Breastfeeding In The Church

[NaasPreacher (C4K)]

Isn't it tragic that we (including C4K) have the time, the energy, the determination, and the fervour to fight, argue, and malign each other over viewpoints on whether a not a woman should breastfeed her baby in church?

 

[Beth]

church culture

In my case, I'm a Mom of 5 and my husband was preaching. Nursing in the pew was much more convenient.

I really don't understand the bolded part. What is cultural about feeding a baby?

I meant that the church we attended at the time had the pastor's office set up for nursing....each church has it's particular culture, and this was part of this one.

 

[saturneptune]

This is just one more example of the extreme feminists movement.

That post shows just how well versed you are on issues of the day. Try sticking to theology. Breast feeding was around long before the feminist movement, and certainly long before you.

 

[Revmitchell]

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[Revmitchell]

Wow - I have never even considered that this might be such a volatile issue.

Here you use the word volatile elswhere you used the word maligned. neither describes any post in this thread. disagreement does not equal either.

 

[saturneptune]

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Good idea for a change

 

[Revmitchell]

Good idea for a change

You have had to pm me in the past and apologize for following me around and harassing me much like you are doing now. You should return to that.

 

[saturneptune]

You have had to pm me in the past and apologize for following me around and harassing me much like you are doing now. You should return to that.

First of all, you have no right to reveal a PM in open forum. The reason I apologized a year ago is because I said something out of the way. In this thread, you are way out of and over the line.

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

My wife is more modest than anyone I know, and will breastfeed in public when she has to using a wrap. It's kinda cool... she goes into baby feed mode, and this pale blue cover slings over her like a Tranformer. As the baby gets older, I can't wait to see what else is in store for him!

 

[Bob Alkire]

....each church has it's particular culture, and this was part of this one.

I was going to stay out of this and I'm sure later I'll wish I had.
Each church, town, county, state and country has their culture. I have always tried to go with the culture of where I have been or slip on out and not make a fuss.

I have never seen a child bf in church or any place in public but I have been brought up in a rather conservitive home and I still am. If it happen in your church and I saw it and it made me uncomfortable, I would try and not to look, and keep my mouth shut, but in my home or place I would ask you to go in this room so you and your child and other would have privacy.

I found out how conservitive I was when I was in the service in parts of Europe and Africa, I had never seen as many breast showing before or after, but it must have been alright in their culture. Now over 40 years later I was in Italy for a few day and saw on TV more than I had seen in person or TV since my service days. I handled that well, we didn't turn the TV back on.

But back to the main point, I would say it is a culture thing and I would not go to your place and try and change the culture and I wouldn't want you to come to my place and try and change mind.

 

[Scarlett O.]

I made a joke on the first page, but I will be serious now.

I have no problem with women breast-feeding their babies anywhere as long as they have a simple coverlet over their shoulder and are covering her body and the baby.

What's tragic here is that we (yes, even we Christians) are so bombarded with repugnant images such as pornographic magazines and movies, beauty pageants, and such that we now view women's body parts as just that.....body parts.

There is even a television show (I don't know the name of it) where 5 or 6 women strip down to very tiny bikinis and a panel of men critique (harshly) and rank their body parts. They have a breast round, leg round, face round, backside round, and stomach round. It's sick.

It's no wonder that some people have a stroke when a woman wants to breast feed in public.

We've conditioned ourselves to believe that women's bodies are nothing more than sexual imagery.

It's not these mothers who are discreetly feeding their babies who have a problem....

....it's the rest of us.

 

[Revmitchell]

I guess we figure we can add words like "culture" "discrete" to our behavior and make it alright. There are a number of activities that we do with out bodies that are necessary. But many of them never need be done in public. Then of course we can add the idea of feeding a child and then what ever means we take to accomplish that should just be flaunted in the faces of others.

We intentionally cover parts of our bodies for a reason. This began in Genesis. BF in public is not necessary and it is rather odd that anyone should insist on doing it. Especially at the moment of the worship of God.

 

[Jim1999]

I grew up in a society in England where men didn't even mention women's "pants" (dainties) in mixed company. We didn't even kiss wife in public or all this huggy-buggy stuff that is rampant to-day. So something as simple as breast-feeding naturally was done in private, even at home. It has nothing to do with sex, speaking for myself, I it is what I grew up with.

Then, I can remember preaching once about women parading topless in public following the example of men who have been going topless in public as they pleased.

Now judge my opinion on this topic, but try to understand what I grew up with. Even to this day, if I went swimming, I would wear a t-shirt to cover my upper torso.

I saw women in Africa breast-feeding, without cover and in the open and that didn't trouble me, but in the free world I would have a panic attack. So, understand how I would take this in a worship setting...absolute taboo!

Cheers, and enjoy your immodest exposure.

Jim

 

[Spinach]

I guess we figure we can add words like "culture" "discrete" to our behavior and make it alright. There are a number of activities that we do with out bodies that are necessary. But many of them never need be done in public. Then of course we can add the idea of feeding a child and then what ever means we take to accomplish that should just be flaunted in the faces of others.

We intentionally cover parts of our bodies for a reason. This began in Genesis. BF in public is not necessary and it is rather odd that anyone should insist on doing it. Especially at the moment of the worship of God.

Why? Because it's done with a breast?

Scarlet O., I appreciate your post.

FWIW, I haven't nursed my babies in over 3 years. I just wanted to bring up the topic.

 

[abcgrad94]

I guess we figure we can add words like "culture" "discrete" to our behavior and make it alright. There are a number of activities that we do with out bodies that are necessary. But many of them never need be done in public. Then of course we can add the idea of feeding a child and then what ever means we take to accomplish that should just be flaunted in the faces of others.

We intentionally cover parts of our bodies for a reason. This began in Genesis. BF in public is not necessary and it is rather odd that anyone should insist on doing it. Especially at the moment of the worship of God.

I do not understand how a well-covered woman is flaunting anything. Why do you think it's wrong to feed a baby naturally if the mother is being quiet and modest? Can one not worship God while in a hospital gown or while singing in the shower?

I'm not trying to be a smart aleck here, but it is rude to pass gas and blow one's nose in public? Should people who need to do this get up and run to the bathroom at church to do it in private lest someone get offended? Wouldn't that be a bigger distraction? Is it wrong for the pastor to drink water at the pulpit because his throat gets dry? After all, that is a natural action and occurs during worship. I guess I don't see the difference.

Marcia mentioned "sucking noises" that could be distracting in church. If that is the case, no one should bottle feed their baby in church, or suck on cough drops or mints because those also involve sucking noises.

 

[annsni]

I guess we figure we can add words like "culture" "discrete" to our behavior and make it alright. There are a number of activities that we do with out bodies that are necessary. But many of them never need be done in public. Then of course we can add the idea of feeding a child and then what ever means we take to accomplish that should just be flaunted in the faces of others.

We intentionally cover parts of our bodies for a reason. This began in Genesis. BF in public is not necessary and it is rather odd that anyone should insist on doing it. Especially at the moment of the worship of God.

Guess you've never had multiple children and breastfed them. If I had to be relegated to the back room each time my babies needed to eat, then I would have not been doing my job in parenting my other children. With my first, if she were nursed, it would have been easier to have gone into private. By the time #2 came along, it was difficult because my husband was busy and I didn't want to ask someone else to watch #1. Then I had the other 2 children and all was done. I nursed in the car in the parking lot, I nursed in the ballet studio. I nursed in the barn while my daughter was horseback riding. I nursed at street fairs because it was a gorgeous day and my family wanted to go - and there was NO place "private" to nurse the baby. OH - and when I nursed at the fair? It took one guy 20 minutes to figure out what I had been doing. Of course by then the baby was finished and sleeping - and he learned that discreet nursing means that people really don't know what's going on. I was walking right next to this guy for 20 minutes - if anyone could have seen what was going on, it would have been him.

Nope, for someone to think that a baby can always be nursed in private has never nursed a baby and had other children.

 

[annsni]

I grew up in a society in England where men didn't even mention women's "pants" (dainties) in mixed company. We didn't even kiss wife in public or all this huggy-buggy stuff that is rampant to-day. So something as simple as breast-feeding naturally was done in private, even at home. It has nothing to do with sex, speaking for myself, I it is what I grew up with.

Then, I can remember preaching once about women parading topless in public following the example of men who have been going topless in public as they pleased.

Now judge my opinion on this topic, but try to understand what I grew up with. Even to this day, if I went swimming, I would wear a t-shirt to cover my upper torso.

I saw women in Africa breast-feeding, without cover and in the open and that didn't trouble me, but in the free world I would have a panic attack. So, understand how I would take this in a worship setting...absolute taboo!

Cheers, and enjoy your immodest exposure.

Jim

Give me a break! I never once was immodest or exposed when I was nursing. I can guarantee that. So this garbage about "immodest exposure", "whipping them out", etc. is a bunch of hooey. Babies need to be fed. Moms do it modestly and discreetly. IT'S ILLEGAL TO ASK A MOTHER TO NURSE ELSEWHERE AS LONG AS SHE IS ALLOWED WITH THE BABY TO BE THERE. That right there should end the argument. The church should be very careful what it expects when it comes to legal rights.

 

[Jim1999]

I have never drank water at the pulpit!

I don't chew gum in public or anything else. I think there is a huge difference between normal reactions of the body, such as sneezing, and these are not to be compared to a very private breast-feeding function.

You should spend some time in the pulpit and make a list of people's actions during a service. You might want to write a comedic novel that would be a best seller.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Joshua Rhodes]

Agree to disagree. Just don't ask my wife to move while she's breastfeeding.

 

[abcgrad94]

You should spend some time in the pulpit and make a list of people's actions during a service. You might want to write a comedic novel that would be a best seller.

Cheers,

Jim

Now there's an idea!:laugh: It would probably be very interesting.

Water drinking at the pulpit is common here, especially with revival speakers.