Is birth control wrong for Christians to use?

Answer 1

No. It would be wrong to produce an unwanted child and not be able to properly provide both emotionally and financially for such child...and then have the child become a ward of the state....

Answer 2

I'm not sure about all denominations of Christianity but I know that Catholicism is against birth control. This is all based on dogma and doctrine, though. No where in the Bible does it ever mention preventative birth control (probably because it didn't exist) so interpretation is really up to the individual I'm assuming. Of course, many Christians believe that sex should only be used for procreation in which case birth control would be unnecessary.

Answer 3

"... Until 1930 every Christian denomination was unanimous in its condemnation of contraception. That year (1930) however, the Anglican Church made history as the first Christian body to break with this teaching. At the time, Catholic, Protestant, and even non-Christen voices predicted that acceptance of contraception would logically lead to social chaos, starting with a dramatic rise in marital breakdown and divorce ... US Pres Theodore Roosevelt, for example, condemned contraception as "the one sin for which the penalty is national death, race death; a sin for which there is no atonement." ... Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychoanalysis and an atheist, observed: "The abandonment of the reproductive function is the common feature of all perversions. We actually describe a sexual activity as perverse if it has given up the aim of reproduction and pursues the attainment of pleasure as an aim independent of it." ... When a committee of the Federal Council of Churches in America issued a report that suggested following the lead of the Anglican Church, The Washington Post published a stinging editorial with the following prophetic statement: "Carried to its logical conclusions, the committee's report if carried into effect would sound the death knell of marriage as a holy institution by establishing degrading practices which would encourage indiscriminate immorality. The suggestion that the use of legalized contraceptives would be 'careful and retrained' is preposterous." <"Forgetting Religion," WP 3-22-1931> ... ...
... The twentieth century witnessed every major Protestant denomination shift from condemning contraception, not only to accepting it, but oftentimes advocating it. The Catholic Church alone - withstanding unimaginable global pressure - has stood firm. Even staunch Protestant leaders, when they wake up to the evils of contraception (as more and more are), marvel at the courage of the Catholic Church. As an Evangelical Lutheran put it: "That a Roman pontiff would lead the opposition -often painfully alone - to contraception at the end of the twentieth century is no small irony. Perhaps the Catholic hierarchical model, reserving final decisions on matter of faith and morals to a bishop whom Catholics believe is successor of Peter, has proved more resilient in the face of modernity than the Protestant reliance on individual conscience and democratic church governance."

Answer 4

I think it depends on how you use your bible. If literally, than yes, I think it says it is wrong somewhere in there. If metaphorically/symbolically, I'd say no.

The rules in there were made for the people of the time. They tell you not to eat shellfish because back then they didn't know about red tide. They tell you to have a ton of kids because back then they had a massive death rate. Especially for youth and the elderly. Today we don't have that problem. Just the opposite. We have too many people.

I personally think it is immoral to have lots of children in todays world. From a Christian perspective, Humans are supposed to be stewards of the earth and its creatures. I don't think god made all the species on the earth just so we could kill them all off. I also don't think he would find it right for 5% of the population to squander most of the fuel and wealth while large areas of the planet starve.

But thats just me.

Answer 5

Yes. The most important reason is simply because, by using it, we are putting ourselves in God's place. We think we know better than Him.

There is a myth that the pro-abortion crowd likes to recite. It is, "Every child a wanted child." It presupposes that there are children who are not wanted. There are, indeed unborn children who are not wanted by their biological parents, for whatever reason. However, that does not mean that the child is unwanted. It simply means that the mother who bears him/her doesn't want them.

We always want to think that we can deal with things better than God. It is the same sin that a believer and a non-believer must deal with.

Answer 6

A baby should be born wanted. This is first of all. No, it is not wrong.Not to extinct as a species Christians should develop a positive attitude towards young couples, and encourage them to give their babies birth.

Answer 7

Only some forms are wrong. NFP, which is 97-99% effective for avoiding pregnancy when used exclusively, is free of chemicals and side effects. It is safe for your body and safe for the environment.
http://www.ppeureka.org/index.php?target=Natural%20Family%20Planning.html

Here are some articles on the dangers of other methods of birth control:

Latex an allergen; repeated exposure to latex can result in life-threatening sensitivity:
http://www.ada.org/public/topics/latex_allergy.asp

Hormones from the Pill getting into the water supply and harming fish:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/124939_estrogen04.html

Most common active ingredient of spermicides harms vaginal tissue; increases risk of HIV transmission:
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2003/ANS01191.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spermicide#Types_and_effectiveness

Answer 8

Man was commissioned by God "to be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:28) and marriage was instituted by God as a stable environment to have and rear children. In our society, children are often considered a nuisance and a burden. They stand in the way of people's career paths, financial goals, and they “crimp your style” socially. Often selfishness is at the root of contraceptive use.

Genesis 38 tells of Judah's sons, Er and Onan. Er married a woman named Tamar, but he was wicked and the Lord killed him, leaving Tamar with no husband or children. Tamar was given in marriage to Er's brother, Onan, in accordance with the law of levirate marriage in Deuteronomy 25:5-6. Onan did not want to split his inheritance with any child that he might sire on Tamar on his brother's behalf, so he practiced the oldest form of birth control. Genesis 38:10 says "What he did was wicked in the Lord's sight; so He put him to death also." Onan's motivation was selfish: he used Tamar for his own pleasure, but refused to perform his “brotherly” duty of creating an heir for his deceased brother. This passage is often pointed to as evidence that God does not approve of birth control. However, it was not the act of contraception that caused the Lord to put Onan to death, but rather Onan’s selfish motives behind the action.

Here are some verses that describe children from God's perspective. Children are a gift from God (Genesis 4:1; Genesis 33:5). Children are a heritage from the Lord (Psalm 127:3-5). Children are a blessing from God (Luke 1:42). Children are a crown to the aged (Proverbs 17:6). God blesses barren women with children (Psalm 113:9; Genesis 21:1-3; 25:21-22; 30:1-2; 1 Samuel 1:6-8; Luke 1:7, 24-25). God forms children in the womb (Psalm 139:13-16). God knows children before their birth (Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15).

It is important to view children as God sees them, not as the world tells us we should. Having said that, the Bible does not forbid contraception. Contraception, by it's definition, is the merely opposite of conception. It is not the act of contraception itself that determines whether it is wrong or right. As we learned from Onan, it is the motivation behind the contraception that determines if it is right or wrong. If a person is practicing contraception because they will have more for themselves, then it is wrong. If a person is practicing contraception in order to temporarily delay children until they are more mature and more financially and spiritually prepared, then it is perhaps acceptable to use contraception for a time. Again, it all comes back to your motivation.

The Bible always presents having children as a good thing. The Bible “expects” that a husband and wife will have children. The inability to have children is always presented in Scripture as a bad thing. There is no one in the Bible who expressed a desire to not have any children. We definitely believe that all married couples should seek to have children. At the same time, we do not believe it can be argued from the Bible that it is explicitly wrong to use birth control for a time (please note that we are not referring to forms of birth control that function as abortificants, ending the life of the fetus. We are referring only to birth control methods that prevent fertilization). All married couples should seek the Lord’s will in regards to when they should try to have children, and how many children they seek to have.

Recommended Resource: Birth Control for Christians: Making Wise Choices by Jenell Paris.

Answer 9

Some churches are vehemently against it. But what is worse; raising a child that, in the back of your mind, you know that you never wanted? Or commit a marginal sin (compared to some others)?

Answer 10

I would say so, I got my tubes ties and my pastor just about had a fit about it. we had a very long talk about why I shouldnt do it. I did it anyway. and if you look most pastors have 6 to 8 kids if not more.

Answer 11

its a bit of a grey area unfortunately, for catholics it is definately wrong, not too sure about other demoninational beliefs, i think it's up to the individual, i dont see any harm in it...i'm a christian by the way