NFP in Marriage?

[gzt]

Sure, he's toward one extreme of accepted Orthodox thought.

 

[ArmyMatt]

plus, to say permitting non-abortive birth control should come with spiritual counsel actually follows canon 102 of Quintesext, which is there to prevent extremism.

 

[gzt]

Anyone that tells you the Church is not against birth control is either misinformed or a liar.

Nope, am neither. Hope that helps.

 

[gzt]

From OrthodoxWiki:

The dominant view, represented by the Church of Moscow[3], the Greek Archdiocese, the Orthodox Church in America[4], and by the bioethicists Engelhardt and Stanley S. Harakas, may be fairly described as the teaching that non-abortifacient contraception is acceptable if it is used with the blessing of one's spiritual father, and if it is not used to avoid having children for purely selfish reasons.

The position of the Greek Archdiocese of America was given by Harakas: "Because of the lack of a full understanding of the implications of the biology of reproduction, earlier writers tended to identify abortion with contraception. However, of late a new view has taken hold among Orthodox writers and thinkers on this topic, which permits the use of certain contraceptive practices within marriage for the purpose of spacing children, enhancing the expression of marital love, and protecting health."[5]

https://orthodoxwiki.org/Birth_Control_and_Contraception

That should answer your question.

 

[jckstraw72]

Nope, am neither. Hope that helps.

It actually doesn't help at all.

Feel free to quote a saint who wrote approvingly of contraception.

 

[gzt]

See above.

 

[jckstraw72]

Yeah, Harakas is not a saint. In fact, he admits pro-contraception is a new view.

 

[gzt]

Refers to official statements from various jurisdictions.

 

[jckstraw72]

Yes, I can read. Even into the 1960s and 1970s the various jurisdictions were teaching against contraception. Any acceptance of it is at best 40-50 years old ... out of 2,000 years of teaching ...

 

[gzt]

So we're done then! Orthodoxy: confirmed.

 

[jckstraw72]

You deny 2,000 years of consistent teaching and cherry pick what fits your fancy. That does not confirm Orthodoxy.

 

[gzt]

Looking at recent official statements is not cherry-picking. Looking at a handful of assorted saints sounds more like it.

 

[~Anastasia~]

As a matter of safety, I think even "official pronouncements" are subject to Tradition. Remember we had iconoclasm - officially - for quite some time.

 

[~Anastasia~]

But I fear this thread may serve to confuse the OP - we ought to all be sensitive to that.

 

[gzt]

And saints have been wrong, too! We can't be trying to be more Catholic than the Pope, as the saying goes, we can only admit that, at the very least, the position isn't ignorance or deliberate misinformation but rather a common part of Orthodox thought, as represented by statements from various jurisdictions. It seems imprecise to not acknowledge that on a forum for Orthodoxy broadly speaking rather than a rigorist board.

 

[jckstraw72]

Acknowledgeing that a POV exists is not the same as pushing it as an Orthodox POV. This is a common mistake from people on forums.

 

[gzt]

Yeah, that's why I prefer to stick to more official sources.

 

[gzt]

What an odd assertion. Anyway, here's Met Kallistos Ware on the subject - this is not an official source but it is a metropolitan bishop who is highly regarded as an expert in a book [The Orthodox Way] that is highly regarded:

Concerning contraceptives and other forms of birth control, differing opinions exist within the Orthodox Church. In the past birth control was in general strongly condemned, but today a less strict view is coming to prevail, not only in the west but in traditional Orthodox countries. Many Orthodox theologians and spiritual fathers consider that the responsible use of contraception within marriage is not in itself sinful. In their view, the question of how many children a couple should have, and at what intervals, is best decided by the partners themselves, according to the guidance of their own consciences.

For the OP, I hope that helps answer your questions.

 

[jckstraw72]

In the past birth control was in general strongly condemned, but today a less strict view is coming to prevail, not only in the west but in traditional Orthodox countries.

If only that darn, pesky Truth wasn't unchanging. Darn Truth!

 

[jckstraw72]

In 1957, the Greek Archdiocese Yearbook made the following statement:

“If a husband and wife do not desire to have any children, they ought to abstain from all conjugal relations until they are able to have children, and then to come together again in sexual union, relying entirely and solely on God’s omniscience. The use of contraceptive devices for the prevention of childbirth is forbidden and condemned unreservedly by the Greek Orthodox Church.”
(Greek Archdiocese Yearbook – 1957, pp. 50-51)

In agreement, Archbishop John Shahovskoy says that we must not interfere with procreation:

The Church of Christ suggests a way, of which the Gospel revelation speaks quite clearly. Continence outside a marriage, and continence in marriage itself. So says the word of God, and such is the understanding of the word by [the] best Christians of history . . . The Orthodox Church, without doubt, categorically rejects interference with the mystery of childbirth.
(Abp John Shahovskoy, 1961 Yearbook of the Metropolia)

Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, in the first edition (1963) of his famous book, “The Orthodox Church”, simply points out:

“Artificial methods of birth control are forbidden in the Orthodox Church.” (did the Truth change, or did Met. Kallistos change?)

for a extensive look at what the authorities of the Church actually teach, see the article here: https://theorthodoxlife.wordpress.com/2015/05/18/sacred-seed-sacred-chamber/