Jobs Simply

what is the purpose of the HUMANE VITAE?

Humanae Vitae Pope John the VI Encyclical letter? Can anyone please sumerize article 1 and article 2 of Humane vitae. I dont understand all the big wording.. dont make fun of me! i just need someone to dumb it down for me

Those with theology degrees only, please. According to Pope Paul VI's humane vitae, birth control is a deliberate violation of the design that God built and a violation of natural law. Tampering with god's will is a mortal sin and grounds for excummunication according to this doctrine. I get this. Very straightforward - Tampering with god's will is a mortal sin and grounds for excommunication. It thus follows that if you are pregnant, it is god's will that you have a child and abortion is a mortal sin. Where I get lost though is the papal silence on fertility clinics. It would seem that god's will can include infertility as well as fertility. I simply don't understand why god's law is sometimes inviolable and sometimes subject to "interpretation". If it is god's will that you are childless, why is it okay to circumvent his will and attempt to become pregnant? Suppose god's plan is that those he made unable to conceive are part of a divine plan to assist with the children that are conceived? I understand the politics involved. When you are trying to sell a particular doctrine, the job is harder when it includes telling a potential mom that she won't ever be a mom. But shouldn't religion be above politicing and waffling on the issues? In utero surgery - it has now become common to repair medical conditions that would otherwise cause a fetus to die before birth or shortly thereafter. Again, isn't it circumventing god's will that the child miscarry, be stillborn or suffer birth defects? And...vaccinations. Just don't get it. God gave us polio for a reason right? I'm told that HIV is punishment for sinners, so it stands to follow that polio must also be some form of divine retribution. It would be helpful if you could clarify these issues. I know I'm asking for a lot but if you have time - Thou Shalt Not Kill. I'll admit that god is sometimes a bit oblique but here, he seemed to be putting his foot down Thou.....Shalt.....Not.......Kill.......so - what's up with the death penalty and wars and dropping bombs? Is there a revised edition of the commandments that includes the exclusions, addenda and supplements? Any thoughtful, informed, theologically based explanations are welcome! Kayla - seriously sweetie, you need to get an education cuz you only look silly when you try to explain how you arrived at a translation of ancient text. Uneducated and Christian do not have to be synonymous. Shadow and C - don't agree (of course!) but something to think about. Shadow, would just point out that abortion surgery could also fail. C - interesting article and website - would just point out that it's not up to the media to teach. My question arose as I drive to work past an abortion clinic that is picketed on a frequent basis while a nearby fertility clinic is ignored - could it be that the faithful aren't aware of the doctrine or perhaps it's simply easier to pick on unwed mothers rather than well-heeled infertile couples?

Maybe the Catholic Church is onto something? Maybe, just maybe the Encyclical written in 1968; Humane Vitae got it right when it said: the man, growing used to the employment of anti-conceptive practices, may finally lose respect for the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his respected and beloved companion. could it be that artifical birth control has aided in the demise of our culture?

My fellow Catholics: how would you react if the Pope said it was okay to use birth control pills? Suppose that Pope Benedict were to announce that Humane Vitae (the document that says birth control is a sin) was incorrect and the church was in error when they released it; just as the church had been in error when they said the world was flat, that evolution was false, and that unbaptized babies go to limbo. I know it's highly unlikely that this will happen, but just hypothetically, how would you react? Catholics only, please. If you're going to say, "I'm not a Catholic but I wanted to put my two cents in..." you will not be selected for best answer. Adam: The Pope (the current one as well as others) has, in fact, said the church had been in error before as in the examples I mentioned above, so it could happen again. sparki777: No, the Pill does not cause abortions. It simply prevents ovulation from happening in the first place. No ovulation=no fertilized egg=no pregnancy=no abortion. The Pill is no more an abortifacent than condoms are. Aleria: "If this ever did happen...it would not be an infallible statement and I believe that majority of the Catholic Church would object." Considering that the majority of practicing Catholics do not agree with the church's current teachings on birth control, I have to disagree. Also, papal infallibility was not used on Humanae Vitae, which means it could very well be false. sparki777: Pregnancy doesn't begin until the fertilized egg is implanted in the uterus. So although you may be correct, it's not an abortion because the woman was never pregnant to begin with. Also, I really don't appreciate you accusing me of lying when I state what I believe to be true. Still, as of right now, it looks like you're getting best answer since you're the only one who answered the question I asked, which is "how would you react," not "how would most Catholics react" or "do you think this would ever happen."