“But we want a man hag-ridden by the future. Haunted by visions of an imminent heaven or hell upon earth. Ready to break the Enemy’s commands in the Present. If by so doing we make him think he can attain the one or avert the other.” ~ The Screwtape Letters, pg. 77.
Hag-ridden is a term used in C.S. Lewis’ book, “The Screwtape Letters.” It is a book told from the perspective of a demon in hell. In the passage above, Screwtape explains that mankind can be driven mad by the idea of the future. So much so, that we will abandon God’s (the Enemy’s) commands in the Present. This mindset of being hag-ridden by the future is the foundation for the use of contraception.
What’s really the difference between Natural Family Planning and contraception? The mindset is the biggest. When a couple lives their marriage through NFP, every decision they make focuses on the Present. They accept the possibly of children, right now, living with openness to life. Even if a couple attempts to delay pregnancy, there is still the understanding of openness to life in the Present.
Contraception is a tool for those hag-ridden by the future. “We can’t have a baby until, XYZ.” “I’m not ready for this yet.” “Now is not the time.” These are the innocent words that lay the foundation of a contraceptive mindset, no matter what methods you’re using. Being hag-ridden by the Future drives even couple utilizing NFP to abstain with a contraceptive mindset. Never should there be a time we say, “it will be bad if we have a baby.”
Imminent Heaven or Hell Upon Earth.
The entire design of contraception carries the mindset, “I want what I want when I want it.” Whether it’s sex or a baby, contraception causes torture of the future. Either children are a curse, or children are a right. People don’t think about the effects of birth control and condoms and how long they can cause infertility after use. There is imminent access to the Heaven of a baby or the impending doom of Hell in an unwanted pregnancy.
Natural Family Planning allows us to live in the Present, un-hag-ridden by the Future. By employing God’s design for our bodies, we trust our lives to Him. We can accept ten children or no children (hard as either can be). Looking to the Future and compromising the commands of God in the Present leads us away from Him. It leads us to be tortured by the Future.
