I believe God is in control of all things. I also believe He has put certain natural processes in motion that are natural laws because He made them that way.
For instance, it is a natural law that if you eat extra, you will gain weight. Now, there are some exceptions. Some people can eat more than normal and not gain weight because they have unusually fast metabolisms, but the general law remains.
Does anyone want to argue that I should eat and then pray that I will only gain weight if it's God's will? No, because we know how that natural process works. If I eat more than I burn, I will gain weight.
Now, I fully agree that children are a blessing from the Lord. I also know what needs to happen in order for a child to be conceived. The way natural law works, if the biological necessities are there, a child is going to be conceived. God sometimes intervenes to change natural law, but not often. If two people sleep together enough and are healthy, they will conceive. Are there exceptions? Sure, but the natural law is still there.
I don't see a fundamental difference. God allows natural processes to dictate how much I weigh based on how much I eat and burn (I realize that's a simplification). Does he care how much I eat? Sure, but the point is, He allows the natural process to work. In the same way, God cares very much how many children people have, but He allows natural processes to work in that area as well.
As long as a human being is not being killed by the birth control method used, I believe it is permissible. We no longer live in a time when half of our children die in infancy or when we need them to help us harvest crops. I believe big families are a great blessing and that we should be open to God calling us to bring more children into this world. I also believe that birth control is a blessing that allows us to change natural processes. If I eat, I'll gain weight. If I exercise, I'll be able to keep that natural process from happening. If a healthy couple sleeps together, they'll conceive. If they use birth control, they'll be able to modify that natural process and plan ahead.
All of that said, I don't wish to argue with someone who has a different conviction. People should do what they believe is right in God's sight.
What are your views on birth control?
Comments (176)
I was always between the fence on this subject and what God would think of birth control. I think your post was simple, yet convincing. I think I could agree that birth control is not an unchristian thing. It sure as hell beats abortion.
But then comes the question- when does life begin? When the fertilized egg implants in the uterus? Or when the sperm fertilizes the egg? Personally, I feel it is the latter so cannot in good conscience take hormonal birth control as the vast majority, if not all, contain mechanisms to keep the fertilized egg from implanting in the womb.
My husband and I have used condoms and FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) which obviously are not the most "effective" methods out there, but no baby is a surprise to God and God has a plan for every single life. There is a very fine line to walk with birth control. Yes, there's the responsible side- making sure you're ready for a baby, etc. But then so many other issues come up- are we not willing to trust God if a pregnancy were to happen? Is it really selfishness that keeps us from wanting children? What are the REAL, deep down reasons for avoiding pregnancy? I don't feel like not wanting a baby right now is a good enough answer.@Mom2Be@momaroo - Thanks for the good comment. I would argue that you are using birth control, since i would place FAM and condoms in the overall category of "birth control methods." I'm not arguing about specific methods here, just the concept in general of regulating conception, which for me includes the methods you use.
it makes no sense for Christians to argue against birth control, but still support just about any other medical treatment or procedure. what if it's God's will that you die from cancer? wouldn't you be selfish by seeking out chemotherapy?
@Mom2Be@momaroo - your argument would make sense if every unplanned pregnancy that's ever happened ended smoothly. obviously, God does not provide for everyone.
(Agnostic here so my views might be different...)
I don't have sex unless I'm using protection. My boyfriend and I always used condoms, and I'm getting on the pill so we'll have more protection. Now, not every method is 100%, but with just condoms we have had nothing happen. I just want birth control just in case of a condom fail (it can happen). I think that a couple should always use birth control unless they are trying to conceive. But then again, like I said, there will always be that 1% failure rate, but if a couple is having sex, they should know the consequences. And a baby is a huge choice emotionally and financially, so with the technology we have, why not try to plan when to conceive? And how many children? If you and your spouse talk it over ("I would prefer to have X many children at this point in my life and I might/probably will not change how many I want"), you can have a better plan.
I take the pill. I don't see anything wrong with it.
@Pickwick12@xanga - Yeah, I agree. I guess the picture that went along with the post made me think more along the lines of hormonal BC.
But the only reasons we've used the methods we have are for health reasons- having 2 babies in 11 months is not exactly healthy, lol. And while it's my own personal opinion, I don't agree with Christian couples who wait several years after marriage to have children simply because it's not convenient, or they want to have time to themselves, or, to put it bluntly, they're not ready to be that responsible yet. Yes, I get the whole idea behind waiting several months or a year before getting pregnant- to adjust to married life and living together and all that that entails. But God has designed marriage and children to go hand in hand.That said, while I don't believe certain types of BC are wrong, I just think we, as Christians, really need to examine our reasons behind postponing childbearing.@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - Ummm, I said that God has a plan for every single life. Not that every single life or pregnancy would go smoothly.
@akarui_mitsukai@xanga - Thanks! I think my mom came up with the analogy several years ago, and it made sense to me.
Advocacy of birth control is problematic for Christians who believe in the Bible and the Gospel. There is not one Bible passage that advocates birth control. In fact, God commanded the human race to "be fruitful and multiply."
It simply is not intellectually honest to claim the Bible as truth and then advocate something like birth control that has no basis in Scripture.
Further, the entire purpose of birth control is to allow human beings the pure lustful pleasure of sex without the consequence of child conception.
That is not supported by Scripture either.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - "the pure lustful pleasure of sex" Do you believe this applies to married couples? I believe married couples are meant to enjoy that pleasure and that there is nothing sinful about it. It promotes marital intimacy, whether or not conception is part of the particular sexual act.
@Pickwick12@xanga - "the pure lustful pleasure of sex" Do you believe this applies to married couples?
Yes! Most certainly. Marriage is no obstacle to using your sex partner for lustful purposes. In fact, that is precisely what birth control does.
Birth control is one of the pernicious modern practices that attacks family at its core: the matrimony.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Thanks for clarifying. We definitely don't see marriage in the same way. I hope that my future husband will "want" me in that way and will lust after me with the purity that is seen in the Song of Solomon.
@Pickwick12@xanga - We definitely don't see marriage in the same way.
My point is that your way of seeing this issue is non-Scriptural. There is no Scriptural basis for your view point.
Therefore your view point is not a Christian view point. You can't claim to be a Christian while holding fundamental beliefs that are non-Christian.
This type of cafeteria religious belief is killing Christianity.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Ok, you're welcome to have that opinion.
@Pickwick12@xanga - I hope that my future husband will "want" me in that way and will lust after me with the purity that is seen in the Song of Solomon.
That hope is futile if you and your husband are using each other for sexual pleasure only. Conjugal union must be open to procreation.
Birth control is a willful act that eliminates openness to the procreative power of the Holy Spirit.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Thanks for clarifying your belief further.
@Pickwick12@xanga - Ok, you're welcome to have that opinion
I am not expressing opinion. I am expressing the teaching of both Scripture and the Church. Since your post is based on neither, you are the one who is expressing an opinion.
Of course, you are welcome to do that too, but it must not be confused with Christian belief.
Someone better forward this to the Duggar family...
I don't know how I feel about birth control, honestly. It depends on the circumstances and the kind you're using. I'm iffy about the pill because of the possible side effects. If/when I'm married, I'd probably have my husband use condoms. Within the context of marriage, I don't think it's selfish if you use it because you aren't financially or emotionally ready for children, or if you have health issues that might make pregnancy dangerous.
However, if God thinks you're ready for a child, He'll make it happen regardless. That's why nothing but abstinence is 100% effective for preventing pregnancy
@fallingraindrop@xanga - I am not part of the Catholic Church, though I respect your beliefs as a part of it.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Birth control is a willful act that eliminates openness to the procreative power of the Holy Spirit.
Not necessarily. God will find a way for a child to result from a sexual union if He sees fit. Maybe that's why it's not 100% effective?
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Well said!
The eating/exercise analogy doesn't quite line up with birth control, because exercise is also part of the natural order. God created us with the ability to exercise. He didn't create us with contraceptives in our hands. So exercising to control your weight actually embraces the natural law, while using contraception to prevent a pregnancy contradicts and circumvents it.
I, personally, make a distinction between "birth control" and "contraception." Contraception is anything that seeks to obstruct conception when it would otherwise be a possibility. Using a condom when the woman is fertile, for example, is an example of contraception. On the other hand, abstinence, for example, is birth control that is non-contraceptive, and is Scripturally supported.
What Onan did (withdrawal) is contraception, and well, if you want to know what God thought of that, then read the text for yourself: Genesis, chapter 38.
@fallingraindrop@xanga - Best answer.