Dear Catholic Exchange:
I recently began researching three topics for my Bible study and would appreciate your guidance in identifying the biblical scripture that supports the Catholic Church's stance on contraception, homosexuality, and the role of women in the church (specifically the opposition to women in the priesthood).
Understanding the ancient origins of our theological beliefs — and determining the relative contributions of “biblical law” and Catholic interpretation of this law to our beliefs — has taken on greater importance to me in recent years. Thank you.
Jerry
Dear Jerry:
The best place to start is always the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which deals with each of these topics and references the biblical texts which bear witness to the teaching. The main thing to beware of is the “proof-text” mentality which treats biblical texts as though they are passages from some vast code of law. They are not. Rather, they are witnesses to a common tradition that is often in the process of development from the Old to the New Testament. There is, for instance, no passage in Scripture that says, “Do not practice abortion.” This does not mean abortion was just fine in Israel and the early Church.
Instead, abortion was so unthinkable that the text simply assumes that you know this. The real key text concerning abortion and contraception is not a prohibition at all, but a positive command: “Be fruitful and multiply.”
Other texts are read in light of this fundamental revelation.
Anyway, the catechism is the place to start. It has the basic biblical references concerning the topics you are looking at.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
