Birth Control…a Neutral Issue?
“Why can’t birth control just be a neutral issue…your choice if you want to use it, my choice if I don’t. Why does it have to be good or bad? Or is it good or bad?”
I’ve mulled over this question before, mainly after, perhaps, someone has said something like the above to me. “It’s fine with me if you don’t practice it.” The truth, though, is IT IS NOT FINE WITH MOST PEOPLE that there are families who do not practice the prevention of children. It’s bizarre, but true. I know…I deal with it quite often, from the public, from friends, from relatives, and sadly, even the Christian community.
I’ve sat in circles where Christian men and women refer to one of these non-birth-control families as a couple who “breeds like animals”. Pardon me, but, just like the animals, God created us to reproduce too (quite often, in some cases). The animals just haven’t been manipulated yet. The air is flooded with comments that indicate something is a little “wrong” with someone who accepts the children God gives you. The stares…the bulging eyes…the “bless your hearts!” and the “don’t you know what causes that?” comments are far too many for me to conclude that it is a neutral issue.
The issue of birth control bothers me because it is precisely not a neutral issue (and I am not a neutral person!) If birth control were a non-issue, people would not take such offense to those who have not embraced it. I don’t think I would ever even think about it (well, maybe I would, but…) if no one ever batted an eye at my choice to live “naturally” regarding the area of reproduction. If it were truly neutral, fine. But the very aversion the common public has to something God created to be right and good, tells me something is not right. (BTW, the comments I receive are not why I “crusade” about this issue…I just feel a strong sense of urgency to seek out truth and share it…sorry.)
When birth control became acceptable, large families became unacceptable. When preventing children became expected, having more than two children became strange. The two are just at odds with each other…period. And if that’s so, can they both be right? I’m just asking.
I’m challenging my readers to offer their opinions, arguments or points:
Is birth control a neutral issue?…Agree or disagree, what do you think?
Related posts:
birth control, motherhood | Word Warrior | 
May 22, 2007 1:53 pm
I agree with you. Small families have become so normal that people look at large families like a freak show. And even though many children in small families spend most of their time being neglected at daycare and in front of the TV, people tend to assume that well-cared-for children in large families can’t possibly be getting enough attention.
I absolutely agree with you. It’s funny I was just pondering this in my own mind yesterday…I was thinking of men’s objectifying of women in society and where did that come from….the ability to have those “harmless little affairs”…and how the reason for SO MANY ills in society can be traced back to birth control.
Then I started thinking about how Loretta Lynn could sing “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and then “The Pill.” I was wondering why growing up in a big family, even very poor, led to that line of thinking, and how she got that deceived and foolish….oh well, I could go on all day.
To the Christian, nothing is or should be a neutral issue. Children of God should realize that every jot and detail in this universe is planed and maintained by God. If it is that important to Him, it must be for us, too. Trusting in God’s word as the truth, Christians should trust in following His commands.
Birth control is a much easier thing to obey than temper control. For instance, it is easy to not take the pill or not use other devices, but it is harder to follow God’s command to always be kind and slow to anger. One is of physical action, the other is more of spirit and mind control. God’s instructions for birth control should be followed. It is a very simple thing to do!
For the non-believer, anything goes. What can they expect? They have no solid foundation. Satan changes the rules as he leads the lost further into destruction. It is nearly impossible to reason with non-Christians using God’s wisdom. Proverbs testifies of this. They don’t want to listen. God’s wisdom to them is foolishness.
-Beata
Birth control is not a neutral issue nor is it one of those “gray areas” in our Christian life. On the continuum of black to white, I’d say that birth control is imbedded firmly on the dark side.
I recently heard a likeminded man, a father of many blessings, say that he believed that if God had desired us to have two children, he would have designed womens’ bodies to produce only two eggs…one for a boy and one for a girl. Instead, God designed our bodies to produce many children, a godly offspring, a rich heritage of blessings.
People may like to believe that the Bible is silent on birth control, but I disagree. I think there are multitudes of Scriptures and Scriptural principles that illuminate our understanding on this subject. God loves children and considers them a blessing. Why don’t we?
I personally use birthcontrol. Not to control children but for medical reasons. I am no longer married and do not practice sex outside of marriage. I personally would have loved a big family but that did not happen. I was blessed with one child and I am content with that. I personally think big families are great.
I appreciate your comment, Anon…
Let me start by saying I love your blog. I come from a family of seven children, tho we all went to church, not all of us are christians. We have alot of family quarrels because of this. However, that is another topic for another time. I am thinking and praying for God to give me knowledge on what to for my family. My DH and I have a boy and a girl. My DS whom I adore, has kept me busy so to speak and can be a handful. I am learning, from God, patience thru this. I KNOW that children are blessings and what the psalms say about them. However, one verse in the new testament (I think its 1 Cor 7 something)has been sticking to me. Paul says that the time is short and those that have wives are to be as if they have none. Now I know he isnt talking about abandoning families. Yet, I seem to find my days filled with childcare, that it is hard to get as much time as I’d like to spend with the Lord. I think about sitting on my bed reading the Bible and its just a TREAT! Well, anyways, Jesus also said that if we love mother, father, children or anyone else more than Him, then we are not worthy of Him. I am just afraid that if we did not practice the mode of BC (which is withdrawl) that I would not have as much time for my Lord. I do know that I am raising children FOR HIM. But there are people alive NOW who need Jesus too. I dont know if I make sense. Just hoping you might have some thoughts. Jennifer
I think you are awesome & your website is awesome! Thanks for the encouragement! You go girl, thanks for bringing motherhood back.
My response to Jennifer:
Somehow, I missed Jennifer’s comment, so I’m glad a reader brought it to my attention.
First of all, the verse you mentioned in Corinthians can cause a lot of confusion. I’ve heard one commentator mention that when Paul wrote that, it was in the middle of war time (???) and he simply meant for each person to stay as they are, and serve the Lord where they were during those turbulent times. I honestly haven’t studied that passage fully enough to add any more thoughts to it. I don’t see, however, that it has any implications for our decision in the issue of birth control.
Secondly, you mentioned the words of Jesus that if we love mother and father or children more than him, we are not worthy of Him. I’ve always struggled a little bit with that hard saying, but Jesus simply meant that He was to be the first priority of our lives…period. Many in the day of Jesus faced being abandoned and rejected by their own families if they chose Christianity. Literally speaking, many people had to choose Him over their families. I think this passage may refer to that condition more than anything else.
I think there is dangerous thinking in the concept of limiting our children in order to be a better witness to other people. God never contradicts Himself; he would not create us to bear many children,say he delighted in giving us a quiver full, but then expect us to refuse them for His work. Simply put, a mother and father, wife and husband, who live a life of devotion to Christ through obedience, is more of a testimony to the world than anything. Sometimes we get so caught up in “numbers” and more visible modes of evangelism, that we neglect the ones God has already put into place. I can’t tell you how having a large family opens up conversations with people out in public to share the gospel that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity. I honestly think having a family that “doesn’t look like the world” is a louder testimony than all the tracts I could hand out. (Which by the way, you can still hand out tracts; but the more children you have, the more tracts you can give!)
True, finding quiet time with the Lord can be a challenge to a young mother…I do understand the demands a mother has. But I always reason that if I can find time to fix my hair, have a blog, surf the net, or anything else that I enjoy, surely I can find time to spend in the Word.
I would suggest that it is right and good for you to “create” quiet time, even if your children are awake. It would be great training and a great testimony to them if you set aside time in your day that they know is a time you are going to spend with the Lord.
I read of a mother in the late 1800′s who took turns with each child. She said she would bring them to her room, sit them in a chair, and announce, “Mother is going to talk to the Lord now”. Then she said she got on her knees and wept deeply as she prayed and sought the Lord on their behalf. She said those were some of the most powerful and meaningful moments in the life of her children.
I may not have addressed your comment very well, but all in all, no matter how difficult our task may seem, or how little you feel you are “doing” for His sake, I believe when we “seek first the kingdom of God”, seeking to obey and follow His design for the family, “all these things will be added unto you”.
Maybe more on this topic in a blog post later…
Sadly, it is not a neutral issue. Most Christians have all but decided that it is a positive thing.
That God wants us to control our bodies (messing with our hormones, exchanging natural production for a medicinal cocktail and perpetual PMS) in order to avoid children.
It is anything but neutral. Most of the Christian community falls squarely in the camp of praising birth control in virtually any form.