But even weaker than that argument is the first you brought up–the “warped” statement you say I made. “Birth control was not our idea” is not “warped” but accurate, just as you are right that many things were our idea. The difference, though, is paramount. Clothing, vehicles, buttons–all those things are material, insignificant, trivial things in light of a SOUL, an immortal being. Birth control as a “betterment of our lives” is the warped statement. First, birth control has caused a myriad of health issues because it opposes nature and changes the natural function of our bodies–not a betterment.

Secondly, to suggest that interfering in the miraculous process of creating life (a creation of which we are not capable) is a “betterment” is to suggest children are burdens and God doesn’t know what He’s doing–which is strictly opposite to what Scripture does explicitly say about children.

If you want to contend that “unless the Bible specifically forbids birth control” as your measure of authority, that is certainly your right and I do not judge you for that. However, where the Bible is fairly silent about the *prevention* of life, I want to know what the Bible says about the creation of life–and it has quite a bit to say. So I’m going to err on the side of what IS written, rather than what is not.

This is a simplistic, and I daresay – a bit warped? statement. (I don’t mean to offend here, just speaking my mind). There are lots of things that are ‘our’ idea that are not necessarily sinful. For instance, anaesthesia was our idea (unless you figure God putting Adam to sleep was the first anaesthesia), the oboe was our idea, girls having styled hair was our idea, boys wearing pants (not skirts and dresses like in the old Middle east!), coloured contact lenses, reading glasses, physical therapy, universities, Bible Colleges, motor vehicles, buttons on our shirts (unless you’re Amish): all these were ‘our’ idea! And many of these have to do with control, preference, convenience and bettering our lives. Just like birth control. So, I hate to say it, but that is an invalid statement.

Scripture does not condemn birth control. We know the incident with Onan. But was it the birth control that was an issue or was it his dishonorable, greedy intentions to withhold from the woman what was her rightful due in that society? To read into this a lesson on birth control is actually very poor hermeneutics. We can’t throw Scripture around without reading the whole thing and understanding what the intent of each passage is. Was the story about Onan really about birth control? I really don’t think so.

And as I write this, I am expecting baby #5, so I speak as one who at least embraces children heartily. I have no personal agenda in this debate – just sound reasoning and accurate Biblical scholarship.

I am a christian stay at home mother of a beautiful 8 month old daughter, and soon to welcome my husband and I’s second child, a son, into our family in July. When I was younger, misguided, and hadn’t taken God into my life, I was raped and had become pregnant as a result. Jennifer, you said, “That passage in the Bible spoke of abstaining from sex, not trying to get pregnant; the idea that God commands us to try compulsively to get pregnant as much as possible is an unnatural idea to me.” I am saddened by this, I was not trying to get pregnant, and as a result I had a horrific miscarriage. Although at the time I didn’t see the blessing I do now, However, I feel God works in mysterious ways. God took that sweet little angel far before its time, but that was Gods plan. And I am accepting of that now, however, seeing that I wasn’t sexually active until being raped, *I thought I had to be to be “normal”* I hadn’t been on birth control. I was doing things naturally. Abstaining, and praying, and not putting myself in compromising situations with young men. After being raped and becoming sexually active, I took birth control. I, proceeded out of wedlock, to have sex. As a result…I became pregnant, while on Depo, a birth control shot. I was financially unstable, and the father….well he was abusive, anyways, I ended up giving my first born to an adoptive family, for my child’s safety from his father. Jump ahead years… Now I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful daughter, and am expecting a terrific son. I have also excepted Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit into my life full force. My cautionary to you is this Jennifer: Just because you may use medical or “natural” ways to not become pregnant, that doesn’t always guarantee no children. Abstaining – may not either, as in my case. My thought and point is this, GOD is the only one who can control how and when things such as pregnancy happen or don’t happen. Put your faith in HIM. Don’t change your point of view, just remember: In God’s Time, In God’s Will, will your future be received and shown.

As for deciding to have more kids and risk ones life, or deciding to live and ‘serve’ overseas and risk ones life, I don’t think we just decide not to do something because of the risk to ones life. But it is something to consider – if I could choose, i would choose to depart and be with Christ which is better by far, but for your sakes (or the sakes of those around me whom I may influence for the glory of God) I remain… to quote Paul. So don’t flippantly throw it out as not worth considering, nor throw it out and that being the main factor in influencing a decision. Paul knew he was going to die in Rome and went anyways. But we must be led by the Spirit in these matters and not either fatalistic and cautionless or self-determined and refuse to open ourselves to other options in life. What about ‘Love God and do as you please’ as far as reasoning goes? What would the birth control debate do with that? Loving God means we’ll do as He pleases and there are many ways to please Him, and they are not limited to the bearing and raising of genetic offspring. That is one way, but, I wonder, isn’t it one way among many?

May I stick something in your thinking cap? Here is your quote re-worded:

“There are also stories of women who nearly die convicted that they’re meant to serve on the mission field and/or risk their mental health…”