Here is a conundrum. In south america which is a mainly Roman Catholic part of the world there is an epidemic caused by the Zika virus.

it is caused by being bitten by a mosquito and it results in your baby being born deformed if you are pregnant.

There is no cure and the only preventive measure that the governments can advise people is to not get pregnant.


However these are Catholic countries and the doctrine of Roman Catholics forbids the use of Contraceptions.

If you are a married couple and you are trying to avoid pregnancy because of Zika, how are you going to do this? It seems the only way is to NOT have sex.

Is it really acceptable to advise a married couple to not have sex, rather than to have sex with a contraceptive, at least a condom?

What is the way forward for Catholics here? any suggestions?

Learn the natural family planning methods, stick carefully to it and that solves it.

SalC:
Learn the natural family planning methods, stick carefully to it and that solves it.

What's that? would you care to make an exposition for us here.

PastorAIO:


What's that? would you care to make an exposition for us here.

Sorry I don't think I wanna do that. Though it isn't rocket science.

As a church, abstinence should be preached, though pple violate dis doctrine of abstinence buh der's notin church can do dan to preach it. If pple are given d chance to use contraceptive den, many pple'll abuse it.

the only thing that comes to mind for me is Onanism, but the church already condemns that.
Sorry, I'm not a rocket scientist. Ultimately you've contributed nothing if you can't explain what you mean.

SalC:
Sorry I don't think I wanna do that. Though it isn't rocket science.

PastorAIO:
the only thing that comes to mind for me is Onanism, but the church already condemns that.
Sorry, I'm not a rocket scientist. Ultimately you've contributed nothing if you can't explain what you mean.

I want to believe catholism encourages natural family planning. Maybe that's what salc was referring to.

Geist:
I want to believe catholism encourages natural family planning. Maybe that's what salc was referring to.

What is Natural family planning? Can you give me some examples of it's practices?

EDIT: Okay, I've just had to google it. it's about watching the menstrual cycle abi?

PastorAIO:


What is Natural family planning? Can you give me some examples of it's practices?

EDIT: Okay, I've just had to google it. it's about watching the menstrual cycle abi?

yes. It is based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle and abstaining when she's fertile.

PastorAIO:

Here is a conundrum. In south america which is a mainly Roman Catholic part of the world there is an epidemic caused by the Zika virus.

it is caused by being bitten by a mosquito and it results in your baby being born deformed if you are pregnant.

There is no cure and the only preventive measure that the governments can advise people is to not get pregnant.


However these are Catholic countries and the doctrine of Roman Catholics forbids the use of Contraceptions.

If you are a married couple and you are trying to avoid pregnancy because of Zika, how are you going to do this? It seems the only way is to NOT have sex.

Is it really acceptable to advise a married couple to not have sex, rather than to have sex with a contraceptive, at least a condom?

What is the way forward for Catholics here? any suggestions?

HUMANE VITAE, GOOGLE.

PastorAIO:

Here is a conundrum. In south america which is a mainly Roman Catholic part of the world there is an epidemic caused by the Zika virus.

it is caused by being bitten by a mosquito and it results in your baby being born deformed if you are pregnant.

There is no cure and the only preventive measure that the governments can advise people is to not get pregnant.


However these are Catholic countries and the doctrine of Roman Catholics forbids the use of Contraceptions.

If you are a married couple and you are trying to avoid pregnancy because of Zika, how are you going to do this? It seems the only way is to NOT have sex.

Is it really acceptable to advise a married couple to not have sex, rather than to have sex with a contraceptive, at least a condom?

What is the way forward for Catholics here? any suggestions?

HUMANE VITAE

Ubenedictus:
HUMANE VITAE

I would appreciate a conversation rather than 3 words.

PastorAIO:


I would appreciate a conversation rather than 3 words.

Humanae Vitae is a papal encyclical written by Pope Paul VI. In this encyclical which was written during the time when Protestant churches were beginning to allow the use of contraceptives, the Pope condemns all contraception including onanism as intrinsically evil and as against God's natural law. In other words Catholics are not allowed to alter the sexual act through any means. Catholics therefore are to abstain from sex during times when the wife is fertile. That is natural family planning(NFP) from a layman's point of view.

PastorAIO:


I would appreciate a conversation rather than 3 words.

sorry if dat came out wrong, i wanted to point u to a good starting point. if we rule out d very old documents, a easy to find document on contraception is humanae vitae.

It is a good place to start d discussion and provides d solution to d problem u wrote abt.

Papist:

Humanae Vitae is a papal encyclical written by Pope Paul VI. In this encyclical which was written during the time when Protestant churches were beginning to allow the use of contraceptives, the Pope condemns all contraception including onanism as intrinsically evil and as against God's natural law. In other words Catholics are not allowed to alter the sexual act through any means. Catholics therefore are to abstain from sex during times when the wife is fertile. That is natural family planning(NFP) from a layman's point of view.

I'm curious about this natural law.

How is Natural Law determined?

What is natural law to be contrasted with? Supernatural Law? Or Artificial (man made) law?

Why is natural law held in such high esteem, over other laws (I presume that there are other laws)?

More questions on Natural Law.


Does the use of drugs for illness contravene natural law?


When a short sighted person uses Spectacles does he contravene natural law?


Does Agriculture contravene Natural law? Once man discovered that he could plant seeds and cultivate the growth, the surface of the earth changed. Instead of things growing naturally where they fell they were deliberately planted in plantations while other plants on the same field were uprooted as weeds. This had a debilitating effect on the soil. Was this an abuse of nature?

When God made the Sun stand still over Gibeon, was this contravening natural law? If so, then how come God can contravene natural laws but we shouldn't?

I've never heard of anything as vague and amorphous as this Natural Law. Please help.

PastorAIO:


I'm curious about this natural law.

How is Natural Law determined?

What is natural law to be contrasted with? Supernatural Law? Or Artificial (man made) law?

Why is natural law held in such high esteem, over other laws (I presume that there are other laws)?

Natural law, i knew i shuld have listened when i was taught abt it bt unfortunately it isn't my forte. natural law is d stuff 'written in d heart' to tell man right and wrong even b4 d laws was written on papper.
Much of what u wrote above has no connection to natural law.

PastorAIO:
More questions on Natural Law.


Does the use of drugs for illness contravene natural law?


When a short sighted person uses Spectacles does he contravene natural law?


Does Agriculture contravene Natural law? Once man discovered that he could plant seeds and cultivate the growth, the surface of the earth changed. Instead of things growing naturally where they fell they were deliberately planted in plantations while other plants on the same field were uprooted as weeds. This had a debilitating effect on the soil. Was this an abuse of nature?

When God made the Sun stand still over Gibeon, was this contravening natural law? If so, then how come God can contravene natural laws but we shouldn't?

I've never heard of anything as vague and amorphous as this Natural Law. Please help.

As earlier defined, taking drugs, planting or stopping d sun in themselves do not go against d natural law, they have little to do wit it.

PastorAIO:


I'm curious about this natural law.

How is Natural Law determined?

What is natural law to be contrasted with? Supernatural Law? Or Artificial (man made) law?

Why is natural law held in such high esteem, over other laws (I presume that there are other laws)?

Natural law is contrasted with revealed moral law on one hand and civic law on d other. It is interesting because it suppose to b in everymans hearts, i.e everyone whether secular or religious should follow its dictates.

It gets even more interesting, this natural law may b clouded by sin and culture so dat many may not even see or accept it, in these cases d church claim jurisdiction is reminding men of it. Natural law is d reason why d catholic church thinks all govt should ban abortion, she believes dat it is not a religious issue but a human issue, contraception, euthanasia...are all issues d church discusses under natural law as well as marriage in a sense and sanctity of human life.

Ubenedictus:
Natural law is contrasted with revealed moral law on one hand and civic law on d other. It is interesting because it suppose to b in everymans hearts, i.e everyone whether secular or religious should follow its dictates.

It gets even more interesting, this natural law may b clouded by sin and culture so dat many may not even see or accept it, in these cases d church claim jurisdiction is reminding men of it. Natural law is d reason why d catholic church thinks all govt should ban abortion, she believes dat it is not a religious issue but a human issue, contraception, euthanasia...are all issues d church discusses under natural law as well as marriage in a sense and sanctity of human life.

I looked it up. It stems mainly from Aquinas. I have some interesting questions I'd like to probe, but right now my head is in a different space.

I always raise a dubious eyebrow whenever I hear the word 'natural' cos I've never heard it defined by anyone. But please bear with me and I'll get back to you on this matter but the end of this coming week.

PastorAIO:


I looked it up. It stems mainly from Aquinas. I have some interesting questions I'd like to probe, but right now my head is in a different space.

I always raise a dubious eyebrow whenever I hear the word 'natural' cos I've never heard it defined by anyone. But please bear with me and I'll get back to you on this matter but the end of this coming week.

it is older than aquinas, goes back to cicero and augustine.

The natural is dat law written 'in d heart' of men ordering them to good and forbiding them from evil.