[
Replying to post 12 by 2ndRateMind]
That does not follow, only a proportion of sex acts need to be productive to maintain a healthy population.
Who determines healthy? There are countries now that are suffering from underpopulation and entire races will soon cease to exist.
And yes, every sexual act does not result in conception. It is designed that way by nature – though o one can with 100% accuracy prevent the possibility of the procreative function of the sexual act – again not something I decided. That is simply the nature of the act.
Because our Catholic friends think it is the only role, and the sole purpose of sex is reproduction, and that it is God's only purpose for it.
Nope – inaccurate. The Church believes exactly what IS – which is the nature of the sexual act has a unitive nature of both procreative and pleasure. The point being the inherent nature of the act is unitive. To attempt to take out the procreative nature of the act would be tantamount to bulimia – wanting the pleasure of eating, but then vomiting up the food so as not to allow the natural consequences of eating said food. It is disordered and rightly labeled.
Whereas anyone who has ever had sex will tell you that it has multiple roles, multiple purposes, not least among which is relationship building, which may be fulfilled even in barren liaisons.
Yep, the Catholic Church will tell you this as well.
I would no more advocate that everyone should reproduce, than I would advocate that everyone should have sex. Or that no one should reproduce, and no one have sex. That decision, in my opinion, should be left entirely down to the informed preferences of the adult individuals or couples (or indeed, other numbers) involved.
So, a person should be encouraged to eat food and vomit it up, even though clearly it is disordered behavior, simply because people should be able to do what they like? Would you advise your daughter it is her decision if she wants to engage in a lifestyle of bulimia? Or would you suggest she is making a bad decision and bulimia is not properly ordered?
And to have social sexual policy dictated solely by a bunch of (allegedly) celibate men seems to me bound to lead to a distorted perspective on what is good, and what is moral, over sexual matters.
Again, not dictated by a bunch of men. This is something all human beings can recognize, whether in the Church or not – just like men can recognize the disorder of bulimia. It is simply a matter of natural law and the Church in her wisdom is simply looking out for her children.
And I am sure we all have good Catholic friends. They need to be rescued.
I appreciate your concern – as misguided as it may be.