contraception

The original question:

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but does the Baptist Church(es) teach anything regarding the morality of artificial contraception?

The answer, which I don't recall seeing:

Some Baptists do, but most don't touch it with a ten-foot pole one way or the other. However, I do personally know of Baptist churches that preach against birth control.

My own personal belief is one that someone else has already mentioned: if you feel you must use it (and I'm speaking of being within the confines of marriage), then you must, by all means, research all of the possible side-effects. This is especially true with the pill and surgically altering your body. Most folks have surgical procedures, as I did, and are not told the full magnitude of future complications.

I do believe that we have failed to trust God with enlarging our families as He sees fit. We listen to the secular folks who tell us that the world is fast becoming over-populated. Since God told us to multiply and replenish, and did NOT tell us how many is "too many" people, and since over-population will not be the ultimate end of the earth and life on it, then I believe we must be very careful of how much faith we put in such things. God IS in control whether we choose to accept that or not.

I could say so much more on this, but I don't really wish to get so involved in such a heated topic. I just couldn't go without at least trying to address the original question.

Julia

 

Margaret Sanger, the woman responsible for making birth control legal in this country, made a statement that China had the BEST argument in the world for birth control. (http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/sanger2.html)

One disturbing thought about this is that China's government is all about CONTROL, not FREEDOM! They control every aspect of a person's life, pre-conception to death. Funny how little freedom China's people really have.

Julia

 

Julia,

I appreciate your response in the first of your two posts. It was open and honest, and I appreciate.

I'm confused of your second post, though. Are you in support or against Ms. Sanger?

[ April 12, 2002, 08:13 PM: Message edited by: GraceSaves ]

 

If I can just address one point you made Julia:

Whether the source is secular or not, the facts are the facts. We, as human beings have a responsilibity to this earth.

God gave us sentience and intelligence for a reason. We have a duty to pay attention to the world around us.

[ April 12, 2002, 08:19 PM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

Oh, most definately against! No doubt about it. The more I read of Mrs. Sanger, who, by the way, had many extra-marital affairs, the more I'm convinced that God was not in any of this.

Julia

 

Julia,

And the truth is that I have seen church bodies use Sanger as a defense for using contraception.

 

Well, if we are to use that reasoning Clint, I imagine we all better get rid of our cars and stop running the factories and power plants. . .polution is rampant! Not to mention the landfills piling higher and higher with rubbish! I would venture that there is more cause for alarm in polution than for overpopulation.

Julia

 

I could use this statement in defense of abortion.

I could use this statement in defense of abortion.

Clint,

Please demonstrate the moral value of contraception.

 

Keeper, the equivalent of shutting off the factories and getting rid of our cars would be telling everyone to stop procreating completely. Using fossil fuels responsibly is the equivalent of procreating responsibly.

It amazes me that people are willing to believe that God wants us to use our common sense in every other aspect of our lives but this one.

Joshua

 

Joshua,

Explain how using contraceptives such as pills, condoms, and other devices has more common sense than brief, periodic abstainance, understanding, and patience with our spouces?

 

Julia, I actually concur with Joshua on this one. Do you think that we should just continue exploiting our resources and let everything go then turn around and blame God for the problems that result?

Gracesaves, I already said that abortion is wrong. You're setting up a straw man.

[ April 13, 2002, 02:36 AM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

I never said that we were to blame God for anything. As for using up resources, so-called overpopulation isn't the only way humans use them up.

Julia

 

I did a little looking into different pills used for contraception and I concur with GraceSaves and TimothyW that any chemical that causes a fertilized egg to be expelled should be considered morally wrong. The fertilized egg, to me, is where human life begins.

It is something of which I was not aware and I appreciate them bringing it to my attention.

I do still retain my stand on contraceptives that prevent fertilization and the rsponsibility we have to this planet.

[ April 13, 2002, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: Clint Kritzer ]

 

I would like to see this documentation. There may be nations with negative population growths but they are WIDELY off set by nations such as India.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. As I stated before, My wife and I will be having a baby in late July.

 

Well, at least something positive came from this discussion!

Unfortunately, Clint, many are not aware and are never told of this side-effect of the birth control pill. Though the chances of it happening may be small, just knowing that the possiblity is there should make one stop using this form of birth control.

Julia

 

Pastor Larry I think you will agree that context is very important.

In the context of the entire chapter, Genesis 38, it is clear that Onan is only one of three persons who violated the Levirate. His father, Judah, and his younger brother, Shelah also violated the law, and Judah openly admitted his guilt in verse 26. After Tamar had tricked Judah into having intercourse with her and getting her pregnant, thus getting Tamar accused of harlotry, he admitted, "She is in the right rather that I. This comes of my not giving her to my son Shelah to be his wife."
When three people are guilty of the same crime but only one of them receives the death penalty from God, common sense dictates that we ask if that one did something the others did not do, The answer is obvious; only Onan went through the motions of the convenantal act of intercourse but then defrauded its purpose and meaning; only Onan engaged in the contraceptive behavior of withdrawal.

 

Now you who are talking about context are reading something into the context. There is no basis for saying that to be the case. The SCripture tells us the reasons (in order not to produce offspring for his brother) and leaves it at that. Your contention about it being a contraceptive issue it totally foreign to SCripture. It is simply not there.

As for teh one who said we should simply abstain during certain periods I direct your attention to 1 Cor 7 where the only reason for abstention is prayer and fasting and it is only temporarily. Sex is not only for procreation. It is wrong to say that it is. To be "open to life" would prevent sex for couples in their later years since they are no longer open to life. The Catholic teaching on this is not a biblical or doctrinal one. It is something that Scripture does not speak to. I have no problem with anyone's position (short of abortion) but we need to be careful making dogmatic statements where Scripture does not. There may be many reasons for contraception.