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Gabrielle's avatar

I'll be saving this to have in my back-pocket for the next time I encounter an NFP critic open to conversation!

Another point to add, the mentality behind the use of contraception is "I want to be able to have sex whenever I want, without worrying about making a baby" while NFP says "even though I feel sexual desire right now, I know we are fertile, so we are going to use our God-given self-control and discernment to refrain." Regardless of your reasoning, NFP just means... not having sex on particular days.

Also, for the number of times the Church has explicitly endorsed the beauty of NFP, you would think that these critics would.. you know... submit to her teaching.. instead of thinking they know better?

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Jamie Rindler's avatar

This topic is an exhausting one for me when I start having to debate other Catholics, and I really appreciate all you shared here. The Church is a good mother and knows that each couple has an individual call with individual crosses to bear. It's very harmful to talk down to others when it comes to fertility. An important point you brought up here is how we should only advise others who we have a relationship with, where we hear their reasons in person. If you hear a friend saying they don't want kids for a reason you question, lovingly offer some insight, encouraging prayer and openness to what God is asking of them. As you said, the Holy Spirit takes it from there. I think it only serves as a distraction in our own spiritual lives to go any further.

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