Is birth control a sin?

Ave Maria · Mar 20, 2005

Hey everyone. Let's assume we have a married Baptist couple who want to withhold having children for a while. So, they decide to use birth control. Suppose the female goes on the birth control pill or the shot which can act as an abortifacient. Is this a sin? Or suppose instead that they use condoms which merely prevent conception from occurring in the first place. Is this a sin? According to Catholicism, both are a sin. But what do Baptists generally believe?

SonOfThunder · Mar 20, 2005

interesting point, lets throw another question into the arena.

Suppose a couple use the method of 'withdraw' which is spilling what could have been a baby, is that a sin, I read about not spilling in The Bible I think.

James

Ave Maria · Mar 20, 2005

SonOfThunder said:
interesting point, lets throw another question into the arena.

Suppose a couple use the method of 'withdraw' which is spilling what could have been a baby, is that a sin, I read about not spilling in The Bible I think.

James

Yeah the sin of Onan. From what I understand, his sin wasn't withdrawel but actually disobeying God.

arunma · Mar 20, 2005

It doesn't seem to me like birth control should be considered sinful. Certainly, sex between unmarried couples is a sin. But in the manner you've described birth control, I don't see anything that is prohibited by Scripture.

As for the issue of accidentally aborting a child that might have been concieved, the problem is that the slippery slope argument works both ways. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the pro-life cause. But if it's OK to kill germ cells a few moments before they've met, is it also OK to kill them afterwards? Certainly, killing a fetus would be murderous if it were done weeks after it's concieved. But in the way you're describing it, I don't think there are any ethical or moral issues to deal with.

Ave Maria · Mar 20, 2005

arunma said:
It doesn't seem to me like birth control should be considered sinful. Certainly, sex between unmarried couples is a sin. But in the manner you've described birth control, I don't see anything that is prohibited by Scripture.

As for the issue of accidentally aborting a child that might have been concieved, the problem is that the slippery slope argument works both ways. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the pro-life cause. But if it's OK to kill germ cells a few moments before they've met, is it also OK to kill them afterwards? Certainly, killing a fetus would be murderous if it were done weeks after it's concieved. But in the way you're describing it, I don't think there are any ethical or moral issues to deal with.

I agree. I personally would have no problem whatsoever with using barrier methods of contraception or spermicide because they prevent conception.

_sunshinegirl · Mar 21, 2005

Wow. great topic, I've never thought about this before.
Now thinking about it though, I think it is a sin (for people reasoning above).
Plus you are stepping into God's territory when you choose when you want to have a child, its his choice not ours.

Melbelle · Mar 21, 2005

I do not believe it is a sin, I don't read any verses about it being a sin. However I do believe that if God wants us to have a kid then we will, how about another question. If a Woman gets her tubes tied or a man gets a sectumy (I don't know how to spell it lol) is it a sin? I was on the pill and got pregnant with Seth, my mom was on the pill got pregant with me, on the diaphram and got pregnant with my older brother and had her tubes tied and got pregnant with my younger brother, so I believe if you are suppose to have a kid then you will. Regardless if you use b/c or not.

Ave Maria · Mar 21, 2005

sethsmommy said:
I do not believe it is a sin, I don't read any verses about it being a sin. However I do believe that if God wants us to have a kid then we will, how about another question. If a Woman gets her tubes tied or a man gets a sectumy (I don't know how to spell it lol) is it a sin? I was on the pill and got pregnant with Seth, my mom was on the pill got pregant with me, on the diaphram and got pregnant with my older brother and had her tubes tied and got pregnant with my younger brother, so I believe if you are suppose to have a kid then you will. Regardless if you use b/c or not.

I honestly don't believe that birth control or permanent sterilization such as getting your tubes tied or a man getting a vasectomy is a sin. I believe that God leaves it up to us if we want to have children or not. I do believe that if we do get pregnant then we shouldn't abort the child though.

Melbelle · Mar 21, 2005

I agree Holly I agree

Ave Maria · Mar 21, 2005

sethsmommy said:
I agree Holly I agree

Cool!

Truth and Reconciliation · Mar 21, 2005

You're right - there isn't any verse against birth control per se, but let's think about it another way.

Sexual bonding is a priveledge given by God to married couples, as Genesis says "the two shall become one flesh". The outcome of sex is life, and hence life is a product of the love between two person. We can broaden this to say that life is the result of love, since God created us out of love.

I believe contraception is a sin. As Christians, we should live our lives not around what we want but around what He wants. How do we seek His will? Well, we must diminish ourselves and let God dominate our lives, so that everything we do is done out of glorifying God. Since sex was created originally for means of procreation (meaning creation of life), it is a symbol of God's love for us, since He created us out of love. Sex without contraceptives, or natural sex, would likely result in life - which is sacred to God and fits into His plan.

I believe using contraceptives is limiting what God can do in your life. To be frank, it's taking matters into your own hands, so it's no longer in God's control. He gave us free will, and we use contraceptives to our own will instead of His will. And when we diverge from His will, we fall into sin.

Read this: "I don't want a child because I don't have the money because I don't have the time because I'M too old because I'M [insert excuse here], etc. But I do want to still have sex with MY husband, so God, this is MY plan for MY family, so - - - - DEAL WITH IT." Does't that sound like sin?

The sin of contraception to me isn't in the same category as that of abortion or euthanasia, but it is to me a sin of rebellion - taking matters into your own hands. If God doesn't want you to have a child, then He'll prevent it. But if it's God's will is for you to have a child, but you used contraceptives to your own free will, then you are limiting God in your life.

Pax Christi,

Vincent

DiscipleOfIAm · Mar 21, 2005

I can't believe we're talking about this again. This one comes up, what, about every month or so?

Maybe that's because it is such a personal subject. Each person needs to feel that their belief is also a belief of someone else so they can feel it is okay.

I say that not only does the Bible tell us everything we need to know as Christians, but it also leaves things out purposefully. Instead of saying, show me where it says that in the Bible. Think of it as, it's not in the Bible, so that must mean something in itself. We learn just as much from what's in the Bible as we do from what's not in the Bible. Just because the Bible doesn't say it is okay to do something doesn't mean that it is okay.

Just my 2 cents. We all struggle with the BC issue. In the end, its between you and God.

desert_island_1 · Mar 21, 2005

I do not think that birth control is a sin because if God truly wants you to have a child you will have them regardless if you want to or not. Another way that birth control is not a sin is when a woman goes on 'the pill' to help regulate her periods and sometimes make PMS more minimal.

Just my $0.02 Canadian!

GreenEyedLady · Mar 21, 2005

DiscipleOfIAm said:
Just my 2 cents. We all struggle with the BC issue. In the end, its between you and God.

You got that right. It is between you, your spouse and God.
Let me pull up a scripture that convicted me.

Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Ver. 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD. This points to another mode of building up a house, namely, by leaving descendants to keep our name and family alive upon the earth. Without this what is a man's purpose in accumulating wealth! To what purpose does he build a house if he has none in his household to hold the house after him? What boots it that he is the possessor of broad acres if he has no heir? Yet in this matter a main is powerless without the Lord. The great Napoleon, with all his sinful care on this point, could not create a dynasty. Hundreds of wealthy persons would give half their estates if they could hear the cry of a babe born of their own bodies. Children are a heritage which Jehovah himself must give, or a man will die childless, and thus his house will be unbuilt.~ TOD

Ave Maria · Mar 21, 2005

GreenEyedLady said:
You got that right. It is between you, your spouse and God.
Let me pull up a scripture that convicted me.

Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

Ver. 3. Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD. This points to another mode of building up a house, namely, by leaving descendants to keep our name and family alive upon the earth. Without this what is a man's purpose in accumulating wealth! To what purpose does he build a house if he has none in his household to hold the house after him? What boots it that he is the possessor of broad acres if he has no heir? Yet in this matter a main is powerless without the Lord. The great Napoleon, with all his sinful care on this point, could not create a dynasty. Hundreds of wealthy persons would give half their estates if they could hear the cry of a babe born of their own bodies. Children are a heritage which Jehovah himself must give, or a man will die childless, and thus his house will be unbuilt.~ TOD

Well, for some people children are not a reward. I know if I had like 3 or 4 children I definitely wouldn't want more and would probably get my tubes tied or have my husband get a vasectomy or something so we wouldn't have anymore. I can totally understand why some people may not want to have children.

GreenEyedLady · Mar 21, 2005

Holly3278 said:
Well, for some people children are not a reward. I know if I had like 3 or 4 children I definitely wouldn't want more and would probably get my tubes tied or have my husband get a vasectomy or something so we wouldn't have anymore. I can totally understand why some people may not want to have children.

That is what I thought.......now I wish differantly.
The bible says, children are a reward. Even if WE do not think they are, they still are a reward.

GEL

SonOfThunder · Mar 21, 2005

Since the Bible is not totally clear on this, and God knew that we would have available all that we have today and for the future. How do we cope and discern what Gods will is for us in this area?

This is my (flesh) thinking.

1. Once I get sexually active how can I stop having sex for perhaps a week or two of each month. (1 week during mentruation and one week due to fertility). That would take massive control

2. If I had more children that I could cope with financially or physically, those children might suffer as a result in terms of parents that just can't keep up, that sort of child could grow up mentally unable to fit in society, thats a huge responsibility.

This is (spirit) thinking.

If this were God's He would make it clear (very clear) in The Bible. Sometimes we take one or two Scriptures and try to read into them more than God intended.

Thats exactly why my cousin died when she was in need of a blood transfusion as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Women die in childbirth and suffer health issues for too many pregnancies as well.

Just my thinking out loud here......

James

jubilaki · Mar 22, 2005

well i think with the aborstion thing that i know that realy if a child was conceved the baby shouldent be killed but i know if something was to hapen and at my age i was to get someone pregnet there is no way that i would want her to keep the baby, sometime people might not to be able to aford to keep the baby etc, i know that i shouldent being anything that will ever put me in this position, i think that i just have to put my life gods hands and see what he wants of me...

Ave Maria · Mar 22, 2005

GreenEyedLady said:
That is what I thought.......now I wish differantly.
The bible says, children are a reward. Even if WE do not think they are, they still are a reward.

GEL

Could a child really be a reward to a hopeless, homeless, and unemployed person who has terminal cancer?

Heatherondo · Mar 22, 2005

once upon time, i felt the conviction that it was a sin, with no doubt, then i married and had repeated miscarriages and felt guilt for allowing more pregnancys to occur when i knew the likelyhood of them surviving were slim. I felt selfish.

i never felt right about using condoms after that, but i sis it anyway.

Onan used birhtcontrol and was struck dead by God..

Sex wasnt given to us by God just for procreation, i believe, because of teh closeness and affection it brings...
I think, it has to be something each couple prays about, God may mean for some to use it, some not... since it is not clearly defined in teh bible, it depnds on how God convicts you i think.

Is birth control a sin?

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