What's the matter with birth control?

[Falvlun]

It is my understanding that the Catholic church still bans birth control methods. What is the reasoning behind this? And, if you are a Christian, do you or don't you accept that reasoning?

Also, I was curious if other religious traditions banned birth control, and what their reasons were as well.

It just seems to me that we have been quite fruitful, and we have certainly multiplied, to the point where humans are no longer able to be good stewards of the Earth.

Additionally, birth control allows families to better raise children they already have, by better organizing their finances and time. What is the problem with this?

 

[waitasec]

i see no problem....

when i was having my baby, i couldn't understand the logic of wanting to go through the birthing experience "naturally"...my logic is, if we were naturally able to come up with a way to avoid pain, then by all means USE IT! same with birth control. our natural selves figured out a way to control getting pregnant by 98%....why not use it?

 

[Looncall]

It is my understanding that the Catholic church still bans birth control methods. What is the reasoning behind this? And, if you are a Christian, do you or don't you accept that reasoning?

Also, I was curious if other religious traditions banned birth control, and what their reasons were as well.

It just seems to me that we have been quite fruitful, and we have certainly multiplied, to the point where humans are no longer able to be good stewards of the Earth.

Additionally, birth control allows families to better raise children they already have, by better organizing their finances and time. What is the problem with this?

The key is that the catholic church wants you to feel guilty about wanting to have sex so you need the priests to make you feel better.

If you want to organize your family in some rational way, you need to not produce children much of the time. If you are not allowed birth control, you will have to abstain from sex most of the time and will wind up having what the senile perverts in the Vatican call "impure thoughts". That will produce the feelings of guilt that the priests feed upon.

 

[ChristineES]

I believe that birth control is OK. I know why Catholics frown on it, though. There is at least one story in the OT about some man who "let his seed spill" because he didn't want to have children just so they'd be called his brother's children (the man married his brother's widow). I don't exactly remember where that story is. That and the "Be fruitful and multiply- which I don't think applies anymore, after all, there is a lot more people now.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

The Catholic Dogma is well known, and unlikely to change any time soon.
However increasing numbers of Catholics do use birth control in all its forms.
Priests have had to accept the situation as they find it.

 

[Me Myself]

It´s a human being since conception. As simple as that.

 

[waitasec]

It´s a human being since conception. As simple as that.

we not talking about abortion....

 

[Me Myself]

we not talking about abortion....

sigh* yah now I remember that condoms were considered evil to most religious christianity.

Guess got nothing special to say here xD

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I believe that birth control is OK. I know why Catholics frown on it, though. There is at least one story in the OT about some man who "let his seed spill" because he didn't want to have children just so they'd be called his brother's children (the man married his brother's widow). I don't exactly remember where that story is. That and the "Be fruitful and multiply- which I don't think applies anymore, after all, there is a lot more people now.

There's more to the story of Onan, though: in that case, God specifically commands Onan to impregnate his brother's widow, so it would seem to me that it's defiance of God that's the problem there, not the specific method that Onan used to defy God. I mean, Lot's wife was cursed for disobeying God by turning her head, but we don't infer from this that neck movement is bad in general.

 

[waitasec]

sigh* yah now I remember that condoms were considered evil to most religious christianity.

Guess got nothing special to say here xD

is...to catholicism.

as if using birth control is worse than getting aids, STD's or having an unwanted or an unsupportable child...

i don't get it.

 

[waitasec]

There's more to the story of Onan, though: in that case, God specifically commands Onan to impregnate his brother's widow, so it would seem to me that it's defiance of God that's the problem there, not the specific method that Onan used to defy God. I mean, Lot's wife was cursed for disobeying God by turning her head, but we don't infer from this that neck movement is bad in general.

ya know....

 

[Koldo]

It is my understanding that the Catholic church still bans birth control methods. What is the reasoning behind this?

As i see it, it is mainly because sex in itself done with an intent other than procreation is seen as evil ( or any other bad adjective ).

 

[waitasec]

i'm curious as to what scriptures unequivocally supports this notion....
is there a commandment that says straightforwardly, 'though shall not have sex unless it's to procreate'
the apostle paul doesn't seem to think so.

 

[Duck]

There's more to the story of Onan, though: in that case, God specifically commands Onan to impregnate his brother's widow, so it would seem to me that it's defiance of God that's the problem there, not the specific method that Onan used to defy God. I mean, Lot's wife was cursed for disobeying God by turning her head, but we don't infer from this that neck movement is bad in general.

Exactly. Onan's problem wasn't that he ejaculated on the ground ("spilled his seed") it was that he violated Levitical (not sure if it was codified in the Levitical law or another group of laws) Law and thus God's will. The law required that the brother of a man who died without "issue" (i.e. male children) marry the widow and father children by her. Those children (again the important children to a patriarchy, male children) would be considered to be fathered by the dead man, including but not limited to inheritance rights. This is what Onan was objecting to - his fathering kids in his dead brother's name thus cutting his own kids out of Onan's father's will.

Like so many other things in the bible, one aspect of this story has been seized upon to heap moral opprobium on some aspect of human sexuality. But again, like so many other things in the bible, this particular item is ignored as convenient in order to focus on the supposed evils of homosexuality. After all, if this was an actual condemnation of masturbation it would much more of a heterosexual problem than a homosexual problem, if only due to sheer numbers.

 

[connermt]

The key is that the catholic church wants you to feel guilty about wanting to have sex so you need the priests to make you feel better.

That's the key to everything the RCC does. Guilt = membership = power and influence = money.
Simple pimple.

 

[ChristineES]

There's more to the story of Onan, though: in that case, God specifically commands Onan to impregnate his brother's widow, so it would seem to me that it's defiance of God that's the problem there, not the specific method that Onan used to defy God. I mean, Lot's wife was cursed for disobeying God by turning her head, but we don't infer from this that neck movement is bad in general.

That is a good point.

 

[idav]

Birth control saves lives. Get snipped and save some lives.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Jumping back to the OP...

It is my understanding that the Catholic church still bans birth control methods. What is the reasoning behind this?

They give their rationale in the Papal encyclical Humani Generis. My take on the argument:

We can infer from the design of human beings that God intended sexuality and reproduction to be linked. Therefore, it goes against God's intended order to have sexuality without reproduction (the possibility of it, at least) or reproduction without sex.

Seeing how the same argument could be used to argue that treadmills and non-walking modes of transportation defy God's will as well (since they break the link between walking and locomotion apparent in God's "design"), I don't think it passes muster.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The problem with birth control, is that people smart and responsible enough to use it aren't passing along their genes. Birth control is skewing human evolution in the Idiocracy direction.

 

[idav]

The problem with birth control, is that people smart and responsible enough to use it aren't passing along their genes. Birth control is skewing human evolution in the Idiocracy direction.

Thankfully passing genes doesn't always work quite like that since dumb parents are likely to have smart children.