What's up with the Catholic church and contraception?

Question

I sincerely want to know why the church is against it. Particularly why are they against the use of condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS? It just doesn't make sense. Does anyone know why they think contraception is such a bad thing?

Answer 1

God made sex so you can create a follower of Christ, not for fun. Condoms, stop birth, and they promote sex! Poeple will think that, they are "safe" while using condoms. That's why there are many abortions, condoms are NOT 100% safe and when they don't work and your 14 year old daughter has to pope out a baby, you'll understnad.

Answer 2

It's an idea called "Natural Law", which the Church adopted from the Romans. In brief, it says that everything that exists has a power, a best realization of its being, and interference with that function is, at best, a natural evil, at worst, a sin. A fertilized ovum has the potential to be a fully expressed human being. It can't naturally become anything else. Therefore, to prevent its realization is an evil. To deliberately prevent it is sinful.

By extension, the natural fulfillment of a spermatozoa and of an unfertilized ovum is a fertilized egg. So deliberate thwarting of that fulfillment is a sin. (The rhythm method gets a pass because it only reduces the potential instead of eliminating it.)

It is also the reason that the Church condemns homosexuality, since the highest realization of sex is procreation. This line of reasoning worked very well for Medieval philosophers. There are those who see several logical fallacies in it now, but the Church still buys into it. The only exceptions allowed are conditions under which a greater evil, such as death, would be prevented. Whatever people think of its reasoning, the Church values consistency over any hint of pragmatism.

Answer 3

The Catholic Church is out of touch with reality and has been since I can remember. That's going back a long stretch too. I think the original opposition to "The Pill" in the early 60's was due to the Church's belief (and not altogether unfounded) that it would lead to promiscuity. In addition, the Church endorses marriage and children, while contraception by its very nature inhibits procreation. However, we have seen a spike in STD's including the worst, AIDS, that will scar its victims for life.
I left the Catholic Church in 1961 because it just didn't suit me anymore for several reasons. I still think it has many fine qualities, but it also has many warts. The biggest wart is that it does not listen to its congregation.
So, keep using contraception until you are ready for children, or to prevent std's if you just want to enjoy sex.

Answer 4

The Catholic Church is against contraception for numerous reasons. I too, used to have difficulty with this teaching, but have since studied and learned the reasons. I'll try to be brief.
#1. The Holy Spirit is the giver of life, it should not be up to us to try and deflect that gift from God.
#2. Contraception does not allow the couple to fully give of themselves to each other. Sex is supposed to be a gift form God to a husband and his wife. If used in that context, no barrier to life is needed. God has also given us a fertility cycle, a natural way to space pregnancy when there is a serious reason to do so.
#3. Contraception is often abortive, which many people do not realize.Chemical contraceptives cause the lining of the uterus to not allowed a fetilized egg to implant, thus aborting it. Drug companies would like everyone to think that it stops a woman from ovulating, and it does, most of the time, but scientists estimate that as often as 4 times a year, a woman still ovulates, with the possibility of becoming pregnant. If she does, the baby is not allowed to implant, due to the hostile lining of the uterus. Also, 60% of women seeking abortions due so because their chosen form of contraception has failed, leading them to outright destroy the growing child in thier womb. Contraception gives a false sense of security, it allows people to engage in behavior that is risky to thier health, their spirit and their emotions, their relationship with God. All that, plus it does not work all of the time.
#4. The church is against condom use in couples for the same reasons as the first two mentioned, but also because it does not want to promote use of something, and mislead people into thinking it is safe. Sex with a condom is somewhat "safer" than none at all, but as is often noted with pregnancy, condoms break, fluids leak over them, they just are not reliable. The Catholic church does not want to promote the use as it is not effective, and could lead to more cases of HIV when people think that they can use them with the church's blessing.
#5. Lastly, as I stated before, sex has a beautiful and specific purpose. The Catholic Church will never change her stance on it's powerful and beautiful purpose, to create new life, and to unify a husband and wife to each other, and to God. When it is used in any other way, it causes heartache, disease, and corruption of one of God's greatest gifts to man. The Catholic Church thinks sex is beautiful and holy, and that it should remain that way.
See the resources I have listed to learn more - I am sure those guys can say it all way better than I can! God Bless you, and thanks for asking a great question that all Catholics wish others would ask, or at least listen to the answer! Even some Catholics need to hear this!

Answer 5

Last I read (like a year ago on the BBC news site), the Catholic church did allow for condom use for those who knew they had STD's in order to prevent spreading them.

Of course I don't really get the people that say they won't use condoms to follow the church, but will be promiscuous all the time, and then blame the church for getting sick - Why do they not care about breaking the "no fornication and adultery rule" but care about the "no contraceptives" rule. That seems like pretty mixed up priorities to me.

Answer 6

Because the Catholic church is against sex before marriage. The only contraception necessary is abstainance. If you're not having sex, then you dont need a condom to prevent hiv/aids and if you're not having sex, no condom or any other form of contraception is a better alternative.

I don't know. I thought it was pretty obvious why the catholic church would be against it.

Answer 7

nicely, i've got no longer heard this nor do i understand who Stephen Fry is. further, did he have any information, etc. to back up his declare? i'm greatly surprised that this may be the case. however, it incredibly is their money so as that they are in a position to set the circumstances for it incredibly is use. i've got confidence he's concerning Africa and the AIDS situation over there. Catholic hospitals produce different ability of investment and are not based on money from the Church. maximum AIDS companies are governmental and, hence, don't get investment from the Church. definite, as a instructor, I agree which you will desire to no longer use anybody in a paper if his/her assertions do no longer comprise statistics to back what they say up. it incredibly is undesirable examine.

Answer 8

It is not the prevention of STDs that the Catholic Church prohibits condems for, it is the prevention of creating a life. As you may know, the Catholic Church is strongly opposed to abortion and my only assumption is that they view preventing a life from being created (by means of contraception whether it be birth control or condoms) as one in the same with abortion. I know, and I'm sure you do too, many Catholic women who are on the pill and many Catholic couples who use condoms. The ban against contraception is merely a church doctrine, not divine law. Therefore if a Catholic uses contraception, I don't think they believe they will go to Hell. Some more conservative Catholics may, but common sense would tell you that protecting yourself, even though it may be against church law, would not send you to Hell. On the other hand, Christians do believe that premarital sex is a sin, therefore most couples who use contraception would be sinning either way (whether they use methods of birth control or not).

Answer 9

Contraception, no matter what form it takes, prohibits the act of creating life. The Church teaches that sex between two individuals should conclude with the potential for procreation. In other words, if you're having sex, you're also trying to create a new life. By using contraceptives, you prohibit new life from forming and are using sex simply as a selfish act.

Also, to answer the whole HIV/AIDS part of the question. If you're not having sex, the odds of catching AIDS are greatly reduced.

Answer 10

Few realize that up until 1930, all Protestant denominations agreed with the Catholic Church’s teaching condemning contraception as sinful. As for AIDS - those people who are having sex outside of marriage are obviously not following Church teaching, are they? So the excuse that the Church is guilty of contributing to the spread of AIDS is bulls**.

Natural family planning is an acceptable form of birth control.