Yes, the Church has "baptized" many pagan practices, since many had some element, however imperfect, of the truth. But this does not mean that every pagan practice is therefore to be tolerated and accepted into Christian life.

Please re-read the article and comments.

The point is not that contraception was a pagan practice.  The point is that contraception was around but it was considered and referred to as "sorcery" in ancient times.

So in scripture St. Paul is indeed writing about contraception when he writes, for example in Galatians, "Now the works of the flesh are plain: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."

See also Gal 5:19-21; cf. Rom 1:28-32; 1 Cor 9-10; Eph 5:3-5; Col 3:5-8; 1 Tim 9-10; 2 Tim 2-5.

The first century document known as the "Didache" says the following: 

"The second commandment of the teaching: You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not seduce boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not use potions. You shall not procure [an] abortion, nor destroy a newborn child" (Didache 2:1–2 [A.D. 70]).

Notice here that abortion is not directly associated with "murder" (at the beginning of this affirmation) where we in modern times might place it, but rather at the end of the list of prohibitions where it makes reference to "magic" and "potions." Very often in the ancient Mediterranean world abortafacients were provided not by physicians trained in the Hippocratic/Pythagorean tradition (for whom abortion was forbidden as an unethical practice) but by sorceresses, witches, and preparers of poisons (remember that memorable scene in "I, Claudius" when Livia goes to see the witch who prepares a slow-acting poison for Livia to use on Tiberius' adopted son, Germanicus?). That would have probably have been the same source where Livia would also have sought help to arrange an abortion.

Interesting.  The Church has taken it on the chin for being against contraception.  Maybe as the historical and biblical truth is exposed over time people will understand why the sin of contraception is harmful to the soul as well as society.

Keep up the excellent work.  We need more information like this in articles.  It helps the truth seep out of the cracks of the layers of concrete it has been buried in.

GK – God is good!

As an aside, I would like to know if Mr Vere knows for a fact if some canon lawyers judging annulment cases contracept within their marriages (or if they tacitly approve it). 

Thanks.