Of interest to Catholics (birth control, contraceptives, messages, hell)

[Okiegirlfriend]

The CatholiCity Message
Volume XII, Number 7

July 25, 2008

Dear CatholiCity Citizen,

We have only one topic today, which marks the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae Vitae, on July 25, 1968. We assume our readers know this watershed encyclical rejected the premise that the use of artificial means to avoid conception was anything other than an objectively immoral act.

THE AGE OF SEXUAL SLAVERY
Did you know that every major Christian denomination in the world (and virtually every citizen in every country on the planet) viewed the use of artificial contraception as immoral until 1930, when the Anglican Church of England officially changed its teaching at the Lambeth Conference?

With the collapse of the Christian bulwark against the idea that sexual activity could be seperated from the responsibilities of bearing children (and ultimately, that sexuality would be seperated from exclusivity within marriage), what was regarded as grossly unnatural and morally repugnant to the "man on the street" gradually became considered "natural" to most citizens of developed countries by the end of the 1970s. The age of sexual slavery is upon us, and we fear, has not reached its nadir, as the attacks upon what legally defines marriage itself gain in popularity and ferocity.

In 2008, 78 years later, and a mere "blink" of the eye of history, the Catholic Church stands alone in this foundational defense of the natural dignity of humanity itself, and sadly, many of her own members do not stand with her. Pope Paul prophetically made four dire predictions for society if this teaching was ignored, and tragically, all four have come true. We posted Mary Eberstadt's summarizing article from First Things on CatholiCity.com this week:

http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6262

ONE MORE SOUL
If you are married and remain faithfully open and responsible to life, we applaud your courage, empathize with the challenges, and understand your joy, especially if you have been blessed with children.

If you have struggled to adhere to the teaching or are intimidated by the massive and implacable cultural obsession to separate sexual activity from the gift and responsibility of bearing and rearing children, you are not alone. Perhaps you sincerely and honestly do not see the truth of the teaching.

We humbly and gently invite you to listen to the most loving, powerful, non-judgemental, and popular explanation of the Church's teaching ever recorded, Dr. Janet E. Smith's "Contraception, Why Not?" or her recent "Contraception, Why Not? New and Revised."

Both CDs are available free-of-charge from One More Soul, which offers an extensive variety of books, CDs, newsletters, and pamphlets on this important subject, including an online directory of doctors who do not prescribe contraceptives.

For a free CD of the classic "Contraception, Why Not?" or the New and Revised version, go here, respectively:

http://www.omsoul.com/catalog/index.php?target=products&product_id=531

http://www.omsoul.com/catalog/index.php?product_id=709&target=products

EIGHT HOURS OF CHRISTOPHER WEST FOR UNDER FOUR BUCKS
For a fuller, inspiring, comprehensive, and absolutely fascinating explanation of the Church's teaching on marriage and sexuality, we heartily recommend the Gift Foundation's amazing 10-CD set on Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, "Naked Without Shame," available for only $3.90:

http://www.giftfoundation.org

THE MARY FOUNDATION'S ROLE
Many of you already know that CatholiCity.com and our parent organization, the Mary Foundation, never take any compensation for promoting these other wonderful apostolates, but we are proudly humbled to acknowledge that both One More Soul (which even offers "Contraception, Why Not?" for $1 each in quantities of 100 or more) and the Gift Foundation actively adapted our "free materials" philosophy to their own unique missions. Of course, we offer our own free CD by Christopher West, an introduction to the Theology of the Body with a sacramental emphasis, "Marriage and the Eucharist," which can be ordered here. If you haven't heard it yet, you're in for a real treat:

http://www.catholicity.com/cds/west.html

A PRAYER TOGETHER
Let us all thank God for the gift of life, tens of thousands of us together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit...

"Dear Father in Heaven, for each of us who raise our hearts to You on this wonderful day, there are two others, our mothers and fathers. If they be here on earth, we thank you for them and for their love, however imperfect or noble, and ask you to provide for all their spiritual and temporal needs, immediately, and with great generosity, in all things, great and small, and in all things beyond all things. If they have passed from this earth, we ask you to bring them close in your loving, fatherly embrace, and if they are already saints, we ask for their intercession, and the intercession of their angels, in every second of every minute of every day of every month of every year until we join them with You. Amen."

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

"The sole purpose of life in time is to gain merit for life in eternity."
Saint Augustine

"Young people are threatened by the evil use of advertising techniques that stimulate the natural inclination to avoid hard work by promising the immediate satisfaction of every desire."
Pope John Paul II

"It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and so spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce."
J. P. Camus

We'll say good-bye here, and only note that the last quote by Camus is a principle strived for in all CatholiCity Messages, and we ask for your forgiveness for all the times we have fallen short. We remain...

With Immaculate Mary,

Your Friends at CatholiCity

__________________________________________________ __

REQUEST CATHOLIC CDs AND NOVELS:
http://www.catholicity.com/

DID A FRIEND SEND THIS TO YOU? SIGN UP:
http://www.catholicity.com/message/

TO STOP RECEIVING THIS MESSAGE:
http://catholicity.com/rm/?e=vam.ginny@cox.net

PRIVACY FIRST
We will not give your email address to other organizations.



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.6/1572 - Release Date: 7/25/2008 6:51 AM

[ted08721]

Humanae Vitae was very noteworthy it marked the first time where Catholics openly disagreed with a teaching from Rome in large numbers. Depending on what study you go by somewhere between 80-90% of Catholics disregard the ban on ABCs(artificial birth control) more importantly it led Catholics to start questioning other Church teachings, many thought if the Church got ABCs wrong what else may they have gotten wrong.

[juj]

Originally Posted by ted08721

Humanae Vitae was very noteworthy it marked the first time where Catholics openly disagreed with a teaching from Rome in large numbers. Depending on what study you go by somewhere between 80-90% of Catholics disregard the ban on ABCs(artificial birth control) more importantly it led Catholics to start questioning other Church teachings, many thought if the Church got ABCs wrong what else may they have gotten wrong.

We also now know that the Church was right. That birth control pills in a small percentage of the time actually abort an egg AFTER conception, otherwise known as a baby. God kept His Church on the right moral path because His Son created her. And the man-made churches, well...you already know what they believe. They believe that the pill is okay and therefore implicity allow abortions to happen amongst their parishoners. How did morals change in 1930? They didn't. It's the churches that changed.

There have always been folks who've questioned the Church. That didn't start in 1968. Jesus created the Catholic Church and handed the keys to the kingdom to Peter. Jesus said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. Well, here we are still going to Jesus's Church, almost 2000 years later. Jesus's Church is as mortal as morality. As long as there are humans that need to be shown the path, there will be the Church that Jesus began. To say otherwise, would be calling Jesus a liar.

[ted08721]

"We also now know that the Church was right"

I don't think so

Epidemiological studies of natural family planning*
R.H. Gray and R.T. Kambic
Department of Population Dynamics, The Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA

The prevalence of the use of natural family planning (NFP) can be estimated from sample surveys of married women in the reproductive ages (MWRA). Surveys in developed and developing countries during the past decade indicate that the prevalence of NFP use varies from 0 to 11%. In addition, if one considers NFP use in relation to other contraceptive methods, the percentage of all current contraceptors who use NFP varies from 1 to 35%. This suggests that NFP is an important method in certain countries. Pregnancy rates for NFP vary widely, but most reliable studies report 1-year life-table pregnancy rates between 10 and 25/100 woman-years. The Billings ovulation method consistently has higher pregnancy rates than the sympo-thermal method and NFP users generally have among the highest pregnancy rates compared to other methods. The major safety issue concerning NFP is the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with aged gametes. There are suggestions from a number of investigations that conceptions distant from ovulation have a HIGHER RISK of SPONTANEOUS ABORTIONS and a HIGHER PROPORTION OF MALE BIRTHS. The findings with respect to birth defects or multiple pregnancies are less consistent, although some studies have reported an INCREASE RISK of CHROMOSOMAL ANOMALIES.

Doing anything to alter the natural law of what gender a newborn is seems at least to me not what God would want.
Not to mention the HIGHER RISK of SPONTANEOUS ABORTIONS

[ted08721]

"Jesus said that the gates of Hell would not prevail against it"

What does that have to do with Rome being wrong on the issue of birth control?
The Church did not disappear when they admitted they were wrong about slavery although it took the Church almost 2,000 years to admit it.

[ted08721]

During Vat II a commission was formed to study ABCs (artificial birth control) the commissions included 16 theologians, 13 physicians and 5 women, with an executive committee of 9 bishops and 7 cardinals.
They overwhelming voted for loosening the restrictions on ABCs, that report was never given to the council.
The council only received the minority report of those that were against loosening restrictions on ABCs.

[ted08721]

Interesting article by Patty Crowley who was on that commission on ABCs during Vat II

Confessions of a birth control commission Catholic - lay member of Vatican II commission | National Catholic Reporter | Find Articles at BNET

[ted08721]

Memorable quote from Patty Crowley

The Crowleys were outspoken in their own views on the subject. During a heated discussion about how the church could save face if it were to allow couples to decide how to limit offspring, Marcelino Zalba, a Spanish Jesuit member of the commission, asked, “What then with the millions we have sent to hell” if the rules are relaxed? Patty immediately responded in what became perhaps her most memorable quote. “Fr. Zalba,” she said, “do you really believe God has carried out all your orders?”

[ted08721]

"There have always been folks who've questioned the Church"

Many were burnt at the stake or tortured by the Inquisition.

[ted08721]

"As long as there are humans that need to be shown the path"

Yes the Church does teach that

Vehementer Nos
Encyclical of Pope Pius X promulgated on February 11, 1906

"It follows that the Church is essentially an unequal society, that is, a society comprising two categories of per sons, the Pastors and the flock, those who occupy a rank in the different degrees of the hierarchy and the multitude of the faithful. So distinct are these categories that with the pastoral body only rests the necessary right and authority for promoting the end of the society and directing all its members towards that end; the one duty of the multitude is to allow themselves to be led, and, like a docile flock"