Birth Control?

The Tree · Feb 5, 2005

Hello all,

I am interested in hearing from reformed christians what are their views on birth control methods. Are christian couples free to use them?

(Assume that the methods under discussion here are not those that cause abortions in any way like some of the pills supposedly do)

Knight · Feb 5, 2005

As far as I know there is no official "Reformed" stance on birth control.

Here's my view.

God is concerned with our heart. He wants us to submit to His will in everything.
If you are using birth control because you don't want to have kids regardless of His will, that is wrong.

The key is to be open to the possibility. The simple fact is that there is no 100% effective method of birth control. (With the exception of abstinence.) So there is still the "risk." Also, if it is God's will for you to have a child then any method of birth control is not going to prevent this.

The Tree · Feb 5, 2005

Knight said:
As far as I know there is no official "Reformed" stance on birth control.

Here's my view.

God is concerned with our heart. He wants us to submit to His will in everything.
If you are using birth control because you don't want to have kids regardless of His will, that is wrong.

The key is to be open to the possibility. The simple fact is that there is no 100% effective method of birth control. (With the exception of abstinence.) So there is still the "risk." Also, if it is God's will for you to have a child then any method of birth control is not going to prevent this.

Knight, i agree with your post, though i was actually asking something different.

I am not quite talking about the decision not to have children at all. But how about deciding to stop at 2, or 3 or X kids? Or how about a couple deciding to put of having children for say a year or 2 until the finances have stabalized.

Knight · Feb 5, 2005

The Tree said:
Knight, i agree with your post, though i was actually asking something different.

I am not quite talking about the decision not to have children at all. But how about deciding to stop at 2, or 3 or X kids? Or how about a couple deciding to put of having children for say a year or 2 until the finances have stabalized.

It's the same answer. What is in your heart? Are you willing to submit to God's timing rather than your own? The reverse is also true for couples who want children but have difficulty concieving. But that's a different topic.

Again, if God wants you to have children in His time frame, no amount of BC is going to prevent it.

cygnusx1 · Feb 5, 2005

Interfering with the body using contraception is no different from interfering and using medicine ........ It always seems so cruel to me to have millions of starving people and deny them not only a future but also millions more that they will give birth to in areas where contraception is more or less banned.

Beoga · Feb 5, 2005

i don't have a problem with birth control, but if God wills that you have a child, you will have a child and no amount of birth control will be able to stop that

MG · Feb 5, 2005

My opinion is that nothing that offers a remote possibility of aborting your fetus should be permissable. And contraceptives offer that chance. As for IUD's...those implants offer a hostile environment in which the egg becomes fertilized and makes the passage to the womb, yet unable to attach to the wall of the uterus because of the "foreign substance" and the hardening of the lining.

I believe this would be against Gods will....absolutely.

My husband and I sustained almost 11 years of marriage without using birth control, and keeping with our "goal" of 2 children. Here are the tools that you need:

1. Pen
2. Calendar
3. Calculator if necessary

Piece of cake.

Ave Maria · Feb 5, 2005

Pregnancy doesn't begin until implantation. Also, contrary to popular belief, the life inside of you is not a fetus until the pregnancy is in it's 10th week. If you want much more detailed information about the stages of pregnancy, this site explains it very well:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fetu.htm

Beoga · Feb 6, 2005

whether it is a fetus or not, it is still a seperate human life

The Tree · Feb 6, 2005

MG said:
My opinion is that nothing that offers a remote possibility of aborting your fetus should be permissable. And contraceptives offer that chance. As for IUD's...those implants offer a hostile environment in which the egg becomes fertilized and makes the passage to the womb, yet unable to attach to the wall of the uterus because of the "foreign substance" and the hardening of the lining.

I believe this would be against Gods will....absolutely.

My husband and I sustained almost 11 years of marriage without using birth control, and keeping with our "goal" of 2 children. Here are the tools that you need:

1. Pen
2. Calendar
3. Calculator if necessary

Piece of cake.

What about comdoms? Are there any other kinds of bc avaliable that don't cause abortions?

MG · Feb 6, 2005

The Tree said:
What about comdoms? Are there any other kinds of bc avaliable that don't cause abortions?

Tree,

I would encourage anyone seeking true family planning to do so through prayer and conviction. As far as I know, condoms do not cause abortions. Neither does any "barrier" form of birth control (i.e; spermicide, diaphrams?) They hinder the sperm from ever reaching the uterus.

Holly3278 said:
Pregnancy doesn't begin until implantation. Also, contrary to popular belief, the life inside of you is not a fetus until the pregnancy is in it's 10th week.

It is interesting for you to break this up (pregnancy and life and fetus) It is all one ---------> Father God ordained life.

Holly3278 said:
If you want much more detailed information about the stages of pregnancy, this site explains it very well:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fetu.htm

I prefer scripture.

All life begins when God laid out his plans before the creation! He knew you before you were born. Praise God we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

Imblessed · Feb 7, 2005

My husband and I waited 7 years to have a child, because I knew I wasn't ready to be a mom yet. Then, for some unknown reason, my pill started causing trouble, so I had to quit. Unfortunately, I am highly allergic to chemical contraceptives, so we had to do natural family planning. It didn't work. Looking back, God had other plans for me, so now I am happily a mother of two boys.

I had to have an emergency cesarian with my second (I would have with my first except he was 3 weeks early and quite small). I did not feel it was safe to have another child, knowing what I know now--both boys had extended stays in the hospital--so I decided to have a tubal ligation.

I don't feel I am going against God's plan by stopping at two. I'm 32, and if I had held to the view that I should not use any birth control and "rely on God", it's possible I would have a lot of children and be insane by now!! Two is truly the limit of my patience.... Yet, it's also possible that I would only have two. I actually had planned on not having any kids at all because I really didn't think I was cut out to be a mother. God proved me wrong there! I really love being a mother, but I'm sure that I could never have a lot of kids, I just don't have that kind of patience. Patience is something I struggle with now, as a mom, so two is PLENTY. I grew up the youngest of 9, so I know a little about what it takes to have alot of kids(God bless my mother...how she did it I'll never know....)

Kind of a convoluted view....a round about way of saying birth control's ok, but don't be suprised if God has a different plan for you than you have for you!!!!!

Ave Maria · Feb 9, 2005

The Tree said:
What about comdoms? Are there any other kinds of bc avaliable that don't cause abortions?

Condoms are fine in my opinion. I'm not Reformed but I do intend to visit a PCUSA congregation this Sunday. Condoms do not prevent the implantation of a fertilised ovum into the uterus which many Conservatives consider to be an abortion. They prevent fertilisation from ever occurring in the first place so I'd have to say that they are a pretty "morally safe" form of contraception in most people's eyes. I'm not sure but I think Catholics are against condom usage. Correct me if I'm wrong someone!

Ave Maria · Feb 9, 2005

MG said:
Tree,

I would encourage anyone seeking true family planning to do so through prayer and conviction. As far as I know, condoms do not cause abortions. Neither does any "barrier" form of birth control (i.e; spermicide, diaphrams?) They hinder the sperm from ever reaching the uterus.

You are correct. As far as I know, all non-hormonal birth control methods are safe as they do not hinder implantation of the fertilised ovum into the lining of the uterus.

MG said:
It is interesting for you to break this up (pregnancy and life and fetus) It is all one ---------> Father God ordained life.

It is best to be educated is it not?

MG said:
I prefer scripture.

All life begins when God laid out his plans before the creation! He knew you before you were born. Praise God we are fearfully and wonderfully made!

I prefer scripture plus reason along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and modern scholarship (which goes along with reason ). Believe me, MG, our views are probably a lot closer than what you think they are.

God Bless,
Holly

MG · Feb 9, 2005

Holly3278 said:
You are correct. As far as I know, all non-hormonal birth control methods are safe as they do not hinder implantation of the fertilised ovum into the lining of the uterus.

I am not completely sure, but would not those "barrier" forms hinder the sperm ever reaching the egg?

Holly3278 said:
It is best to be educated is it not?

Absolutely! I was taught that all were the same. I am not an extreme fundamentalist, not extreme conservative. However, I stand by my belief that any form of life is given by God, not by chance. Pregnancy, life, fetus, zygote....to me they are all scientific labels that define one thing. Life.

Holly3278 said:
I prefer scripture plus reason along with the guidance of the Holy Spirit and modern scholarship (which goes along with reason ).

I concur. I too, believe that God gave us a brain for purpose On the same token, our own understanding of issues such as these, does not measure to the word of God. When reason fails us, which we are all faulty beings, then we have to trust what God says. And he says that he is our creator. I have to conceed to that ... no ifs ands or buts.

Holly3278 said:
Believe me, MG, our views are probably a lot closer than what you think they are.

I can see that. I think the only thing that is disagreed upon is the definition of when life begins. But that isn't really what the OP was about.. The OP needed some clear guidance on forms of family planning.

And I am not helping very much........sorry.

Cajun Huguenot · Feb 9, 2005

Holly3278 said:
Pregnancy doesn't begin until implantation. Also, contrary to popular belief, the life inside of you is not a fetus until the pregnancy is in it's 10th week. If you want much more detailed information about the stages of pregnancy, this site explains it very well:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_fetu.htm

Human Life begins at conception. David speaks of himself from Conception. Christ existed in human form from the time he was conceived by the Virgin Mary.

Modern definitions and timetables will not change those facts.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

MKalashnikov · Feb 11, 2005

Human Life begins at conception. David speaks of himself from Conception. Christ existed in human form from the time he was conceived by the Virgin Mary.

Modern definitions and timetables will not change those facts.

Amen and Amen!

rmwilliamsll · Feb 11, 2005

It is a big issue, we struggled with it for a decade. OTOH we desired to trust God and OTOH we needed to limit our kids for emotional and financial reasons. I think the best reasoning is that God gives us means (the old joke about the boat and heliocopter) and expects us to avail ourselves of them wisely and with the triad: good intentions, proper means, to the right ends/purposes/goals, in mind.

With the birth of each kid the means became more effective until my wife got a tubal. So each couple has to struggle with the issues for themselves, keeping several big ideas in mind.

Trusting God.
proper use of God given means
to glorify God in all we do.
the creation mandates.
the narrowing of many options as your family size increases.
etc.

....

Imblessed · Feb 11, 2005

rmwilliamsll said:
It is a big issue, we struggled with it for a decade. OTOH we desired to trust God and OTOH we needed to limit our kids for emotional and financial reasons. I think the best reasoning is that God gives us means (the old joke about the boat and heliocopter) and expects us to avail ourselves of them wisely and with the triad: good intentions, proper means, to the right ends/purposes/goals, in mind.

With the birth of each kid the means became more effective until my wife got a tubal. So each couple has to struggle with the issues for themselves, keeping several big ideas in mind.

Trusting God.
proper use of God given means
to glorify God in all we do.
the creation mandates.
the narrowing of many options as your family size increases.
etc.

....

good points! I agree completely...

FaithAlone · Feb 14, 2005

As soon as the sperm and the egg meet cells beging to divide and a being with a completely different system is being formed. Implantation doesn't happen until about a week to 10 days later. I believe that any form of birth control that keeps a conceived child from implanting is abortion and is wrong. All barrier forms that I know of only keep the egg and sperm from meeting. The comment "If it's God's will you will get pregnant anyway" takes away all human responsibility. Well if it's God's will I'll lose weight today. If it's God's will I'll treat my husband right today and if I don't I guess that was just God's will. What God has ordained will happen, but that does not take away our will that can go against God's will. Our going against God's will will never stop Him from completing His will but we can rebel against God and our relationship with Him as a Christian can be strained because of our decisions to do our own thing. If you are truly reformed then the logical answer to this question is that you wouldn't use birth control because God's will will be done no matter what. I on the other hand think that God opens and closes the womb when he pleases but that because of our lack of faith (including my husband and I) we use barrier methods to prevent pregnancy. I really don't know where I'm going with this and I'm totally in the wrong forum for my beliefs but I was sent here by a reformed guy that wanted me to see what he believed and I ran across this. Sorry if it didn't make any sense : )

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