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To: Dr. Brian Kopp
if they are honest, they will find that scripturally, this is at best a false distinction.

Most Christian ethicists I know of, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, even while condemning both, do distinguish between the prevention of pregnancy (contraception) and the destruction of it, involving homicide, by abortion, IUD's or the pill. Killing a human of course is much more grave a sin than preventing a natural blessing...even if both involve sexual reproduction.

Many Christians, especially in evangelical Protestant circles (of which I am in...) oddly enough, have trouble distinguishing greater and lesser sins however.

All sin though involves lacking faith--and ultimately avoiding the blessings that come from walking by faith.

51 posted on 07/28/2010 3:36:22 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
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To: AnalogReigns; Dr. Eckleburg; Christian_Capitalist; 1000 silverlings
I'm not trying to say there is no distinction in the way they act. The Pill works primarily by preventing conception, just like barrier methods. A certain percentage of the time, it also works by preventing implantation. The numbers vary by the type and dosage strength of each hormonal contraceptive and by individuals, but there can be no debate over the fact that part of the time, the Pill works by causing an early abortion (i.e., preventing implantation of a fertilized egg.) I think its wonderful that evangelical Christians have embraced this truth.

But to claim there is no scriptural basis for teaching that birth control is immoral is simply beyond credulity.

Christianity has always, unanimously declared that contraception is inherently wrong, based on the Onan incident and Natural Law.

Its only within the last 80 years, but primarily since 1960, that Protestantism has reinterpreted these issues to say that contraception is morally licit.

When Christian moral theology unanimously teaches that something is inherently evil, then certain subsets of Christianity only in the last several generations claim otherwise, that is by definition proof of apostasy in moral theology, one's personal interpretation of scripture notwithstanding.

If we disagree with the entire patrimony of Christianity on this issue, we cannot possibly be correct, and we must examine ourselves to find our error.

54 posted on 07/28/2010 4:20:34 PM PDT by Brian Kopp DPM
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