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.
• http://www.onemoresoul.com
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
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
BoysGirls
Estimated AnnualNew Cases of STDS
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Chlamydia
Gonorrhea
Syphillis
Herpes
Human Pampillona Virus
Hepatitis B
Trichomaniasis
HIV
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation and American Social Service Health Association: Sexually Transmitted Diseases in America, 1998
Out of Wedlock Births
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1960 1975 1990 1995 1997
WhiteBlackAll Births
Perc
enta
ge o
f out
of
wedlo
ck
bir
ths
Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators
Abortions
1%6%11%
19%63%
Never MarriedMarriedDivorcedSeparatedWidowed
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 CourtPlanned 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
0
5
10
15
20
25
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991
Div
orc
es
(per
1,0
00 m
arr
ied w
om
en)
Single Parent Families
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1991
Perc
enta
ge o
f A
ll Fa
mili
es
wit
h C
hild
ren
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
designergenes
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. RyderBritish 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
Next Talk
•Euthanasia•Capital Punishment