I am lutheran.... converting to be a catholic....

[Filia Mariae]

Good nutrition as birth control? or for pain?

Seems to me like good nutrition would make one more fertile.

The book is about regulating your cycle, minimizing pain, and yes, fertility. Some part goes into NFP, but I didn't read that section- I'm not married so its kind of a moot point.

 

[MariaRegina]

Good nutrition as birth control? or for pain?

Seems to me like good nutrition would make one more fertile.

Natural family planning can be very labor intensive, but it is the only method approved by the Catholic Church. Thanks for the reference.

Dear Dr. Jerome:

I used to teach NFP with CCL.

Good nutrition helps to regulate the cycle because a normal woman has normal cycles unless she's under stress. If the cycles are regular then it is easier to use Natural Family Planning; however, NFP can be used with very good success even with irregular cycles and with the menopausal years.

NFP charting can even be used to plan a child especially when a women has very short cycles or irregular cycles. My charting enabled my physician to determine my estimated date of childbirth with greater accuracy. The nurses thought my baby was arriving late, but my physician advised them otherwise. Thank goodness for CCL.

I know other women who by charting discovered that they had an ovarian cyst. You will appreciate their revised manual. It's very professional.

Yours truly in Christ,
Elizabeth

 

[boughtwithaprice]

Hi Carly

Thanks for the reply, but I was refering to chanter's post.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.
The book you reference sounds worth reading though

Peace be with you

 

[boughtwithaprice]

Excellent points Elizabeth,


I was only trying to be funny because of the way your original post was worded, Sorry if I offended

 

[MariaRegina]

Excellent points Elizabeth,


I was only trying to be funny because of the way your original post was worded, Sorry if I offended

No offense. Like water on a duck's back.

I was talking with a psychiatrist at a conference and he said that the first thing he does is to get his clients on a good diet. A lot of his clients are chocolate addicts who have blood sugar dysfunction with severe mood swings which could lead to diabetes. People have absolutely no idea that bad nutrition and mood swings are often related. They'd rather be given a pill than give up their chocolate.

Oh, well.

Thanks for your post, Dr. Jerome.

It's been a pleasure chatting with you.

Yours truly in Christ,
Elizabeth

 

[isshinwhat]

After our son was born, my wife's obstetrician recommended BCP for her to control the hormonal swings she was having at the time---postpartum depression, etc. She checked with our pastor, who told her as long as she was taking them for a medical reason and not to prevent birth, then it was permissible.

Aside from the contraception issue, what of the abortive effects of BCPs? This was an issue close to my heart at one point, and it may be again at some future date. A woman I was once engaged to suffered from endometriosis, and we were told that was the only real treatment. I figured double-effect would come into play as far as contraception was concerned, but what about the abortive effects of BCPs? Doctors?

God Bless,

Neal

 

[MariaRegina]

Aside from the contraception issue, what of the abortive effects of BCPs? This was an issue close to my heart at one point, and it may be again at some future date. A woman I was once engaged to suffered from endometriosis, and we were told that was the only real treatment. I figured double-effect would come into play as far as contraception was concerned, but what about the abortive effects of BCPs?

Dear Neal:

Contact the CCL in Ohio. They have excellent brochures and work with physicians.

Yours truly in Christ,
Elizabeth

 

[boughtwithaprice]

[/font]

Aside from the contraception issue, what of the abortive effects of BCPs? This was an issue close to my heart at one point, and it may be again at some future date. A woman I was once engaged to suffered from endometriosis, and we were told that was the only real treatment. I figured double-effect would come into play as far as contraception was concerned, but what about the abortive effects of BCPs? Doctors?

God Bless,

Neal

Neal,

It would depend upon which BCP you were talking about. Most BCPs are designed to mimic pregnancy and thereby prevent ovulation and of course conception. The logic goes: no ovulation=no conception, no conception=no abortion. If a woman "misses" a dose, she risks ovulation and conception. The resulting embyo could be exposed to a uterine environment that was hostile to implantation and would result in an abortion. This depends on the type of BCP used. The progesterone based pills would theoretically produce a uterine environment friendly to implantation and result in pregnancy, not abortion, but the excess hormones could result in birth defects.
Regular use of BCPs would not result in an abortion, but irregular use can. This is a very complicated issue, and I can see why the Catholic church does not sanction the use of BCPs except when medically necessary.
Women with endometriosis may naturally have uterine environments which are hostile to proper implantation and result in an abortion(miscarriage) or ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy not in the uterus) with every conception with or without BCPs. This is all hypothetical. Do you see how complicated it can be?
I would look to the primary reason for BCP use to determine sinfullness. If it is truly medical, I do not believe sin is taking place, but I would talk with a priest or moral theologian to make an informed decision.

Peace be with you,

Jerome

 

[isshinwhat]

Thank you both, and God Bless.

Neal

 

[BAChristian]

Congratulations on deciding to heed God's call in your life.

I encourage you to contact me offline, via AIM, or visit my website. I am also currently converting and would love to share my stories and thoughts as we both pursue Him in our respective journeys...

Let me know if you need a fellow RCIA'er to chat with...

 

[Bayhawks83]

are catholics really against birth control

 

[jukesk9]

are catholics really against birth control

Against artificial means of birth control. And so was everyone else until 1930 when the Anglican Church allowed it. Everyone, save for the Catholic and Orthodox Church, followed suit.

 

[Mikeyfinn]

Why are catholics against artificial birth control? Is it at all based on anythin biblical?

 

[Filia Mariae]

MikeyFinn,

Why are catholics against artificial birth control? Is it at all based on anythin biblical?

Oh yes sirree.

See www.ScriptureCatholic.com

Gen 1:28, 9:1,7; 35:11 - from the beginning, the Lord commands us to be fruitful ("fertile") and multiply. A husband and wife fulfill God's plan for marriage in the bringing forth of new life, for God is life itself.

Gen. 28:3 - Isaac's prayer over Jacob shows that fertility and procreation are considered blessings from God.

Gen. 38:8-10 - Onan is killed by God for practicing contraception (in this case, withdrawal) and spilling his sperm on the ground.

Gen. 38:11-26 - Judah, like Onan, also rejected God's command to keep up the family lineage, but he was not killed.

Deut. 25:7-10 - the penalty for refusing to keep up lineage is not death, like Onan received. Onan was killed for wasting seed.

Gen. 38:9 - also, the author's usage of the graphic word "seed," which is very uncharacteristic for Hebrew writing, further highlights the reason for Onan's death.

Exodus 23:25-26; Deut. 7:13-14 - God promises blessings which include no miscarriages or barrenness. Children are blessings from God, and married couples must always be open to God's plan for new life with every act of marital intimacy.

Lev.18:22-23;20:13 - wasting seed with non-generative sexual acts warrants death. Many Protestant churches, which have all strayed from the Catholic Church, reject this fundamental truth (few Protestants and Catholics realize that contraception was condemned by all of Christianity - and other religions - until the Anglican church permitted it in certain cases at the Lambeth conference in 1930).

Lev. 21:17,20 - crushed testicles are called a defect and a blemish before God. God reveals that deliberate sterilization and any other methods which prevent conception are intrinsically evil.

Deut. 23:1 - whoever has crushed testicles or is castrated cannot enter the assembly. Contraception is objectively sinful and contrary, not only to God's Revelation, but the moral and natural law.

Deut. 25:11-12 - there is punishment for potential damage to the testicles, for such damage puts new life at risk. It, of course, follows that vasectomies, which are done with willful consent, are gravely contrary to the natural law.

1 Chron. 25:5 - God exalts His people by blessing them with many children. When married couples contracept, they are declaring "not your will God, but my will be done."

Psalm 127:3-5 - children are a gift of favor from God and blessed is a full quiver. Married couples must always be open to God's precious gift of life. Contraception, which shows a disregard for human life, has lead to the great evils of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide.

Hosea 9:11; Jer. 18:21 - God punishes Israel by preventing pregnancy. Contraception is a curse.

Mal. 2:14 - marriage is not a contract (which is a mere exchange of property or services). It is a covenant, which means a supernatural exchange of persons. Just as God is three in one, so are a husband and wife, who become one flesh and bring forth new life, three in one. Marital love is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity.

Mal. 2:15 - What does God desire? Godly offspring. What is contraception? A deliberate act against God's will. With contraception, a couple declares, "God may want an eternal being created with our union, but we say no." Contraception is a grave act of selfishness.

Matt. 19:5-6 - Jesus said a husband and wife shall become one. They are no longer two, but one, just as God is three persons, yet one.

Matt. 19:6; Eph. 5:31 - contraception prevents God's ability to "join" together. Just as Christ's love for the Church is selfless and sacrificial, and a husband and wife reflect this union, so a husband and wife's love for each other must also be selfless and sacrificial. This means being open to new life.

Acts 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira were slain because they withheld part of a gift. Fertility is a gift from God and cannot be withheld.

Rom.1:26-27 - sexual acts without the possibility of procreation is sinful. Self-giving love is life-giving love, or the love is a lie. The unitive and procreative elements of marital love can never be divided, or the marital love is also divided, and God is left out of the marriage.

1 Cor. 6:19-20 - the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; thus, we must glorify God in our bodies by being open to His will.

1 Cor. 7:5 - this verse supports the practice of natural family planning ("NFP"). Married couples should not refuse each other except perhaps by agreement for a season, naturally.

Gal. 6:7-8 - God is not mocked for what a man sows. If to the flesh, corruption. If to the Spirit, eternal life.

Eph. 5:25 - Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, by giving his entire body to her and holding nothing back. With contraception, husbands tell their wives, I love you except your fertility, and you can have me except for my fertility. This love is a lie because it is self-centered, and not self-giving and life-giving.

Eph. 5:29-31; Phil. 3:2 - mutilating the flesh (e.g., surgery to prevent conception) is gravely sinful. Many Protestant churches reject this truth.

1 Tim. 2:15 - childbearing is considered a "work" through which women may be saved by God's grace.

Rev. 9:21; 21:8; 22:15; Gal. 5:20 - these verses mention the word "sorcery." The Greek word is "pharmakeia" which includes abortifacient potions such as birth control pills. These pharmakeia are mortally sinful. Moreover, chemical contraception does not necessarily prevent conception, but may actually kill the child in the womb after conception has occurred (by preventing the baby from attaching to the uternine wall). Contraception is a lie that has deceived millions, but the Church is holding her arms open wide to welcome back her children who have strayed from the truth.

 

[Benedicta00]

Well thank you! I do have one question.. actually, I am 22, and in my class we have been talkign about how catholics don't believe in birth control pills, well i am on the pill but for medical reasons, now my question is.. is this a sin? since it is for medical reasons not that i am trying to prevent from getting pregnant?

Wols is correct even though he, INAMT and, NAI but I would say that using the pill now is not sinful in itself unless as Wols says it would effect your fertility in the future.

But the time will come one day when you will have to stop being on them for moral reasons and I would think about contacting the couple to couple league, (you can do a web site search to find them) or even your archdiocese and asking them about a pro life doctor that may be in your area because discussing other medical options with you physician may not go well, trust me on this one. When you tell them you will not practice birth control because you are a Catholic, you just may see their head spin right there in the office.

Just something to think about, your doctor, if he in not a practicing Catholic himself will not be much help to you with finding alternate treatments. The couple to couple league may have some suggestions on what to do and how to handle the situation.

 

[Benedicta00]

are catholics really against birth control

What we are is open to life at all times. We are never at a point where we reject the possibility to receive a new life from God. Taking birth control pills is not being open to life, in fact it is being dead against new life that you would go to the extreme of putting a chemical in your body that changes the way God created you.

We also are against taking the marital act that God has ordained as holy and taking it apart, taking the procreation out of it. That is man interfering with God’s creation by taking apart the act by separating the physical act with the procreative act.

 

[Benedicta00]

Why are catholics against artificial birth control? Is it at all based on anythin biblical?

Because you are taking the act that God ordained as holy and you are altering it to suit you and it is not longer holy when you do that, it becomes sinful and selfish. Taking the physical act and separating it from the procreative act is not of God.

 

[Benedicta00]

[/font]

Aside from the contraception issue, what of the abortive effects of BCPs? This was an issue close to my heart at one point, and it may be again at some future date. A woman I was once engaged to suffered from endometriosis, and we were told that was the only real treatment. I figured double-effect would come into play as far as contraception was concerned, but what about the abortive effects of BCPs? Doctors?

God Bless,

Neal

Neal, my understanding is if one must take it for medical benefits then the couple is to abstain for this reason, it can, but we just never known when or if it does, but it can act as an abortifant.

 

[MariaRegina]

Wols is correct even though he, INAMT and, NAI but I would say that using the pill now is not sinful in itself unless as Wols says it would effect your fertility in the future.

But the time will come one day when you will have to stop being on them for moral reasons and I would think about contacting the couple to couple league, (you can do a web site search to find them) or even your archdiocese and asking them about a pro life doctor that may be in your area because discussing other medical options with you physician may not go well, trust me on this one. When you tell them you will not practice birth control because you are a Catholic, you just may see their head spin right there in the office.

Just something to think about, your doctor, if he in not a practicing Catholic himself will not be much help to you with finding alternate treatments. The couple to couple league may have some suggestions on what to do and how to handle the situation.

Dear Michelle:

I wanted to give you a good reputation but the dumb system or someone is blocking me. So, Just wanted to say EXCELLENT POST.

 

[Benedicta00]

Dear Michelle:

I wanted to give you a good reputation but the dumb system or someone is blocking me. So, Just wanted to say EXCELLENT POST.

Thanks, you have to "spread some more around before you can give them to me again", but thanks for the thought.