Thread: Contraception and the Sin of Onan

Originally Posted by Grillsy

Originally Posted by Romans922

Augustine also had some crazy views on sex (not a real good source to go to on this one)...

Part 3: I'm okay with some forms of birth control. However, I am not for NFP (natural family planning) or the Rhythm Method.

What would be your argument against using NFP or Rhythm Method?

I am against all methods which would refrain from marriage bed.


I believe the both agreeing for a time not to be together and pray lest they be tempted...is not for methods of birth control, and is very dangerous to do it, hence the praying part. I advise against all non-marriage bed methods. Except on rare occasions.

armourbearer,

This is incorrect. Bad things are overruled by God and made a blessing. They are not a blessing in themselves. It is libertine to argue, Let us do evil that good may come. It is biblical and reformed to teach, Obedience is our business while Providence is God's business. To obey is better than sacrifice.

I wasn't trying to argue that we should just do evil. The only thing I need for the argument is that they are, in some sense, a blessing, even if God overrules them to make them such. If they are a blessing then, according to this logic, because God makes the evil a blessing, it is wrong for us to avoid evil.

The problem is with the logic:

blessing=you cannot willfully avoid having them.

God Bless,
Adam

Originally Posted by Hebrew Student

If they are a blessing then, according to this logic, because God makes the evil a blessing, it is wrong for us to avoid evil.

God makes the death of Christ a blessing. Wicked hands crucified and killed Him. On the reasoning being offered in this thread, the wicked hands should not have avoided doing the evil they did. This is a libertine error which fails to distinguish human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

Originally Posted by Andres

Originally Posted by Daniel Haley

There are many syndromes out there that doctor's prescribe "the pill" for. One case would be Yasmin (the pill) for PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

Is this sin? Should the woman just deal with the hormonal imbalances, weight gains, and increased risk of cervical cancer?

An observational study of Yasmin in the management... [J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care. 2004] - PubMed result

what did women do before Yasmin?

Androgen-blocking (anti-androgen) medications can be used to treat several PCOS symptoms, including excess or unwanted hair growth and, to a limited degree, acne and scalp hair loss. Spironolactone, flutamide, finasteride and cyproterone acetate (which is not available in the United States) can help to relieve the symptoms of excessive facial and bodily hair, as well as thinning hair on the scalp and acne. These medications can be taken along with oral contraceptives. Note that although there is extensive worldwide experience with their use in PCOS, none of these medications have been approved for use in the treatment for PCOS by the FDA.

Insulin-sensitizing medications used to treat adult-onset diabetes are useful for many women with PCOS. While these medications have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) specifically for the treatment of PCOS, they seem to improve the regularity of menstrual cycles by lowering insulin levels. Metformin is the most commonly used drug, but doctors should prescribe it with caution. There is not enough research at this time to recommend this drug for all women with PCOS.

Birth control pills, or oral contraceptives, contain female hormones that help to regulate menstrual cycles. Contraceptives also help to lower levels of androgens, reducing abnormal hair growth and improving acne.

armourbearer,

God makes the death of Christ a blessing. Wicked hands crucified and killed Him. On the reasoning being offered in this thread, the wicked hands should not have avoided doing the evil they did. This is a libertine error which fails to distinguish human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

Exactly. To argue that a blessing can never be refused is to argue that we must receive [or give, for that matter] every evil so that God can turn every evil into a blessing, because those blessings cannot be rejected. Such is absurd.

God Bless,
Adam

I think the use of "contraception" that destroys new life is clearly wrong.

Those couples that avoid having any children without good reason are also going against part of God's will for marriage.

There seems to be no injunction against all contraception in Scripture, as there is against theft, murder or Sabbath-breaking. If it was such an issue, why is there not?

If someone is in favour of natural methods of contraception, I don't see why they should be against artificial methods, as the purpose is the same: to stop or reduce the likelihood of conception. The RC Church takes this contradictory position, in its tradition of adding to Scripture.

Those married Christian couples who are fit and healthy and fertile should not feel bound by current societal norms respecting family size. Others may believe that it would be unwise for them to have a larger family.

"All things are lawful; but not all things are expedient." (I Cor. 6:12)

It is God who gives or witholds blessing from the farmer when he plants his crops, but God still uses the secondary means of the Christian farmer's sanctified common sense in planning what he is to sow and how he is to do it.

And we also have to remember the historical context of the Old Testament. In that time, childbearing was crucial to every culture and every family - thus everyone wanted as many children as possible. That's no longer the case today. From a economic and cultural perspective, NOT having children is often a blessing today.

That is part of the cancer that has infected the church today. Couching it in these terms shows just how far it has gone. Whose context are you using in this particular argument to define a 'blessing'?

I'm not sure that you, or anyone else for that matter, are qualified to say that God would prevent that from happening. What if it were God's will for her to get pregnant and die as a result to bring about a greater good? (Praise God that that didn't happen!) Who are we to say what is in the mind of God or what he will use to bring about his will in our lives and the lives of all of his children?

If He does not, then such is His will for His people. Amen. Don't waste it.

(See Piper's quote on cancer in an earlier thread - sorry, can't find it, but here is a link to the quote: Don't Waste Your Cancer :: Desiring God Christian Resource Library )

And if the Lord knows that conception will harm her, He will ensure that your wife does not conceive.

That's poor logic and worse theology.

Please expand on your position. That's quite a statement to make.

I know that my above post seems like a harsh post, but I feel uniquely qualified to make it. I have seen my wife's life be threatened by her pregnancy, but have seen God's hand in saving her and providing for her each time. Obey His word and the blessings will come, in one form or another.

I think what is wise should be followed here.

It's not always wise to follow the standards of our age and limit our family to 3, 2, 1, or none.

But it's not always (never?) wise/sanctified common sense for a couple, to try to have as many children as possible.

Let's bring an end to this one. If this is a burning personal matter for you, please speak with your elders.