Sunday, February 15, 2009

Humanae Vite

Here is a prophetic excerpt from Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vite. It is a beautiful and necessary document for any Christian. This particular section is profoundly relevant to our times. It was given to the Church in 1968.

Consequences of Artificial Methods

Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.

Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.



Infidelity increases in marriage, the objectification of women, increasing promiscuity in youth ... and now in several European countries, and largely in our own as well, government sponsored contraception and abortion. Amazingly and terrifyingly true but not unexpected from a culture that sponsors the philosophy held by the elites of the West.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Also, when fertility is purposely taken out of the conjugal act, it is all then based around pleasure instead of reproduction. With this mindset, anything goes.
I tell a story about how contraceptives have increased promiscuity:

I was talking to a plumber once who was called out to a house to unclog a septic line. About the time he and his coworker fished out the clog, the man of the house drove up. The plumber said he looked at what the clog was and he saw it was a wad of condoms so being the crude plumber that he was he held them up in ridicule and said something to the effect of "Hey! I found your problem!" He said all of a sudden the man ran in the house and he heard him screaming at his wife and she ends up running out of the house and leaves. Come to find out, the husband didn't use condoms, but somebody else did...and I bet they never thought they'd get caught!

Anonymous said...

Regarding the issue of abortion, where and when do the males weigh in on this topic?

Just wondering, would males typically support abortion if it was their baby and had to make the final decision or would they reject it?

Does Obama, gutless wonder that he is, support women's rights to choice or all people's right to choice?

Just wondering.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Why does it seem like some 12 yr olds are smarter than those that make social policy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOR1wUqvJS4

Obama, you came in with a message of hope...where's the hope in abortion?