Replies

**Those criticizing and blowing out of proportion this one (obviously imprudent!) suggestion in this book were probably the same ones who lambasted critics of Michael Rose's "Goodbye, Good Men" who took tiny pieces of Rose's book that appeared erroneous and blew them completely out of proportion...

NFP is NOT an end, it is NOT a way of life! **

Initially, I had agreed with sinkspur that this whole Popcak business had gone on long enough and I had begun to feel sorry for the man, but given the visceral reaction I am no longer certain it is best to leave the subject alone.

Polycarp, if the intent of your son charting your daughter isn't to make NFP a way of life for your children, then what is the point of having them do it? How can that comment be blown out of proportion?

I know you said Popcak's comment is imprudent, but it's so strange that it does call into question this man's whole philosophy.

The vicious and extremely inaccurate reaction of the NFP cultists shows that we at FR have hit a nerve. Perhaps the initial post was by a radtrad, I don't know, but many subsequent posts were not.

I believe the threads have been pointing out to many people that NFP is not and should not be a way of life.

I am not familiar with Popcak's work. Does he have a contraceptive mentality, i.e. NFP is a way of life?

Popcak in his own words:

"Explain to your sons that as God is giving them the gift of their sexuality, He is asking them to spend the next several years learning how to use that gift properly. Part of that means that if he marries, he will be responsible for working with his wife to determine God's will for their lives, including when to have children and how many children to have. These are decisions that need to be made every month in collaboration with his wife and with prayer. After he is married, part of his responsibility will be to help his wife do something called charting, which means that he will write down the different signs that tell how healthy his wife is and when they could have a baby. I am aware of some families where the brother may chart his sister's temperatures for her, or even some cases where the mother shares her own NFP chart (minus the coitus record, of course) with the intent of acquainting the young men and women of the house with NFP. I also know some families who object to this idea on privacy or modesty grounds."

To me, this sounds like NFP as a way of life.

Explain to your sons that as God is giving them the gift of their sexuality, He is asking them to spend the next several years learning how to use that gift properly.

After he is married, part of his responsibility will be to help his wife do something called charting..

These are decisions that need to be made every month...