Selected Dimensions of Responsible Parenthood According to the Teaching of John Paul II in the Perspective of Third Millennium

Abstract

From the point of view of moral theology it seems necessary to study the essence of responsible parenthood in the spirit of the following dimensions. The religious aspect draws the spouses’ attention to their moral responsibility to see in each act of procreation the salvific plan of God the Creator. The moral aspect means that a responsible parental attitude is supposed to be realized through the spouses by way of a properly formed conscience, so that they could behave in conformity with the natural moral norms and with the calling that results from Divine Revelation. The cognitive dimension, concerning the biological dimension of human life, indicating as of primary importance man’s endowment by God with concrete biological capacities; he should use them in conformity with his nature. The volitive aspect indicates the indispensable task to control one’s own drives and passions by means of reason and will. Spouses (parents) are called to it as rational and free creatures. The social aspect stresses the dialogical dimension of life towards community in the context of the common good. Christian parents are obliged to take into consideration their unique conditions in which they experience the family community of persons, assuming that the conditions can have the character of a different kind.