tellville
Puritan Board Junior
This may have been discussed in the many other Birth Control threads and if it has, please point me to where this discussion may be found.
I think Pastorway has best summed up why one should not use Birth Control the best. His argument goes as follows:
Is God actively involved in the conception of every child? YES.
Who are we really trying to prevent from acting when we use BC? GOD.
Is anyone conceived that is expendable? NO.
If God states clearly that children are a blessing, and only He can open the womb, then to say that too many children is like too much rain is to say that GOD MAKES MISTAKES.
We should welcome the blessing of God and not try to actively prevent it, as if we could stop God or as if we know better than He.
Now, I was wondering how consistent this argument is applied to all areas of life. For example, what if I were to construe the argument as such:
Is God actively involved in the death of every individual? YES.
Who are we really trying to prevent from acting when we try to save the person with heart failure? GOD.
Does anyone die that isn´t ordained to die because of God? NO.
If God states clearly that he is sovereign over all, and only He can declare the death of someone, then to say that we should help the man who has a heart attack is to say GOD MAKES MISTAKES.
We should welcome the judgment (or blessing if this man is a Christian) of God and not try to actively prevent it, as if we could stop God or as if we know better than He.
How about we make this example personal. I use glasses. I have astigmatism that is slowly making my eyes worse and worse. It is clear that it is God´s Will for me to have my eyesight grow worse as time goes on. Thus, is my using glasses going against His clear Will that I should not be able to see well?
How about suffering in child birth. God has clearly stated that women will forever suffer in child birth. Does this mean we are going against His will by using medicine to ease the pain on women?
I´m not asking these questions out of malice. I find Pastroway´s arguments very compelling and Biblical. However, I find other people´s arguments very compelling and Biblical as well. So, I am now left with seeing what are the logical conclusions of each position, if they produce Biblical conclusions, and I wonder if any who take Pastorway´s position are consistent with this position in every area of their life? At the very least, it appears Pastorway doesn´t view wearing glasses as violating God´s Will, because I can see him wearing them in his picture! But why do glasses not apply? God has said it is He who makes people blind.
Anyway, these are some of my thoughts and questions.
I think Pastorway has best summed up why one should not use Birth Control the best. His argument goes as follows:
Is God actively involved in the conception of every child? YES.
Who are we really trying to prevent from acting when we use BC? GOD.
Is anyone conceived that is expendable? NO.
If God states clearly that children are a blessing, and only He can open the womb, then to say that too many children is like too much rain is to say that GOD MAKES MISTAKES.
We should welcome the blessing of God and not try to actively prevent it, as if we could stop God or as if we know better than He.
Now, I was wondering how consistent this argument is applied to all areas of life. For example, what if I were to construe the argument as such:
Is God actively involved in the death of every individual? YES.
Who are we really trying to prevent from acting when we try to save the person with heart failure? GOD.
Does anyone die that isn´t ordained to die because of God? NO.
If God states clearly that he is sovereign over all, and only He can declare the death of someone, then to say that we should help the man who has a heart attack is to say GOD MAKES MISTAKES.
We should welcome the judgment (or blessing if this man is a Christian) of God and not try to actively prevent it, as if we could stop God or as if we know better than He.
How about we make this example personal. I use glasses. I have astigmatism that is slowly making my eyes worse and worse. It is clear that it is God´s Will for me to have my eyesight grow worse as time goes on. Thus, is my using glasses going against His clear Will that I should not be able to see well?
How about suffering in child birth. God has clearly stated that women will forever suffer in child birth. Does this mean we are going against His will by using medicine to ease the pain on women?
I´m not asking these questions out of malice. I find Pastroway´s arguments very compelling and Biblical. However, I find other people´s arguments very compelling and Biblical as well. So, I am now left with seeing what are the logical conclusions of each position, if they produce Biblical conclusions, and I wonder if any who take Pastorway´s position are consistent with this position in every area of their life? At the very least, it appears Pastorway doesn´t view wearing glasses as violating God´s Will, because I can see him wearing them in his picture! But why do glasses not apply? God has said it is He who makes people blind.
Anyway, these are some of my thoughts and questions.