A guy’s in his house when horrendous rains come up. Pretty soon, a boat comes along. Guy in the boat yells, ‘Come on – we’re here to save you. Get in the boat.’ Guy in the house says, ‘No…I’ve got faith that God will save me.’ The boat leaves. The water keeps rising. The guy is forced up the second floor of his house by the flood waters. Another boat comes along. The guy in the boat yells, ‘Come on! It’s getting worse. If you don’t get in the boat, you’re going to drown.’ From the second floor window the guy says, ‘No…I’ll be ok. I’ve got faith in God that he’ll save me.’ The boat leaves. Water’s rising. The guy’s on the roof. A helicopter hovers overhead and the pilot shouts out, ‘This is your last chance. Climb up the ladder. If you don’t come now you’re going to drown.’ The guy says from the roof, ‘No, thanks. God will save me.’ The pilot shrugs his shoulders and splits. The water rises. The guy drowns. Ascends to the pearly gates. He asks St. Peter, ‘What happened? I’ve been devoted to God and had absolute faith that he would save me. Why did he let me down?’ And St. Peter tells him, ‘What the heck do you want? God sent ya two boats and a helicopter!?
I figure birth control is sort of like that, you could solely rely on God, but what if he gave birth control to help people who didn't want to have children at specific times in their life. I have 64 dollars in my bank account, and things show no sign of getting better, should I really be having more kids right this moment?
I understand that this is a controversial subject, and I'm really just weighing the options here... no hate toward anyone who does or doesn't practice birth control.
There are verses in the Bible that show that God wanted people to have many children, i.e. Be fruitful and multiply. Others like Psalms 127:3-5 are lesser known, and they suggest that many children are a blessing, but you don't get punished for not having crap tons of them. "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed when they speak with their enemies in the gate." The Duggars seem to be the hot topic on this today, it is their right to have 20 kids. The only thing I will say is that pre-eclampsia can return in another pregnancy, and the fact that her troubles were so severe, and early in the pregnancy show me that she is predisposing herself to having another severely premature infant. My question is, is that okay? If it happens again will she decide to stop? I have prayed for the next kid every time it is mentioned. I hope that they have no future trouble, and have all the kids they want.
In reality God seems to have left it partially up to us. Before the pill and condoms, there was the rhythm method. Although the old joke about that is... What do you call someone who uses the rhythm method of birth control? Answer...A parent :) Also if you think about it, God is just as much in control of whether you have children when you use birth control as when you don't.
This also brings us around to the subject of sex. Can you tell your husband no? Is all sex outside of marriage adultery? What's with all the shame? Is it just for babies, or also for fun? Masturbation? Can I talk about that? Walk away know if you don't wanna hear it. (and shew away all those literate kiddos).
First off can you tell your husband no... In the Quran it says that a husband is to not go to bed with his wife when she is being obstinate. 1 Corinthians 7:2-5 "Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency." In my opinion, this means that if you do deny your husband you are setting yourself up for both of you being tempted, so the best bet to prevent this is honesty in the marriage, even about sex. This may irk you a little, but it may also be true, the only way to know is frank discussion.
Is all sex outside of marriage adultery, the short answer is yes. Stupid question :) No, but even thinking about sex with another person (besides your spouse) is condemned in the Bible, if you are married or if you aren't, lust is a pretty big sin. The Bible says that what is done in our hearts might as well be acted out. The secular answer to this would be to just go out and do it if you are in trouble either way... The Torah says in Deuteronomy 23:18 There shall be no harlot of the daughters of Israel, neither shall there be a sodomite of the sons of Israel. Pretty strong imagery there. If you aren't religious though the only harm is that which comes with a broken heart.
Why is sex so embarrassing? My first answer would be environment, our country tries to act like this subject doesn't exist. Also in Genesis 3:10-11And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" So it really started in the garden. So the Christian answer would be Satan, but that is often the answer.
Is it for babies or fun? Well the Song of Solomon seems to point to it being at least a little for fun. Sex in the Jewish community isn't considered sinful or an act for just makin' the babies, they think the desire for sex comes from an evil impulse, it's no worse than your desire for a Big Mac. They believe there is a time and place for it, and always between a husband and wife. Muhammad said that it wasn't sinful to enjoy sex within the confines of marriage, but since he had so many wives I figure he eventually got burned out.
Speaking of shame, how about that masturbation (if you are one of my parents you may want to walk away :) ). The Bible never actually specifically calls out touching yourself, but we can assume it's frowned upon. The bible condemns the sexually amoral, and the marriage bed is to be kept pure, guess on this topic it's a good day to be an Atheist. The fact of the matter is that at one point you will catch one of your children doing this, the worst thing you can do is shame them, then you end up a kid who is all messed up. My best guess it that if I walked in on this I would try to explain that its a private thing, then ignore that it ever happened :)
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body." This verse isn't specifically about masturbation, but it still gives the idea that it's not the best thing to do.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/life/Sex_and_Sexuality/Jewish_Approaches/Masturbation.shtml here is a link on the Jewish perspective. It is a little amusing in parts. I guess when it comes to sex it really is a good day to be anything but a member of any of the big 3 religions. It's a really good day to be a Pagan, they consider sex sacred, for making babies or otherwise. The holiest ritual is called The Great Rite. It symbolises the mating of the Goddess and the God in joyful union. Sometimes it is actually acted out, but in private. They consider sex as a gift, and it can be used as an offering, or as part of worship, they also dig touching themselves.
Facts are that people are going to continue to do it (masturbation). It is the safest form of sex, and you are unlikely to suffer a broken heart, unless you have multiple personalities. Safe sex, not just abstinence should be taught in all schools, to believe that just preaching abstinence will prevent pregnancies is about as effective as using the rhythm method of birth control...
Allie & Sara
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