Catholic Counterculture

The encyclical, Humanae Vitae, which Pope Paul VI wrote in 1968 reaffirmed the traditional Christian belief that artificial contraception as immoral because it unquestionably denies the sacrament of marriage and just like homosexual acts intentionally closes the sexual act to procreation, and therefore is empty and can never unify those who engage in them. This encyclical still creates controversy among the secular culture for obvious reasons but Protestants also despise it because they to have have conformed themselves to the world. The harsh criticism of Humanae Vitae by Protestant sects is odd, since the encyclical merely repeats what Christian churches had taught from the earliest days of Christian era. Protestant opposition to birth control has largely been forgotten in our decadent 20th century. Martin Luther, the founder of the Lutheran Church, called birth control "sodomy". John Calvin, founder of the Presbyterian Church, and John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church, unreservedly condemned contraception as unnatural and would destroy the souls of those who practiced it. Every Protestant denomination rejected birth control until 1931, until the Anglican Church became the first denomination to defect. Every other Christian denomination has followed the Anglican Church's example down the slippery slope except the Holy Roman Catholic Church.

What most people don’t know is that Humanae Vitae contains a multitude of prophecies which have all come true. Paul VI predicted that the widespread acceptance of contraception would "lead to conjugal infidelity and a general decline of morality." Paul VI also foresaw men would lose respect for women which would make them mere instruments of selfish enjoyment and no longer a respected and beloved companion, the use of forcible sterilization by totalitarian governments, and man would think he had limitless dominion over his own body. Thirty years later, no one can doubt that these prophesies all have come to pass. We now have a divorce rate at almost 60% and 4 million Americans now live together without the benefit of marriage. One third of all births are now out of wedlock, the fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level, and 1.5 million unborn babies are murdered each year upon the satanic altars of abortionists. The proliferation of pornography is at epidemic proportion and sexually transmitted diseases have become a plague upon society. Finally, the perversity of homosexuality is now out of the closet and is clamoring for acceptance.

Traditionally, society has revered the family and marriage as the exclusive forum for both sexual intimacy and the rearing of children. When marital love is open to procreation, it links those two vital roles. Sever the link and make sex a recreational activity; marriage and the family are no longer unique. If sex is a form of recreation, how can we plausibly deny teenagers the pleasure that their parents enjoy? If marriage is simply an emotional commitment and a forum for selfish sex devoid of any potential or desire for procreation, why should homosexual unions based upon the perversion of sodomy be denied legal recognition? The answer to these questions is fornication and sodomy are abominations. They offer no positive benefit to society only pain and suffering. Marriage between a man and woman makes the world go around and is society's fundamental building block. Procreation and the care of children are the primary reasons societies have in the past sanctioned heterosexual marriage and invested in those unions by granting specific legal and financial benefits. Study after study has proven children thrive best in a household with both mother and father. A society which does away with traditional values experiences chaos, increased violence, deviant sexual behavior, and a general lowering of morality.

While contraceptive technology has expanded and social inhibitions have shriveled. Today's sexual adventurers seem joyless and mechanical: beleaguered by the fear of disease, mistrustful of emotional commitments, and incapable of true intimacy. The apostles of "free love" never fulfilled their promises and just like in the last years of the decaying Roman Empire, we find ourselves in a downward spiral of social and moral chaos. Our modern-day hedonistic culture has forgotten what the true meaning of conjugal love and has tried to replace it with sexual dysfunctions.

The Catholic counterculture offers a solution against this sick secular society. They promise a sex life unencumbered by latex devices and the health risks attributed to pharmaceutical contraceptives. A stronger, deeper, and more lasting mutual love between husband and wife. The solution is Natural Family Planning. Thousands of dedicated couples have learned and are practicing NFP. This counterculture has the data to back up it's claims. First, among married couples who don’t use artificial contraception and rely exclusively on NFP, the rate of divorce is trivial; estimates range from a high of 3% to below 1%. Second, the effectiveness rate of NFP is 99%! The reasons given for the strong marriages are deep religious faith, respect for wife and her fertility, better communication between husband and wife, a better sex life due to the short period of abstinence, and children being seen as a blessing instead of a burden.

So while the vast majority plunge headlong in the opposite direction toward social and moral decay, and skeptics say that NFP is the same as contraception and it does not work. The Catholic counterculture responds "if contraception is the same as NFP then why don't you use it"? The skeptic will always say, "they are not the same" and the Catholic will say, "you are correct, NFP is always open to new life where contraception is not". The question does NFP really works? The answer is a big yes! A 99% effectiveness rate, and the faithful practice of NFP produces strong marriages and families centered around God. The question you must ask yourself is are you going to follow God's way or your own?