TUESDAY, JULY 2, 2013
Is Birth Control the Same as Abortion? A Young Woman's Guide to Biblical Parenthood
Genesis 1:27-28 (NASB) “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Be fruitful and multiply
Today's society says the average family is 2.5 kids. Where that half kid is, we'll never know. While I was in college I didn't really think about kids much. I liked kids, I've always been the "cool" fun babysitter who'd make crafts and stuff but they just seemed like a lot of work. Then, I never wanted to be one of those women who gained a bunch of weight and I couldn't stand the idea of what a pregnancy would do to my body. My mom said I shouldn't worry about it as she always knew that things would go back to normal if you do things God's way- and for her they did, both times. :) Ha- breast feeding actually puts your body back in shape and helps you lose baby weight gain- as does playing and parks and all kinds of mommy stuff. But also, I didn't think I could ever love my own children like my mom loved us. She was always so caring and giving and told us what a blessing we were. The public school system has a way of making us all feel like we are the center of the universe and in today's society kids are turned into these selfish little monsters and they really can't think about anyone but themselves.
But something happened to me. I can't tell you when or how. Along with my dream of being an awesome housewife and living on a farm, I began to see that God's will for a husband and wife IS to be fruitful and multiply and that if I was walking in faith HE would provide- HE would
"open and close the womb." I'm 32 now but if I had gotten married at 19 or 20 like a lot of good little farm wives back in the day- then having 10 or 12 kids would have been awesome- I knew that God's will was for houses and homes to be filled with laughter and joy and that an extra person is a BLESSING, not just an extra mouth to feed or a someone to worry about how to put through college. In my heart, read the scripture I see like in Dueteronomy 28, if my future spouse and I truly dedicated our lives, daily to Him then:
1IF YOU will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.
2And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you if you heed the voice of the Lord your God.
3Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.
4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your beasts, the increase of your cattle and the young of your flock.
5Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading trough.
6Blessed shall you be when you come in and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7The Lord shall cause your enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8The Lord shall command the blessing upon you in your storehouse and in all that you undertake. And He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
9The Lord will establish you as a people holy to Himself, as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10And all people of the earth shall see that you are called by the name [and in the presence of] the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11And the Lord shall make you have a surplus of prosperity, through the fruit of your body, of your livestock, and of your ground, in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12The Lord shall open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands; and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13And the Lord shall make you the head, and not the tail; and you shall be above only, and you shall not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you this day and are watchful to do them.
14And you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Wow! I LOVE this scripture! :) Yes, I believe in planning and saving for the future- and you should definitely count the cost before embarking on anything. But the Lord wants to bless us in soo many ways!!! Not just spiritually, not just financially, but a union between a husband and wife will bring forth fruit too, and that is not a bad thing or a burden... but a gift :)
Sooo, if God wanted to bless my eventual union... ha...what's up with this "pill thing" that everyone is taking now?
I've always believed that abortion was wrong, but what about contraceptives? What about the almighty "pill"? So I began to do research. What I found about the pill is that in some cases it actually can cause an abortion- kill a fertilized egg because what it does is it makes the lining of the uterus really thin so the egg can't be implanted- fertilized egg- now gone...dead... I couldn't bear the thought, it's just wrong to think that even if there's a possibility of killing a child. Then there's the fact that some women have actually died due to blood clots being thrown to the brain- and many women get sick- some of my friends can't take it at all or it could kill them. I went on to research exactly when birth control started being used and what has happened to society since it's wide spread implementation. First off, the more I read about Planned Parenthood and Margret Sanger I just wanted to be SICK! Here was this woman who basically went about to try to exterminate people she thought were less than human- and birth control was her weapon. She had a whole campaign to get black people sterilized or to take birth control so less of them would be born. Yikes! Then, I looked toward the 70's and I heard Loretta Lynn say that the pill evened the playing field so that now women could sleep around just like men.
I look at what has happened now that the pill is around (the "fruit", if you will)- people are sleeping around right and left. lol- listen I know one of the reasons I haven't had sex in some crazy spur of the moment idea is that I could never, in my right mind, bring a child into this world without a loving mom AND dad. lol Without the fear of pregnancy people can have affairs, teenagers are encouraged to "experiment" with their bodies... it's just a downward slope... It's also the one "medicine" that actually HARMS a HEALTHY female body- a medicine that makes something that is perfectly healthy and breaks it down, "damages" the uterus so that it's not healthy anymore but sick- it's supposed to be reversible and temporary but a lot of women come off the pill and have a miscarriage or can't get pregnant at all, if you are putting something in your body telling it to "kill" and "be sick"- physically, hormonally, changing the God given dynamic of a women's reproductive system- it's possible that your body will not jump back from that- and again- even off of the pill- a life could be taken because it does take a minute for that uterine wall to get thick again... "oh well, we'll get em next time?" really? that one miscarriage could have been the next Einstein...
On the flip side, we don't live in a really great society right now. Life is not simple and peaceful and I've had a lot of friends say "this world is so crazy, I could never bring a child into it." And actually, I agree, to a point- I think that's one of the reasons I haven't gotten married, yet- I don't believe in birth control and in order to raise children today so that they're not slimed with all the dirt and craziness around them- ie Viagra commercials on prime time TV (dad...what's an erection? I've heard an 8 yr old say...) come on? Kids are exposed to too much-
When God brings two people together, he should be the one to bring children into this world and "open and close the womb" as he saw fit.. I mean, Sarah and Abraham couldn't even have children and they prayed and prayed-and finally God brought them Issac- as a major blessing. If Sarah had been on birth control- heck, if any in the genealogy of Jesus had been on birth control (of any kind ;)... where would we be now? :)
What does the Bible say? :)
First off, why did God ordain marriage? What is this union for? :)
Malachi 2
14Yet you ask, Why does He reject it? Because the Lord was witness [to the covenant made at your marriage] between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously and to whom you were faithless. Yet she is your companion and the wife of your covenant [made by your marriage vows].
15And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union]. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and let no one deal treacherously and be faithless to the wife of his youth.
No, it doesn't say how many godly offsprings here, but as we read on in scripture, we don't EVER see a case when it is right for man or woman to take on the position of God and choose when it is time for someone to come into this world.. What if little Mary had been on birth control... and the "fullness of (God's) time had come? Sure, I'm sure God could have worked around that if you will, but that's not the point...lol :)
All through the Bible we see verses about God "forming us in the womb" :)
Psalm 127:3-5: “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children on one’s youth.How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; they shall not be ashamed, when they speak with their enemies in the gate.”
Do you know much about John Wesley? In Bible College he became one of my heroes. He came from a huge, super duper godly family and his mother was one of the most AMAZING Proverbs 31 women EVER! We also learned about him and his family when we were home schooled because they had their own da gum school! :) Suzannah Wesley had 19 children... (just blows my mind...lol) By today's standards of 2.5 kids, that's like 16.5 too many :) But God had a plan- John Wesley was number 15 and he founded the Methodist movement and won thousands of souls for Christ. Wesley was also an outspoken abolitionist, friends with John Newton and William Wilberforce. His brother Charles (18th or 19th child ?) worked with him and he wrote 1,000s of hymn, songs that we all sing, (alas I cannot tell you any off the top of my head but Hark the Herald Angels Sing...) Their mom raised them all to serve God. At one point she said to her husband "With our servants and children, we must have family altar with Bible study and teaching. And if you don't do it, I will." :) (He was a minister himself) So when he didn't, she did.
Abraham, Issac, and Jacob... those men were MEN OF GOD, who did not use any form of birth control- in fact, the opposite is ALWAYS true in the Gospel.
1. Gen 28-30 Jacob, Leah, Rachel love triangle... (yeah, mom, really, name me after the girl the guy didn't want?:) Jacob was deceived and he was tricked into marrying and sleeping with Leah first,then he had to work 7 more yrs for Rachel..
But God saw that Rachel was the favored one, so you know what he did? The Bible says that he pitied her and gave her children- God gave her children... then Rachel cried out to God and he pitied her and "opened her womb"...these two went back and forth between each other- even trading things so they could spend a night with their husband so they could try to get pregnant... and with prayers to God, which he did hear and eventually granted children- but all in all Rachel only had two sons... Leah had 7 total- with the other 4 coming from Leah and Rachel's servants which slept with Jacob...Point is, these women craved having children, (albet in this case a bit obsessive compulsively... but who knows, maybe it was all God to begin with because that's how we got the 12 tribes of Israel:) because children were a blessing-
But God saw that Rachel was the favored one, so you know what he did? The Bible says that he pitied her and gave her children- God gave her children... then Rachel cried out to God and he pitied her and "opened her womb"...these two went back and forth between each other- even trading things so they could spend a night with their husband so they could try to get pregnant... and with prayers to God, which he did hear and eventually granted children- but all in all Rachel only had two sons... Leah had 7 total- with the other 4 coming from Leah and Rachel's servants which slept with Jacob...Point is, these women craved having children, (albet in this case a bit obsessive compulsively... but who knows, maybe it was all God to begin with because that's how we got the 12 tribes of Israel:) because children were a blessing-
2. Jacob tells Judah that through him all people would gather...through his bloodline David would be born and through David's line comes Jesus... what if someone on that line had been using birth control? :) It just wasn't practiced among God's people because God's covenant with his people was BLESSINGS- bringing forth fruit in all ways... :)
Deuteronomy 7
12And if you hearken to these precepts and keep and do them, the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the steadfast love which He swore to your fathers.
13And He will love you, bless you, and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain...ect...
14 there shall not be male or female barren among you...
In an effort to walk in as much faith as I can I've come to realize that wherever I am, whatever I'm doing- NOT to say "thanks for a.b, and c- but no thanks on that "d" there God... I'm good"-children.. ie the fruit of your loins... are BLESSINGS from God- and really, not everyone will be the super fertile Duggars, (or the Wesleys...fyi, she started at 19:)... lol - I think that they are a bit extreme- but I RESPECT the fact that they are honoring their consciences- and I respect them because they are raising godly, respectful children, who even before the show- were provided for and cared for and happy blessings to their parents. Every time they get pregnant, (which is often...lol) they see that child as a blessing from God- the older ones help with the younger ones and from what I've seen from families with one or two kids- the Duggar parents seem to actually be better than most at truly loving and caring for and giving each child the attention they need- like God with us. There are billions of people and yet he knows the very number of hairs on your head.
Not everyone can even get pregnant... Maybe it has to do with bad nutrition or whatever but many Biblical women could just not get pregnant- I know quite a few of my friends who try and try and try. Then I have a friend who had 5 boys by the time she was 25- all on different forms of birth control- then things went horribly array and she had to have everything removed.
The female system is so delicate- I had one dr tell me to stop running long distance as it really puts a strain on everything in there.... He's like 80 yrs old or something and I see him at the research studies I do. He told me he's known some marathoners who literally had everything just fall out.... he said "It's only a small muscle holding it all in..."
Moving on....
3. There was a woman named Hannah who was married to a man who had a second wife who had children and would mock her because she didn't have any. She cried to her husband who replied "you are my favorite wife, am I not worth 10 sons?" But she desperately wanted a child so she wept before God and went to the high priest, Eli, and he said "The Lord grant you your petition.." "And Elkanah knew his wife, and the Lord remembered her" 1Samuel 1:19 And she gave birth to Samuel.. a great great prophet and man of God who helped David and Saul- who knows, if she hadn't prayed that prayer, would Goliath have been defeated? :)
4 Then there was John the Baptist's mom and dad who were way passed being able to have children- Zachariah and Elizabeth- he was a priest and they both had been praying forever for God to give them a godly son. Then one day, while in the temple and angel came to him and told him he would have a son who would serve God and be filled with the Holy Ghost- Luke ch 1- and this chapter is sooo beautiful! When Elizabeth conceives and is overjoyed! :)
Luk 1:25
Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
"Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."( being able to have children was a blessing, the more you had, the more God was blessing you. If you couldn't have any then it was considered an embarrassing thing)
Luk 1:36 (an angel talking to Mary after she conceived Jesus)
"Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. (Everyone knew that not having children if you were married was a bad thing- even Gabriel)
Luk 1:37-45
"For with God nothing will be impossible."
Then Mary said, "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.
Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (So, this is one scripture that really tells me that children are alive in the womb)
Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
"For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.- ( John was alive, could recognize the Messiah from the womb- a child who received the Holy Spirit at a time when others would say he could be aborted:)
Luk 1:45
"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord."
Here are two women who had the power of God touch their bodies, touch their wombs - to bring forth 2 of the most amazing men in history- one the Son of God- and the other the fore telling prophet. You could argue that if that were the case women should get married right away and keep popping them out...lol- no, God has his timing... for marriage, children, ect... I just don't want to use something artificially that could stop up the blessings and power of God flowing through my body- and with a union with my husband, I'd like to always be "thy will be done here, Lord" Life and death are in your hands- whether I have several or none- you will provide for all of us and take care of us and make sure we have everything we need. As Christians, we need to say "I trust and rely on you Lord- please open and close my womb as you see fit."
Then, Mary goes into this long praise to God and says
Luk 1:55
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever."
Now, I would like to point out here that the angel went to Zacharias telling him he would have a son. What if Elizabeth went to her doctor to do what “she wanted” with her body? Would John have been born? “Your wife Elizabeth shall BEAR YOU A SON.” The angel didn’t go to Elizabeth, he went to the father. In Mary’s case the angel did visit her because she wasn’t married, but the angel did visit the man who was to act as the father also.
Abraham, Issac, Jacob- they were all told by the Lord that their seed would carry on and produce the line of the Messiah- YOU BETTER BELIEVE THEIR WIVES WEREN’T ABOUT TO TAKE BIRTH CONTROL- what if the great, great, great, ect grandfather of the Messianic line were to be aborted? What if one of these women decided she “wanted to talk it over with her doctor?” God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He said “Go, be fruitful and multiply.” He NEVER TOOK AWAY THAT COMMAND.
It's also kind of funny to me that when you read all of the genealogies that it says "and Abraham begat Issac and Issac begat Jacob.." Funny, the woman isn't mentioned there at all- like it's not her choice here.. not really the man's either... but Gods... I think if the "pill' had been around, Rachel might have put it in Leah's wine... "like, what? I didn't do anything..." lol I really think that it is by these stories of barren women whose wombs were opened we realize that THE LORD CONTROLS POPULATION, NOT US!
Okay, so here's some random scriptures to kind of exemplify what I've been saying
Gen 29:31 And when the LORD saw that Leah [was] hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel [was] barren.
Gen 30:1 And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.
Gen 30:2 And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, [Am] I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?
Gen 49::25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.(it is a blessing to nurse a child).
(okay, so yeah.... I'm also trying mentally block who it is I'm writing right now:) There's a scripture that says "to the pure all things are pure..." so pure thoughts here... :)
Ex 13:2 Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine. ( How can we continue to deny what is rightfully the Lord’s. Of course we don’t live under the law, but the principles still remain- we shouldn’t close our wombs)
1 Sam 1:5 But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. - Hannah then pleaded with the Lord and conceived Samuel.
Job 31:18 (But from my youth I reared him as a father, And from my mother's womb I guided the widow)- Job saying he has done the right thing before he was born- while in his mother’s womb he was making the right decisions. (I'm not exactly sure how this is possible...lol but it's in the Bible so I'll go with it...:)
Hsa 9:10-11 “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved.The glory of Israel will fly away like a bird, for your children will die at birth or perish in the womb or never even be conceived.-( It was a curse to not have children, or not to be able to have them)
Hsa 9:14 Give them, O LORD: what will you give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.”- Again, this was a curse, a bad thing not to have children, not to be able to nurse.
Galations: "But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called [me] by his grace, - Paul said it was GOD who separated him from his mother’s womb- that’s his job- Life is a miracle not to be taken for granted."
Ps 71:6 On you have I leaned on and relied on from the womb: thou art he that took me out of my mother's womb: my praise [shall be] continually of thee.
Ecc 11:5 God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb.( KJV says “as the bones grow in the womb as with a child- this is a miracle and cannot be taken by man and destroyed)
Ps 113:9 HE MAKES THE BARREN WOMAN TO KEEP HOUSE AND TO BE A JOYFUL MOTHER OF CHILDREN Praise ye the LORD.
Ps 115:14 The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children
Ps 128:3 Thy wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.- The fruitful vine here is childbearing- again a blessing from God
9Shall I bring to the [moment of] birth and not cause to bring forth? says the Lord. Shall I Who causes to bring forth shut the womb? says your God.
Blessings to the Father!:
Prov 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Ps 128:3 Thy wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.- The fruitful vine here is childbearing- again a blessing from God
OKAY, HERE’S A KICKER FOR YA- TALKING ABOUT A MAN’S SEED BEING POTENTIAL CHILDREN - , Ps 147:13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath BLESSED YOUR CHILDREN WITHIN YOU!
Speaking of a man's seed.... here's one for you about how it's not Kosher for a guy to get rid of his while with a woman just so she won't get pregnant: :) (btw I know this is a weird topic..
Gen. 38:8 Then Judah said to Onan, 'Go in to your brother's wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her; raise up offspring for your brother.' 9 But since Onan knew that the offspring would not be his, he spilled his semen on the ground whenever he went in to see his brother's wife, so that he would not give offspring to his brother
. 10 What he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death also
For centuries Christians have sited this verse as the major reason not to use birth control-as spilling a man's seed is so displeasing to God that he killed a man because he did. Somewhere around the mid 19th century people began to kind of ignore or explain this away, but me being old fashioned... lol tend to go with what Christians have believed for 1,000's of yrs rather then what they've kind of white washed since the 60's. :)
Jer 22:30 Write ye this man childless, a man [that] shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.(Curse to not have children through your seed)
Acts 7:5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not [so much as] to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when [as yet] he had no child.
Many will agree that abortion is wrong and that The Supreme Court has no constitutional right, no constitutional authority to give authority to doctors and woman to kill. The only time the government can authorize any American to kill is in self-defense when under attack by a person using a lethal weapon and when the country is under attack by someone attacking the country, whether from with-in or with-out.
As for abortion, you know, if a child is not supposed to live, let God kill it, like with David and Bathsheba (not sure if you know this story or not, but David was kind and saw her bathing and called her to him, even though she was married. The she got pregnant and he called her husband from off the battlefield and told him to sleep with his wife but the guy wouldn't leave his post- so David put the guy on the front lines, knowing he would die...yeah, not good) you could say David forced himself on her, but it was sin and that baby died, God took care of it even though David wanted the baby to be born and prayed and fasted 3 days to no avail. I had a right to be born, you had a right to be. One more time... :) the Bible says in Mal 2 that the purpose of God bringing a man and woman together is to bring forth a godly seed
15And did not God make [you and your wife] one [flesh]? Did not One make you and preserve your spirit alive? And why [did God make you two] one? Because He sought a godly offspring [from your union].
Okay, so I told you that me and Mother Theresa had some things in common, she said
"The way to plan the family is natural family planning not contraception. In destroying the power of giving life, through contraception, a husband or wife is doing something to self, and so it destroys the gift of life in him or her"
and then
"Once that living love is destroyed by contraception, abortion follows very easily"
"You know, people worry all the time about innocent children being killed in wars, and they try to prevent this. But what hope is there is stopping it if mothers kill their own children? Every life is precious to God, whatever the circumstances. In Isaiah, chapter 43, verse 4, God says, 'You are precious to me and I love you'."
Okay, so here are two little quotes, and I don't give them much credence, but I think they are funny
Eric Clapton:
"It sounds strange for me to be saying this, but I've come around to the idea that sex really is for procreation."
Barbara Walters TV special, Mel Gibson stated his opposition to birth control, infidelity and abortion. He said, "God is the only one who knows how many children we should have, and we should be ready to accept them. One can't decide for oneself who comes into this world and who doesn't. That decision doesn't belong to us." (Okay- so we know what happened there, but....)
l little Mother Theresa quotes, my favorite of which is "how can there be too many children, that is like saying there are too many flowers..." :)
Ah... I'm done... lol I guess I just see a marriage as God bringing two people together, sharing a life, and having children. Not sure even after all this having kids as he sees fit- it seems like throughout the Bible he's pretty good at that.
I know people worry about college tuition, how to feed and clothe, attention, ect. But I've known quite a few large families- and you know what? They might not all have exactly as much "stuff" wise as 1 or 2 child homes- but they had something I've always wanted LOVE! :) I have two home school families in mind that each had 5 kids...
When I read in Hebrews chs 11-12, as I'm sure you know it well as it is the "Hall of Fame of Faith." We see our heroes in the Word of God and I try to live my life by their great faith added with the "promise they saw afar off, " that is, Jesus Christ. I take my cue from them, ESPECIALLY when concerning things such as marriage and birth control. Society and traditions are different, but the Lord God is the same "yesterday, today, and forever."
One key thing is the use of eunuchs and virgins to say "If God wants us blessed with children so much, why would he say it is better not to marry?"
Well, that is an easy one. Eunuchs are said to be "dry trees" and lament the fact they cannot produce fruit- children. God, sees this and (Is 56) promises to give them a name in the Lord if they follow God with all their heart! We see throughout the Bible it is seen as a shame to not be a fruitful man and woman when married- ie, having children. Yes, in 1 Cor 7 we see it is better to remain single as single people can serve the Lord 'without distraction.' Michelle and I know this to be true. We feel blessed either way, as I know married people cannot do what we can do in the Lord. There is a distraction there, when you are married men and women look to each other's needs and the "needs of their household first." Why? Because marriages, for the most part, are about bringing forth "a Godly seed." :) When I look to my patriarchs, I ask myself, "what would they do, would they DREAM about stopping up even ONE avenue of God's blessing?" Nope! Not a single one. I see God as the giver of life and that marriage and matrimonial acts bring two together as one, but to take and kill that life force- through Onanism as the Jewish people call "spilling the seed"- and compare it to homosexuality or worse as I have quoted below- is a sin.
If God doesn't "forbid something explicitly," I look to what others did in the Bible FOR something. We don't see child porn or even abortion specifically forbidden- it's in the spirit of the Word. And the spirit of the Word speaks VOLUMES that, under no circumstances did anyone in the Bible EVER try to stop themselves from being pregnant- only Onan, and God put him to death. I see that God never asked anyone to have sexual relations and then have them pray "Lord, please do not bring a child from this act." Which is exactly what a couple is doing when they use any form of birth control. God is very concerned with every area of our lives- down to "what we eat or drink or our bodies what we put on." He goes on to even tell us what to do when eating at parties that served food to idols. YES, God Cares, and has a plan for every area of our lives. He tells us not to drink too much, not to be gluttons, to open our homes and be hospitable. He doesn't leave anything out. Remember, the womb is a special place "before I was in the womb, you knew me." Now, if God knows people before they are in the womb, who are we to say that they can't come to life! Marriage is holy and the "act" is holy- if people are barren, then they should pray, like every barren woman in the Bible, for "God to open the womb." It is not up to us, but up to God whether we have "many or few."
Most people think birth control is a modern thing but it has been around for-EVER! :) I would encourage you to put aside what you know in today's materialistic world and listen to what all the earlier churches have said for centuries! You cannot get to God by going through lots of people, but really, only, through God. Up until 1930, both Catholic and Protestant Churches saw birth control as sinful and a crime- just like we view abortion. They felt that the natural union of man and wife should be left that way- natural. As, you will read below, the "gentil" areas really means "generation." They were seen as life generation machines. These early church leaders have so much wisdom.
:) I go with some of the Catholic teachings because in the early church- it was all "catholic" lol :) We both know that the foundational teachings are all Biblical- when you read the names John Calvin, Martin Luther, and St. Augustine- these are THE BIG DOGS- totally full of the power of God! :)
If you don’t read anything that I type, please read this link all the way through to the end.
Men like Martin Luther (the reformer credited with beginning the Protestant Reformation) likened birth control to sodomy, declaring:
"People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage"
Likewise, John Calvin (one of the most prominent theologians of the Protestant Reformation), clearly called it murder in stating that:
"The voluntary spilling of semen outside of intercourse is a monstrous thing. Deliberately to withdraw from coitus in order that semen may fall on the ground is doubly monstrous. For this is to extinguish the hope of the race and to kill before he is born the hoped-for offspring."
"..birth control is the murder of future persons."
Unlike those who rationalize it away in our day, these men understood the very mindset behind this act, and they didn't mince words about exactly what the act meant. It's only in our day of Christian degradation that preachers, in fear of losing members (and in their political correctness), tap dance around this practice.
The Synod of Dort of 1618, issued a Bible commentary which compared birth control to abortion, stating:
"This was even as much, as if he had (in a manner) pulled forth the fruit out of the mother's womb, and destroyed it."
No one needs to work very hard to testify of the great list of those who opposed birth control, because the list includes just about everyone! It is evident that all historical Church fathers unanimously opposed birth control. Since the beginning, the Church held that birth control was a clear unbiblical practice (for over 1900 years). All the Church fathers, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant Reformers alike, all, opposed the use of birth control. In fact, absolutely no Christian group or denomination ever supported this unbiblical use of contraceptives until 1930. It was there at the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops that a break in this unanimous Historical Church teaching occurred with their passing of Resolution 15. This resolution reads:
Where there is clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, the method must be decided on Christian principles. The primary and obvious method is complete abstinence from intercourse (as far as may be necessary) in a life of discipline and self-control lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in the light of the same Christian principles. The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience.
Voting: For 193; Against 67.
Even in this you can hear the strong aversion to birth control, but the point is, from there the floodgates were opened. Though many Protestant denominations at the time vociferously denounced this move, it wasn't long before even these other Churches caved in to the pressures of modernity, and followed suit. What was once family relationships based on biblical precepts now switched to, "clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood," (whatever that means). But no one cared what it meant, because it was a convenient excuse to use, in man's quest to circumvent God's precepts and limit births. And despite the trailer against, "methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience," that is exactly what it has grown to be used for. Another stark example of what happens once you open a small crack in the proverbial wall, or open the Pandora's box. Even if one's original motives may have been (humanly speaking) noble but misguided, it inevitably brings ruin. That is why we must give no quarter to the weakening of God's laws, or of making exceptions, because they inevitably lead to Church decline and even apostasy. A small opening always leads to a gaping hole. The word of God must be strictly kept, and we must not deviate even an inch.
I love what Charles Spurgeon says about Psalms 128
Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD;
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For thou shalt eat the labor of thine hands:
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Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine
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Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD. | ||||||
The LORD shall bless thee out of Zion:
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Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children,
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He says, like I believe, that women can still be a blessing to their husbands in other ways if she cannot have children, but that children are not financial burdens like people see them today- they are not something you need to "save up until you feel you have enough money" to have. Certainly, putting off having children so a person and their spouse can have :fun without kids" first- is completely un-Biblical and lustful and sinful. If a man sees his wife as a fruitful vine- he will want her to "bare much fruit" and he will not stop up himself or ask his wife to stop up her God given gift of fertility! Children are a blessing and "blessed is a man whose quiver or a container holding arrows- is FULL OF THEM. I do not see a full bag of arrows being one, two, or even 3- but FULL AND OVERFLOWING- with AS MANY AS IT CAN FIT!!! :)
Here are some intense, very explicit but RIGHT ON quotes from more early Christian leaders. I don't usually quote people, but when I find holy men of God whose voice speak through the test of time, I will. Like America's Godly founding fathers. Most of them had large families.
Tradition / Church Fathers
"Moreover, he [Moses] has rightly detested the weasel [Lev. 11:29]. For he means, ‘Thou shall not be like to those whom we hear of as committing wickedness with the mouth with the body through uncleanness [orally consummated sex]; nor shall thou be joined to those impure women who commit iniquity with the mouth with the body through uncleanness’" Letter of Barnabas 10:8 (A.D. 74).
"Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted" Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2 (A.D. 191).
"To have coitus other than to procreate children is to do injury to nature." Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor of Children 2:10:95:3 (A.D. 191).
“[Christian women with male concubines], on account of their prominent ancestry and great property, the so-called faithful want no children from slaves or lowborn commoners, [so] they use drugs of sterility or bind themselves tightly in order to expel a fetus which has already been engendered." Hippolytus, Refutation of All Heresies 9:12 (A.D. 225).
"[Some] complain of the scantiness of their means, and allege that they have not enough for bringing up more children, as though, in truth, their means were in [their] power . . . or God did not daily make the rich poor and the poor rich. Wherefore, if any one on any account of poverty shall be unable to bring up children, it is better to abstain from relations with his wife."Lactantius, Divine Institutes 6:20 (A.D. 307).
"God gave us eyes not to see and desire pleasure, but to see acts to be performed for the needs of life; so too, the genital [’generating’] part of the body, as the name itself teaches, has been received by us for no other purpose than the generation of offspring.” Lactantius, Divine 6:23:18 (A.D. 307).
"[I]f anyone in sound health has castrated himself, it behooves that such a one, if enrolled among the clergy, should cease [from his ministry], and that from henceforth no such person should be promoted. But, as it is evident that this is said of those who willfully do the thing and presume to castrate themselves, so if any have been made eunuchs by barbarians, or by their masters, and should otherwise be found worthy, such men this canon admits to the clergy." Council of Nicaea I, Canon 1 (A.D. 325).
"They [certain Egyptian heretics] exercise genital acts, yet prevent the conceiving of children. Not in order to produce offspring, but to satisfy lust, are they eager for corruption." Epiphanius of Salamis, Medicine Chest Against Heresies 26:5:2 (A.D. 375).
"This proves that you [Manicheans] approve of having a wife, not for the procreation of children, but for the gratification of passion. In marriage, as the marriage law declares, the man and woman come together for the procreation of children. Therefore, whoever makes the procreation of children a greater sin than copulation, forbids marriage and makes the woman not a wife but a mistress, who for some gifts presented to her is joined to the man to gratify his passion." Augustine, The Morals of the Manichees 18:65 (A.D. 388).
"Why do you sow where the field is eager to destroy the fruit, where there are medicines of sterility [oral contraceptives], where there is murder before birth? You do not even let a harlot remain only a harlot, but you make her a murderess as well…Indeed, it is something worse than murder, and I do not know what to call it; for she does not kill what is formed but prevents its formation. What then? Do you condemn the gift of God and fight with his [natural] laws?…Yet such turpitude…the matter still seems indifferent to many men—even to many men having wives. In this indifference of the married men there is greater evil filth; for then poisons are prepared, not against the womb of a prostitute, but against your injured wife. Against her are these innumerable tricks." John Chrysostom, Homilies on Romans 24 (A.D. 391).
"[I]n truth, all men know that they who are under the power of this disease [the sin of covetousness] are wearied even of their father’s old age [wishing him to die so they can inherit]; and that which is sweet, and universally desirable, the having of children, they esteem grievous and unwelcome. Many at least with this view have even paid money to be childless, and have mutilated nature, not only killing the newborn, but even acting to prevent their beginning to live." John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 28:5 (A.D. 391).
"[T]he man who has mutilated himself, in fact, is subject even to a curse, as Paul says, ‘I would that they who trouble you would cut the whole thing off’ [Gal. 5:12]. And very reasonably, for such a person is venturing on the deeds of murderers, and giving occasion to them that slander God’s creation, and opens the mouths of the Manicheans, and is guilty of the same unlawful acts as they that mutilate themselves among the Greeks. For to cut off our members has been from the beginning a work of demonical agency, and satanic device, that they may bring up a bad report upon the works of God, that they may mar this living creature, that imputing all not to the choice, but to the nature of our members, the more part of them may sin in security as being irresponsible, and doubly harm this living creature, both by mutilating the members and by impeding the forwardness of the free choice in behalf of good deeds." John Chrysostom, Homilies on Matthew 62:3 (A.D. 391).
"But I wonder why he [the heretic Jovinianus] set Judah and Tamar before us for an example, unless perchance even harlots give him pleasure; or Onan, who was slain because he grudged his brother seed. Does he imagine that we approve of any sexual intercourse except for the procreation of children?" Jerome, Against Jovinian 1:19 (A.D. 393).
"Observe how bitterly he [Paul] speaks against their deceivers…‘I would that they which trouble you would cut the whole thing off’ [Gal. 5:12]…On this account he curses them, and his meaning is as follows: ‘For them I have no concern, "A man that is heretical after the first and second admonition refuse" [Titus 3:10]. If they will, let them not only be circumcised but mutilated.’ Where then are those who dare to mutilate themselves, seeing that they draw down the apostolic curse, and accuse the workmanship of God, and take part with the Manichees?" John Chrysostom, Commentary on Galatians 5:12 (A.D. 395).
"You may see a number of women who are widows before they are wives. Others, indeed, will drink sterility and murder a man not yet born, [and some commit abortion]." Jerome, Letters 22:13 (A.D. 396).
"You [Manicheans] make your auditors adulterers of their wives when they take care lest the women with whom they copulate conceive. They take wives according to the laws of matrimony by tablets announcing that the marriage is contracted to procreate children; and then, fearing because of your law [against childbearing]…they copulate in a shameful union only to satisfy lust for their wives. They are unwilling to have children, on whose account alone marriages are made. How is it, then, that you are not those prohibiting marriage, as the apostle predicted of you so long ago [1 Tim. 4:1–4], when you try to take from marriage what marriage is? When this is taken away, husbands are shameful lovers, wives are harlots, bridal chambers are brothels, fathers-in-law are pimps.” Augustine, Against Faustus 15:7 (A.D. 400).
"For thus the eternal law, that is, the will of God creator of all creatures, taking counsel for the conservation of natural order, not to serve lust, but to see to the preservation of the race, permits the delight of mortal flesh to be released from the control of reason in copulation only to propagate progeny." Augustine, Against Faustus 22:30 (A.D. 400).
"For necessary sexual intercourse for begetting [children] is alone worthy of marriage. But that which goes beyond this necessity no longer follows reason but lust. And yet it pertains to the character of marriage…to yield it to the partner lest by fornication the other sin damnably [through adultery]…[T]hey [must] not turn away from them the mercy of God…by changing the natural use into that which is against nature, which is more damnable when it is done in the case of husband or wife. For, whereas that natural use, when it pass beyond the compact of marriage, that is, beyond the necessity of begetting [children], is pardonable in the case of a wife, damnable in the case of a harlot; that which is against nature is execrable when done in the case of a harlot, but more execrable in the case of a wife. Of so great power is the ordinance of the Creator, and the order of creation, that . . . when the man shall wish to use a body part of the wife not allowed for this purpose [orally or anally consummated sex], the wife is more shameful, if she suffer it to take place in her own case, than if in the case of another woman." Augustine, The Good of Marriage 11–12 (A.D. 401).
"I am supposing, then, although you are not lying [with your wife] for the sake of procreating offspring, you are not for the sake of lust obstructing their procreation by an evil prayer or an evil deed. Those who do this, although they are called husband and wife, are not; nor do they retain any reality of marriage, but with a respectable name cover a shame. Sometimes this lustful cruelty, or cruel lust, comes to this, that they even procure poisons of sterility…Assuredly if both husband and wife are like this, they are not married, and if they were like this from the beginning they come together not joined in matrimony but in seduction. If both are not like this, I dare to say that either the wife is in a fashion the harlot of her husband or he is an adulterer with his own wife." Augustine, Marriage and Concupiscence 1:15:17 (A.D. 419).
"Who is he who cannot warn that no woman may take a potion so that she is unable to conceive or condemns in herself the nature which God willed to be fecund? As often as she could have conceived or given birth, of that many homicides she will be held guilty, and, unless she undergoes suitable penance, she will be damned by eternal death in hell. If a woman does not wish to have children, let her enter into a religious agreement with her husband; for chastity is the sole sterility of a Christian woman." Caesarius of Arles, Sermons 1:12 (A.D. 522).
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/contraception.html- here's the link I got these from and at the top are scriptures which are TOTALLY worth reading today!! ( I was just soo stoked and excited when I read these!!!!:)
Scripture
Gen 1:28, 9:1,7; 35:11 - from the beginning, the Lord commands us to be fruitful ("fertile") and multiply. A husband and wife fulfill God's plan for marriage in the bringing forth of new life, for God is life itself.
Gen. 28:3 - Isaac's prayer over Jacob shows that fertility and procreation are considered blessings from God.
Gen. 38:8-10 - Onan is killed by God for practicing contraception (in this case, withdrawal) and spilling his semen on the ground.
Gen. 38:11-26 - Judah, like Onan, also rejected God's command to keep up the family lineage, but he was not killed.
Deut. 25:7-10 - the penalty for refusing to keep up a family lineage is not death, like Onan received. Onan was killed for wasting seed.
Gen. 38:9 - also, the author's usage of the graphic word "seed," which is very uncharacteristic for Hebrew writing, further highlights the reason for Onan's death.
Exodus 23:25-26; Deut. 7:13-14 - God promises blessings which include no miscarriages or barrenness. Children are blessings from God, and married couples must always be open to God's plan for new life with every act of marital intimacy.
Lev.18:22-23;20:13 - wasting seed with non-generative sexual acts warrants death. Many Protestant churches, which have all strayed from the Catholic Church, reject this fundamental truth (few Protestants and Catholics realize that contraception was condemned by all of Christianity - and other religions - until the Anglican church permitted it in certain cases at the Lambeth conference in 1930. This opened the floodgates of error).
Lev. 21:17,20 - crushed testicles are called a defect and a blemish before God. God reveals that deliberate sterilization and any other methods which prevent conception are intrinsically evil.
Deut. 23:1 - whoever has crushed testicles or is castrated cannot enter the assembly. Contraception is objectively sinful and contrary, not only to God's Revelation, but the moral and natural law.
Deut. 25:11-12 - there is punishment for potential damage to the testicles, for such damage puts new life at risk. It, of course, follows that vasectomies, which are done with willful consent, are gravely contrary to the natural law.
1 Chron. 25:5 - God exalts His people by blessing them with many children. When married couples contracept, they are declaring "not your will God, but my will be done."
Psalm 127:3-5 - children are a gift of favor from God and blessed is a full quiver. Married couples must always be open to God's precious gift of life. Contraception, which shows a disregard for human life, has lead to the great evils of abortion, euthanasia, and infanticide.
Hosea 9:11; Jer. 18:21 - God punishes Israel by preventing pregnancy. Contraception is a curse, and married couples who use contraception are putting themselves under the same curse.
Mal. 2:14 - marriage is not a contract (which is a mere exchange of property or services). It is a covenant, which means a supernatural exchange of persons. Just as God is three in one, so are a husband and wife, who become one flesh and bring forth new life, three in one. Marital love is a reflection of the Blessed Trinity.
Mal. 2:15 - What does God desire? Godly offspring. What is contraception? A deliberate act against God's will. With contraception, a couple declares, "God may want an eternal being created with our union, but we say no." Contraception is a grave act of selfishness.
Matt. 19:5-6 - Jesus said a husband and wife shall become one. They are no longer two, but one, just as God is three persons, yet one. The expression of authentic marital love reintegrates our bodies and souls to God, and restores us to our original virginal state (perfect integration of body and soul) before God.
Matt. 19:6; Eph. 5:31 - contraception prevents God's ability to "join" together. Just as Christ's love for the Church is selfless and sacrificial, and a husband and wife reflect this union, so a husband and wife's love for each other must also be selfless and sacrificial. This means being open to new life.
Acts 5:1-11 - Ananias and Sapphira were slain because they withheld part of a gift. Fertility is a gift from God and cannot be withheld.
Rom.1:26-27 - sexual acts without the possibility of procreation is sinful. Self-giving love is life-giving love, or the love is a lie. The unitive and procreative elements of marital love can never be divided, or the marital love is also divided, and God is left out of the marriage.
1 Cor. 6:19-20 - the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; thus, we must glorify God in our bodies by being open to His will.
1 Cor. 7:5 - this verse supports the practice of natural family planning ("NFP"). Married couples should not refuse each other except perhaps by agreement for a season, naturally.
Gal. 6:7-8 - God is not mocked for what a man sows. If to the flesh, corruption. If to the Spirit, eternal life.
Eph. 5:25 - Paul instructs husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church, by giving his entire body to her and holding nothing back. With contraception, husbands tell their wives, I love you except your fertility, and you can have me except for my fertility. This love is a lie because it is self-centered, and not self-giving and life-giving.
Eph. 5:29-31; Phil. 3:2 - mutilating the flesh (e.g., surgery to prevent conception) is gravely sinful. Many Protestant churches reject this most basic moral truth.
1 Tim. 2:15 - childbearing is considered a "work" through which women may be saved by God's grace.
Deut. 22:13-21 – these verses also show that God condemns pre-marital intercourse. The living expression of God’s creative love is reserved for a sacramental marriage between one man and one woman.
Rev. 9:21; 21:8; 22:15; Gal. 5:20 - these verses mention the word "sorcery." The Greek word is "pharmakeia" which includes abortifacient potions such as birth control pills. These pharmakeia are mortally sinful. Moreover, chemical contraception does not necessarily prevent conception, but may actually kill the child in the womb after conception has occurred (by preventing the baby from attaching to the uterine wall). Contraception is a lie that has deceived millions, but the Church is holding her arms open wide to welcome back her children who have strayed from the truth.
also read this on the traditional Jewish teaching- as Christians are all Jewish!! :)
The classical Jewish commentators - who can scarcely be accused of ignorance regarding Hebrew language, customs, law, and biblical literary genres - certainly saw in this passage of Scripture a condemnation of both unnatural intercourse and masturbation such.8 A typical traditional Jewish commentary puts it thus: "[Onan misused the organs God gave him for propagating the race to unnaturally satisfy his own lust, and he was therefore deserving death."9 And this is undoubtedly in accord with the natural impression which most unprejudiced readers will draw from the text of Genesis 38.
Harrison's sources for these particular quotations are:
8 The Encyclopedia Judaica (Vol.4,p.1054, article "Birth Control") states: "Jewish tradition ascribed the practice of birth control to the depraved humanity before Noah (Gen. R. 23:2,4; Rashi to Gen. 4:19,23)." (For further confirmation of Jewish views on this point, cf. H. Hirsch Cohen, The Drunkenness of Noah [University of Alabama Press.].) The Encyclopedia article adds that on the basis of Gen. 38:9-10, "the Talmud sternly inveighs against 'bringing forth the seed in vain', considering it a cardinal sin (Nid. 13a). . . .Strictly Orthodox [Jews, . . . . for religious reasons, refuse to resort to birth control." In the same Encyclopedia, under "Onanism" (Vol. 12, p.1495), it is stated that the act of Onan "is taken . . . by the Talmud (Yev. 34b) to refer either to unnatural intercourse or (cf. Nid. 13a) to masturbation. The Zohar [a13th century work] expatiates on the evil of onanism in the second sense."
Today most people can only give one or two scriptures to back up their viewpoint that under some circumstances birth control is okay, and in those they were not used in context and had no bearing on whether married couples should have children or not, thus, there is no scriptural or traditional use by Christians for centuries that says stopping up or preventing children from being born is ever okay or God’s will. However, people, from the beginning of time have not wanted to use intercourse the natural way and tried to harm their bodies through poison (all pills today) or other unnatural means. To lie with one’s wife only for pleasure, is a lustful thing, sinful, and it is better to not commit the act then to stop up it’s original purpose. We are not alone in saying that it is a murderous thing to lie with your spouse and kill the seed- stop a child from coming into this world.
Also, one more thing, the Bible says, “whatever is not done in faith is a sin.”Unless a couple can come together and PRAY for God NOT to bless the “fruit of their womb,” and to close it up, until THEY say THEY are ready, with the SAME AMOUNT OF FAITH AND FERVENCY that a couple PRAYING FOR children would do, then you are NOT LIVING BY FAITH- you are LIVING IN FEAR, for whatever reason you don’t want to have that child. You also said that God does not tell us what toothpaste to use. J However, God does care about all the little things. We live by faith EVERYDAY, asking for God’s provision and instruction in everything we do. Hey, I even believe he leads my grocery shopping to make me a frugal, Provs 31 woman!
In 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his landmark encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (Latin, "Human Life"), which reemphasized the Church’s constant teaching that it is always intrinsically wrong to use contraception to prevent new human beings from coming into existence.
Contraception is "any action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act [sexual intercourse], or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (Humanae Vitae 14). This includes sterilization, condoms and other barrier methods, spermicides, coitus interruptus (withdrawal method), the Pill, and all other such methods.
The Historic Christian Teaching
Few realize that up until 1930, all Protestant denominations agreed with the Catholic Church’s teaching condemning contraception as sinful. At its 1930 Lambeth Conference, the Anglican church, swayed by growing social pressure, announced that contraception would be allowed in some circumstances. Soon the Anglican church completely caved in, allowing contraception across the board. Since then, all other Protestant denominations have followed suit. Today, the Catholic Church alone proclaims the historic Christian position on contraception.
Evidence that contraception is in conflict with God’s laws comes from a variety of sources that will be examined in this tract.
Nature
Contraception is wrong because it’s a deliberate violation of the design God built into the human race, often referred to as "natural law." The natural law purpose of sex is procreation. The pleasure that sexual intercourse provides is an additional blessing from God, intended to offer the possibility of new life while strengthening the bond of intimacy, respect, and love between husband and wife. The loving environment this bond creates is the perfect setting for nurturing children.
But sexual pleasure within marriage becomes unnatural, and even harmful to the spouses, when it is used in a way that deliberately excludes the basic purpose of sex, which is procreation. God’s gift of the sex act, along with its pleasure and intimacy, must not be abused by deliberately frustrating its natural end—procreation.
Scripture
Is contraception a modern invention? Hardly! Birth control has been around for millennia. Scrolls found in Egypt, dating to 1900 B.C., describe ancient methods of birth control that were later practiced in the Roman empire during the apostolic age. Wool that absorbed sperm, poisons that fumigated the uterus, potions, and other methods were used to prevent conception. In some centuries, even condoms were used (though made out of animal skin rather than latex).
The Bible mentions at least one form of contraception specifically and condemns it. Coitus interruptus, was used by Onan to avoid fulfilling his duty according to the ancient Jewish law of fathering children for one’s dead brother. "Judah said to Onan, ‘Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the Lord, and he slew him also" (Gen. 38:8–10).
The biblical penalty for not giving your brother’s widow children was public humiliation, not death (Deut. 25:7–10). But Onan received death as punishment for his crime. This means his crime was more than simply not fulfilling the duty of a brother-in-law. He lost his life because he violated natural law, as Jewish and Christian commentators have always understood. For this reason, certain forms of contraception have historically been known as "Onanism," after the man who practiced it, just as homosexuality has historically been known as "Sodomy," after the men of Sodom, who practiced that vice (cf. Gen. 19).
Contraception was so far outside the biblical mindset and so obviously wrong that it did not need the frequent condemnations other sins did. Scripture condemns the practice when it mentions it. Once a moral principle has been established in the Bible, every possible application of it need not be mentioned. For example, the general principle that theft is wrong was clearly established in Scripture; but there’s no need to provide an exhaustive list of every kind of theft. Similarly, since the principle that contraception is wrong has been established by being condemned when it’s mentioned in the Bible, every particular form of contraception does not need to be dealt with in Scripture in order for us to see that it is condemned.
Apostolic Tradition
The biblical teaching that birth control is wrong is found even more explicitly among the Church Fathers, who recognized the biblical and natural law principles underlying the condemnation.
In A.D. 195, Clement of Alexandria wrote, "Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted" (The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2).
Hippolytus of Rome wrote in 255 that "on account of their prominent ancestry and great property, the so-called faithful [certain Christian women who had affairs with male servants] want no children from slaves or lowborn commoners, [so] they use drugs of sterility or bind themselves tightly in order to expel a fetus which has already been engendered" (Refutation of All Heresies9:12).
Around 307 Lactantius explained that some "complain of the scantiness of their means, and allege that they have not enough for bringing up more children, as though, in truth, their means were in [their] power . . . or God did not daily make the rich poor and the poor rich. Wherefore, if any one on any account of poverty shall be unable to bring up children, it is better to abstain from relations with his wife" (Divine Institutes 6:20).
The First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council and the one that defined Christ’s divinity, declared in 325, "If anyone in sound health has castrated himself, it behooves that such a one, if enrolled among the clergy, should cease [from his ministry], and that from henceforth no such person should be promoted. But, as it is evident that this is said of those who willfully do the thing and presume to castrate themselves, so if any have been made eunuchs by barbarians, or by their masters, and should otherwise be found worthy, such men this canon admits to the clergy" (Canon 1).
Augustine wrote in 419, "I am supposing, then, although you are not lying [with your wife] for the sake of procreating offspring, you are not for the sake of lust obstructing their procreation by an evil prayer or an evil deed. Those who do this, although they are called husband and wife, are not; nor do they retain any reality of marriage, but with a respectable name cover a shame. Sometimes this lustful cruelty, or cruel lust, comes to this, that they even procure poisons of sterility [oral contraceptives]" (Marriage and Concupiscence 1:15:17).
The apostolic tradition’s condemnation of contraception is so great that it was followed by Protestants until 1930 and was upheld by all key Protestant Reformers. Martin Luther said, "[T]he exceedingly foul deed of Onan, the basest of wretches . . . is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a sodomitic sin. For Onan goes in to her; that is, he lies with her and copulates, and when it comes to the point of insemination, spills the semen, lest the woman conceive. Surely at such a time the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed. Accordingly, it was a most disgraceful crime. . . . Consequently, he deserved to be killed by God. He committed an evil deed. Therefore, God punished him."
John Calvin said, "The voluntary spilling of semen outside of intercourse between man and woman is a monstrous thing. Deliberately to withdraw from coitus in order that semen may fall on the ground is doubly monstrous. For this is to extinguish the hope of the race and to kill before he is born the hoped-for offspring."
John Wesley warned, "Those sins that dishonor the body are very displeasing to God, and the evidence of vile affections. Observe, the thing which he [Onan] did displeased the Lord—and it is to be feared; thousands, especially of single persons, by this very thing, still displease the Lord, and destroy their own souls." (These passages are quoted in Charles D. Provan, The Bible and Birth Control, which contains many quotes by historic Protestant figures who recognize contraception’s evils.)
The Magisterium
The Church also, fulfilling the role given it by Christ as the identifier and interpreter of apostolic Scripture and apostolic tradition, has constantly condemned contraception as gravely sinful.
In Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI stated, "[W]e must once again declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun, and, above all, directly willed and procured abortion, even if for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as licit means of regulating birth. Equally to be excluded, as the teaching authority of the Church has frequently declared, is direct sterilization, whether perpetual or temporary, whether of the man or of the woman. Similarly excluded is every action which, either in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" (HV 14).
This was reiterated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "[E]very action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil" (CCC 2370). "Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means . . . for example, direct sterilization or contraception" (CCC 2399).
The Church also has affirmed that the illicitness of contraception is an infallible doctrine: "The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity, it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative.aspect of matrimony), and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive.aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life" (Vademecum for Confessors 2:4, Feb. 12, 1997).
Human Experience
Pope Paul VI predicted grave consequences that would arise from the widespread and unrestrained use of contraception. He warned, "Upright men can even better convince themselves of the solid grounds on which the teaching of the Church in this field is based if they care to reflect upon the consequences of methods of artificially limiting the increase of children. Let them consider, first of all, how wide and easy a road would thus be opened up towards conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality. Not much experience is needed in order to know human weakness, and to understand that men—especially the young, who are so vulnerable on this point—have need of encouragement to be faithful to the moral law, so that they must not be offered some easy means of eluding its observance. It is also to be feared that the man, growing used to the employment of anti-conceptive practices, may finally lose respect for the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer as his respected and beloved companion" (HV 17).
No one can doubt the fulfillment of these prophetic words. They have all been more than fulfilled in this country as a result of the widespread availability of contraceptives, the "free love" movement that started in the 1960s, and the loose sexual morality that it spawned and that continues to pervade Western culture.
Indeed, recent studies reveal a far greater divorce rate in marriages in which contraception is regularly practiced than in those marriages where it is not. Experience, natural law, Scripture, Tradition, and the magisterium, all testify to the moral evil of contraception.
Wishful Thinking
Ignoring the mountain of evidence, some maintain that the Church considers the use of contraception a matter for each married couple to decide according to their "individual conscience." Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. The Church has always maintained the historic Christian teaching that deliberate acts of contraception are always gravely sinful, which means that it is mortally sinful if done with full knowledge and deliberate consent (CCC 1857). This teaching cannot be changed and has been taught by the Church infallibly.
There is no way to deny the fact that the Church has always and everywhere condemned artificial contraception. The matter has already been infallibly decided. The so-called "individual conscience" argument amounts to "individual disobedience
God Bless, in Him,
Leah Faith
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