Contraceptive mentality does harm

Contraceptive mentality does harm

Robert Harrison’s “A History of ...” is a blatant misrepresentation of Catholic history not to mention St. Thomas Aquinas. The church’s teachings about the evils of contraception go back to the book of Genesis when God instructed Adam and Eve to “be fruitful and multiply.” In Genesis 38, God very clearly expresses his displeasure with Onan for performing coitus interruptus.

Mr. Harrison ignores the church’s 2000+-year teachings regarding contraception as a grave moral evil contrary to the natural law. Church fathers such as St. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, St. Basil the Great, St. Jerome and St. Augustine wrote very clear statements in support of church teaching. In the 20th century alone, nearly 100 statements were written by the Vatican condemning artificial birth control prior to Humane Vitae. Luther, Calvin and Gandhi are examples of non-Catholics who saw contraception as a grave moral evil. Every Protestant denomination was in line with Catholic teaching on contraception until 1930.

The Catholic Church is not a democracy where majority rules. The charism of infallibility is not given to theologians but only to the Successor of St. Peter. Disobedience by large numbers of Catholics does not change the truth regarding human sexuality. Humanae Vitae was a prophetic document that warned about the evils that would infect society should procreation be separated from marital love. The “contraceptive mentality” has had devastating effects on our society. Fornication, adultery and homosexual practices have led to a huge growth in divorce, children born out of wedlock, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS. Pornography is a consequence of the promotion of lust over true love. We are dying faster than we are having children. Western civilization will not survive if we continue down this path.

Peter Nordlund

Barrington