---"God gave us free will, rationality and fertility. We are to serve Him with our whole being, not just our genitalia or our minds. It IS up to God when a child is conceived."------
Let me preface my response with the fact that I am not Catholic, but I am in search of a spiritual home for my growing family. I no longer find it in the baptist roots that I grew up in, and I see much wisdom in the orthodox stances of the RCC.
NFP is not a really big issue with me. .Do I believe that it attempts to take control of the procreative nature of the sex act? YES. Do I believe it is a sin? NOT SURE.
But the above quote about the fact that we are rational creatures and taking control of fertility does not negate God's power to cause conception..... .that is so full of holes......
It could be said of any manner of control..... Hormonal birth control, as one example, is not 100% effective, but it has the exact same goals of NFP. It really is no different in it's goal. People take 'the pill' because they want to avoid having children. People use NFP(in this context) to avoid having children as well.
I think that this line of reasoning actually fits using barrier methods even better. Condoms(male and female) really fit this scenario the best because they don't involve the actual killing of the zygote.
So the use of the condom is to avoid having children(in this context). The use of NFP is to avoid having children.
To look at these two acts and judge them as sinful or not, we must look at the intent of the heart. Is it the intent of the person to avoid the procreative 'consequences' of the sex act with both of these methods? In this context, YES.
Is said avoidance sin?
Can't answer that one. I'd say that both methods are the attempt at
'sneaking by' the 'consequences' of the sex act and that they are highly suspect. They are perversions of what the Lord has instituted from the beginning.
Maybe this will help, or perhaps...