A second look needed at contraception

Mr. Nordlund’s statement on God’s command to multiply (Fence Post, March 6) is true in a symbolic sense, but let me remind him Genesis also says God made man in his own image. Theologians say he was referring to our minds and our ability to choose between right and wrong.

When he said to multiply he didn’t mean to breed to the point where you can’t feed, clothe or nurture your children. Breeding like rabbits leads to hunger, ignorance and overpopulation, a result God didn’t intend. You say my facts are wrong. The facts I stated are true. They are easily checked. The Orthodox and mainline Protestant churches today all accept contraception, as does Judaism.

The Catholic Church from its beginning followed the concept of “quickening,” the first movement of the child in the womb. A change began 300 years ago when three seminary professors, with no theological significance beyond this issue, declared the soul became present at conception. No one paid attention to their paper until Pope Pius IX, who the Romans cynically referred to as “Pope No-No,” and the one who issued that embarrassing encyclical, “Syllabus of Errors,” embraced their claim as true, disregarding what previous theologians had said.

However, it was not declared “Ex Cathedra” (from the Chair of Peter), meaning it was without error. Science now tells us a fetus has no brainwaves or heartbeat until the sixth week, affirming the teachings of early church fathers. There is an accepted doctrine of the Church, “Sensus Fidelium,” which means — guided by the Holy Spirit — what the faithful believe, accept or reject over time is true. As I mentioned, 98 percent of all Catholic women have used contraception, and it has been increasing since World War II. Don’t you think it’s time the church seriously studied this issue?

Robert Harrison

Elk Grove Village