If the end is to regulate cycles, then the pill is not being used as a contraceptive. That said, the best forms of natural family planning are both more reliable and safer and often do a lot better job at resolving those kinds of issues. It's about teaching people how their body actually works and that's always a better place to start than pumping people full of chemicals. Worse yet, people champion and normalize it so much that they forget not only what sex is about but how deeply unhealthy chemical contraceptives are. They screw up far more peoples bodies than they balance, they dump the environment full of substances that cause mass infertility in animals and humans. It's a big part of why fertility has dropped tremendously. Using them is linked to a significantly higher risk for cancer. These things are not usually mentioned.
I don't know if you've run into his stuff on this at all but oddly Jordan Peterson has become a rare non-Catholic/Christian advocate for the harms of contraception. Being him its from a purely sociological/cultural/character point of view.
But I think people too often think morality is just some random nos that God came up with, forgetting that actually morality is about teaching mankind what harms his soul and his neighbor and alienates him from God, even when it may not immediately seem like it. This means, first of all, that things that cause phycological/societal/environmental/health harm, as Peterson argues for contraception, are actual indicators of evil. You are seeing consequences and they have causes (its not as if a thunder bolt striking down a sinner is the only consequence for sin, sins always have their own consequences). Consider how Aquinas explains the sin of fornication: it's a sin foremost against the children that could potentially result for them not to be reared by a husband and wife. Worse perhaps is how contraception, even when used in a loving marriage rather than for "consequence free" fornication, is so clearly known to cause alienation and marital problems. I'm not saying "you contracept you divorce", but its dishonest not to admit it harms relationships and marital love life. I think it all stems from people's insecurities and how, in this intimate and vulnerable moment made for life and unity, the contraceptives are subtly imposing themselves between that life and that unity.
Finally, I would just point out: just like abortion contraception wasn't actually invented in the twentieth century, despite the popular misconception. Both go back to ancient times even if they were done with different means and the church has opposed both from its very beginning. Certain plants and brews were used along with physical means. Silphium was used to extinction. A taste of this can be found here: https://www.catholic.com/tract/contraception-and-sterilization . John Chrysostom calls these medicines "murder before birth" that "fights against the laws of God".
I have not listened to much of Peterson lately, that is interesting, I may take a look at it. I think in broad strokes I'm in general agreement with you, that, generally speaking, contraceptives insert something artificial into a relationship that is most often a negative influence, that they have broad societal harms, etc. I think that the difference, and this difference may come down to ultimately different 'worldview' perspectives of permissibility, is that something like fornication, besides being directly prohibited by Scripture, is somewhere where I could never envisage a scenario in which it was tolerable, but I could for contraception. For just a hypothetical off of the top of my head, a woman who has a medical issues that would make carrying a pregnancy to term dangerous, but who still wishes to have intimacy with her husband. That is not to take the political/governmental position of 'rare exceptions should mean broad allowance', but rather to categorize the thing as 'typically ill-advised' rather than 'never permitted.' (Perhaps Catholicism allows for exceptions in such cases, but that would actually support my point, as I am nigh-certain Catholicism does not have 'exceptions' to allow fornication.)
I would broadly consider contraception to be a matter of 'Christian liberty', something I have been mulling more about, though with the full acknowledgement that I do not think my position/theology on the issue is fully mature. Romans 14:13-14/Colossians 2:20-23 are passages that can obviously can be misused to try to remove more or less any reasonable prohibitions, and one can seek to limit it very narrowly to food/ceremony alone, but I think that one can see a general teaching that Christians, constrained still be those things God explicitly prohibits, have been given freedom to their own conscience and judgement in other matters.
I think one then ends up in a position where a distinction is made in applying prohibitions through application or interpretation of specific commands, and applying prohibitions as part of a philosophical/theological system. For example, I think that there is generally a solid case for mind-altering drugs to be prohibited for Christians due to falling under the specific prohibitions on drunkenness, not creating a new standard, but applying one given to us. Something like a prohibition on contraception, however, off of conclusions drawn from a theology of the body, that may be something that is wisdom, but in Christian liberty I do not think it is something that can be made as a command.
At least that is my current understanding, perhaps it will change in the future. One can make wise and reasoned doctrines about whether this or that ought to be partaken of or not, but I think in Christ, as a general rule, it is not our place to put blanket prohibitions on brothers and sisters in the faith that are not directly tied to those prohibitions God has made, I do not think it is our place.
I agree that I wouldn't condemn someone who used it, but I think it's best practice and in keeping with the testimony of Scripture, but the Bible doesn't say either way directly. I would never encourage it and I will always discourage it, but if someone can use it with a clean conscience before God, then I won't oppose them, I just respect their decision.
O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a home, help me to remember those who have no home at all; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer, And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency; bestir my compassion, and be concerned enough to help; By word and deed, those who cry out for what we take for granted. Amen.
A while back I posted about a PBS documentary on William F. Buckley Jr. (https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/william-f-buckley-jr-about-the-documentary/28220/), who I know Culture of Life is a big fan of. Today I've come across criticism of that documentary from one of the (liberal) historians interviewed: https://americanprospect.bluelena.io/index.php?action=social&chash=309a8e73b2cdb95fc1affa8845504e87.2674&s=ffa1b2c0a9494a1f85cd9ac759ad767a
So I thought I'd ask what people here think of Buckley as well as his relationship with Trumpism. I've usually thought of him as a respectable conservative, but I think there were some ugly parts to him that got glossed over when more "combative" conservatives like Newt Gingrich came along.
I just began a discussion in the General Discussion forum that may be of interest to some of my fellow Pro-Lifers.... It is entitled "An Unconditional but Taxable Basic Minimum Income and Abortion" viewtopic.php?f=20&t=558886
Anarchonius
Hello, I may be an anarchy... But unborn children need to be protected
The priest in the only Catholic church in my city calls on us every day to pray for the people in war, especially Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, and Russia.
A four year project. We will see the backlash of the 90's where the USA thought the invitation of the internet would show dictatorships how good capitalism is, but instead the USA became in favor of dictatorships. Your Trump is sue the media now: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/15/trump-sues-media-outlets-bias This is an important step of dictatorship. He will seek to remain in power indefinitely. Trump has met with Viktor Orban frequently to learn how Autocracy is built. Viktor Orban:"He [Trump] is a man of peace. Under his four-year term he did not initiate a single war, and he did a lot in order to create peace in old conflicts in very complicated areas of the world."
What really occurred. War in Syria to begin with. Citation: Saikrishna Prakash, President Trump’s Declaration of War Against Syria, 111 Proceedings of the American Society of International Law 119–121 (2017).
Why do you say that?, What do you mean?, How does this relate to our discussion?, What do you think is the main issue?, Could you expand upon that point further?
Nishima
Intellectual Humility. The Socratic Method. How we think.
Discussion Questions:
Is it easy to think I am wrong about things that do not matter? Example: I was wrong about how much salt to put in the dish.
It is hard to think I am wrong about deep important things like: - The values I cherish - Identifying beliefs of who I think I am or who I identify myself as
Could it be possible that the only way to know is to listen to someone with a different way of considering the matter?
They said the same thing about Meloni here in Italy. But all I see so far is a government that is generally competent and (for me) far too moderate in its conservatism.
I think that the Western left has made so much trouble in the area of migration policy and has begun to alienate its electoral base (i.e. workers) in favour of socially liberal lobbies and environmentalists. Unfortunately, I don't think many people have changed their minds about the right to life in particular. Perhaps the left should find itself again instead of barking at the right.
The Ancient Tellurian Union of The Gallant Old Republic
The Federation of Roborian
The Lutheran Commonwealth of Vendellamoore
The VRCC Bishopric of CrimsonScribbles
The Friendly Republic of New Dolgaria
The Republic of NorthernPesos
The Federal Republic of East Asian Federal Republic
The Republic of Phydios
The Commonwealth of Teresar
The Republic of Green Lodge
The Armed Republic of Catholic Kingdom
The Capitalist United Federation of Danriel
The Protectorate of Sinquinu
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