Premarital Sex And Artificial Birth Control Religion Essay

True love delaies. Equally platitude as it sounds, some gloss of this response will likely be given by a individual practising abstention when questioned as to why he or she is still a virgin. After all, true love entails fidelity and committedness, which is something that one may non be able to supply before one has reached a certain point of adulthood. However, statistics show that despite the fact that the Philippines is a Catholic state and the Catholic Church expressly forbids the pattern of prenuptial sex, about 56.5 % of single Filipinos aged 15-19 have had sex ( National Statistics Office ) .

Status quo shows that waiting has taken a backseat to impulsiveness and spontaneousness, beliefs that are inconsistent with what the Church preaches with respects to gender. The hazards of prosecuting in prenuptial sex are purportedly now well lessened due to the handiness of unreal methods of birth control in topographic points like local apothecary’s shops and because of this many more adolescents are willing to prosecute in prenuptial ‘safe sex ‘ despite the disapproval of the Catholic Church.

This research paper discusses prenuptial sex and unreal birth control at length, foremost through an in-depth analysis of the issue at manus, so with the manner in which the research workers attempted to turn to this issue.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In 1981, a survey was conducted on sexual behaviour on primetime telecasting and it was observed that 41 shows out of the 51 sum showed cases of prenuptial sex ( Wilson 109 ) . It can be assumed that the figure has merely increased since so. The prevailing pattern of pre-marital sex in the United States has been a long standing fact over the old ages. Lawrence Finer, a manager of domestic research at the Guttmacher Institute, stated that most people in the U.S. have had pre-marital sex, and it has been that manner for decennaries. The survey that was posted in USA Today, where Finer commented, reported that of those interviewed in 2002, 95 % reported they had had prenuptial sex ( Jayson ) . Furthermore, because the civilization of the U.S. has planetary influence, there is no uncertainty that such broad thoughts have reached the Philippines every bit good. As stated antecedently, harmonizing to the 2003 National Demographic and Health Survey conducted by the National Statistics Office, though, about 56.5 % of single Filipinos aged 15-19 have had sex ( National Statistics Office ) .

That being said, there is a demand to educate the young person on the Church ‘s base on pre-marital sex, which is abstention. However, there is an feeling that the Church ‘s message is relayed in such a manner that it appears condescending and close-ended to its intended receivers. For case, an article posted in the Asia Times provinces, “ The Catholic church positions rubber usage as advancing criminal conversation and pre-marital sex, and church leaders believe that sex is meant entirely for reproduction, In this context, utilizing of rubbers – even for HIV/AIDS bar – becomes an immoral, iniquitous act ” ( Sparrow ) without so much as a farther account as to why they believe so. Statement such as these make the Church appear as hostile, and non as an establishment which embraces, reaches out, and listens to its members and their issues.

It is because of this and the young person ‘s deficiency of equal cognition on the issue that misconceptions are formed which affect their determinations and behaviour relating to sex. For one, immature persons assume that it is acceptable to prosecute in sexual intercourse before matrimony so long that there is exclusivity, and that while they are dating, sex is besides an appropriate manner of showing fondness ( United Church of God ) . Two, that sex is besides allowable every bit long as twosomes are utilizing protection ( Whitehead 18 ) .

This job besides persists in the Ateneo community. If the Church ‘s base is inefficaciously conveyed, they are more prone to following other options and patterns that may look to offer more convenience and satisfaction.

The undertaking aimed to turn to the root of the job by supplying a strong and factual foundation for the young person. The undertaking should hopefully supply a sound determination in the young person ‘s return on sexual activity. As for the Ateneans, the undertaking reinforced the lessons taught by the nucleus topic of Theology 131. The undertaking aimed to beef up the values, or at the really least, supply information for the young person sing the relevant capable affair. This could open the eyes of the young person since the undertaking has a insouciant attack on a really serious affair. The insouciant attack creates a elusive impact to the 1s who do non pattern abstention in order for them to reconsider a alteration of life style.

Discussion

HUMAN EXPERIENCE

In analyzing about unreal birth control and pre-marital sex from the position of the Catholic Church, one becomes cognizant, that there is a job in the manner people have been populating out their gender. There is a “ Sexual Revolution ” that is ongoing, as Kenneth D. Whitehead references in his digest of articles, Agenda for the “ Sexual Revolution due to society ‘s “ tolerance ” / “ cooperation ” of societal immoralities like unreal birth control, abortions, and sex instruction. There are serious effects in how the universe views sex, and turn toing these could edify us on doing morally right determinations when it comes to sex.

There is a worldview that adult male has the ability to take control of the very transmittal of life, with the usage of unreal birth control ( Whitehead 18 ) , the agencies of forestalling construct through interfering with the natural procedures of the human organic structure ( Baum 72 ) . This is, possibly, non without ground. The looming idea of the possibility of holding another babe while married twosomes are showing their love ; the fiscal branchings of taking attention of big households ; the quandary of a adult female fighting with desiring to work and holding to take attention of her kids ; the job of “ population detonation ” ; and the hapless increasing the figure of kids in their households are rational grounds to try to take action by utilizing unreal birth control ( Whitehead 16-17 ) .

Furthermore, with the coming of AIDS and HIV, some unreal preventives are intended to forestall the spread such sexually familial diseases every bit good. The research workers have observed that the two most accessible signifiers of contraceptive method to the mark audience are unwritten preventives ( more normally known as ‘the pill ‘ ) and male rubbers, therefore this treatment will be concentrating largely on the two.

The chief end of an unwritten preventive is the bar of construct through the usage of medicine that contains a combination of estrogen and progestogen. In some instances, ovulation is stopped instantly upon the consumption of such medicine, but normally the altered endocrine degrees lead to a thickener of the uterine liner that prevents the sperm from fertilising the egg cell ( Stoppler 1 ) . It is discernible here once more, adult male ‘s efforts to utilize engineering for “ benefitting ” himself, but does it truly?

Oral preventives have a failure rate of about 9 % ( Cornforth ) . Furthermore, doctors say that the usage of certain trade names of birth control put adult females at a higher hazard for shot and blood coagulums, every bit good as increasing the possibility of asepsis later in life ( Singer ) . Worse, certain pills besides induce abortion as a back-up program should the sperm fertilise the egg cell. This is done through the creative activity of an environment in the womb that is non contributing to the development of a foetus ( Wilson 271 ) .

In add-on, Dr. Francis A. Plummer suggests that “ unwritten preventives may change the female venereal piece of land, doing it more susceptible to HIV infection ( Wilson 272 ) ” due to a survey that observed that Nairobian cocottes who took birth control pills were one-third more likely to acquire AIDS than those who did non.

Condoms on the other manus, are made out of latex and worn on the phallus to forestall sperm from come ining the vagina upon interjection but have a failure rate of 15 % ( Cornforth ) . Besides this, research has shown that the HIV virus is 500 times smaller than a sperm cell ( Wilson 281 ) . Given that rubbers are non ever effectual in forestalling gestation, the comparative difference in size between the sperm and the virus means that there is a high hazard of undertaking HIV even with the usage of a rubber.

The sarcasm of it all can be seen in how adult male attempts to do life easier for himself but in so making really endangers himself and others.

Another effect of the usage of unreal birth control is the creative activity of a civilization of prosecuting in pre-marital. Whitehead speaks of the “ prophylactic outlook, ” the outlook that utilizing unreal birth control is “ all right ” or even necessary in this twenty-four hours and age ( 18 ) . This mentality is a chief vehicle in the encouragement of prosecuting in pre-marital sex, which will be explained further in the Church Tradition portion of this paper.

Sacred SCRIPTURE

Sacred Scripture has a batch to state about the affairs of pre-marital sex and unreal birth control. God made sex to be enjoyable for He believes that “ It is non good that adult male should be entirely, and I will do a helper tantrum for him. ” ( New American Bible, Genesis 2: 18 ) . However when God created adult male, he besides “ blessed them, stating: be fertile and multiply ; make full the Earth and subdue it. ” ( 1 Genesis 28 ) , which means that because adult male has a comrade and is able to hold sexual intercourse, he is besides called to utilize this ability to conceive kids.

Morally-conscious Catholics believe in the domination of the sacredness of holy marriage: “ What God has put together, no human being must divide. ” ( 10 Mark 9 ) With this apprehension, whatever brotherhood done between a adult male and a adult female through sexual agencies must non be separated in the eyes of God. Hence, to take part in prenuptial sex is non merely immoral, but besides defiant of what God has planned for adult male. In connexion to this, it is assumed that if a twosome wants to prosecute in sexual intercourse that is moral, “ Each adult male should hold his ain married woman, and each adult female her ain hubby. The hubby should carry through his matrimonial responsibility to his married woman, and likewise the married woman to her hubby. ” ( 1 Corinthians 7: 2-3 ) . Furthermore, this transition besides enforces the duty of adult male and adult female to their several comrades.

Peoples have fought with enticement since clip immemorial. The desire and longing to hold sex with other people is so strong we can contend it off merely through God ‘s aid: “ No enticement has seized you except what is common to adult male. And God is faithful ; He will non allow you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will besides supply a manner out so that you can stand up under it. ” ( 1 Corinthians 10:13 ) As a affair of fact, what initiates sexual intercourse between two people, married or un-married, is enticement.

To partake in a sexual brotherhood that is non-procreative in nature reduces the opportunities of the twosomes to be obligated and partake in more mature duties in the hereafter such as taking attention of their ain kids. Thus, some people who engage in pre-marital sex usage unreal birth control because they are easy acquired and easier than abstention. In practising unreal birth controls, people deny themselves of their capablenesss to make kids, which are considered as one of the ultimate “ gifts of the Lord ” ( 127 Psalm 3 ) to get married twosomes that married twosomes must hold. The gift of life is something that people should give importance to. In take parting in unreal methods of birth control, adult male dramas god by insinuating that they have the power to make up one’s mind whether a life or a individual can be brought out in this universe or non, something that merely God has the authorization to make so.

One reference of the prophylactic act in the Bible that is condemned by God was when Onan “ wasted seed ” , more normally known as sexual intercourse interruptus: “ aˆ¦go in to your brother ‘s married woman and execute your responsibility as a brother-in-law to her and raise an offspring for your brother. Onan knew that the offspring would non be his, so… .. he wasted seed on the land. ” ( 38 Genesis 8-10 ) . Though this is considered as a natural manner of contraceptive method due to the absence of physical barriers to the act, it removes the unitive facet of sexual intercourse, rendering it immoral.

The monetary value of self-control brings about benefits of many things. For one, true love is tested if both spouses believe that waiting is what strengthens and produces a longing-kind of relationship. In so making, un-married twosomes who believe that love is patient and sort, should besides believe that, “ aˆ¦for everything there is a seasonaˆ¦ a clip to encompass and a clip to forbear from encompassing. ” ( 3 Ecclesiastes 5 )

CHURCH TRADITION

Humanae Vitae is a outstanding papers one can non pretermit when educating one ‘s ego on pre-marital sex and unreal birth control, and the encyclical itself of Pope Paul IV articulates the observation of how adult male has been “ endeavouring to widen [ the domination and rational organisation of the forces of nature ] over every facet of his ain life ” ( # 2 ) . The encyclical observes that economic, cultural, political, societal, and emotional force per unit areas push adult male to try to take control of the transmittal of life, and by “ take control of the transmittal of life ” it is rather obvious that this means the usage of unreal birth control.

Harmonizing to Humanae Vitae no. 11 and 12, “ Each and every matrimony act must stay unfastened to the transmittal of life. That learning, frequently set Forth by the magisterium is founded upon the inseparable connexion willed by God and unable to be broken by adult male on his ain enterprise, between the two significances of the connubial act: the unitive significance and the generative significance. ” What the Church means by these statements is that “ no positive intercession may be performed by human existences to either inhibit or destruct the generative potency of the connubial act ( Bacani 52 ) . ” Therefore, natural household planning, or abstaining from intercourse during a adult female ‘s fertile period ( Bacani 55 ) is the lone method of birth control that the Church supports.

Gaudium et Spes from the Second Vatican Council portions the same sentiments as Humane Vitae. The issue of utilizing unreal birth control methods, peculiarly by married twosomes is addressed. Though the council takes into consideration the effects of modernness, the Church does non hesitate in its base and pronounces that “ … life must be guarded with the greatest attention while abortion and infanticide are indefinable offenses. ” ( Gaudium et Spes # 51 )

OFFICIAL STAND OF THE CHURCH

In his Address to the Participants of the Fourth International Conference for the Family of Europe and of Africa, Pope John Paul II said that contraceptive method “ is the rebellion against God the Creator, the one Lord of the life and decease of human individuals ; it is the non-recognition of God as God ; it is the per se absurd effort to construct a universe to which God is wholly immaterial ( Bacani 55 ) . ” That said, the stance of the Church is clear: sexual intercourse is merely allowable within the context of matrimony and it is non allowable to interfere with the generative facet with the usage of unreal preventives.

Aim

The general purpose of the research workers was to promote pupils of the Loyola Schools to be chaste non out of blind obeisance, but as morally-responsible Catholics, they should understand why such behaviour is iniquitous in the eyes of God.

Given that the mark audience was chiefly immature grownups who may or may non be sexually active, the first aim was to advance the base of the Church on prenuptial sex and unreal birth control in a merriment, friendly and relatable mode.

The second was to carry pupils to abstain from prosecuting in prenuptial sex and utilizing unreal agencies of birth control by sharing empirical informations on the ineffectualness of unreal methods of birth control every bit good as the grounds why prenuptial sex and unreal birth control go against the instructions of the Church.

With these aims in head, the research workers believe that they have exerted all their attempts to run for a more morally-responsible and cognizant community in the Loyola Schools. The research workers presented a base on prenuptial sex and unreal birth control that is consistent ; 1. ) With what God has planned for adult male, 2. ) What the Church Teachs in order to advance and re-educate the people, and 3. ) What is basically ethical and principled for a society that has been influenced so much by media and engineering, particularly when it comes to holding prenuptial sex and the usage of unreal birth control.

Methodology

GENERAL PROCEDURE

The undertaking executed was a run advancing the Church ‘s base on pre-marital sex and the usage of unreal birth control, pass oning it to pupils in an engaging and appealing mode.

Central to the run was the creative activity of a web site where information on the Church ‘s base on pre-marital sex would be disseminated. Along with this, there was besides a page wherein visitants of the site could compose down their committedness to celibacy every bit good as their remarks on the web site so that the research workers could mensurate its effectivity. Wix.com, a free flash web site Godhead was the waiter used. Other promotional stuffs used were merely a agencies to direct people to sing the web site. A promo board in Sec-A was used to advance the web site. Social networking sites viz. Facebook and Twitter were utilized to distribute the site, every bit good as cafeteria standees with the one-liner “ Do n’t Chase, Be Chaste. ” This one-liner was besides used for the hand-made celibacy bands that the research workers gave out. The peculiar motto was chosen because of the group ‘s belief in the value of celibacy. Aside from being a catchy phrase, harmonizing to William Cosgrave, celibacy “ aˆ¦seeks to order one ‘s sexual activity in such a manner that it will advance the public assistance of both individuals in the relationship ( 39 ) . ” It entails three elements though the group chose to concentrate on the “ control of one ‘s sexualityaˆ¦to guarantee genuinely loving sexual behaviour in all one ‘s relationships ( Cosgrave 39 ) , ” which includes stating no to premarital sex.

The group besides partnered with the organisation, I Keep Love Real ( hypertext transfer protocol: //ikeeplovereal.blogspot.com ) , who portions a similar protagonism. The organisation was able to advance the group ‘s web site in their ain web log. In return, the moderators of the web log asked the members to compose an article sing their activities for Pro-life Week 2010 for the Filipino Daily Inquirer. Furthermore, the group gave out free celibacy sets to those who visited the web site and showed a proactive committedness to abstaining from pre-marital sex.

Meeting SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

The primary aim was to advance the base of the Church on prenuptial sex and unreal birth control in a merriment, friendly and relatable mode. The web site, entitled, “ Sexual activity is Good ” ( hypertext transfer protocol: //wix.com/theologyadmu/Sex-is-good ) was the chief driver in carry throughing this. The web site ‘s first page, “ Sexual activity: Saint or Sinner? ” articulated the Church ‘s base on the two issues. Beginnings used were Humanae Vitae and Catechism of the Catholic Church Furthermore, the group attempted to do the manner of composing modern-day, vernal, and merriment, to be able to pass on good with the targeted pupil audience.

The 2nd aim was to carry pupils to abstain from prosecuting in prenuptial sex and utilizing unreal agencies of birth control. Again, the group ‘s web site was the chief avenue for accomplishing this. The two other pages in the web site, the “ Factoids ” page, with facts about pre-marital sex and unreal birth control ; and the “ Your Committedness ” page, where viewing audiences could portion if the site was effectual in informing, enriching and/or altering their position on pre-marital sex and the usage of unreal birth control were created to run into the 2nd aim. In add-on, celibacy sets given out for free were besides an index of the figure of pupils back uping the group ‘s protagonism, every bit good as a agency to advance our protagonism and our web site. The sets were made from dark bluish thread, and the motto on every set, “ Do n’t Chase, Be Chaste, ” was written with light blue and xanthous glister gum. The sets were promoted in the “ Your Committedness ” page of the web site and could be availed of by reaching the figure posted in the web site.

Engagement OF COLLABORATOR

The organisation, I Keep Love Real, is a group in the University of Asia and the Pacific that upholds the same protagonism as this undertaking. They helped advance the undertaking in their web log by posting a web log entry and a nexus to the “ Sexual activity is Good ” web site. As of March 7, 2010 the web log entry can be accessed in hypertext transfer protocol: //ikeeplovereal.blogspot.com.

In exchange, the group wrote an article for them sing their activities for Pro-Life Week for the Filipino Daily Inquirer. However, as of March 7, 2010, the article has yet to be run.

TIME TABLE

Undertaking

January

February

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 1

Research and gather informations for web site

Contact prospective organisations to spouses with

Brainstorm schemes

Create web site

Produce sets

Produce standees

Implement undertaking

Gather consequences

Fig. 1: Agenda of activities

Procedure OF IMPLEMENTATION

The web site was launched in the beginning of Pro-Life hebdomad. Standees were placed on tabular arraies in the cafeteria early in the forenoon. A promo board in Sec-A was besides designed to direct pupils to the “ Sexual activity is Good ” web site. The group besides updated their Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo! Messenger statuses with a nexus to the web site. Furthermore, the exposure layout design used in the standees was uploaded on Facebook and contacts were tagged. Hype was created by noticing on these stations so that they could look on the “ intelligence provender ” of Facebook. Email blasts were besides sent to different e-groups to advance the site.

To mensurate the effectivity of the web site, visitants were requested to reply a short study. They were asked if the web site had changed, enriched, or informed their initial position on pre-marital sex and unreal birth control, every bit good as how they would populate out their gender as kids of God. Furthermore, sets were distributed during the hebdomad to pupils who were interested in publically declaring their committedness to celibacy. The group members wore the sets every bit good to advance the protagonism.

SUCCESS INDICATORS

For easiness of computation, the group decided that the success of the undertaking would be determined by the nature of the responses received. If more than 51 % of entire responses were positive, so they would see the undertaking to be successful. If non, it would hold failed.

The 2nd facet of mensurating success was the figure of celibacy sets distributed. A sum of 100 sets were made. The group decided that if they were able to administer at least 51, so they could see their undertaking to be a success.

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

DATA PRESENTATION

The chief beginning of informations that the research workers were able to garner stemmed from the answers of people to the “ My Committedness ” page of the web site “ Sexual activity is Good ” . A sum of 62 electronic mails were received within Pro-Life hebdomad and were therefore analyzed. The research workers divided the replies into three classs ; people who said yes to celibacy, people who said no to celibacy and people who sent in equivocal answers sing their committedness to stay chaste or deficiency thereof.

Of the 62 electronic mails, 42 respondents said that they would be chaste. These people were highly satisfied with the information presented to them. They committed to non to prosecute in sexual intercourse until they married.

On the other manus, there were seven respondents said that they did non believe in the information presented to them by the web site. Most said that they would prosecute in pre-marital sex due to their ain personal beliefs that were unchanged in malice of the information. Some remarks were written in an violative and rough mode.

13 respondents sent in equivocal answers. These were people who did non province if they would do an attempt to stay chase or if they would prosecute in pre-marital sex.

As for the celibacy bands, 71 pieces were given out. These were largely people who did inquire for the sets after reading the web site but there were besides people who asked for it after seeing their friends wear the sets. The images of the pupils have oning the celibacy bands can be accessed in appendix C.

Fig. 2: Types of responses received in per centum.

Fig. 3: Types of responses received in existent figures

Analysis

The incompatibility between the figure of site respondents and the figure of sets distributed is chiefly due to a error committed by the members early in the execution of the undertaking. The Commitments page of the site malfunctioned and failed to direct electronic mails to the group, doing the research workers to lose about 20 or more responses. It was merely on the 3rd twenty-four hours of undertaking execution that this was remedied.

Furthermore, there were besides some people who requested for the sets despite non holding visited the web site because they saw their friends have oning the sets around campus. The group members attempted to rectify this by giving them a faux pas of paper with the web site ‘s URL, inquiring them to notice on the Commitments page. Harmonizing to the figure of answers sent in, some of these people were unable to make so. The research workers took this to intend that these people already believed in the importance of abstention prior to the research period.

The research workers believe that their undertaking was a success. First of wholly, 68 % of entire respondents responded positively to the informations presented in the web site. However non all answers were from people from the Loyola Schools, as there were a few with foreign e-mail references and a few who wrote ‘anonymous ‘ and ‘anonymous @ yahoo.com ‘ on the name and e-mail reference parts of the signifier severally. The research workers were unable to anticipate this as they had expected to trust on the honestness of all the respondents, even in the facet of their personal information, which the research workers promised non to unwrap. Regardless, the research workers were still able to run into their quota of over 51 % positive responses.

The following index of success is hard to mensurate because the research workers assumed that non all the wearers of the sets were able to see the web site. Therefore it is more than probably that their beliefs on prenuptial sex and unreal birth control were already consistent with the Church ‘s base even before the undertaking was implemented. However, the research workers were able to travel beyond their quota of at least 51 sets to be distributed out of 100. A sum of 71 celibacy sets were given out during pro-life hebdomad.

The information gathered and presented in this analysis implies that harmonizing to the statistical steps of success, the research workers were able to accomplish their ends. However objectively with respects to making out to the 8,000+ pupil population of the Loyola Schools, the undertaking fell abruptly. These disagreements nevertheless can be easy remedied.

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In amount, the group has identified the current job to be a demand for the young person to be educated on the Church ‘s base on prenuptial sex and unreal birth control in a manner that is neither hostile nor condescending and the group aimed to make this with the usage of a web site that presented the information in a merriment, relatable mode.

In the web site was a sum-up of the Church ‘s base on the aforesaid issue, which is abstention before matrimony and no to unreal methods of birth control, every bit good as a presentation of scientific informations on the ineffectualness of these methods of birth control that parties have long claimed to be riskless. The responses to the web site were largely positive nevertheless the research workers did non pull off to convert all of the viewing audiences due to the claim of the exercising of gender to be a personal determination. In malice of this, the undertaking is still believed by the research workers to be a success.

For similar undertakings, the research workers have two recommendations. The first is an extra proviso in the feedback page for the spectator to province whether he is a pupil of the Loyola Schools or non so more concrete information sing the undertaking ‘s impact on the Loyola Schools may be determined.

The 2nd recommendation would be for a ‘hit counter ‘ to be installed in the web site. This is to find whether or non the figure of responses received by the group is consistent with the figure of visitants of the site itself so as to be able to pull more concrete decisions to assist force the analysis of the undertaking.