So much criticism has been labeled at the Catholic Church's stand on contraception.Those who reject the Church's teaching on contraception, do so largely because their commitment to a certain life-style prevents them from giving the Church a fair hearing.
Nonetheless, they do offer "reasons" for dismissing Church teaching.
They often accuse the Church of being excessively idealistic, or simply unrealistic, or out of step with the modern world, or lacking compassion for the economic and psychological hardships couples must undergo in having and raising children.
Most people forget that the Church is supposed to be the foundation and pillar of God's work.
The Church cannot keep changing position to fit the secular demands of this world but instead must uphold God's word no matter what the world thinks.
The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus (withdrawal method), was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one's dead brother and was condemned by God and killed. (Gen.38:8-10).
For this reason, certain forms of contraception have historically been known as "Onanism," after the man who practiced it, just as homosexuality has historically been known as "Sodomy," after the men of Sodom, who practiced that vice (Gen. 19:5).
Contraception negates the creative act of God. It is wrong, according to the Church, because it separates the procreative and the unitive meanings of the marital act.
Once a moral principle has been established in the Bible, every possible application of it need not be mentioned. For example, the general principle that theft is wrong was clearly established in Scripture; but there's no need to provide an exhaustive list of every kind of theft.
Similarly, since the principle that contraception is wrong has been established by being condemned when it's mentioned in the Bible, every particular form of contraception does not need to be dealt with in Scripture in order for us to see that it is condemned. So before you start asking where condom use is condemned in the bible, consider the point above.
Secular people tend to think that the Church should change according to their demands, but that's not going to happen in the Apostolic Church. Consider St Paul's letter to Timothy: "Proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, will accumulate teachers and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths.(2 Tim 4: 2-4).
Apostolic tradition condemned contraception and all Christian Churches did so until 1930 at the Lambeth Conference in England where some churches changed their stand on the matter.
Protestant reformer Martin Luther once said; "The exceedingly foul deed of Onan (contraception), the basest of wretches is a most disgraceful sin.
It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a sodomitic sin".
Other protestant reformers like John Calvin and John Wesley also condemned contraception calling it "a monstrous thing" and "sins that dishonour the body" respectively (Charles D. Provan, The Bible and Birth Control).
The fact that scripture considers contraception morally wrong is reason enough for the Church to take a stand, even if we the followers find the teaching hard to comprehend. Scripture is full of teachings that Christians found hard to accept but Jesus never changed his stand on these teachings (John 6:66-67).
No one should expect the Church to change in order to fit into secularism. If the Church bends on this, it will be faced with a situation where secularism now demands it to allow stealing as long as one is poor or broke.
The end result will be scripture that is watered down and the Church will have "failed" in its work as a foundation and pillar of God's truth.
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