.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

They have stated condoms promote pre-marital sex. They believe that, if there were no condoms, most people would wait until marriage. The Vatican states that condoms, being a form of artificial birth control, cannot be used to help prevent the spread of AIDS, since they eventually fail, and that abstinence is "holier", even in marriage as a birth control method.

Catechism teaches that the only "moral" method is the observation of infertile periods on women. The church accepts sex can be enjoyed, they just don't accept the use of artificial birth control methods, at least not yet.

Anyway, in a side note, the Catholic church in Spain has said it's "OK" to use condoms to prevent AIDS, it seems they are finally accepting people like sex. It's expected a change in the policy worldwide, sooner or later.

When you read that someone states "condom are a form of abortions", you know there is still a long way to go to definitively leave the middle ages.

Answer 3

I can't answer when it started. I am Catholic but I have never been a strict Catholic. I think it's because they don't believe in using condoms cause it is still not letting a child be born. Like with what they say about abortions, but I hate that rule so I have never followed the condom thing. I always use a condom.

Answer 4

Right, the catholic church believes in no- sex before marriage (no fornication). Marriage is suppose to be four things: eternal, life-giving, exclusive and a sacrament. As marriage is life giving if you are married you always have to be open to the prospect of creating new life. The Catholic Church teaches that sex is life-giving and enjoyable but you can't just have sex for fun without being open to the possibility of life. The Catholic Church believes in Natural Family Planning so if a couple doesn't want to have a child or they shouldn't for health reasons, they can abstain from sex during the woman's most fertile time of the month. By the way you can't do anything, yes we may sin but when we go to confessions we have to be truly repentent or else our sins are not removed from our souls, God doesn't reward lipservice. God Bless L

Answer 5

The Catholic Church does not support the use of contraceptives. Condoms, birth control, etc, prevent life from naturally occurring as God intended. Condoms are commonly used by individuals who are not married and pre-marital sex is not accepted by most Christians faiths, especially the Catholic Church. Marriage in the Catholic Church requires that you be open to life (open to having children) and using condoms prevents one from being open to life.

Answer 6

Well i haven't read anything about this craziness, but my guessing is this: The Church ultimately is against adultery(unmarried sex) and abortion. Using a condom would prevent one of God's children from being born. Therefore I believe they see it as a form of abortion in their eyes. I believe that when they say not to use condoms they mean with married couples not singles, because i could not see the Catholic Church saying it's ok to have sex, and especially unprotected sex. Hope this sheds some light.

Answer 7

It's not just condoms. The Catholic Church opposes all forms of artificial birth control.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

2375 Research aimed at reducing human sterility is to be encouraged, on condition that it is placed "at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, and his true and integral good according to the design and will of God."166

2376 Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife, by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage. They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother only through each other."167

2377 Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that "entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and children."168 "Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union . . . . Only respect for the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the person."169

Answer 8

I'm fairly sure the catholic church has always been against birth control of any kind. They want people to breed as much as possible so that there are more catholics in the world!

Catholics can give all the scriptural justification they want, but this is the real reason, sorry.

Answer 9

The Catholic Church believes in the religious rhetoric of not using "birth control". Condoms are a form of "birth control". I do not know how their belief came about, unless it has something to do with their popish structure. I am not that familiar with the Catholic Church as I am not a Catholic.

Answer 10

Based on the bible verse referenced below, the Catholic church believes that sex is for procreation, not for fun. So contraception is considered a bad thing. A fellow should not "spill his seed in vain". Though quite how they square that with the literally thousands of sperm that go to waste even when a sex act results in a pregnancy, I'm not sure.

And why would their god make something he didn't want them to do so much fun?