In this debate, I will attempt to prove that while fornication is a sin, it does not necessarily equate to a union of the flesh and what does achieve that union is the irreversible transfer of genetic materiel, its efficacy, and its consequences. To do this, I will run through 5 points:
1. What makes the 2 become 1?
Genesis 2:24 says: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh."
2. Is there a difference between fornication and a uniting of the flesh?
1 Corinthians 6:16 says: "Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” Do some of today's contraceptives prevent this?
3. The significance of Consummation according to Roman Catholic Canon Law.
Canon Law. 1061 §1. A valid marriage between the baptized is called ratum tantum if it has not been consummated; it is called ratum et consummatum if the spouses have performed between themselves in a human fashion a conjugal act which is suitable in itself for the procreation of offspring, to which marriage is ordered by its nature and by which the spouses become one flesh.
According to the church, a marriage was only ratified until it was consummated and consummation was defined as penetration with the deposit of DNA therein. Absent any of these elements, a marriage was considered ratified but not consummated and therefore dissoluble because a union of the flesh had not taken place.
According to the church, contraception is immoral. This is well known. Less well known is that a majority of Christian denominations consider contraceptive sex as unfit for consummating a marriage because the act of withholding any part of yourself is directly contradictory to wholly giving yourself to another, a principle of the marriage sacrament. Many theologians place barrier-type contraceptives (such as condoms) in a separate category because other types of contraception (such as pills or shots) do not prevent the deposit of male genetic materiel inside the woman, one of the key elements of consummation. In theory, a marriage of any length where condoms or "pulling out" were used every time, the marriage was still considered unconsummated and thus, dissoluble.
4. The implications of modern day science.
Science by definition is quest to better understand the mechanics of our world. Just because we we understand how lightning and sunrises work does not make them any less subject to God's will and creation. We know that sex before or outside of marriage is a sin to God, but didn't know why. This is similar to how a child's parents tell him that he shouldn't cross the street without looking, but he doesn't know why until he gains an understanding of traffic. Recent discoveries in genetics have now given us the understanding of how a permanent union of the flesh works and the consequences of having more than one of these unions, especially for women. But first, I must briefly establish the significance of DNA in the following paragraph.
British philosopher, Dr. Antony Flew, a former atheist, stated that DNA was evidence of there being a God as it's complexity would merit an unfathomable hyper-intellect, potentially belonging to a "supreme being." DNA is made up of adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine -- abbreviated as letters A, T, G, and C, similar to the 0's and 1's of binary code, are arranged in each human cell. The order instructs how the cell's behaves. In every cell in your body, this code is three billion letters long and the amount of information in a pin-drop of human genetic materiel could fill enough books to encircle the Earth 500 times.
Back to how this effects a one-flesh union and why adultery effects women differently. Matthew 5:32 says:"But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Understanding the emphasis on the woman is where faith and science begin to corroborate each other in some interesting ways and we begin to see the reasons for God's command. Recent discoveries in genetics include a phenomenon called microchimerism, medically defined as the presence of genetic materiel from more than one source in the presence of a single organism. It was discovered that women carry the DNA of EVERY sexual partner for the REST OF THEIR LIVES and that a woman's immune system adapts to the genetic materiel of the male. Studies have gone on to prove that the more male partners that a woman's immune system is exposed to, the higher the likelihood of pregnancy complications as well as negative health effects for the woman and any future potential child she may bear. Conversely, the more a woman is exposed to the genetic material of the same male, the more her immune system adapts to and RECOGNIZES it. Wow! There's one of the moments where we don't understand until we're older and more understanding of the world, the reasoning behind what our parents told us when we were young.
5. Conclusion: The similarities between Consummation and Communion.
So we see how science supports faith by the discovery of DNA's significance validating that the deposit of genetic materiel inside the woman is an essential element of marital consummation. God hates divorce, but it is said that if she does, she should be reconciled to her husband. This is because the code of our creation (DNA) has been uploaded permanently and stays with her until death. But if God hates divorce, why could an unconsummated marriage could be dissolved by the church and what's the difference? Because man shall not separate what God has joined. He is the writer of the code of our creation and we see how a woman's immune system adapts to and recognizes the genetic code of her sexual partner(s) resembles the uploading and retention of our code (microchimerism) and how multiple partners corrupt this process. We similarly take communion to accept the Body and Blood of Christ into our own once we accept his sacrifice for our sins and establish that covenant. Communion is the consummation of our covenant with Christ.
Mankind has found ways to do many things, good and bad, that they were unable to do at the dawn of creation. And while mankind may have found a way to prevent the irreversible union of the flesh, fornication is still a sin. Lustful acts are wrong outside marriage no matter what. However, barrier-type contraceptives or premature withdrawal both fall under the sin of spilling seed (such as oral sex or self-gratification) rather than a union of the flesh.
In times before contraception, this specification was unnecessary and the capacity of people at the time to comprehend it was insufficient. Therefore if barrier-type contraceptives can prevent the consummation of a marriage, would it not prevent the illegitimate, one-flesh union described in 1 Corinthians 6:16? By the Theory of DNA Standard, invitro more resembles consummation than intercourse with a barrier or act of premature withdrawal as the process is incomplete. Consummated marriage is indissoluble because DNA is indissoluble, which is why God hates divorce and why annulment of unconsummated marriage does not constitute divorce. Any act that is unable to consummate marriage is unable to cause you to become one flesh regardless of being married or not, the same way you cannot take communion with a zip-lock bag in your mouth.
1. What makes the 2 become 1?
Genesis 2:24 says: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh."
2. Is there a difference between fornication and a uniting of the flesh?
1 Corinthians 6:16 says: "Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” Do some of today's contraceptives prevent this?
3. The significance of Consummation according to Roman Catholic Canon Law.
Canon Law. 1061 §1. A valid marriage between the baptized is called ratum tantum if it has not been consummated; it is called ratum et consummatum if the spouses have performed between themselves in a human fashion a conjugal act which is suitable in itself for the procreation of offspring, to which marriage is ordered by its nature and by which the spouses become one flesh.
According to the church, a marriage was only ratified until it was consummated and consummation was defined as penetration with the deposit of DNA therein. Absent any of these elements, a marriage was considered ratified but not consummated and therefore dissoluble because a union of the flesh had not taken place.
According to the church, contraception is immoral. This is well known. Less well known is that a majority of Christian denominations consider contraceptive sex as unfit for consummating a marriage because the act of withholding any part of yourself is directly contradictory to wholly giving yourself to another, a principle of the marriage sacrament. Many theologians place barrier-type contraceptives (such as condoms) in a separate category because other types of contraception (such as pills or shots) do not prevent the deposit of male genetic materiel inside the woman, one of the key elements of consummation. In theory, a marriage of any length where condoms or "pulling out" were used every time, the marriage was still considered unconsummated and thus, dissoluble.
4. The implications of modern day science.
Science by definition is quest to better understand the mechanics of our world. Just because we we understand how lightning and sunrises work does not make them any less subject to God's will and creation. We know that sex before or outside of marriage is a sin to God, but didn't know why. This is similar to how a child's parents tell him that he shouldn't cross the street without looking, but he doesn't know why until he gains an understanding of traffic. Recent discoveries in genetics have now given us the understanding of how a permanent union of the flesh works and the consequences of having more than one of these unions, especially for women. But first, I must briefly establish the significance of DNA in the following paragraph.
British philosopher, Dr. Antony Flew, a former atheist, stated that DNA was evidence of there being a God as it's complexity would merit an unfathomable hyper-intellect, potentially belonging to a "supreme being." DNA is made up of adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine -- abbreviated as letters A, T, G, and C, similar to the 0's and 1's of binary code, are arranged in each human cell. The order instructs how the cell's behaves. In every cell in your body, this code is three billion letters long and the amount of information in a pin-drop of human genetic materiel could fill enough books to encircle the Earth 500 times.
Back to how this effects a one-flesh union and why adultery effects women differently. Matthew 5:32 says:"But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." Understanding the emphasis on the woman is where faith and science begin to corroborate each other in some interesting ways and we begin to see the reasons for God's command. Recent discoveries in genetics include a phenomenon called microchimerism, medically defined as the presence of genetic materiel from more than one source in the presence of a single organism. It was discovered that women carry the DNA of EVERY sexual partner for the REST OF THEIR LIVES and that a woman's immune system adapts to the genetic materiel of the male. Studies have gone on to prove that the more male partners that a woman's immune system is exposed to, the higher the likelihood of pregnancy complications as well as negative health effects for the woman and any future potential child she may bear. Conversely, the more a woman is exposed to the genetic material of the same male, the more her immune system adapts to and RECOGNIZES it. Wow! There's one of the moments where we don't understand until we're older and more understanding of the world, the reasoning behind what our parents told us when we were young.
5. Conclusion: The similarities between Consummation and Communion.
So we see how science supports faith by the discovery of DNA's significance validating that the deposit of genetic materiel inside the woman is an essential element of marital consummation. God hates divorce, but it is said that if she does, she should be reconciled to her husband. This is because the code of our creation (DNA) has been uploaded permanently and stays with her until death. But if God hates divorce, why could an unconsummated marriage could be dissolved by the church and what's the difference? Because man shall not separate what God has joined. He is the writer of the code of our creation and we see how a woman's immune system adapts to and recognizes the genetic code of her sexual partner(s) resembles the uploading and retention of our code (microchimerism) and how multiple partners corrupt this process. We similarly take communion to accept the Body and Blood of Christ into our own once we accept his sacrifice for our sins and establish that covenant. Communion is the consummation of our covenant with Christ.
Mankind has found ways to do many things, good and bad, that they were unable to do at the dawn of creation. And while mankind may have found a way to prevent the irreversible union of the flesh, fornication is still a sin. Lustful acts are wrong outside marriage no matter what. However, barrier-type contraceptives or premature withdrawal both fall under the sin of spilling seed (such as oral sex or self-gratification) rather than a union of the flesh.
In times before contraception, this specification was unnecessary and the capacity of people at the time to comprehend it was insufficient. Therefore if barrier-type contraceptives can prevent the consummation of a marriage, would it not prevent the illegitimate, one-flesh union described in 1 Corinthians 6:16? By the Theory of DNA Standard, invitro more resembles consummation than intercourse with a barrier or act of premature withdrawal as the process is incomplete. Consummated marriage is indissoluble because DNA is indissoluble, which is why God hates divorce and why annulment of unconsummated marriage does not constitute divorce. Any act that is unable to consummate marriage is unable to cause you to become one flesh regardless of being married or not, the same way you cannot take communion with a zip-lock bag in your mouth.
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