Catholics and Birth Control?

Question

Can anyone show me from the Bible where it says that you are not to use birth control? What is the reasoing behind it? I

Ok so it is wrong for Catholics to use Birth Control but it is not wrong for their members to engage in premarital sex. The Bible says that fornicators nor adulters will not inherit the Kingdom of God. How come they are ok with premarital sex then?

Some of you are reffering to Onan. Yes I do agree that this is a biblical account. However Onan was fulfilling his obligation of Brother in law marriage. Do we still pratice that today? NO!!!

Hypocrites!!

Answer 1

First question: No! Second question: how can a church survive financially and keep it's CEO's in power if you don't increase the customer base. It's business and marketing.

Answer 2

Until 1930 all Christian churches, including all Protestant denominations, prohibited the use of birth control on Biblical grounds (Genesis 38: 6-10). The Anglican Church changed course and soon all the others followed. The Catholic Church is the only one to not cave in and still teaches the Biblical truth about interfering with the life-giving potential of marital relations.

The Catholic Church also teaches that premarital sex is a sin. I am not sure why you would think otherwise.

**As a side note, I would also like to add that the Church's teaching on birth control is actually very respectful of women. When a couple uses Natural Family Planning to space the births of their children, they learn to understand and respect how her body works. They communicate about what is happening. Their relationship and respect for eachother is strengthened. Very frequently when a couple contracepts, sex becomes merely a habit, communication goes out the window, and the husband begins to view his wife as an object there for his pleasure.

For a better understanding of the Catholic teaching on sex and marriage, take a look at:

http://www.christopherwest.com/works.asp

****In respsonse to him only fulfilling his duties as a brother in law --

(from http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/1991/9107chap.asp)
The difficulty with this argument is that violation of the Levirate law was not a capital offense. If a man didn't fulfill his obligations to his deceased brother's wife, she was to take the matter to the elders, who would counsel him and try to persuade him to change his mind. If he persisted, the widow was to "go up to him and strip his sandal from his foot and spit in his face, saying publicly, 'This is how one should be treated who will not build up his brother's family!'" (Deut. 25:9).

While such a punishment might be embarrassing, it falls short of the death sentence Onan received for his act. This suggests he sinned not only by violating the Levirate law, but also by the way in which he did so. The kind of act he committed was so despicable that, in the Old Testament context, it was punishable by death.

John Kippley, in Covenant, Christ and Contraception (New York: Alba House, 1970, page 19), explains it this way:

"Onan went through the motions of the life-giving act but refused to accept the consequences. He withdrew in order that the act could carry no reproductive consequences . . . [H]e went through the motions of the Levirate covenant, but he denied the reality of that covenant."

Answer 3

I don't know if you are Catholic or a Christian.

I wonder how many Catholic "behind close doors" use some kind of birth control? I know some married couple have a baby every year, but now some only have one or two .....

I think that the new pope "ok" condoms if one partner has HIV or Aids. It sounds like a start, maybe it will come to pass some day for you Catholics..

I haven't read in the Holy Bible anything against birth control.

I don't think abortion is birth control though...

Answer 4

I'll let someone else explain the RCC position on birth control, but I'll point out that there is no concept in Catholicism that scripture is the final revelation. Sola scriptura was the heretic Martin Luther's precept, but the Catholic church has always assumed revelation continues, and the Magisterium, pronouncements of the Popes from the Papal throne, are at least if not more binding than scripture because Jesus gave the apostles authority to bind whatsoever in heaven and earth, an authority that is firmly based in gospel scripture (Matthew 16:18,19, Matthew 18:18-20) an authority given by Christ directly and centuries before there was a canon of scripture called the Bible, a canon the Church selected in its apostolic authority, which the church asserts it retains, passed on by the laying on of hands from apostle to successors to this day. So arguing with Catholics that the teachings of the church do not appear in scripture, such as banning abortion which is not in the Bible and banning birth control which is not in the Bible, is pointless, because the RCC will simply point out that in granting apostolic authority Jesus did not limit it to only authority specifically delineated in scripture, which had yet to be canonized,and would not be canonized until centuries after Jesus.

Where RCC dogma conflicts with scripture it's worth making the argument. But where scripture is silent, save your breath. Sola scriptura was Martin Luther's preference, not Jesus' commandment to the church.

Answer 5

I can't quote the bible, but I know that Catholics believe that any alteration of God's natural order is a sin. Birth control would prevent you from having a child and blocking God's natural order. That is also why they are so against abortion. For the obvious reasons and because it's messing w/nature. There are some sects of the Catholic and Christianity that dont' even agree w/going to the doctor. I know that's not the most accurate explanation, but the easiest.

Answer 6

Well I honestly dont think I could answer that in a way that might help you out so I did some snopping on the net and came up with the history of the Catholic Churches stance on birth control.............1968 is when Pope Paul VI wrote his letter of Human Life. Basically boils down to his belief that it is against natural law. The Church first started to restrict the use of contraception in certain forms in the 1930's and completely caved in later years to have it forbidden. The link that I have provided down below goes into all the reasons and details that have been listed in the other answers more completely

Answer 7

It's more about what they consider the nature of marriage, sex, and adultery. Catholics believe that sex is solely used for procreation and that this is only okay within marriage. This is why if you use contraception, you're making sex a selfish act only for pleasure, which is a sin.

I personally haven't found anything concrete in the Bible, although I could be wrong. Try Leviticus.

Answer 8

How about
-Gen. 1:27-28 (Gen. 9:1; 35:11) - Adam and Eve told by God to be fruitful and multiply
-Gen. 38:9-10 - Onan killed for spilling his semen on the ground

Also because children are a blessing of God:
-1 Chr. 25:5 - God gave him 14 sons & 3 daughters to exalt him
-1 Chr. 26:4-5 - God indeed blessed Obed-edom with 8 sons
-Hos. 9:10-17 - Israel is punished with childlessness
-1 Tim. 2:11-15 - women saved through the bearing of children

And finally, your leader:
Martin Luther: "The purpose of marriage is not to have pleasure and to be idle but to procreate and bring up children, to support a household. Those who have no love for children are swine, stocks, and logs unworthy of being called men or women; for they despise the blessings of God, the Creator and Author of marriage."

All christian churches opposed contraception until 1931 when at the Lambert Conference the Anglican Church broke ranks. All protestant denominations followed and now only the Catholic Church, maintains 2000 years of doctrine. That itself tells you which church is Jesus´ Church (Heb. 13:8 - Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.)

Answer 9

If you find the answer please let me know...I understand why they think is wrong, but if you think about it..none of the birth control (contraceptives,condoms or what ever you want to use is not 100%...)so you can still get pregnant..so if God wants to send you a child he will ...and there is nothing you can do about it..even the Virgin Mary got pregnant with out having sex!!! I think it is also wrong of those people that try everything to get pregnant...It is not meant to be..When the time is right it will happened or maybe it wont...There is a reason why things happened...

Answer 10

No... there's no reasoning behind it other than just another religious attempt to control people by telling them what they can and cannot do. It would behoove some people to learn to use it... come on how many kids can one family honestly love and care for... 10, 11, 12, ... 16?

If Christians have too many kids and cannot take care of them, well they're worse than me, an atheist.

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8

Oh and by the way... my son lacks nothing especially when it comes to being loved by me. Shows how much the Apostle Paul knew about infidels. But it's a typical Christian judgment.

Answer 11

Actually, you can find a very detailed and referenced answer for this at the Catholic Encyclopedia Online. You will find an alphabetical reference for any Catholic subject there, including the RCC's teachings on birth control and family planning.

The "real" answer for this question is tooooooo long.