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First of all, it's not inherently wrong to want to postpone or avoid pregnancy.

I was challenging klossg's assertion that "Christ and the Church teach that every sex act, as designed by our loving God, should be both unitive and procreative." NFP is the deliberate act of abstinence during fertile periods, reserving sex for infertile periods. Thus, "every sex act" is not intentionally procreative. The intent of sex during the nonfertile periods, then, is for reasons other than procreative. The fact that there is no "artificial" barrier to contraception seems to me to be a distinction without meaning. It seems to me that God looks at the intent, not form. If sex with the intent of not conceiving is sinful, means (timing vs device) is irrelevant. But, that's one of the reasons I am no longer Catholic. Obviously you see no inconsistency. I'm happy it works for you.

"If sex with the intent of not conceiving is sinful, means (timing vs device) is irrelevant."

But, to repeat: sex with the intent of not conceiving is not sinful. Even if the couple is naturally infertile (as they are for at least 2 weeks of every month), sexual union is still a "good" by which they embody their gift of themselves to each other. The pleasure bond is still there, and still a positive value.

If the Catholic Church taught that married couples can only have sex when they want to have a baby, they wouldn't be allowed to have sex when the woman is pregnant, or post-menopausal, or even in the infertile part of her cycle. This has never been the case.

The church does teach, though, that for an act to be moral, both the intention and the means must be moral. Abstinence is not morally wrong. Is it?

"the intent of not conceiving is sinful"

No. The intent of not conceiving is in no way sinful. If that was the case, then sex with your wife during pregnancy would be sinful. Sex with your wife after menopause would be incredibly sinful. Christ calls us to love too. Otherwise he would have made women capable of conceiving during pregnancy and there would be no such thing as menopause.

Please don't continue to be wound up about NFP and Contraception being the same thing. (NFP is birth control but it is not contraception). It is not inconsistent to see NFP as a good and contraception as an evil. Well, if you still think it is the same thing ... then use NFP and recommend it to your kids. It is cheaper! They'll understand since 'it is the same.'

I don't understand why people are confused about NFP. Obviously EVERY sexual act between a married couple will not be procreative, but they should be unitive. If a couple is using NFP to avoid conception, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. They are working with God and each other, in abstaining from marital relations when they know, by the signs God gives women, that it is likely they will conceive. When they understand that it is no longer likely they will conceive, they will resume relations. In doing this they are working TOGETHER, as a couple, as God has planned. This is unity.

If however, a couple is using artificial means to avoid pregnancy, the unitive aspect has been destroyed, and they are not working with nature, but against it.