The talk outlines how contraception has hurt and is hurting our society and our marriages, provides some great statistics and logical arguments, and explanations of the teachings of the Catholic Church on the matter.
While society touted contraception as the next great thing for society and marriages, the Catholic Church and specifically Pope Paul VI in his encyclical Humanae Vitae, predicted it would be devastating. Well, guess who was right? Paul VI's predictions are now very obvious and Dr Smith outlines them neatly (and so much more) in this 1 hour talk.
http://www.usccb.org/prolife/programs/rlp/HVProphetic88.pdf
First Prophecy. The Pope noted that the widespread use of contraception would "lead to conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality."
Second Prophecy. Pope Paul VI also feared that the man who grew accustomed to the use of contraceptive practices might ultimately lose "respect for the woman," and "no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium" might come to consider her as an "instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his respected and beloved companion."
Third Prophecy. Pope Paul VI also observed that the widespread acceptance of contraception would place a "dangerous weapon... in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies." (government family planning and forced abortions, etc.)
Fourth Prophecy. The final warning Pope Paul VI gave about contraception is that it would lead men and women to think that they had limitless dominion over their own bodies and functions. (A rise in sterilization, test tube babies, euthanasia, abortion, etc.)
So much more can be found at One More Soul and anyone interested in NFP should contact their local diocesan representative or the Couple to Couple League.
I mean, I'm not saying that some of the Pope's prophecy's are wrong. But contraception can be used correctly. For instance what if a couple saves themselves for marriage but do not want to have children right away because they want to strengthen the marriage and save money so that they can have children at the right time. I just think that saying that all contraceptives is bad, is like not teaching kids about safe sex, kids are going to keep having sex...we might as well teach to prevent unplanned pregnancy and coach kids that adoption is a better option than abortion. In the world we live in today, it is impossible to go back. There was a sexual revolution. Now we deal, we need to teach why it is important not to be promiscuous. But, we can't be naive...
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, there's a difference between contraception being used correctly and it being used rightly. While contraception may be able to prevent pregnancy in certain individual circumstances that does not mean that is moral, nor does it mean that it is effective at large. I urge you to visit the links I posted for more specific info.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you may have heard about the recent study showing evidence that abstinence-only education is the most effective at delaying sex in young people (see http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/03/education/03abstinence.html and http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/164/2/152 ).
A couple who wants to delay pregnancy can abstain or use natural family planning (NFP; see the link in the blog post). Statistics show us that couples who contracept are more likely to be divorced. Couples who use NFP are more open and communicative with each other.
And why would we compromise our morality in this case just because "the world" experienced a sexual revolution? I want what's best for my children. We "know" that kids out there are going to drink, so we tell them "it's okay to get drunk on beer or wine, but not liquor?" No. In the same way we don't say "since you're going to have sex, I guess we just have to loosen our morality and lower our expectations." We are supposed to be in the world but not of the world. The CD is free and well worth the info.
"I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.
Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2-3