Contraception and Church History
2. Contraception in the Post-New Testament Church Age
The church fathers felt strongly about contraception. According to an Eastern Orthodox article (check out the link several paragraphs down), Ambrose and Chrysostom actually saw contraception as murder before birth. Their reasoning was based on Christ's words that if we hate someone, then we are guilty of murder, and it is an act of hatred to dismiss potential life by engaging in sex with no intention to conceive (does their view contradict Natural Family Planning?)
Interestingly enough, it was not just the church fathers who were against contraception. Essentially all recorded theologians (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant) dismissed contraception. Luther and Calvin did, for instance. Condemnation of contraception was not seen as a Catholic ''thing'' before recent times. And it was not just the Protestant Reformers who condemned it, Protestants at least up through the 1800s did as well. Generally, the Lambeth Councils of the Church of England in the 1930s changed Christian acceptance towards contraception.
As one Eastern Article written by Father Joseph Gleeson notes, ''For 1,900 years, every church in the world opposed birth control. Throughout history, the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, and every other Orthodox jurisdiction condemned the use of birth control. Not only that, but the Catholic and Protestant churches prohibited birth control as well. Prior to the 20th century, there was not a single “Christian” group that approved of contraception (see link below).''
https://theorthodoxlife.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/murder-before-conception/
Indeed, the universal condemnation of contraception from all three branches of Christianity throughout Christendom (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox) is testimony alone that contraception is contrary to orthodox practice. Unfortunately, Protestants now almost universally accept contraception as do several Orthodox churches around the world. While many Eastern Orthodox are still conservative on the issue, the Roman Catholic Church is the only church alone to recognize contraception as a moral evil against God.
In many ways, there are more differences between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox thought on this matter than I would have thought. Among the differences are the following:
1. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that all artificial contraception is wrong. Catholics are permitted to use natural birth control, which they define as including Natural Family Planning. While Eastern Orthodox vary on the issue, the morality of contraception is left to the individual priest. In general, Eastern Orthodox accept artificial contraception for medical purposes. On the other hand, some of the traditionalists Roman Catholics, differ from mainstream Catholicism in that they do not recognize Natural Family Planning. While the Orthodox Church opposes abortifacients, as already mentioned, there are different views within Eastern Orthodoxy on birth control. To the Orthodox Church, birth control and and some forms of contraception are allowed within a marriage so long as two conditions are met (1) human life cannot be destroyed, (2) the Christian has the blessing of their priest. In Eastern Orthodoxy, marriage concerns agape love between a husband and a wife. To the eastern church, contraception is not allowed when it is about fulfilling the selfish desires of the individual.
2. Historically, the Catholic Church taught that sex was simply for the purpose of procreation. Nowadays, Catholicism generally shares more agreement with Orthodoxy that sexual union between husband and wife is for more than simply the affirmation of a desire to have more children. To Eastern Orthodox, human sexuality is beautiful when following God's design (as in a marriage between a man and a woman*1). Today, the Orthodox Church in America believes that husband and wife can desire sexual intimacy with each other without intending to conceive. Of course, it should be noted that the Orthodox Church of America is generally considered more liberal than other branches of Eastern Orthodoxy in the United States, such as the Antiochan Orthodox Church. In an article from the Antiochan Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, Frederica Green argues that the church itself is not against sex. Rather, it sees sexual intimacy between a husband and wife as pointing us to Christ and the Church*2.
Contrary to what some claim, sex did not originate with the fall. Genesis 2: 21-24, for instance, implies that Adam and Eve had sex before the fall. Certainly, sex between a husband and wife is not sinful, nor a result of sin, though all other forms of sexual unions are contrary to God's design.
Along with Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox recognize all forms of sexual intimacy between a husband and wife outside of their procreative body parts for one another, to be sinful. These include, but are not limited to pornography, oral sex, etc. This is because they see all other forms of sex as perversion and lacking natural desires between a husband and wife (plus the fact, that other forms of sex do not lead to procreation). For more on the Eastern Orthodox view, see the link below:
http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/frjosiah_sexualrelations.aspx
While there are some theological differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism on human sexuality and contraception, both communions are far more conservative on each issue than are the vast majority of Protestant and Evangelical Christians today. In an article for the National Library of Medicine, by B. M. Beric, it says that each church essentially agrees on the issue of contraception*4. While some will contend that the two are quite identical, they both are against much of contraception.
As already mentioned, Luther and Calvin alike opposed contraception.*3 If one takes time to read theologians of the past on the issue, many professing Christians today would be surprised to see how many people once opposed contraception.
Whatever one thinks of Roman Catholicism's relationship to contraception, claiming that many Catholics in the United States use contraption does itself not disprove Catholic teaching. At most, it makes many Catholics look hypocritical, but this does not prove or disprove the Catholic Church's teaching on the matter. Thus, let's concentrate on the official platforms of the different Christian Churches rather than the choices of individual members in these communions.
3. Conclusion Paragraph:
Defending contraception is much like defending homosexuality and divorce/remarriage, as all three were historically condemned by Christendom until recent years when many pastors and priests have comforted those living in sin by claiming that their actions are not contrary to God's justice. Scripture, however, leaves no room for any of these actions to be permissible for a Christian, and nor does church history.
At the root of contraception, is the belief that sexual activity can be enjoyed while openly denying the primary biological reason for sex: to procreate. Indeed, while sexual activity between husband and wife can be enjoyed, biologists agree that the primary reason that sex exists is for procreation. This does not take away from a husband and wife burning for one another, but it does exclude a desire for sex which does not have the intention of potentially having children.
Republicans and professing Christians who promise contraception as an alternative to abortion, are promising one evil only less depraved than the other. Both are sinful as taught in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and Church History.
Notes:
*1-https://www.saintjohnchurch.org/contraception-orthodox-church/
I agree with the view of Rome concerning this. Thanks!
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