[armydoc]

On the other hand, if fertility is a holy thing, and a good part of a good design, then you practice sexual intercourse during your wife's fertile period when you're willing to accept the gift of a child; and you cherishingly refrain during that time when (for whatever reasons of health or hardship) you could not responsibly accept a child.

The issue is not abstinence during fertile periods. The issue is sex during infertile periods. This attitude/method intentionally tries to separate the sex act from procreation. In your "disease" analogy, NFP does look at fertility as a type of disease, like active herpes, to be avoided.

[klossg]

"The issue is sex during infertile periods."

No. The issue is not sex during infertile periods. The infertile periods are part of every woman's design. They are as much a part of each woman as are her fertile period. You cannot take either away ... both make up what a woman is.

The issue is sex thwarted during the fertile period or sex thwarted during the infertile period. Bad sex ... anything that gets in the way of a good sex act. And please do not say not having sex is bad in itself. Because, then we are all sinning right now, because we are not having sex but writing. Abstinence is not the same as having thwarted sex. The acts are distinct. "NFP does look at fertility as a type of disease, like active herpes, to be avoided"

NFP does not look at fertility as a disease. NFP respects fertility for what it is ... the potential to have a child and unite with your spouse at the same time. For example, a couple decides to help out the neighbors whose water pipes burst in the middle of the winter. They did this, and it caused them not to have sex, even when they were using NFP to try to get married.

If we follow your NFP treats fertility as a disease logic, we would say that helping neighbors was wrong. Just like NFP. But, everyone else would look at this and say, the couple that did not have sex, offered up their fertile night for the love of their neighbors. They made the choice and possibly grew in love, by abstaining from sex. Do you say that helping their neighbors is the same thing as saying that the couple sees their fertility as a disease?

[VeritatisSplendor]

Sex during what you believe to be infertile periods is NOT sinful, even if you don't expect a baby to result, as long as, if pregnancy somehow DOES result, you welcome it.

The point is that when you have sex, you are "open" to the possibility of a pregnancy -- it's one thing to consider pregnancy very unlikely to result from a particular sex act, it's another thing entirely to not accept the pregnancy if it occurs. You're not thwarting God, because God never said "Thou shalt not have sex except in the fertile period", and God knows, women's cycles sometimes shift unpredictably.

The case of a couple who is medically infertile is different, but there is certainly nothing wrong with them having sex and no prohibition against it!

But if they THINK they're infertile and by some surprise become pregnant, as happens occasionally, they'd better be prepared to have the baby. If they got married only because they expected never to be bothered with children and wouldn't have gotten married if they expected children, then they shouldn't have gotten married. And if a couple of childbearing age and no medical issues intend to have no children, and tries to get married in the church, they will certainly be asked to make a commitment to welcome and raise the child if pregnancy occurs.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"In your "disease" analogy, NFP does look at fertility as a type of disease, like active herpes, to be avoided."

Why, no, it's not that way at all. It's looking at fertility as something sacred. It's like Holy Communion. Sex with a condom is like receiving Holy Communion and then deliberately vomiting out the Sacred Host. If you're not properly prepared to receive the gift of Holy Communion, don't go through the motions and then spit it out. Just respectfully refrain.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"In your "disease" analogy, NFP does look at fertility as a type of disease, like active herpes, to be avoided."

Why, no, it's not that way at all. It's looking at fertility as something sacred. It's like Holy Communion. Sex with a condom is like receiving Holy Communion and then deliberately vomiting out the Sacred Host. If you're not properly prepared to receive the gift of Holy Communion, don't go through the motions and then spit it out. Just respectfully refrain.