Contraception

"In this way, as hindering the begetting of children, there is the 'vice against nature,' which attaches to every venereal act from which generation cannot follow; and, as hindering the due upbringing and advancement of the child when born." - St. Thomas Aquinas ("Summa Theologica" 13th century A.D.)

"And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled [it] on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also." - Genesis 38:9-10

"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 23:1

"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." - 1 Timothy 2:14-15

What the Catechism of the Catholic Church says on "Contraception:"

2370. "Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. [HV 16.] These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, 'every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible' is intrinsically evil. [HV 14.] Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.... The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.[FC 32.]"

COMMENTS

All Protestant denominations considered artificial contraception a sin up until the Anglican Lambeth Conference of 1930. At that conference, the Anglican Communion decided that artificial contraception was no longer a sin and the rest of mainstream Protestantism followed suit.

--- Chris

CHURCH BELIEFS & ISSUES

WHAT THE EARLY CHURCH BELIEVED

BIOGRAPHIES OF THE CHURCH FATHERS QUOTED IN THIS SECTION
Abortion	Against Heresy	Apostolic Succession & Tradition	The Catholic Church	Contraception
Degrees Of Sin	Divorce	The Eucharist	Good Works	Homosexuality
Infant Baptism	The Mass	The Papacy	Old Testament Canon	Purgatory
Unity Of The Church	The Virgin Mary

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Reference Materials

Biblical quotations on this web site are either from the King James Version or the Douay-Rheims Version of the Bible.

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Abortion	Baptism	The Bible		Celibacy of the Clergy
The Church	Church Attendance	Contraception	Degrees of Sin	Divorce
The Eucharist	Fasting During Lent	Good Works	Homosexuality	Money for the Church
"Once Saved, Always Saved?"	The Papacy	Papal Infallibility	Pre-marital Sex	Purgatory
Quick & Easy Catholic Apologetics	The Reformation	Ritual Prayer	The Sacrament of Penance	The Saints
The Trinity	The Virgin Mary