What business does the church have to say about want I do behind closed doors in my bedroom?
The Church has a lot to say about what goes on in your bedroom, as it does in your wallet, your work place, your family room, what’s on TV, and in our national courtrooms etc. We cannot authentically live a Christian life by living in compartments. Christ is ALL and came to be a part of our ENTIRE life! As soon as we take God out of love, sex and marriage, we will see terrible repercussions: abuse, lust, people being used as objects, abortion and ultimately death. The struggle is to realize that the Church has a saving message, a liberating message and a message that will set us FREE. We have to TRUST!
I do not want to have 12 children. What do you expect of married couples?
The Church does not want you to have any more children than God does. I do not really care how many children YOU are planning on having-since when was it OUR PLAN, OUR LIFE or OUR FAMILY; it’s God’s. God is the designer of life. He chooses when and how. After prayer, if a man and woman do not feel called to have a child (financial, psychological, physical reasons) they have options that do not destroy God’s plan for the sexual act- it is called abstaining! It does not cost anything, fill one with deadly chemicals or disturb God’s plan. Science has put us at a point where we are able to determine the nine days a month that a woman is fertile. A couple can abstain during these nine days if they were not desiring to conceive a child. Self Mastery and self denial is a true act of Love!
This teaching is old fashioned. We are a people of convenience. Who are we to accept this?
Convenience is not part of love. Nowhere in scripture nor in “real life” is love or life a “piece of cake.” True love is shown in true intimacy, a true gift of self. This is the love our Lord modeled for us! This teaching is accepted when the Gospel definition of Christ’s Love is realized and embraced.
The Rhythm Method does not work; how are we supposed to trust it?
You are right, the Rhythm Method does not work, but I am thankful for it, many good people exist because it “failed.” However, the Church does not teach this practice and has not for years. What they do teach is Natural Family Planning (NFP), and it is 99% effective in spacing children. It has no chemical side effects, fosters open and honest communication between spouses, is faithful to God’s plan for sex and marriage, and keeps women from being used as objects, even in marriage.
All being said, the Church’s teaching on sex and marriage are a true blessing. However, many people do not truly understand them. These teachings are vital to understanding the FULL and TRUE plan for families. At the core of the family is marriage. At the core of marriage is the love between a man and a woman. At the core of the love between man and woman is the sexual act. If the foundation of the family is weak (sex), so will the entire family. What happens behind closed doors is a BIG deal. God needs to be a part of it! Let’s remember that He gave us our sexuality and needs to be included!