a) The Catholic Church and increasingly more Protestants espouse “Natural Family Planning.” The practice has much to unpack, but at the moment don’t expect the greater culture or most churches to help you along. And it’s rare to find OB/GYN’s who even know or care to discuss NFP. (And NFP, not just within the framework of pregnancy, but even how to approach other reproductive health issues. The medical establishment in this country prescribes birth control pills for just about every female ailment in the book!)
So it’s up to Christians to, in a sense ‘take back control’ as it were — and hand things back to God. NFP is a complete mentality shift from a contraceptive approach.
b) Speaking of large families, the loss of extended family structures has sterilized family life and communal culture in the ‘developed world.’ First world communities are so fragmented and isolated.
I have lived in poorer (maybe not 3rd world, but 2nd world) countries where children are out in the playground till evening and it’s just a given that someone is always watching...a grandparent or relative is always around, and neighbors are practically family. And groups coming together out and about to eat, or celebrate, play music, or have coffee and sweets...whether out in the city marketplace or in the neighborhood...it’s just organic. Not something you plan in advance.
Our society on the other hand, no longer fosters a culture in which families take care of each other through the generations. Most second and third world countries cannot afford the likes of convalescent homes and the like, but even if you were to explain the concept of one ...it’d be anathema to many.
From personal experience, I have to disagree to some extent. NFP still works with the premise that there's something wrong with women, because when they have sex, they often have babies after a while. Men have sex, whenever, and never have babies. Therefore, male sexuality is the default, and female sexuality is aberrant.
“So it’s up to Christians to, in a sense ‘take back control’ as it were — and hand things back to God. NFP is a complete mentality shift from a contraceptive approach.”
So is it the Catholic position or really God’s Truth?
God gave us life and made us in His image and God provides for us, should we hinder or block this gift of life through artificial contraception or abortion?
I understand that humans like choice, but why do we have so many versions of God’s Truth in our Christian churches? Do we follow the ways of the world or our version of God’s Truth?
One reason I love my Spanish-speaking church congregation is that people don’t think having a large family is bizarre. When it became apparent that I was pregnant with my youngest, an American in the church said, “I guess ‘Congratulations!’ is what you’re supposed to say to someone like you.”