I find it painfully hypocritical that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) would suggest not giving communion to members of the church simply because of their stance on family planning. What about other members guilty of other “sins?” What about the politicos who steal from the people and still have the gall to show their faces at church every Sunday? That’s been going on for decades, and yet they pick this as a reason to kick somebody out? Why not also refuse to give communion to Gloria’s entourage who flew overseas just to watch Pacquiao’s bout, even as we were still reeling from Typhoon Frank’s aftermath?
Talk about double standards. While I don’t agree with Gabriela on many matters, I will side with their point that abortion happens simply because many women here have neither the financial nor the emotional means to care for their child. There are probably more reasons, but given our level of poverty, this is the most likely cause. If the church is so against abortion, then why don’t they care for the unwanted child? Or would they rather he or she grow in “a situation of sin,” where starvation and neglect will push them to resort to drastic actions just to stay alive?
I am angered especially because I am also a practicing Catholic. Since when did we end up with leaders with this backward thinking. Family planning does not equal anti-life. If anything, it ensures that the couple will have the means to properly care for their offspring.
As for the argument that sex education would lead to immoral acts, this flow of logic implies that reading about lock picking will also encourage us to commit thefts, or that reading about serial killers will turn us into murderers. Except that this doesn’t happen normally, unless the one reading is already mentally disturbed. This only reveals that the CBCP is selling their pulpit’s common sense and integrity short. We are smarter than that, and we certainly deserve better leaders than that.
-Antonio Yang III, Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila (via e-mail)
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July 26th, 2008 at 2:03 am
While the rest of the world is trying to curb population growth, our country seems to be going nowhere with regards to it’s population problem. It’s because everytime somebody in the government thinks of doing the right thing, stupid people in the Catholic church always interferes.
They’re teaching that contraception is is equivalent to abortion and results an abortion is complete lie. Contraception prevents the eggs from maturing so that fertilization wouldn’t occur. The Catholic church is responsible for spreading fallacies to promote their agenda. More people, more church contribution?
Rythm method simply does not work, period. You people got to choose and stop being dictated by your Church. It’s not even an issue here in the US. Yes, I’m a Catholic, but I don’t believe in everthing that the Church says.
July 25th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
@ Antonio
Healthy sex life?
Behind contraception are two dispositions/frames of mind. First, it is an objective barrier between spouses’ full mutual self-giving in sex (not sharing the gift of fertility, resorting to physical barriers, lack of commitment etc.) Second, that sex is an unstoppable instinct and uncontrollable need.
It therefore degrades the spouses’ love for one another by restraining self-giving and seeing sex as a ‘necessary past time’ that often treats partners as objects for relieving sexual urge.
Contraceptives will only corrode marriages and encourage promiscuity. Promiscuity defines unwanted pregnancies (contraceptives are not 100% effective!) and leads to abortions.
July 25th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
FAMILY PLANNING BEST LEFT TO COUPLE’S DISCRETION
People live in a world where they are guided by rules created by a government of men. These are rules that give people the freedom of choice and the right to exist.
People also have spiritual freedom and the choice to honor their Creator and to abide by the rules their religious beliefs impose on them. As a citizen, it is his/her bounded duty to follow the laws which the government has created for the good of the country and welfare of the people. It may happen such a law like population control may be contrary to the religious teachings of the Church. Nonetheless it cannot be denied the fundamental issue behind this is to prevent the imminent consequences of population explosion.
The two clashing forces, the government and the Church, have responsibilities to undertake. The govt’s responsibility is to provide food security to the people and to make sure the population can be sustained adequately by the dwindling food resources. The Church’s responsibility, on the other hand, is to save the souls of its flocks by keeping them from committing the sins of artificial birth controls.
This is where both institutions should draw the line. The govt has served notice telling the people to manage population growth or face the evil consequences of over-population. The Church too has reminded its flocks the consequences of committing mortal sin. Having said that, the people will decide what they believe is good for them. The choice is theirs not the bishops, not the government.
Those threats by the bishops denying the Holy Sacraments to any one violating the laws on pro-life will most likely be ignored. How many practicing Catholics today follow the church rules at heart? It is impressive indeed to see the large number of people receiving Holy Communion during Sunday Mass, almost emptying the church seats to line up for Communion, which must have flashed the thought in anyone’s mind, oh how nice to see so many deeply devoted people, especially men, receiving Communion. But have you wondered how many of them ever went to confession? Go see if there’s a long line to the confessional box. Nada! All this for show that they are not sinners? You get my drift?
July 25th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
@titov
The Church encourages natural family planning method - aka the rhythm method - as the only proper means of curbing unwanted births.
The problem is that the Rhythm method has repeatedly been proven by scientific research to to be unreliable.
The church may tell us it is wrong, and ask us to abstain. The problem is that a healthy sex life IS one important requisite to a long lasting marriage.
That aside, the Catholic teaching you’ve posted is based on the Humanae Vitae pastoral letter of 1968.
I’ve read parts of it, and quite frankly, it needs to be updated. It’s criticisms may have been relevant in line with the existing research of the time, but it just isn’t the case anymore with today’s scenarios.
Sink or swim.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:17 pm
“A culture that is closed to new life in the act that creates new life will not be welcoming to life once it is conceived. Both contraception and abortion find their roots in the notion that in order to avoid children, artificial and intrusive measures may be used to thwart the body’s natural procreative capacity. The use of contraception treats the procreation of new life as an outcome to be avoided at all costs, through harmful drugs, devices, and even self-mutilating surgery.” from cuf.org