Contraception: The Bacteria Devouring America’s Soul

Having seen an inordinate number of eloquent commentaries delineating the moral evils of the recent United States District Court decision nullifying the will of California voters on Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, I am nonetheless left wondering why none of the commentators was able to connect the dots.

Obviously, same-sex “marriage” or even same-sex “civil unions” are a bad idea, particularly if legitimized by a court system that previously put its stamp of approval on contraception and abortion. But why isn’t anyone pointing out the obvious root cause of this latest moral and legal debacle? Why isn’t anyone hammering on contraception?

In April of this year, months before this decision, Jenn Giroux, executive director of HLI America, explained to readers that the public acceptance of contraception has led to (among other things) “[s]maller and more broken families, rampant homosexuality, pornography, and China’s coercive one-child policy.”

Earlier, wise teachers such as Professor Janet Smith emphatically linked a rejection of Pope Paul VI’s profoundly wise encyclical Humanae Vitae to a wide acceptance of homosexuality. In her 2003 comments, she pointed out what I believe is the real problem—one that very few will admit: “Rather than holding to the Christian and common sense view that sex belongs within marriage between a male and a female committed to each other for life and open to children, our culture thinks that sex is quite simply for pleasure—and that almost any combination of consenting individuals may morally seek that pleasure without any commitment, without an openness to children.”

In 1998, Father John Hardon, SJ, who is sorely missed by many of us who were his students, pointed out in “Contraception: Fatal to the Faith and to Eternal Life,” “The spectacle of broken families, broken homes, divorce and annulments, abortion and the mania of homosexuality—all of this has its roots in the acceptance of contraception on a wide scale in what only two generations ago was a professed Catholic population.”

Clearly, many wise people have understood—and warned us about —the cost of contraception. But not everyone is on this page.

For example, rather than setting forth facts regarding the nature of sexual sin and its tragic consequences, many members of the Catholic clergy have either been totally silent or have said things that not only confuse fact with fiction but further marginalize Catholic teaching. This, in turn, makes Church doctrine less palatable to a sexually saturated culture, even though Catholic teaching is now and always will be worthy of belief and obedience—because it contains the fullness of truth.

During their November 2006 meeting, for example, the U.S. Catholic bishops “acknowledged that most married Catholics—96 percent, according to their own estimate—use birth control, and the bishops said they recognize that the [C]hurch’s teachings on homosexuality are contested in American society.”

Excuse me, but those percentages do not change truth. In fact, they should drive more bishops back to boldly teaching their people instead of gauging the content of their message on public acceptance of what they have to say. It’s the type of posturing that perhaps led to Cardinal Francis George, current U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops president, saying (in response to the judge’s decision allowing same-sex marriage), “Marriage between a man and a woman is the bedrock of any society. The misuse of law to change the nature of marriage undermines the common good.”

He did not say nor did he make reference to the obvious fact that this very sad state of affairs would not exist in the first place if contraception had been rejected long ago. He was simply silent on the point.

This is why I recommend that rather than dialoguing, as a whole, every Catholic bishop and every Catholic priest should be teaching, preaching and exhorting. Nobody really knows what America or its court decisions would look like today if the Catholics of this nation had been properly catechized for the past 42 years on matters pertaining to human sexuality.

What we do know is that today America and, most importantly, Catholics, are sliding toward a moral hell.

It’s high time many more Catholic leaders in the U.S. stood up and clarified the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, sinfulness and sinlessness. Why? Because the only treatment for the deadly bacteria raging through the veins of this society is a very strong dose of the same message Christ gave to His disciples a very long time ago: “Try your hardest to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed” (Luke 13: 24).

The narrow door is always open, and frankly, anything less than fighting tooth and nail to get there will not heal this ailing body politic we know as America.

Mohammedans and Buddhist monks are devout too, that does not make them Christians. People who use artificial birth control have not God's grace, they are not Christians. Artificial birth control is intrinsically evil, it is evil in and of itself. It can never be used for good. Anyone that does not understand that has, not God's grace.

The opposite of what I just wrote, is to say that using artificial birth control is good (or in some cases can be good) in the eyes of God. Are you saying that it is good?

Prove your charge through the scripture, you cannot, therefore have no credibility.

There are plenty of “theologians” that would back my position just as there are that back yours. What makes YOUR position better than anyone else? What gives you the right to stand in judgment of my faith and to accuse anyone who does not support your position as being non-Christian?

I have read up on “spilling of the seed” and find no reference to condemnation by God other than being “unclean” for the remainder of the day. Provide me with context so that my eyes may be opened and I can achieve your ridiculous standard.

This is an opportunity to present your case instead of simply dismissing it under the blind eye of established doctrine. If you are Mormon I understand your position well and also understand the additional context provided in the book of LDS. That said I cannot accept it as Christian doctrine, only what is contained in the Old and New testaments.

I had the great honor of talking to a man who studied to become a Rabbi and later left to become a Christian. His point was that following the old ways under Jewish tradition forces the individual to commit sin by act of following the law. He found the contradictions too much to accept and found what he was looking for in Christ under the new covenant.

By the way, you will be judged according to your standard in the end. I hope you can live up to the standard you've established for yourself because most people cannot.

From one Catholic to another, and just to interject a thought on the matter:

A contraceptive that kills a life, only kills the body, the created soul goes to limbo (the equivalent of an earthly paradise, not so bad, versus no existence or hell)

The contraceptive that does not allow conception, blocks creation altogether, like the soul was obliterated, no eternal life of any kind.

Sounds to me like contraceptive is worse. Just my opinion of course, but the bottom line is that that both results of contraceptive use: killing the fetus, or blocking the conception, are equally evil.

From one Catholic to another, and just to interject a thought on the matter:

A contraceptive that kills a life, only kills the body, the created soul goes to limbo (the equivalent of an earthly paradise, not so bad, versus no existence or hell)

The contraceptive that does not allow conception, blocks creation altogether, like the soul was obliterated, no eternal life of any kind.

Sounds to me like contraceptive that blocks conception, is worse. Just my opinion of course, but the bottom line is that that both results of contraceptive use: killing the fetus, or blocking the conception, are equally evil.

You know when the soul is sent to inhabit the body? There are texts that describe God’s process of managing the Well of Souls? How do you know the soul is obliterated instead of simply returned to the source?

I’m not trying to start an argument, I am truly interested in the subject from your point of view.

re:Prove your charge through the scripture, you cannot, therefore have no credibility.

You are just one person, an adult I assume, it is not my job to spoon feed you the truth. It is there in scripture for those that seek truth and not their own desires. Many people have written on this thread, I'm certain that they gave you all the quotes. But I'll tell you what if you prove to me from scripture, what books comprise the New Testament. I'll get you all the quotes from scripture concerning God's condemnation of the evil of contraceptives.

re:How do you know the soul is obliterated instead of simply returned to the source?

I didn't say the soul was obliterated, I said "it's like the soul was obliterated". When one blocks conception by the spilling the seed, no eternal soul is created, they blocked God's creation of an eternal being. When one kills a fetus with a soul, that soul has eternal life. The person who killed it's offspring, did not block eternal life.

It is your responsibility as a Christian to show me the truth. You obviously have what you think is proof of your position, it should be easy to provide it.

I don’t have any “desire” to see one position over the other established and do not see the truth as you state it is. I’m am not tied to specific doctrine because it is typically tainted by man’s on designs. I am only interested in the truth as it comes from God and many times the various “theologians” do not agree, which leaves me a choice to make. When I’m in a position to make a decision I seek as much evidence as possible to make a informed decision to the best abilities God gave me. Should he not guide me to the truth if I am truly seeking it?

I thought all souls had already been created, you are saying God creates them dynamically on demand? I also doubt an individual can “block God’s creation”. Birth control is never 100%, meaning God can easily circumvent your desire to control conception.

Again, there doesn’t seem to be any scripture to back this position.

re: By the way, you will be judged according to your standard in the end. I hope you can live up to the standard you've established for yourself because most people cannot. We will be judged not by our standards but by God's standards according to our deeds. One has to live up to the standards established by God and His Church, the Catholic Church. Everything I've written, is Catholic, and not my interpretation.

FOR GOOD ORDER

Your beliefs are unique to you, as Protestantism has no beliefs that require adherence, each Protestant invents his own church of one. That is not the case with Catholics. The Catholic Church has doctrines that are unchangeable, and a Catholic MUST believe them, or he is not a Catholic. PERIOD.

A Protestant can call themselves a Christian in a state of grace with a direct line to the Holy Ghost, even if they don't believe Christ is God.

A Catholic is a heretic if he denies one dogma. A Catholic who dies with one mortal sin (heresy is a mortal sin, goes to hell).

Protestantism is like a body care system that teaches that one must eat and exercise to live better. But they leave it up to the person to figure out the rest.

Catholicism is like a body care sytem that tells you that you must eat good food, what foods to eat, how to prepare them, in what quantities, ALL down to the minutist deatil, and finally what foods MUST NEVER be eaten. It says that you must exercise, how much to exercise, and exactly what exercises to do down to the minutist details, and which you MUST never do. And if you don't follow the most important teachings which are vital to your survival, you are no longer a Catholic.

Catholicism sounds nearly identical to being a Muslim. The general point of doctrine is control or a form of slavery to the controlling entity. While I surrender control to God I would never surrender it to an institution of men.

The Catholic church has done many wonderful things and many terrible things over time. It’s clear from a historical view that the church was used much like Sharia is used by Islam, to “control” the masses. The tools of control are fear and self-doubt and the evisceration of free will and choice. This is evidenced in the “translation” of intent in the passages we have been discussing. Self control over ones sexual proclivities makes for a endless desire for forgiveness (granted by the church no less) under the doctrine.

If God leads us to truth if we truly seek it, then why are all Christians not Catholic? It’s understandable why Catholics have not played nice with the other “branches” of Christianity, it’s their way or the highway (highway to Hell that is).

Your statement: that anyone who uses birth control is not a Christian, is SO absurd that I cannot even continue the conversation with you.

The Bible is replete with definitions of what makes one a good Christian, read some of them and you’ll understand where I’m coming from.

Wow...you seem to be subtly saying that murdering a baby, born or unborn, is better than not having had a baby in the first place through contraception.

I disagree. A life, murdered by abortion or infanticide, is intrinsically more valuable, and thus its death more evil, than a life that never existed, and is only a possibility.

I guess the question is, where is the delineation?

If one must ask forgiveness in Church instead of asking God or Christ directly they are surrendering to the Church as a proxy. My understanding is Christ wants a personal relationship with us and the Bible is “the instruction manual” to maintaining that relationship. Church is a place to discuss our understanding and demonstrate our faith, while giving glory to God.

re: I disagree. A life, murdered by abortion or infanticide, is intrinsically more valuable, and thus its death more evil, than a life that never existed, and is only a possibility.

Put it the way that I wrote it and repeat what you just said. You belittle the evil of contraception undertaken before conception, by thinking it "a life that never existed, and is only a possibility". What I wrote, which is what the the Church teaches, is that contraception before conception, is man blocking God's right to create an eternal being. People who use contraceptives are saying to God that they are the gods. It is as evil as abortion. I grant you that one can argue that it's not as evil as abortion, but you can never say that contraceptive use before conception is not intrinsically evil. I repeat my question which you did not answer:

"People who use artificial birth control have not God's grace, they are not Christians. Artificial birth control is intrinsically evil, it is evil in and of itself. It can never be used for good. Anyone that does not understand that has, not God's grace.

The opposite of what I just wrote, is to say that using artificial birth control is good (or in some cases can be good) in the eyes of God. Are you saying that it is good?"

re: If God leads us to truth if we truly seek it, then why are all Christians not Catholic?

Because they prefer the darkness, the same as the majority of Catholics who are no different than non-Catholics. Few Catholics today stay married for life, and even fewer, I dare say, scarcely any, have as many children as God sends. FEW Catholics are saved.

If you only knew the women who will go to Hell because they did not bring into the world the children they should have given to it. ( St. John Vianney)

Among adults there are few saved because of the sins of the flesh....With exception of those who die in childhood, most men will be damned. (St. Remigius of Rheims)

In the great deluge in the days of Noah, all mankind perished, eight persons alone being saved in the Ark. In our days a deluge, not of water, but sins, continually inundates the earth, and out of this deluge very few escape. Scarcely anyone is saved. ( St. Alphonsus Liguori)

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.