Come on, birth control is a sin? It was a fine system for the Middle Ages or poor ignorant 3rd world countries, but I think it is imcompatible with modern society.
2007-07-31 07:21:59 · 14 answers · asked by John D 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I am still trying to figure that one out myself. Very confused as to why they think the "pope" is so powerful, that he can run their lives.
2007-07-31 07:26:25 · answer #1 · answered by yahweh_is_the_lord 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I can take it seriously. If you actually learned what the whole of Catholicism is all about (instead of just focusing on one particular point that you already know you disagree with), you might find you can take it seriously, too.
Artificial contraception is a sin because it takes an act that is supposed to be both pleasurable and procreative (creating life as we are created in God's image) and artificially destroying the procreative nature of the act for the purpose of self-indulgence. Besides, it's not necessary, because God made women cyclical. We can't get pregnant every day of the month, and if we take a little time to get educated about our bodies and read the unique signs of ovulation emitted by our bodies, we can know when the act of sexual intercourse will result in a pregnancy and when it won't.
Furthermore, by a woman tracking her own ovulatory patterns, several good things happen: first and best, she can detect health problems, including potentially deadly ovarian cancer, very early on when treatment is effective. Second, she isn't poisoning her own body with artificial hormones or chemical spermicides or latex (ask somebody who has a latex allergy what he/she thinks of condoms and diaphrams). Third the couple is not risking the conception and early death of their own offspring, which is known to happen with both hormonal birth control (pill, patch, Depo) and IUDs (look for "prevent implantation" on the description of how it works). Fourth, the excess hormones are not being dumped into the world's water supply (through her urine or through standard disposal method), which some theorize has lead to decreased overall fertility in both men and women, early adolescence in girls, etc.
As for banning artificial contraception for the Middle Ages being "a fine system," it wasn't banned then because there weren't any "reliable" methods of artificial contraception.
2007-07-31 07:31:55 · answer #2 · answered by sparki777 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
The eternal moral law of God does not change.
The murder of a human being today is still murder even if you want to call it by a "modern" name like abortion, assisted suicide, or euthanasia.
If these morals are incompatible with modern society then I think the problem is with modern society and not the morals.
+ Birth Control +
Catholicism does not say that birth control is a sin. She says that artificial birth control is a sin because it interferes with the will of God.
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.
+ Sex +
God is concerned with how we treat each other.
We have been instructed to love
+ Our neighbor as we love ourselves
+ One another as Jesus loved us
When we treat each other like sex objects, when sex is taking instead of giving, we damage the human dignity of both our partner and ourselves.
True giving of yourself to another in a sacramental marriage is what love is all about.
Marriage is a symbol of God's creation of the world in an act of divine love and self-outpouring.
Marriage is a symbol of the love, commitment, intensity, and passion of Christ for the Church for which He laid down His life.
Christians take sex very seriously because it is a glorious gift from God that lets us feel just a bit like God. We become lovers, givers, and creators.
+ With love in Christ.
2007-07-31 16:51:52 · answer #3 · answered by imacatholic2 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I take it very seriously as do many Catholics I know.
My daughter is getting ready to get married and she is taking NFP (natural family planning) classes.
Birth control is not new, it has been around for thousands of years. Scrolls found in Egypt, dating to 1900 B.C., describe ancient methods of birth control that were later practiced in the Roman empire during the apostolic age. Wool that absorbed sperm, poisons that fumigated the uterus, potions, and other methods were used to prevent conception. In some centuries, even condoms were used (though made out of animal skin rather than latex).
Have you ever read the reasons the Catholic Church says birth control is wrong? If you read the Humanae Vitae, it's really beautiful and insightful. http://www.cs.cmu.edu/People/spok/catholic/humanae-vitae.html
Also, the divorce rate among couples who practice NFP...is zero.
ALMOST NO ONE --Catholic, Protestant, Jew or secularist--realizes in that before 1930 Christian churches were united in teaching that it was immoral for married couples to use contraception. Evangelical Charles Provan, in The Bible and Birth Control, has done all Christians a favor by collating an extensive series of quotations from classical Protestant theologians on the subject of birth control, specifically on the text of the Onan account (Gen. 38).
The idea that birth control is progressive and helpful in this day and age is exactly what is wrong with this day and age. We have a contraceptive mentality. We think it's okay to kill our babies before they are born. We see children as something to "prevent" not as the blessing they are. Sex has become a "right" that we should all be allowed to practice...even a god that we worship.
The idea of every child a wanted child...is bogus. Child abuse had gone up since contraception and abortion have been available. Child sexual abuse has gone up as well...we have created a society that does not value children but uses them.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/birthcontrol.html
http://www.thecatholicfaith.com/Teachings/birthcontrol.htm
2007-07-31 08:01:36 · answer #4 · answered by Misty 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Read Matthew 23. and Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 and Revelation 17, in these Jesus is talking about the physical church, the catholic Church.
2007-07-31 07:26:55 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like how the Catholic Church declared that Capybaras are clean animals and fit for South Americans to eat, they only did it because the natives ate them all the time anyways and the Church is always looking for more converts,but seriously, how does the Catholic Church have the authority to declare which animals are clean and which ones aren't, I thought that God did that already and the Capybara wasn't on the list.
2007-07-31 07:28:33 · answer #6 · answered by Naruto #1 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You have a valid point. Older religions and systems of beliefs tend to lose appropriateness as time goes by. As society changes, it is important to adjust our systems of belief to reflect these changes. By clinging to past beliefs, people are really ignoring the current societal landscape and pushing their chosen religion closer to obsolescence.
2007-07-31 07:30:53 · answer #7 · answered by Mr. Fannerman 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Obviously, many people can and do take Catholicism seriously. Perhaps a better question would be, why should anyone take your opinion seriously?
2007-07-31 07:28:00 · answer #8 · answered by words for the birds 5 · 4⤊ 1⤋
yes some do including a friend and my son-inlaws mother
2007-07-31 07:24:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Relax, hater. Everybody is entitled to their religion, just respect it and move on.
2007-07-31 07:25:09 · answer #10 · answered by RAVEN 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I know many Catholics. They ALL practice birth control.
†
2007-07-31 07:26:43 · answer #11 · answered by Jeanmarie 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋