Sexuality: Modern View vs. Christian View

The Modern vs. Christian View of Sexuality Professor Janet Smith and her associates have created a set of PowerPoint slides to accompany her classic presentation "Contraception: Why Not“, for the use of anyone who wants to use them for marriage preparation.

Babies: Blessings or Burdens?

World Population Source: United Nations, World Population Prospects, The 1998 Revision; and estimates by the Population Reference Bureau

God is Love

Male and Female He Created Them “It is not good that man should be alone.” (Gen. 2:18)

The Importance of Marriage

Casual, Recreational Sex

Accidental Pregnancy

Contraception Contribution? Quiz (check one) Q: What has contributed the most good to our culture in this century?  contraceptives  cars  computers  T.V.s and V.C.R.s

Early Predictions Control the population crisis Reduce the number of unwed pregnancies and abortions Improve marriages

Teen Sexual Activity

Estimated Annual New Cases of STDS Source: Kaiser Family Foundation and American Social Service Health Association: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America, 1998

Out of Wedlock Births Percentage of out of wedlock births Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators

Abortions

Contraception Leads to Abortion “In some critical respects abortion is of the same character as the decision to use contraception.... For two decades of economic and social developments, people have organized intimate relationships and made choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail.” United State Supreme Court Planned Parenthood vs. Casey

Contraceptives as Abortifacients The contraceptive pill works in three ways: Prevents ovulation Prevents sperm from meeting egg As an abortifacient — prevents fertilized ovum from implanting in uterine wall.

Cohabitation and Divorce Couples now live together before marriage and split up after marriage!

Divorce Rates Divorces (per 1,000 married women)

Single Parent Families Percentage of All Families with Children

Contraception’s Bad Consequences  facilitates sex outside of marriage  increases incidence of sexually transmitted diseases  leads to unwanted pregnancy and single parenthood  causes and leads to abortion  contributes to divorce  contributes to social chaos

Pope Paul VI’s Predictions general lowering of morality less respect for women coercive control by governments over sexuality bodies become machines (Humanae Vitae 17)

Oppressive Governments and Population Control

Test Tube Babies designer genes

Humanae Vitae

Philippine Bishops Apologize It is said that when seeking ways of regulating births, only 5% of you consult God. In the face of this unfortunate fact, we your pastors have been remiss: how few are there among you whom we have reached. There have been some couples eager to share their expertise and values on birth regulation with others. They did not receive adequate support from their priests. We did not give them due attention, believing then this ministry consisted merely of imparting a technique best left to married couples.

Philippine Bishops Apologize Only recently have we discovered how deep your yearning is for God to be present in your married lives. But we did not know then how to help you discover God’s presence and activity in your mission of Christian parenting. Afflicted with doubts about alternatives to contraceptive technology, we abandoned you to your confused and lonely consciences with a lame excuse: “follow what your conscience tells you.” How little we realized that it was our consciences that needed to be formed first. A greater concern would have led us to discover that religious hunger in you.

Catholics and Contraception Catholics 1960: 66% did NOT contracept 66% 80% Catholics 1995: 80% contracept Philippine Bishops Apologize

Reasons to condemn Contraception  a violation of the good of a woman’s physical and psychological health  an impediment to the total self-giving of spousal love  a rejection of God as Creator of new life

Fertility is a Great Good

Violation of Physical Health

Common Side-Effects increased irritability increased propensity to depression weight gain reduced sex drive

An Insult to Women

Impediment to Total Self-Giving

Babies are Bonding

God Creates Every Human Soul

Contraceptive Thwarts God’s Life-Giving power

Responsible Parenting

Natural Family Planning Signs of fertility fertile mucus rise in temperature change in cervix

Effectiveness of NFP “…pregnancy rates [of couples using NFP] have depended on the motivation of couples. Increasingly studies show that rates equivalent to those with other contraceptive methods are readily achieved in the developed and developing worlds. Indeed, a study of 19,843 poor women in India had a pregnancy rate approaching zero. Natural family planning is cheap, efficient, without side effects, and may be particularly acceptable to and efficacious among people in areas of poverty.” Dr. R. E. J. Ryder British Medical Journal, Sept. 18, 1993

NFP vs. Contraception

Benefits of NFP No bad physical side-effects Requires mutual sacrifice Enhances communication between spouses and strengthens marriages Strengthens couple’s relationship with God No harm to society

Miracle at Cana

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