I'm seriously considering converting to catholicism, but i have a problem...?

Question

I find it very difficult to contemplate not using contraception. As a young woman living in a post modern society it seems blind to a lot of very important issues. I wouldnt dont want to get pregnant before i am emotionally ready for children. And STIs are rife amongst the young community. I think its a really important issue. I need some advice from practising catholics about their attitudes towards birth control. I feel that converting would be the right thing for me to do and yet this one thing keeps making me think maybe i'm wrong. Please help. And can none of the idiots out there leave me stupid abusive comments please. xx

Answer 1

Well if you are having sex before marriage you are all ready in the "wrong". I know MOST catholics practice some form of birth control. Only the old school ones don't.

Answer 2

I'm a Roman Catholic
I think that it is simply wrong
If you do that you mess with the nature of how God intended the way Humans Develop, and their can't be a better way than God's way. Birth Control is . At the moment of conception God has a one time specially made soul that instantly fills that developing human. When you stop that, you kill that development, and therefore the baby. Even though the soul continues on. So no matter what that baby, no matter how small or early developed it is it has a soul you can't change that with any pill. And that is why it is wrong to use birth control.

I hope you follow through with your conversion
I'll pray for you

Answer 3

The Catholic church teaches that any sexual intercourse outside of marriage is sinful. The church also teaches that all birth control except for abstinence and natural family planning (rhythm method) are sinful. There are many books and classes which teach natural family planning. If you are interested, I am sure your local priest or church lady can direct you to a natural family planning class in your area.

Let us be honest, some Catholics do things that the church does not approve of. This includes contraception and other things too.

Answer 4

I would recommend being a nondenominational Christian for awhile. Contrasted with the life you lead in a "One True Church" religion, it really does allow you to be much happier.

If you insist on becoming Catholic, just understand that even if you feel the Catholic Church is "right", it isn't necessarily "100% right", and you can believe most of what it teaches without accepting every word as God-given truth. This is what many Mormons and JWs do (not to mention many Catholics) in order to keep from becoming depressed under the weight of the "I can't ever be good enough" perfection mentality that the One True Churches extract from their members.

Lastly, understand that by Bible standards, premarital sex is much more wrong than contraception will ever be, and that when the Catholic Church made that decree, it was under the assumption that the vast majority of its members were only having sex as couples linked in matrimony. Given the options, abstinance is the best choice, but if you can't hold yourself to it, even most Catholics understand that with protection is better than without. You'll never hear the Church say that, simply because it would sound like a compromise of one of its core doctrines.

If you have questions, feel free to email me.

Good luck,
Will

Answer 5

I am not sure if your married or not, (which doesn't matter) but, if your having sex and not ready to have a baby. My view is people will have sex no matter what, and it is better to think prior to having sex about the what if's about getting pregnant. Why have one sin to top another by getting pregnant and having an abortion, or having to decide if you want to put the baby up for adoption. Granted sex before marriage is a sin, and using birth control is against the Catholic church, it also makes me ill that people have abortions. Talk to your priest about this discussion. Get his view on this, and see where he is coming from.

Answer 6

>>I find it very difficult to contemplate not using contraception...I wouldnt dont want to get pregnant before i am emotionally ready for children.<<

Catholicism allows you to keep track of your fertile periods and make the decision whether or not to have sex. This natural family planning "is 97-99% effective for avoiding pregnancy when used exclusively."
http://www.ppeureka.org/index.php?target=Natural%20Family%20Planning.html

It is free of side effects and chemicals. It is safe for your body and safe for the environment, unlike other methods of birth control (see links below).

>>And STIs are rife amongst the young community.<<

All the more reason to refrain from sex outside of marriage. The Church has no teaching on the use of contraceptives outside of marriage, anyway.

When I converted to Catholicism, contraception was not an issue for me, because I had given it up years earlier for non-religious reasons. I had developed a sensitivity to latex, spermicides burned, and hormonal methods killed my desire.

A few articles about other methods of birth control:

Latex an allergen; repeated exposure to latex can result in life-threatening sensitivity:
http://www.ada.org/public/topics/latex_allergy.asp

Hormones from the Pill getting into the water supply and harming fish:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/124939_estrogen04.html

Most common active ingredient of spermicides harms vaginal tissue; increases risk of transmitting HIV and other STDs:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01191.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermicide#Types_and_effectiveness
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16860426

Answer 7

There are a lot of Catholics in the States and other countries who practice birth control.

If you're going to be 100% faithful to the religion that maybe a problem for you.

Talk to a priest in your area or talk to a few Catholics personally.

Answer 8

The Catholic Church is not against natural forms of contraception.

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 is against the will of God.

Here is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's website on Natural Family Planning: http://www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

look into the Natural Family Planning that is available. It is very effective and it does not take away the ability for pregnancy and it does not use abortafacients.

The thing is you should not be having sex outside of marriage and if you want to do that then Catholicism isn't for you because you receive the True presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and why would you submit the Holy one to that when it is without the sanctifying grace of marriage?

Answer 10

God gives every person the power of choice. The church can give advice and admonish its followers to do the right thing, but it cannot take away your power of choice. Only you have to live with and/or atone for the consequences of your choices so choose wisely.