[einstein]

Hi. My hubby is Jewish and I'm Catholic. I feel really lucky that we were on same page in the trying to conceive phase. We both did what we needed to do to try and be fertile and then headed to an RE when we felt ready. I know as a Catholic, the Church doesn't condone this, but I felt that treatment should be a couple's decision, not a priest's.

Anyone else a mixed religious couple doing the infertility route??

[Jetta]

Originally Posted by einstein

Hi. My hubby is Jewish and I'm Catholic. I feel really lucky that we were on same page in the trying to conceive phase. We both did what we needed to do to try and be fertile and then headed to an RE when we felt ready. I know as a Catholic, the Church doesn't condone this, but I felt that treatment should be a couple's decision, not a priest's.

Anyone else a mixed religious couple doing the infertility route??

Scripture does tell us to "be fruitful and multiply". God has also given doctors/people the ability to assist others in accomplishing His Will in that regard. Personally, I feel that medicine and healing is a ministry just like any other-- music, teaching, "holy orders"/religious life... and no, how can a priest (who takes a vow of celibacy and thus VIOLATES God's command to "be fruitful") dictate how a couple fulfills that command?

Personally, I think the Catholic Church is full of hypocrisy. Scripture (Genesis) tells us that "a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife...". It doesn't say jack about "only for reproduction". If sex were only for reproduction, then why does it feel so good? God gave us sex and the good feelings that come with it so we would fulfill the command to "cleave to our spouse".

[agnes01]

I am Catholic and my husband is Jewish, like you. Neither of us is very religious and we don't fee bad at all about proceeding with the treatments. I sometimes wonder how it will be to raise children as my entire upbringing and schooling revolved around chuch (I went to private school until college) and we went to mass every week until I moved out. The holidays were a big deal. I know we'll merge our traditions into a new set of traditions for our kids (as we have discussed) but exactly how - well, the details will be sorted out as time goes by. DH always says "Let's make sure they get here first!". Lol

[jencat215]

At the risk of sounding ignorant (I am not religious at all), what does 'cleave to his wife' mean?

[imagiccat]

Originally Posted by jencat215

At the risk of sounding ignorant (I am not religious at all), what does 'cleave to his wife' mean?

It's a little confusing at face value, but essentially "cleaving" would be translated to mean something like "be grafted to". You are literally becoming one with that other person.

How to tranlate *that*, however... hmmm. Some people take it to mean becoming one and inseperable, permanently. Others take it to mean something more along the line of "one flesh". (i.e. "SEX")

Whatever it means, the man is no longer a part of his parents' home... he is to make a home with his wife and only his wife.