Contraception: The Bitter Pill

I’m sorry you feel that way. My observations and questions were honestly meant and in good faith. Since it’s important to you, I do spend substantial time serving at the homeless shelter.

Moreover, your later attack on my evangelistic questions doesn’t really follow. I’d be the last person to claim innocence — my own life is a pretty regular story of sin and opposition to God. In fact there is no one in the world who can truthfully answer the first question by claiming that they are “good” people. If judged by God’s standard — moral perfection — then we are all guilty of sin and the punishment for sin is death and hell. That’s me as well as you as well as every other person on the planet. The only person in all of human history who did not sin and who fully fulfilled God’s law was Christ, and yet he willingly accepted the punishment for sin as if he were guilty. That sacrifice opened the door for those who accept it to receive forgiveness from sins and a right relationship with God. This is the basic doctrine and plan of salvation laid out in the New Testament.

Your critique of the structure of my argument as conflating logic and emotion is also unfounded. As a matter of fact, logic and reason, the Catholic church’s position against contraception is deeply-held, is philosophically sound, and is theologically sound. I personally disagree with it for reasons based on differing interpretations of basic facts, but there is no question that some truly great minds have wrestled with the question of whether human beings should interfere with the intended purpose of the sex act. The comment I was responding to that treated this position as a callow business decision was offensive and simply wrong.

Nor is the fact that Catholics have children (presumably more than those who practice contraception) logically inconsistent with the fact that they (along with all other Christians) are called to evangelize the world. If people insist on characterizing the growth of the church as a business plan, then speaking in that language Christ’s command to spread the gospel to all the nations and other New Testament passages regarding the duty of Christians to spread the gospel to the lost and unsaved shows that the “business plan” of the church is primarily to expand by reaching the unsaved. Children are not saved merely because their parents are, and every Christian parent has a duty to share the gospel with their children. But we also have a duty to reach out to the world.

I believe you read motives and intents into my post that simply were not there and definitely were not intended. I find it hard sometimes to write a post in connection with a religious topic without including at least an outline of the question and plan of salvation. If you think that I’m just making this up and being self-righteous, read the book of Romans which is the basis for what I’ve been saying.

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.