Is Using Birth Control a Sin?

1. 68

   Mikel G Robertsposted 13 years ago

   If using birth control is a sin... and since abstinence is a form of birth control, doesn't that make abstinence a sin?
   
   If abstinence is a sin... is being celibate an even greater sin?
   
   And the final point, if birth control in any form is a sin, then anytime we don't have sex at every opportunity are we not sinning?

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      tantrumposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      the birth control pill is a sin for Christians because they see it as an abortion issue. To stop birth by chemical devices is an abortion for them.
      I can't see how abstinence can.

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         Originposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         I think they are talking about abortion ending life. If your pregnant, no matter the stage, a baby is on it's way. Abortion will kill the child.
         
         Abstaining from sex wouldn't kill the child because there is no child in any stage, it doesn't exist.

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            tantrumposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            For Christians even pre-conception devices are like an abortion to be. That's why it's a sin.
            Abstinence doesn't have anything to do with that, I agree.

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               Originposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Ah, I didn't know that. Interesting!

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            Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            But what about Gods Command to "BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY"? If you are ignoring a command from God to have sex; you're guilty of sin...right?

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               goldenpathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               We must remember the pattern set for all humanity.  They were given the command after they were eternally married and bonded, not before.  Therefore, the powers of procreation and the "oneness" shared are to be employed withing the holy vows of matrimony.

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         Ralph Deedsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Using birth control is considered sinful by Roman Catholics, but not by most Protestant denominations. Moreover, many Protestant denominations support a woman's right to choose an abortion. You are over-generalizing about "Christians." There are important differences among the various branches of Christianity. Some believe that because of over-population failure to use birth control is sinful.

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            Uninvited Writerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            But also, I have seen polls that most Catholics do use some form of birth control. I remember being surprised that use of birth control was common amongst Catholics in Ireland.

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               earnestshubposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Whenever I need advice on sexual matters, naturally I go straight to someone who has never lived in the real world or had sex like the pope!

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         Valerie Fposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         It is the use of artificial birth control that is considered a sin in the Catholic Church- and surprisingly, the abortifascient quality of some artificial birth control methods is not the only reason. Other reasons are that it interferes with the potentially life-giving power of the union of a man and a woman, lowers the stakes, and therefore cheapens human sexuality. It also treats a woman's healthy, normal fertility as if it were a disease that needs to be controlled or suppressed with drugs or devices. Natural family planning methods are actually encouraged when family planning is needed because they work with a woman's natural cycle and symptoms rather than against them, and it's always healthier for women to familiarize themselves with how their bodies naturally work anyway.

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      Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      God said "Go forth and be fruitful."  So, while the other comments above may have some technical merit, I think they are avoiding the simple issue that you have so neatly pointed out.  Any conscious attempt to NOT be fruitful is willful defiance of God's word.

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         CMHypnoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Thing is those words come from texts written thousands of years ago when there weren't that many people on the planet and high rates of infant mortality.  If everyone now went on to have 10 children or more, we would soon be facing annihilation as a species as this planet would not be able to sustain the sheer numbers. We have to move with the times, and put ancient texts into a modern context.

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            Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Nope, we must interpret the scriptures literally.  Just because they are ancient and out-dated by our standards, they are the word of God because they say they are. Obviously He knew how things were going to turn out when he dictated it so to speak.  Clearly it's all part of the plan. The end of days is not just going to come around on its own, you know.  We have to complete the prophesy, do our part, pile up mounds and mounds of us until our ability to genetically modify crops and the like cannot possibly sustain the multitudes and we can get back to fighting more furiously over resources with our new advanced weapons and, ultimately, usher in apocalypse. This whole birth control thing is slowing down the timeline.

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               Mikel G Robertsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Um... I think I got some of that sarcasm on my shoe...

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                  Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  What?  Sarcasm?  I know not of this sarcasm of which you speak.
                  
                  
                  (You can wipe your shoe on the grass over there though.)

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               Jeramiposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               I apologize beforehand for going off topic a little, but this applys a little to this post.
                  I remember learning in biology that suppose that a baby rabit or any animal, fish or fowl is born and dies of old age. At the time of it's death there will normaly (at an average) be only of its offspring still living, Food chain and all.
               It is actually approx 110 % increase world wide for all life forms including Human kind.
                  From the little reasearch that I have found, it seems to average 110% to approx 130% anual increase of Human population since the beginning. (4000 BC until now). 
                  Just a crazy thought.
               
                 Back on topic.   Good question! If using the birth controll is a sin? Abstinence should also be considered as sin.
                 I don't think either are.

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      TheGlassSpiderposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Hehehe...very clever of you.
      
      I do not think birth control is a sin. Yes, it is said, "Be fruitful and multiply." But it is not said to "Overburden yourselves with children you can't raise and people you can't feed."
      
      Just my two cents.

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      getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Now Judah took a wife for Er his first-born, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah's first-born, was evil in the sight of the LORD, so the LORD took his life. Then Judah said to Onan, "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform your duty as a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." And Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so it came about that when he went in to his brother's wife, he wasted his seed on the ground, in order not to give offspring to his brother. But what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD; so He took his life also. (NASB) Genesis 38:6-10

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         Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         This is very disturbing! What if the two guys were gay? What if this woman was so foul no one would have sex with her. She was 0-2. Did she ever hook up with somebody, or did God keep killing people for ABSTINENCE.

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            Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I think you are mistaking "abstinence" (the willing and purposeful avoidance of sex/baby-making) with being "too fugly to get some" and with being "paired in a way that makes conception impossible."
            
            While HubPages can certainly produce lots of people who will leap upon the latter with righteous fury and pitchfork words, the former is going to be very hard to attack from a Biblical perspective.

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         yoshi97posted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Perform your duty as a brother-in-law? But he wasn't even married to her. Worse yet, how is it a brother-in-law's duty to sow a seed upon his dead brother's wife? What if he was already married to someone else?
         
         This just doesn't make much sense ... doh! Are you sure you are getting that word for word? If so, someones got lots of explaining to do ...
         
         And why wouldn't the offspring be his? Is this some sorta new form of transpermia I'm not aware of? I'm so confused

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            Aya Katzposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Read up on levirate marriages:
            
            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levirate_marriage
            
            It was a way to allow the widow to inherit the property of her deceased husband, while keeping the land in the family.
            
            (In those days, polygamy was allowed, so it did not matter if the brother was already married.)

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               getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               
               
               Thanks for that great explanation.  Bizarre but true.

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                  yoshi97posted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  So ... um ... polygamy was allowed. I guess the Mormons got this one right.

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            getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            And did you notice how vicious God was? He just took the lives of two of Judah's sons.  Now that's tough love! TOUGH!

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      ngurecoposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Abstinence is not a sin. Abstinence is like fasting.
      
      We do not seem to have many options on this. Its either we do birth control including abortion or we have them dying from kwashiorkor and malnutrition.
      
      Right now we have 6.5 billion people, a figure that is far more than the total number of people who have died since the creation of planet earth.

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      Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Yes Yes and Yes

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      goldenpathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Sexual activity is accepted of God only in the bonds of holy matrimony.  Therefore, abstinence is stronly encouraged until marriage and the use of birth prevention is vehemently discouraged.  Unless one has recieved the Law their acts are transgressions rather than sins.  Upon receipt of the Law those acts become sins and qualify for repentance.
      
      Adam and Eve were eternally married by God the Father.  No sexual activity took place prior to that marriage and the Fall.  After the Fall it became apparent and known that employing that activity would be necessary in propagating the human family.  They are the pattern set for us.  Marriage first and then those activities concerning the flesh and powers of creation.
      
      Abstinence is a difficult and long process of self mastery and control.  It can succeed as one does not give up or so easily profess that the act is "normal" and should be accepted as such whether married or not.  So much is gained through abstinence and so much is lost through that violation.

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         Shadesbreathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         But it's fun!

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            goldenpathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            I'll agree to that!
            Cheers with Shades!

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         Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         How do you feel about Priests and Nuns. What is their abstinence about? And why isn't God killing them wholesale?

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            goldenpathposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            My faith holds the family as central to the Creator's plan and destiny for all his children.  Even the leadership of the Church is encouraged to have families and qualify to be bonded or sealed as a family unit for all time and eternity.  We believe that abstinence of leadership of various sects goes against this basic premise and should be discouraged.  If Adam and Eve were given the great command, we have every bit of need of it as well.

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            Valerie Fposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            Catholic priests and nuns take vows of lifelong celibacy. They can't get married, and any violation of their vows is doubly sinful. I also think the notion that everyone is meant to get married is ridiculous and probably a big part of our high divorce rate. The Bible makes it abundantly clear that marriage, sex, and such are not for everyone.

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               Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

               Sex isn't for everyone according to the bible? Sucks to be them. 

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                  Valerie Fposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  Not at all. But then, I don't hold with the view that anyone who doesn't have sex, never marries, and is content to not even have a boyfriend or girlfriend has something wrong with them or is somehow incomplete. It is possible to live a complete, fulfilling, and even fun life without ever being attached or having sex.

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                     getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     
                     
                     I think that is rare!

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                     Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                     I suppose one could convince themselves of such a notion, until they've actually had sex, and then all bets are off. 

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                  getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

                  
                  
                  But God is such a hypocrite.  He tells others not to have sex, but then He has sex with a virgin, who was abstaining.  And He wasn't even married to her, and didn't take on the responsibility of supporting Jesus.  What a dead-beat!

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         Friendlywordposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         "Adam and Eve were eternally married by God the Father.  No sexual activity took place prior to that marriage and the Fall."
         
         I can't help it...I gotta ask. How in the world or in Heaven would you know when two naked teenagers starting having sex?

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            Mikel G Robertsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

            No offense to GP, but he really doesn't know, but it fits in with what he has been taught and what he believes about family and marriage.
            
            The truth, imho, is that God could not care less about marriage, legal or otherwise, the bond of love is the bond of God. The joining of two souls is the bond of Love, and when the Love is gone so is the bond, as God intended. Marriage and the stability that it created was a vital tool for social stability in early human civilzations. It kept powerful old men from taking all the young pretty women for themselves.

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      Disturbiaposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Abstinence is not a sin if you are not married.  It is considered wrong if you are married because you are not fulfilling the point of the marriage, that being to bring children into the world.

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Best to stop sexual activities all together I reckon,then no debate.  Hi Mikel btw

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   K Partinposted 13 years ago

   I don't believe the pill is a sin......the sin is bringing innocent children into the world whom you can afford to feed or cloth, and then have others do it for you. If you can't afford children don't have them until you can! We don't need anymore homeless and starving children on the streets.
   
   It may sound harsh but we have to start some where. These children don't have a say in this we as adults do! USE PROTECTION!

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      Valerie Fposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Another reason why artificial birth control is a sin in the Catholic Church is the way people talk about children as if they're property. If you can't afford a new car, don't buy one. If you can't afford a new X-box, don't buy one. If you can't afford a human being, don't make one. But buy all these pharmaceuticals instead so you can have all the fun without the risk.
      
      If you can't afford to support a child, abstinence and natural family planning are more economical anyway.

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         Beelzedadposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Unfortunately, sales of birth control devices of all kinds are head and shoulders above the percentage of atheists. 

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   atomswifeyposted 13 years ago

   I'm a christian and I do not believe birth control pills are a sin.
   I do believe abortion is murder. I believe life begins at conception, to stop conception is not killing a life since it has not begun.

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   Richieb799posted 13 years ago

   HaHa don't forget if you have kids the government will supply you with benefits & a house to raise them, at least in the UK anyway.. it's messed up when others work hard just be able to look after their children - part of my plan was to work hard and think of child so I don't have to rely on handouts to raise it - some people take advantage of the system

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      Amanda Severnposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      Richie, there are finite resources, and here in the UK we're fast using them up. Personally I doubt the current generous levels of hand-outs can, or will, continue for too much longer. You're right to plan ahead for these things, both morally and practically.

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   Jeff Berndtposted 13 years ago

   No.

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   RKHenryposted 13 years ago

   Is it a sin?  Are stupid questions considered sinful?
   
   I think the answer to that would be no.

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   Aya Katzposted 13 years ago

   Haven't any of you read the Book of Ruth?

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      getitriteposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      
      
      In my youth, I did, but I can't recall much.

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   Will Apseposted 13 years ago

   Unwanted kids who end up having miserable lives are the 'sin'. The Catholic Church needs to realise that one of its main functions, pre-science, ie controlling reproduction, is a business it should no longer be in.

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      michifusposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Personally, I think that not using birth control is a far greater sin, but then again despite a Catholic upbringing I am an atheist and do not have to deal with such problems.
      
      As for Shadesbreath's comment that not going forth and multiplying is defying gods word is somewhat dated. Whilst God did not say, go forth and multiply until the population of the world becomes too great to sustain any further human life, I think it was implied.
      
      There is an important difference between two people being alone in the world and several billion all procreating. If every man and woman took this statement as "gospel"  death rates would soar as the resources of the world could not sustain that level of life. Maybe this is what god wanted, millions of deaths through starvation and incredible human suffering.
      
      Whilst many aspects of the bible are just as relevant today as they were when it was written, the world has changed considerably and therefore religion needs to adapt certain antiquated rules and laws.
      
      Whilst abortion is a separate issue which I will not comment on in this post, if this is such a cardinal sin, as stated in the 10 commandments and tantamount to murder according to many faiths, surely using birth control is in many cases a good step to prevent ending another humans life.
      
      As for birth control being the same as an abortion, but much earlier is absolute rubbish. In order for it to be an abortion, there has to be life to be aborted. Eggs and sperm are not humans, they are simply a collection of cells with potential to reproduce. 
      
      If you take it back that far it just becomes ridiculous - if you don't have sex you are defying god, if you use birth control or have an abortion your are defying god, and if you have children that you cannot feed you are also murdering, all be it in a long slow drawn out and painful way.
      
      Basically you cant win no matter what you do, so you might as well have some pleasure  and use common sense to guide you.

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         Mikel G Robertsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Nicely Stated.
         
         I agree, the Dogma of 2000 years ago needs to be modernized.
         God being the supremely intelligent being that I believe God is, knows that things change. Situations, circumstances, people and societies all must change and grow, as God intended.
         
         Use the Brain and reasoning power God gifted us with and do what makes sense now, not what some caveman said made sense 2000 years ago.
         
         Thanks for your input. 

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   earnestshubposted 13 years ago

   Well thought out post.

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      michifusposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      thanks

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         tantrumposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         And I agree with your post as well. Thanks for posting. I'm too lazy to post that long. LOL

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    skyfireposted 13 years ago

    Christian god is painted like a loser. God who is considered as all knowing and CREATOR is opposing abortion?  Err i guess christian god is running out of human seeds (oh wait, Christians accepts evolution these days right? maybe then he's running out of planets to seed ).

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    Will Apseposted 13 years ago

    Mikel G Roberts wrote:
    If using birth control is a sin... and since abstinence is a form of birth control, doesn't that make abstinence a sin?
    
    If abstinence is a sin... is being celibate an even greater sin?
    
    And the final point, if birth control in any form is a sin, then anytime we don't have sex at every opportunity are we not sinning?
    
    Being this logical will drive you crazy. Think fuzzy. Things make more sense.

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       Mikel G Robertsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

       LMAO!   

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    prettydarkhorseposted 13 years ago

    No, but artificial methods have side effects in the long run try natural if you can or CONDOM is the best as it also deter STDs

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    ITSecurityAnalystposted 13 years ago

    abstinence and birth control both are two separate things.Birth control is a kind of security control

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