Contraception |  |
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The issue of contraception is discussed here as pertaining to married
couples. The unmarried are not permitted to engage in intercourse and the Bible
says that doing so can merit eternal damnation (Galatians 5:19-21, 1 Corinthians
6:9). Prior to 1930 all Christians recognized artificial contraception as evil.
The first crack in this unity occurred at the Anglican Church’s Lambeth
conference of 1930. At this conference the Anglican Bishops recommended
abstinence as the desired form of birth control but grudgingly permitted married
men and women to use other methods, provided they were used “in light of
Christian principles.” It is odd to say the least, that the conference would
suggest the use of an intrinsically evil invention in the light of Christian
principles. Nevertheless, immediately afterward Pope Pius XI released a teaching
letter entitled Casti Cannubii, which stated “….any use whatsoever of matrimony
exercised in such a way that the act is deliberately frustrated in its natural
power to generate life is an offence against the law of God and of nature, and
those who indulge in such are branded with the guilt of grave sin.” This was
later reinforced by Pope Paul VI in his teaching letter “Humanae Vitae”, which
predicted that the widespread use of contraception would cause conjugal
infidelity, a lowering of moral standards, growing immorality among young
people, and that husbands would see their wives as mere sex objects instead of
beloved companions. Thirty years later, this has all come to pass. In America,
in 1931, the Federal Council of Churches approved of the “careful and restrained
use of contraceptives by married people.” In response to this declaration, Dr.
Walter A Maier, a Lutheran seminary professor, called it a “20th century renewal
of pagan bankruptcy.” Bishop Warren Chandler of the Methodist Episcopal Church
stated: “Its deliverance on the matter of birth control has no authorization
from any churches representing it, and what it has said I regard as most
unfortunate, not to use any stronger words. It certainly does not represent the
Methodist Church, and I doubt if it represents any other Protestant Church in
what it has said on this subject….”. The point is that before 1930, birth
control was condemned by Protestants just as much as it was by Catholics. The
idea that contraception is harmful seems foreign to the modern day Christian.
However, it is one of the greatest evils of our time. Probably if any method is
more evil than another, then the most evil methods would have to be the “pill”,
the “shot”, or the IUD. The primary method that these employ is that they
attempt to prevent conception (except the IUD). However if conception should
occur, the secondary method that is employed is that they make the walls of the
uterus hostile to implantation. Thus, a fertilized egg cannot implant itself,
and it is cycled out in the next menstrual cycle. Therefore, the mother has
unknowingly aborted her child. Medical doctors admit that this type of negligent
murder can and does occur with an unknown frequency. Unknown to many, the Bible
even covers contraception. In Genesis Chapter 38:9-10 it says: “But Onan knew
that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife he
spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother.
And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also.
“ Onan engaged in what must be the oldest form of contraception, the withdrawal
method. Some make the claim that he was slain, not for the contraceptive aspect,
but because he did not raise up offspring for his brother which was the custom
at the time. However, death was not the normal punishment that was reserved for
breaking that custom. The normal punishment for not raising offspring for one’s
brother, is given in Deuteronomy 25:5-10 which states:” "If brothers dwell
together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead shall not be
married outside the family to a stranger; her husband's brother shall go in to
her, and take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband's brother to
her. And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his brother
who is dead, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. And if the man does
not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the
gate to the elders, and say, 'My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his
brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to
me.' Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he
persists, saying, 'I do not wish to take her,’ then his brother's wife shall go
up to him in the presence of the elders, and pull his sandal off his foot, and
spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, 'So shall it be done to the man
who does not build up his brother's house.' And the name of his house shall be
called in Israel, The house of him that had his sandal pulled off.” Thus the
punishment given for this offence was not death, but public embarrassment.
Furthermore Onan’s father and younger brother both broke the very same law and
they weren’t struck dead. Judah even admitted he was in the wrong with regard to
this law (Gen 38:26). Surgical sterilization, spermicides, and condoms are also
evil. In surgery a person willfully mutilates himself or herself so that he or
she can engage in the marriage act without the consequences of childbirth. God
himself joined the act of intercourse with the act of childbearing, and to
separate one aspect from the other is a perversion of God’s will and the laws of
nature. At first spermicides seem like a safe choice for contraception. However,
they can make it difficult for a woman to become pregnant when she so chooses,
and when she does, the previous use of spemicide has been known to cause birth
defects. Condoms deny a person’s ability to fully give themselves to their
spouse. It in effect says” I want you to have all of my love. Now let us shield
ourselves from each other with this barrier.” Such a method can hardly be
considered to be the way the marriage act was intended to be carried out. As was
mentioned above, oral contraceptives have been known to act as abortifacients.
They have also been known to cause blood clots, strokes, gall bladder disease,
liver tumors, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, bloating, swelling of the
fingers and ankles, a spotty darkening of the skin, headaches, nervousness,
depression, dizziness, loss of scalp hair, rash and vaginal infections. Some of
these side effects are fatal. It seems more likely that one would want his worst
enemy to take the pill rather than his dearest loved one. Examine the evolution
of contraception. Prior to 1930, all Christians condemned it. The next step was
that certain groups accepted it strictly for married couples. Once it became
widely available, a man or woman could engage in premarital sex more easily than
before, or he or she could be unfaithful to his or her spouse because the worry
of pregnancy had been minimized. This perversity led to the idea that sex was
okay as long as it was between two consenting adults rather than being exclusive
to a married couple. This then led to the idea that if it were permissible for
two consenting adults of the opposite sex to engage in the marriage act, then
why not two adults of the same sex. This perverse evolution of thought has led
to the recognition of “gay” marriages by the US government. Furthermore, some
Jewish and Protestant sects have given the go ahead on “gay” unions as well.
Another aspect of the contraceptive evolution is that if it is permissible to
prevent a pregnancy, then it is permissible to terminate an early pregnancy.
Furthermore, if it is ok to terminate an early pregnancy then it should be ok to
terminate a late pregnancy. Presently a woman can have an abortion from the time
of conception up until half way through birth through the method known as
partial birth abortion. It is also becoming more common to view on the evening
news young couples that either abandoned their baby or threw it in the trash.
Every time you buy artificial contraception, stop and consider the damage that
you cause to your marriage and the cause that you help to propagate. There are
morally permissible alternatives available called natural family planning (NFP),
and these methods are at least as effective as artificial contraception.
Sometimes the objection is raised that NFP and other methods are just the same.
This is not true. While the end might be the same, the means are different. As
an example, consider two men who are prone to excessive eating. The first man
overeats, and when he is done, he forces himself to vomit, while the second
forces himself to refrain from overeating. The second man’s actions are not
sinful, yet the first man is a glutton. Ask yourself why you choose to use
contraception. The answer almost always involves an attachment to material
things or resentment towards new life. Decide what you love more in life, the
God who made you, or sex on demand despite any harmful side effects. A person
simply cannot choose both. The side effects, the scandal, and the selfishness
are too great for these intrinsically evil things to ever be a part of the true
Christian’s life. For information on Natural Family Planning (NFP), consult the
nearest Catholic Priest or call the Couple to Couple League at 513-471-2000. For
a more in depth, look at contraception, request from the Couple to Couple league
a copy of Birth Control and Christian discipleship or a copy of The Bible and Birth Control.
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