This isn't a new topic,but it's becoming more and more prevalent and pertinent. Is Christianity compatible with contraception?
Contraception?
- Thread starter Anna Lax
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Hi Anna, I see you are still pretty new here, so first off, WELCOME TO CF ..
Now, as to the subject matter at hand, there is the commandment in Genesis 1:27-28 to consider. There is also the particular teaching of the RCC, which I believe considers any artificial means of contraception "gravely" immoral (see this article) and says that it "is intrinsically evil" in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2370.
Outside of the Catholic Church, rules concerning artificial contraception don't exist (at least there are none that I am aware of .. well, except for the use of contraception outside of marriage, which is still a pretty big no-no in almost every church because it so clearly violates the will of God .. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).
You are a Roman Catholic, yes?
I am not, so maybe you should consult your priest to get the most up-to-date information about this subject?
Yours and His,
David
"Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth"
Genesis 1:28
and fill the earth"
Genesis 1:28
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graceandpeace
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My opinion is yes, Christianity is compatible with contraception use, distribution, etc. Condom use can prevent the spread of diseases, & various forms of contraception can prevent unwanted pregnancies. I believe Christians have an imperative to care for the Earth & the people within it, & there is no reason for couples to endlessly reproduce when we have too many children growing up in foster care, & far too many people who can't even access food & water.
I noticed you are using a Roman Catholic faith icon, so I assume you know that your church offers a different answer to this question.
Welcome to the forums.
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Purge187
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The Catholic church's condemnation of contraceptives is rooten in the Gnostic genophobia that says that sex is strictly for procreation and forces celibacy on its leaders.
Nothing in the Bible condemns birth control.
Nothing in the Bible condemns birth control.
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MoreCoffee
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Hello and welcome to Christian forums.
Artificial means of contraception are regarded as contrary to God's intended purpose for human reproduction through sex. Thus to use them is to act against God's will and hence it is a sin. Like all sins this particular sin is both to be avoided and also forgivable. And like all sins once it is known to be a sin and its meaning in God's purposes is known then to commit it shows a lack of love for God and that must of necessity compound its seriousness. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says this on the matter.
Artificial contraception is the use of mechanical, chemical, or medical procedures to prevent conception from taking place as a result of sexual intercourse; contraception offends against the openness to procreation required of marriage and also the inner truth of conjugal love (see the Glossary at the back of the Catechism)
2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favour the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, every 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:
Let your conscience be your guide and let your conscience be trained by holy scripture and by the teaching of the church.2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favour the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, every 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:
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.... The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle... involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.
God be with you always.
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MoreCoffee
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so...if I don't agree with the above and I choose is practice birth control, my choice is:
tulc (is just making sure he understands the post correctly)
The act is always intrinsically evil regardless of the knowledge of the person performing it. The wickedness of the person performing it is related to the state of their knowledge at the time they perform the act. If one does not agree with the teaching of holy scripture that God's purpose for human sexuality is reproduction as well as the unity that marriage brings then one must ask why this truth is rejected. Consider these two passages from Genesis.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:26-28)
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24)
In these passages the Lord created man and woman to be fruitful, to multiply by having children, and to subdue the earth by cultivating it and tending it. And the Lord created woman because it was not right for the man to be alone and the children of the first man and his wife would leave their parents and marry and have children of their own thus becoming one flesh. And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24)
It is noteworthy that Christians of every major branch of christianity all held this view that artificial contraception is wicked until last century. Thus wikipedia observes
(click this link to read the whole article)
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MoreCoffee
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so...that would be a "yes, you choose evil".
Yes, if one knows it is a sin and chooses to do it anyway then one is choosing evil over good.
tulc(loves your screen name by the way)
Thanks
What is the meaning of tulc?
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brewmama
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It certainly was not for 1900 years.
Touchstone Archives: Children of the Reformation
Touchstone Archives: The Bible & Birth Control
Touchstone Archives: Sanger's Victory
The Lambeth Conference of 1930 accepted artificial contraception despite the unequivocal voice of the tradition and despite the (subsequently short-lived) unanimous rejection of contraception by all other denominations.
Read more: Touchstone Archives: Communion Wavers
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Nathan A
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While it is true that the Bible does not talk about birth control specifically it is also true that God has made His opinion on children eminently clear. Requiring God to speak in depth or directly to the issue of birth control in the face of all the Bible has to say about children being a gift from Him is a little like saying the Bible is silent on sex change operations so God must not have an opinion on it one way or the other.
Ten years ago I shared Purge's opinion that the Bible is silent on contraception and therefore we are free to use birth control or not use it as we're so inclined. My mind was changed for three Biblical reasons:
1) God says unequivocally that children are a blessing and a gift from Him.
If you doubt this, look up Psalms 127:3-5, Psalms 128:3-4, Genesis 1:28, Genesis 33:5, Genesis 48:9, Leviticus 26:9, Proverbs 17:6, Exodus 23:26, Deuteronomy 7:14, Deuteronomy 28:11, or Matthew 18:10. Children are never said to be anything but a blessing and a gift from God.
What got me started on the path to changing my mind was a simple question that occurred to me while reading Psalms 127, "If God want's to bless you, who are you to refuse his blessing." The use of birth control literally prevents you from receiving the blessing that God desires give you. It really became clear to me when I thought about this refusal as a conversation between God and myself:
God: "Nathan, I want to bless you greatly. Here, take this gift..."
Me: "While I appreciate the thought, God, I'm just not interested in your blessing or your gift. Please, I'd really rather not have them."
Would any Christian voluntarily refuse a gift that came directly from hand of God? Apparently the answer is yes, Christians are doing it right now by the millions. But I actually think it's worse than that - I think that most Christians don't really believe what God has said on the subject of Children. When we don't believe what God He has said we make Him out to be liar, and no Christian should ever want to do that.
2) Barrenness can be a curse from God.
Let me be clear: barrenness is not always a curse from God, there are multiple accounts of Godly women in the Bible who were barren, at least for a time, and were not cursed. That said, barrenness is often an effect of God's cursing (See Genesis 20:17-18; Leviticus 20:20-21; Jeremiah 22:30; 2 Samuel 6:20-23).
Although childlessness due to contraception is not the effect of a curse of God, contraception does produce the same effect as a curse of God. In this light, when couples voluntarily choose childlessness it's as if they're saying to God, "We don't believe Your statement that children are a blessing. In fact, we would honestly prefer that you cursed us rather than blessed us as far as children are concerned."
How can a Christian who is genuinely seeking after God even think for a moment that God would not be displeased with us or saddened when we consciously chose to reject his blessing and voluntarily put on the effect of His cursing? I know the answer because I was doing exactly this for most of my life: We Christians are more influenced by culture than we are by God on this subject (among others).
3) Our reasons for not wanting children (or more children) are almost entirely selfish.
When my mind was first beginning to change I fought against it long and hard. My reasons for not allowing God to run this aspect of my life were exactly the same as those I hear from other Christian men today when this subject comes up:
"If I had kids (or more kids) I:
* wouldn't have enough money to give them the life they deserve."
* wouldn't be able to give them the quality and quantity of time and attention they deserve."
* wouldn't have the free time I need to relax and recharge to be at my best."
* would have to drive a big ugly van."
* wouldn't be free to do the kind of service to God that I should as His servant."
* etc."
While these reasons seemed good and even selfless at first it quickly became obvious to me that they were all ultimately grounded in selfishness. I couldn't list a single reason why I shouldn't let God have his way in my family without referencing myself, my wants, my desires, my standard of living, me, me, me, I, I, I, I... I didn't want my life to be adversely affected by lots of other tiny, selfish people I couldn't get away from.
Every time I made a statement like those above, I would remember Jesus' teaching to us in Matthew 6:26-34, that we shouldn't worry, that God will give us what we require. It finally came down to the question, "Do I trust God?" If the answer was "Yes" then I needed to believe that what He said about children and blessing was true and that He would provide for our needs. If the answer was "No..." well, that wasn't really an option. But, if I didn't step out and trust God with my family then the answer was indeed "No."
I was not happy with the decision at first. I didn't want to be open to more children than I had originally planned, but I couldn't argue with God anymore so I bowed my knee, albeit grudgingly at first. Today I have nine children and my opinion has completely changed. I no longer bow the knee with fear, but with joy, and I truly understand what God meant when He said that children are a gift and a blessing from Him.
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Cuddles333
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A very few Christian organizations were or still are against contraception and male masturbation due to this scripture:
Genesis 38:8-10King James Version (KJV)
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
Genesis 38:8-10King James Version (KJV)
8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
10 And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.
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Nathan A
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Cuddles, given my post immediately above yours, I am clearly in opposition to contraception for the Christian. I also happen to be against masturbation generally. That said, Genesis 38:8-10 does not make a case against contraception or masturbation.
Onan's first problem was that he clearly broke Jewish law by refusing to get his brother's widow pregnant. Even worse, he almost certainly harbored great animosity against his brother. Verse 9 states that because he knew that the first child from this union would legally be his brother's and not his own he refused to follow through on his obligation. While this may just be deep selfishness, I suspect that Onan actually hated his brother so much that he would rather let his brother's line die out than that fulfill his obligations. That's a lot of hate, and I think that's the sin for which God struck Onan down.
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It's not a sin not to want children.
It's not a sin to say "I want children but I'm not ready for them just yet; I need my health/finances/employment to improve." Nor is it a sin to say "I don't want children with my present partner who is abusive/an alcoholic/adulterer."
I tend to feel that it's wrong to bring children into the world when one, or both, partners don't want them or can't support them.
I know the Lord told Adam, and Noah, to go forth and multiply, but it isn't a command. If God was commanding women to have children, he would make sure all women were able to obey him.
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I think contraception can be compatible with Christianity, I also think it's a very personal thing that individuals must decide on after serious contemplation.
For myself I cannot quite escape my Catholic leanings in how I view (artificial) contraception. Prayer, contemplation and discussions with my (Anglican) priest have all led me to feel that should marriage occur I would not feel comfortable using artificial birth control. Children are a precious gift, and I would feel more comfortable remaining completely open to that gift at a time of His choosing.
For myself I cannot quite escape my Catholic leanings in how I view (artificial) contraception. Prayer, contemplation and discussions with my (Anglican) priest have all led me to feel that should marriage occur I would not feel comfortable using artificial birth control. Children are a precious gift, and I would feel more comfortable remaining completely open to that gift at a time of His choosing.
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Yes, they may be. But some of us aren't blessed in that way and haven't been given that gift.
Others may feel that they are a gift from God but they aren't ready for them, or any more, or that their bodies can't cope with further pregnancies.
The only method of birth control that I know to be 100% guaranteed effective, is not having sex. Women have become pregnant while on the pill and men have fathered children after vasectomies. What I am saying is that if God really wants you to experience the blessing of parenthood or feels that you won't be properly blessed by him unless you have children - then you'll have children in spite of any artificial means used to try to prevent them.
Yet there are women who long to receive this blessing from God, but cannot. Or who may have renounced marriage in favour of vocation, and cannot be disobedient and consider childbirth outside of marriage.
It was thought to be so in Bible times - particularly in the OT, which is where your quotes are from. But God has blessed me big time and in many ways. It's just that having children isn't one of them.
Jesus became sin for us, and took God's curse for us, on the cross. God does not use childlessness as proof that he is not happy with someone.
I don't believe that's true.
I think many people do want children but contraception may be a way of delaying pregnancy until an appropriate time. This is not wrong; it strikes me as extremely responsible.
If a Christian couple decide they don't want children or that they will sacrifice having children for their vocation and what they believe God is calling them to do, that is a decision they have made before God, probably after prayer and maybe even before marriage. How can you put words in their mouths and say that they are telling God they would rather that he cursed them than give them children?
Maybe in some cases. But would you say that,
- wanting to avoid post natal depression
- not wanting to put your body through another pregnancy
- not being medically fit enough to go through with a pregnancy and childbirth
- not wanting to keep a child that had been conceived through rape or violence,
- not wanting to bring a child in to a violent atmosphere/relationship
- being afraid you cannot provide for your children
were selfish reasons?
I would say that a woman who says, "I want a baby - irrespective of my age/health/marital status" is being selfish. Women who become pregnant aged over 55 through IVF, because they want a child; without considering how they will look after it, or that that child might be without a mother before it is out of its teens.
They may have been your reasons and other men may have similar reasons. But the reasons of women - who actually are the ones who go through pregnancy and childbirth - may be completely different.
They were your own personal reasons for you in your situation. I'm sure you explained it to your wife and she agreed with you and you decided to have more children. Not everyone is in your position or has your reasons for not wanting to add to their family.
If you believed that the Lord was asking you both, as a couple, to have more children; if that was his will for your lives, and your wife agreed and did not mind going through 9 pregnancies, then that's great and I'm sure you are both very blessed.
That doesn't mean that all Christians have to follow your example or believe as you did.
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