What IS good, and how do we determine it?

[The Grand Nudger]

Here is the Catechism's reasons of why contraception is immoral: (note, it does not simply say "because Onan got killed for it")

2366 Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is "on the side of life,"151 teaches that "it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life."152 "This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act."153 

Bolding is mine...what do you think they're talking about here...when they state that the magisterium has expounded upon this doctrine on numerous occasions?  What is it that they were expounding -over-?  I'll give you three guesses and two mulligans.

At this point I have to ask, how -involved- have you been, throughout your life, in the church? Is it just someplace you went to on sundays? You seem to be unaware of the doctrine...even when you read over it and quote it in response....it just escapes you that I am talking about the same thing the catechism is talking about........and I'll let you in on something...I'm talking about it that way because that's the way I was -taught- to discuss the issue.....by the church.

It all begins with the assertion that god has proscribed a certain purpose to "the marriage act"...that purpose is explained and elaborated upon in scripture, gods position on the purpose and those who defy that purpose are -elucidated- by stories such as that of Onan. -That- is what the magisterium was expounding upon. It all starts with what god desires for this, and you wouldn't know what god desired (and what he didn't) where it not for the story of Onan, and the interpretation that catholics have assigned official status to.

Of course they don't say "because god killed Onan for it" because that sounds horrible (and they're not in the business of driving customers away..not that they haven;t said it, and been comfortable saying it, to audiences both past and present)......I say it, because I have no qualms about cutting through the obfuscatory bullshit they have -clothed- that statement in.