Breastfeeding in Public
Is it a right
In today’s world the issues of rights have taken center stage in the most debates. Doesn’t matter which one they all seem to go to the same argument someone has the right to do the activity they want to do.
The standards of morality and immorality, good and evil and right and wrong, are no longer used to help define someone’s behavior. It is all about rights. Even the debate on public breastfeeding has been reduced to an issue of women’s rights.
A woman’s right
There was a woman interviewed about her trouble in breastfeeding in a public spot in a privately owned but open to the public department store. It has been awhile so the details of which newspaper, etc., have been lost to time.
But her key words have not been forgotten. She simply stated that she was upset because she was not able to breastfeed her child ‘where I wanted to’. That is the sad thing in this discussion.
It is all about selfishness and what the woman wants to do. No thought or caring is given to the store owner and his or her rights; no thought or caring is given to the other people in the store at the time and on it goes. It is all about what the woman wanted to do and that is pure selfishness.
Sadly, people have forgotten that others have rights to but those seem to disappear when a minority of people simply want to do what they want when they want. That attitude is not healthy for society and it is not healthy for family relations.
Why are men in on the discussion
There are a lot of reasons why men are involved in this debate and those reasons have nothing to do with oppressing women or making them captive in the home. One reason is that the baby is not the product of a woman’s action on her own.
To reproduce she needs the help of a man and the father does have a say when and where his child is to be breastfed. Many women do not like that because they feel it is their body and they have the say.
Scriptures and God beg to differ. In 1 Cor. 7 a person will read that the woman’s body does not belong to her anymore. She has given it to her husband and lover. The father and husband have a legitimate say in where she breastfeeds.
Second, the Bible tells us that a woman is to be submissive to her husband. If the husband tells his wife that she cannot breastfeed in public, then she is disobeying God if she ignores his requests and does so anyways.
Men have a say in how their children will be raised and treated.
What else does the Bible say
The Bible talks about women dressing very modestly. As we all know, that command has been ignored since the mini-skirt and bikini made their debuts. Even Christian women have disobeyed this command on many occasions.
Bringing out a breast in public is not remaining modest even if it is a natural act. The Bible does talk about breastfeeding and confirms it is the natural act between a mother and child. Yet, there is no verse telling women they can do it in public and in front of a live audience.
God does not direct his people to disobey his word and because breastfeeding is not specifically mentioned as a public taboo does not mean that permission was granted to disobey husbands or remove one’s clothing in public.
This is not oppression but leading women to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.
Is public breastfeeding wrong
It depends on where it is done. If it is done in full view of strangers, against the wishes of the husband and so on, then yes, it is wrong. If young mothers feel like they need to do this anywhere they want, then it is wrong too.
Selfishness has never been encouraged by God nor has disobedience. Women may complain that they must do this because of the duties they need to perform throughout the day.
This is a bad argument as God has given women intelligence, wisdom and so on. They have the capability to plan their days accordingly. Parents have had 9 months to plan for this moment.
Are husbands bullied
Of course, they are. Many young men have been brainwashed, beaten and bullied into thinking that the woman only has the say in this issue. The reason for that is that the secular world has been influenced by evil and lead mothers and their supporters away from God’s ways
What God wants and has instructed is ignored in favor of doing what people want. The Bible does not give the issue of breastfeeding to only women. Men cannot tell a woman how to breastfeed, but they certainly can tell them where to do it.
What is also ignored by the secular world and a large part of the Christian one is that God has order. He has made the husband and the father as the head of the family. Plus, God has given men specific instructions on how to govern, love, direct their loved ones including their wives.
God did not say husbands you have rule over your wife and family except in the area of breastfeeding. But people tend to ignore that because they prefer to think of themselves only and not God’s order.
Some final words
It is a great disservice that is being done to men and women of the world. The unbelievers continue to follow evil in all areas of life including breastfeeding. Bringing glory to God and being obedient applies to even this small area of life.
Women can bring glory to God by obeying their husbands and not the secular unbelieving world. God has given families the instructions they need to be the light unto a dark world and that light needs to shine in this area as well.
© 2019 David Thiessen
Comments
"Peeing is natural yet it isn't done everywhere. Eating is natural yet people put limits on where others can eat or drink"
Also being natural does not mean it is being done in a correct or holy manner."
You know, I've read and studied the Bible for years. I've never seen anything in there that discusses peeing or breast feeding in a holy manner.
It here is a passage that says "Thou shalt not relieve thyself or feed thy sucking child except in a holy manner" I've not seen it. I don't think I've seen it in the Old Testament and I know I've not seen it in the New Testament.
Are you familiar with Mathew Chapter 7 vs 1 & 2? Just asking.
In what do I distort anything? You make statements without any explanation. You display ignorance about babies and their needs. Have the courage of your convictions to at least *try* to explain why myself and John are distorting things.
What I am certain of is that the Bible is a fascinating collection of documents that has had a huge influence over the development of civilization. To get the most from it, one needs to examine it in detail and be aware of all aspects of its history and development. I find that simply dismissing all the problems it throws up as being of no interest is to deny oneself a huge amount of intellectual satisfaction!
You suggest we are narrow-minded, yet desperately compare urinating to the act of feeding a baby. I'll point what I mentioned in my website article - babies, all babies, and especially newborns, do not operate to some kind of convienient schedule. If they are hungry, they need feeding. It's that simple.
David, I am impressed by the fact that you appear to know so much more about the New Testament than the thousands of scholars who - for centuries - have been asking questions and finding answers about the many inconsistencies and other problems that are presented by a lot of the items that have been considered canonical for much of Church history. I might point out that most of these scholars have been Christians whose sole desire has been to arrive at the truth but balk at the notion that the only approach is to say "God wrote it" and expect everybody else to ask no further questions.
Maybe I understand somewhat more than you give me credit for. At least I approach these matters with an open mind and do not assume the answers before considering the questions.
I note that whenever you are asked a question to which you cannot give an answer, you either ignore it or accuse the questioner of being unworthy to ask it. You should have been in politics!
David, Why do you not quote the whole of 1 Cor 7:4? This makes clear that Paul wanted equality in marriage, not domination. The wife is every bit as entitled to tell the husband what to do in bed (etc) as the other way round.
This is a genuine Pauline letter that gives Paul's true opinions, not the twisted ones given in letters that cannot have been written by him.
David, I have a funny feeling that you will find - if you ask enough people - that you are the odd one out here! Of course, having an alternative view does not mean that you have to be wrong, but in this case it looks as though you are.
You may not like to see a woman breastfeeding in public, although for the life of me I cannot see the objection if it is done in a modest way, but you surely go too far when you make your complaint on religious grounds. I'll bet that even St Paul had plenty of breastfeeding mothers in his congregations!
By the way - that bit about wives obeying their husbands? That comes from the Letter to the Ephesians, which is one of the highly dubious Pauline letters that was almost certainly written years after his death.
I don't get it. There is nothing more natural in the world than a woman breastfeeding her child. It's been happening since there have been humans in this world. If it bothers anyone, they just don't have to look at it.
"follow evil in all areas of life including breastfeeding"
Cue the theme from the Twilight Zone.
Tell me David, do you know what the purpose of breastfeeding is?
There are no religious imperatives to prevent women breastfeeding, but there are many sexist remarks in your piece that you justify from a religious motive. That is what I find particularly appalling.
Mind you, I would like to know whose rights are being impinged upon when a woman breastfeeds? I have never known anyone to complain when this happens. But then I live in the United Kingdom, where personal human rights are respected more than in some other countries.
If you think that your religion demands that you treat women in this appalling fashion, there is something very wrong with your religion.
Breastfeeding in public is evil? Wow! Surely the need that must be addressed is that of the young child, and that must overweigh everything else. If the baby needs to be fed, then that is what must happen.
I help to run a public library. I allow young mothers to breastfeed in the library. It can certainly be done modestly, and nobody has ever complained or taken offence.
A few words of my own...
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