Posted on 08/04/2020 5:59:38 PM PDT by marshmallow
Moscow, August 3, Interfax - Chairman of the Russian patriarch's commission on family affairs Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov believes that it is possible for families to limit the number of children they want to have, but this should not be done using contraception.
When asked in an interview with the Prikhozhanin (Parishioner) journal whether an Orthodox family can somehow try to limit the number of children it would like to have, Father Dimitry said that "yes, it can, but only through abstention, rather than by using contraception."
The archpriest also spoke against shaping family life only around children.
"Everything in a family, including the children, should center on Christ. But if everything is focused on the children, then we'll raise selfish people," he said.
When commenting on how to choose a future spouse, Father Dimitry disagreed with the term "life companion," saying that "a companion is something temporary, while marriage is permanent." In this context, he advised young people to wait for at least one year before getting married. "Less than a year is pointless: the probability of a mistake rises in that case," he said.
Father Dimitry also believes that a bride and a groom should spend a great deal of time talking to one another in order to get a true picture of each other, because young people usually try to show off their good side, concealing quite a lot.
"Thus, the time before the wedding should be spent on dotting all the i's and crossing all the t's, and then they can make an 'informed choice,' as it's called today," he said.
The family is the primary unit responsible for passing on cultural traditions to children - so I disagree with him slightly
Russia’s birthrate is not where the pols want it to be.
If people are so concerned about the deleterious effects of secondhand smoke, then they should also be concerned about the secondhand effects of contraceptives that end up in the water supply.
He said “only”. Helicopter moms often do more harm than good.
Good point
Yeah; that was my wife's approach also. Trouble was, she continued to practice abstention after getting a tubal ligation which seemed a tad hypocritical if not downright dishonest.
Or: Have as many kids as you can whether or not you could support them. Responsibility is the key.
The family is first and foremost the mom and dad, whose relationship is the most important to foster and nourish. Secondarily come the children.
If mom and dad’s relationship is healthy, it will usually appear that they are terrific parents.
Dishonest? It sounds MEAN to me.
Well said.
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