Today’s votes by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops affecting birth control and Eucharist hit my family personally.<\/p>\n
While I am Presbyterian (joining a new church tomorrow evening), my wife is a practicing Catholic.\u00a0 (What the heck is “practicing” about?\u00a0 I think after about 40 years she’d be good at it!)\u00a0 We have chosen not to have children.\u00a0 We are not using the rhythm method – my wife is an engineer and would never settle for a single point of failure.\u00a0 You are welcome to draw your own conclusions on what all that means with respect to birth control.<\/p>\n
The bishops issued two documents today that are relevant:<\/p>\n
Inherited diseases, constant medication samples of levitra<\/a> and work stress are some of the factors that make people to endure this sort of problem. Kamagra can help uk viagra online<\/a> you to cure ED safely and effectively. You must best viagra pills<\/a> say it with complete certainty that the work has been done. For the high price of the branded medicine and the viagra professional price<\/a> cost of which is lower than the other medicines for impotence. <\/span> The second one talks about preparation for Holy Communion.\u00a0 Among other things it states that intentionally ignoring church teachings is sufficiently serious that the lay person should avoid Communion.\u00a0 It also repeats teaching about Confession, mortal sins, and the fact that Catholics should only take Communion in a Catholic or related Byzantine church.\u00a0 Also that non-Catholics should not take Communion.<\/p>\n Put the two together and you reach the conclusion (verified by Catholic priests in a newspaper article that I read) that any Catholic using contraception should not take Holy Communion.\u00a0 The newspaper article that I saw this morning cited a survey statistic that 96% of married Catholics used contraception.\u00a0 One activist in the Catholic church on sexual issues was quoted as saying “This should save them some money on wafers”, but I don’t expect much to change.\u00a0 I suspect that this new guideline on taking Communion will be ignored just as the teaching on contraception is ignored.\u00a0 After all, the church spokespriest was quoted as saying that priests will not be refusing anyone at the rail on this issue.<\/p>\n So what does that mean for us?\u00a0 For me – nothing.\u00a0 Nobody changed the rules that I live by today.\u00a0 For Carolyn …. well, I can’t speak for her.\u00a0 I assume that if you ignore the teaching about contraception, you might as well ignore this teaching as well – and I suspect that 95% of married Catholics will continue doing so.<\/p>\n What I do know is that the Presbyterian Church will always allow her to take Communion in one of our churches irrespective of what her church teaches about doing so.\u00a0 I also know that the Presbyterian Church will be happy to take her in should she get sufficiently frustrated by the differences between the Mother Church’s teachings and her beliefs.\u00a0 And I know (and she’s been told) that the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville always welcomes her.<\/p>\n It’s probably easier to live in a one-church household.\u00a0 We’ve done fine for all these years in a two-church household.\u00a0 We talk, and exercise freedom of conscience on religious issues.\u00a0 We support each other’s personal faith.\u00a0 We’re also generally on the same page on theological issues and issues of applying faith to life.\u00a0 That might not be the same page as the Roman Catholic church, but it’s OUR page.
\nThe first document talks about marriage and the Roman Catholic church’s teachings.\u00a0 In reality, only the first page of the 12 page document talks about marriage – the rest talks about contraception, repeating Catholic doctrine stating that the Rhythm method is the only one allowed (though they call it “Natural Family Planning”) in any circumstance.<\/p>\n