As a Catholic, I believe that artificial contraception is morally unacceptable. There are several reasons why I hold this belief, but I can get to those as time goes by.
My question is: how do most Protestants and evangelicals feel about the issue? In other words, why do you find it acceptable (assuming some of you do - I recognize that not all Protestants practice birth control)?
Aaaand to get us back on track...editing out the off-topicness caused by me....sorry...
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MsMarvel,
Thanks for taking the time to offer your insights!
John.
----MsMarvel
Oh no problem, I volunteer them too easily, I will probably be a lot more guarded next time I post. I don't know what I think about contraception or any of that in general, though, John. You probably have a lot more of an opinion on that. I don't know enough of the bible to know how the Lord views that, and I won't pretend I know.
----DontHitThatMark
You're right, MsMarvel. I really didn't mean it that way though, I know God's commands never change, but I do believe a lot of things have changed. How about God's prescribed diet in the garden? That changed. The roles men and women had? That changed. There was no death before sin, that changed. Many things in the natural world changed when sin entered. All of them going against God's original plan. I just think that to say we should be living an edenic life in a sinful world is impossible, and claiming one scripture as a new law we have to follow is a little far-fetched. I did make the remarks that it was my own personal belief about birth/adoption and I did ask for more bible verses to support the view that contraceptives are wrong. One is not enough in my opinion. Especially one that was before the entrance of sin. I think we should always be a bit suspicious when someone grabs one verse and starts building a doctrine on it and claiming everyone else is sinning by not following it. I haven't had a need to use a contraceptive yet, so you could say I'm still forming an opinion on it. Maybe God will change my mind when the time comes.
----dgrimater
You guys are a barrel full of laughs. I will add my 2 cents here. Soloman being wise and in his youth served God he was given great riches by God.having riches does not make you a bad person. Some are just blessed.
As for birth control, I pointed out my views very gently.
Also, God does give us wisdom.If we can only afford 2 childern that is what we should have. Only have what you can handle.God gave us a brain to make wise decsions.
Ben, you can see my point here I hope.As I have written with tack.I am for birth control. Somebody can get fixed.
At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah. There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua. He married her and lay with her; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.
Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah�s firstborn, was wicked in the LORD�s sight; so the LORD put him to death.
Then Judah said to Onan, �Lie with your brother�s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to produce offspring for your brother.� But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so whenever he lay with his brother�s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from producing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD�s sight; so he put him to death also.� [Genesis 38:1-10]
While this does not specifically speak to contraception, it does suggest the �possibility�.
Really the thing that has to be considered is:
�When does Life begin?�
If it is the moment the sperm enters the egg...then any action taken after that point is in essence �murder�.
By wearing a condom you play the Role of God The Creator and Deny the Creation (or not) of Life. How are you to know if that Creation was one that God wanted. What if Mary's or Joseph's ancestors had used contraceptives and thereby eliminating either one of them? How much longer would we have had to wait for our Saviour? Would God have been pleased with that?
Christians from the very beginning followed and believed in not using artificial contraceptives. They used other means such as the �rhythm method�.
The inception of �The Pill� in the 60's changed the landscape of relationships and was the beginning of the deterioration of the Nuclear Family.
In response to your remark, "By wearing a condom you play the Role of God The Creator and Deny the Creation (or not) of Life.",
I can respect your thought/belief, and it can be applied to using the Pill, as well. But ya know.. when you think about it, how many artificial, synthetic or chemical things do we use nowadays in life? To prolong life. Sometimes to end life. Which ones are appropriate and which ones aren't? I give a myriad of pills daily to keep blood sugars down, blood pressures within normal parameters, heart rates and rhythms from pacing out of whack, etc, etc. If I have a code, I work 'em up. If I have an actively dying patient whose respirations are labored, I give them morphine to ease them, most likely reducing them til their final breath. My question, along the lines of your thinking, is, are these things playing the role of God in that we are using artificial means to justify whatever end? We are after all, interfering with ones destiny if you will. Do we play God by preventing a person to succumb to death either by pumping their heart for them, breathing for them, or giving meds that prevent whatever disease process or morbidity they may have from becoming an early death?
Me either. And I still think that if you think that a condom/pill is going to stop God from doing his will....you're saying that humans are more powerful than God which goes even farther against a Christians beliefs than "birth control". It would mean doubting God's power and elevating man's control....which would be strange to hear from a catholic. I just think there are no grounds for being against birth control. Maybe it's God's will for you to use birth control? It exists so it must have been allowed by God at some point, right? Who's to say? If taking a pill changes the outcome of our lives, and that's "wrong"...then it applies to everything. Even good things. Because if you get pregnant, or if you get promoted, or if you get sick, or if you win the lottery, or if you start a war, or if you take "the pill", or if you're born with AIDS...it was God's will and who are we to interfere? According to that line of thought/belief anyway...I don't believe that to begin with but...some do...
I don't see much difference either. In all events, it is an artificial means to prevent something from happening. They all chemically alter the body, some by preventing it from responding to estrogen levels that cause the release of eggs leading to possible pregnancy or by the management of blood pressure leading to the possible prevention of stroke or heart attack.
If it is considered playing God to prevent a life prior to conception from coming into existence via artificial means, then I see no difference in preventing a life from dying via artificial means, as both are interfering with the natural process of life, to which God is Creator.
I find nothing in Scripture that tells us it is wrong or to not use contraceptives or some form of birth control. Just as I find nothing in Scripture that tells us it is wrong or to not use ACE inhibitors in the management of hypertension. To say otherwise is an argument from silence. I believe it should be left to ones own convictions, which should be respected.
