General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The Pope's comments on family and marriage seem very much open to interpretation-WRONG [View all]Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)except for that family's unless abuse and/or exploitation is involved.
I do have a huge issue with the Church and its "family advocacy" this usually revolves around being anti-family planning, and no, NFP doesn't count, it doesn't really work. You can't be "pro-family" and against family planning at the same time. Economically and socially it doesn't work. Do you know why my sister and BIL have so far been successful? Because, the entire time they co-habited, and into their marriage, they used birth control. They didn't start having kids until they were financially ready, they have a house, two cars and two dogs along with the two kids. Apparently they like things in twos.
See, my parents were smart and ignored the Church's positions on family planning when they took my sister to an OBGYN and got her a prescription for birth control when she was a teenager, at her request. She asked them first, which was a contrast from me when I was a teenager and my dad took me out to demystify the purchase of that most sacrilegious of objects, a box of condoms. Granted that first box was never used, but not for lack of effort! Ahh, the rejections! I was an awkward teenager.
The problem is this, religion can be a powerful political tool, and how your church has used it has been double edged, on one hand talking about the economic problems, and on the other, going off on tangents like being against birth control, sex education, family planning, sterilization, etc.
You can't have one without the other, you want people to be able to establish themselves in the workforce, have the education they desire, and also later establish stable families with the people they fall in love without coercion? Then you need to advocate for effective family planning, otherwise you are just blowing hot air.