Church teaching as very sacred. "Conjugal communion constitutes the foundation on which is built the broader communion of the family" (FC 36). With that in mind, virginity or celibacy has its own significance as the opposite of conjugal love. Pope John Paul II states that, "virginity or celibacy keeps alive in the Church a consciousness of the mystery of marriage and defends it from any reduction and impoverishment" (FC 29). In other words, conjugal love is one factor that makes marriage so special and separates it from the unmarried relationship. To participate in premarital sex is to take away from the value or "mystery" of marriage.In his apostolic exhortation, John Paul II says that conjugal communion for the sake of procreation is based on the complementarity that exists between man and woman. The concept of complementarity basically says men and women are equally created in the image of God and are equally embodied images of God. The physical, emotional, and sexual differences between men and women complement each other. This fact is most clearly revealed in the sexual differences between male and female because, when brought together in conjugal communion a couple participates with God in the act of creation; something that could not be done without such communion. A married couple must realize this in order to understand the importance of sexuality as it relates to procreation.Another aspect of sexuality a married couple should be aware of as it relates to the procreating act of conjugal love, is the Church's stance on birth control. Church teaching allows for birth control only in the form of NFP (Natural Family Planning), and rejects the practice of ABC (Artificial Birth Control). This teaching is based on the following points. Life is God's greatest gift to mankind, and humans, in conjugal communion, act as a tool through which God bestows this gift. It only makes sense that humans should "exert full personal res...
