Contraception

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Contraception, is it a sin?!

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), March 22, 2004

Answers

I don't think is it. It is God who opens and closes the womb, and I don't see how a condom (or whatever is used) is more powerful than God. But I am stumped on this though....the marriage vows, 'let nothing come between you'

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), January 28, 2004.


Old Testament influence, here. If one wishes to build a nation, contraception is a sin.

Although, "fruitful and multiply" may not necessarily mean babies, but converts.

New Testament influence, here. _________________________________!

Although, "bring the children" to Him, still has a ring of "build a nation".

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), January 28, 2004.


Hang on!!

Married couples need contraception?? Married couples who have children do not need contraception. Statistics claim that less that 50% of married couples aren't having "those" relations as frequently as those couples who are committing sins by having "those" relations out of marriage or homosexual activity. I think the kids are the "birth control pills". It is so ironic that married (KJV without the "Apocrypha") couples are the ones who need the bonding are not the ones who are engaging....uh, relating......ummm, playing ping-pong.

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), January 28, 2004.


"personally, I don't think is it. It is God who opens and closes the womb, and I don't see how a condom (or whatever is used) is more powerful than God. But I am stumped on this though....the marriage vows, 'let nothing come between you'"

David, why is sodomy a sin?

its but one form of contraception, btw.

-- Ian (ib@vertifgo.com), January 29, 2004.


Is anyone familiar with the studies that found that couples who practice Natural Family Planning tend to have a very low divorce rate? One statistic I heard was something very low like 1.5%. I haven't seen the actual studies though.

-- James (stinkcat_14@hotmail.com), January 29, 2004.


"Is anyone familiar with the studies that found that couples who practice Natural Family Planning tend to have a very low divorce rate? One statistic I heard was something very low like 1.5%. I haven't seen the actual studies though."

that's a great statistic! i wonder, though, is it a case of causation (great) or correlation (even better).

-- Ian (ib@vertifgo.com), January 29, 2004.


Here's some food for thought...

Maybe we should consider the reasons that many married couples use artificial contraception. I would guess that many of the reasons are worldly, not based on a prayerful discernment. From what I know of NFP, a prayerful discernment of seeking to do God's will is important. That seems more Scriptural to me. If we understand why God blessed the marriage covenant and how sex fits into this plan of His, then we might better determine if artificial contraception is in accordance with His will or not.

I'd be interested to find out if anyone can find a verse in Scripture that supports artificial contraception. Condoms made from animal skin and withdrawal were available as contraception in biblical times. In fact, sorcerors in ancient times provided potions to induce abortion for unwanted pregnancy. On the flip side, there are verses where God commands us to be fruitful and multiply. Women who are barren in Scripture lament their fate. Yet, in today's society, how many people purposely get sterilized to prevent children? How many look at fertility as a curse, rather than a blessing? Deuteronomy 23:1 says "He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the Lord." Does a vasectomy count? Jesus tells us that the "kingdom of God is for such as these" when talking about little children. He always welcomes children.

And there is Onan's sin in Genesis. Christians before 1930 and the Lambeth conference used to call artificial contraception "Onanism." Maybe if we look back to the past (before 1930 and definitely before the "sexual revolution" of the 60's) we'll find some clues as to why many Christians forbade it. They may be able to provide some wisdom on this.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), January 29, 2004.


One more thought...

What's the ultimate purpose for many who use artificial contraception (married or not)? Most likely to have the pleasure of sex without worrying about the potential blessings (or consequences) of that act. I admit to being a novice in the study of Scripture, but this pleasure theme doesn't strike me as being Scriptrual.

-- Andy (aszmere@earthlink.net), January 29, 2004.


I was talking with this Romanist at school, and he kept trying to argue the point that sex is only for making babies.

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), January 29, 2004.


David,

Getting back on track, the Romanist who said sex was only for procreation was wrong. Like I said before, the Catholic Church teaches that sex is for two things:

1. Unity between the spouses
2. Procreation

I think just about everyone on this board can agree on this? If not, I would be interested in your reasoning.

The controversial issue is that the Catholic Church says that it is wrong to separate those two. For example, if a man has a vasectomy he removes procreation as a potential part of the sex act and therefore frustrates one of the God ordained purposes for sex.

Now you might argue that Natural Family Planning is just another form of birth control. It is actually quite different. With contraception we try to take control, with NFP we make a proposal to God, but we acknowledge that he opens and closes the womb(i.e. Abraham and Sarah). We let God take control and we submit our sexuality to Him.

You might want to try this book, I haven't read it, but at least it is a Protestant take on contraception.

Open Embrace: A Protestant Couple Rethinks Contraception by Sam Torode, Bethany Torode, J. Budziszewski

-- James (stinkcat_14@hotmail.com), January 29, 2004.


strange, I haven't heard from Philip Greenspun about the corrupted threads.

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@hotmail.com), March 22, 2004.

David don't you think that is rather odd? So, I'm not so crazy with that conspiracy thing.

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-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), March 23, 2004.


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