Is family planning bad? There are many Christians, including Catholics, who feel they are not fulfilling the biblical mandate to "Be fruitful and multiply"by using contraceptives. Yet, God has given us free will. How should Christian couples apply biblical principles to family planning?
 

AT ISSUE

First of all I would like to know whether family planning is wrong according to the Bible.

As I am having a son and don't wish to have kids of my own but instead want to devote my time to Church and God. Because of this child, I am finding it difficult to give time to God and am so tired as I am working also.

If planning is not wrong, what methods are advisable?

Because the marriage course had thought us to go for natural family planning but that is very risky. I do not want to take any risks. Doctor had advised us for inserting Copper T.

OUR INSIGHT

You have asked several questions that are important to all Christians. They include:

1. Is family planning wrong according to the Bible? If so, are there valid reasons not to have children, like being able to have more time to serve God through your local church.

2. What methods of contraception are acceptable, if any, from a biblical perspective.

We shall attempt to provide insight about these questions for you. However, let me preface my remarks on these topics by saying that decisions about family planning need to be agreed upon by both husband and wife. This is in keeping with 1 Corinthians 7:4, which is not just about sexual relations. Each person comes to a marriage with different expectations about family size, the spacing of children and their gender. Often these views are discussed prior to marriage so people have a shared expectation, but sometimes expectations are taken for granted, and that's never good.

For example, I once counseled a man whose fiancé agreed that three children was the perfect family size. After two children the wife changed her mind without any discussion of the matter. The husband felt he had been cheated. The sense of loss he suffered over the "missing child" was a source of festering resentment that damaged the marriage. So decisions about family planning, within the confines of biblical principles, are to be made by both husband and wife. If they cannot agree, they should seek outside professional counseling, but not by a pastor. Often pastoral counseling on such topics causes more problems than it solves.

Is family planning wrong according to the Bible?

The Bible says, "God said, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the Earth and subdue it...." (Genesis 1:28)

Some Bible teachers today say that this is conclusive evidence that God is against any kind of birth control. We would suggest this is not the case. There is no doubt God said this, but it needs to be put in context. He had just created Adam and Eve, and if there was ever a time in human history for people to be fruitful and multiply, that was it.

Does this command of God apply today? There are two ways to view this question.

First, there is the idea that we have already done a pretty good job of filling the Earth, so the obligation has ended. There are those who are ready to argue that there is still a place at the table for one more child, but inevitably these are people in the Western world where there is plenty to eat. In much of the world people are starving to death, so it is fair to assume we have already "filled the Earth" to it's agricultural and economic capacity.

The second way to look at this is to argue that the command still applies to humanity at large because of the need to keep the human race alive. While this may be true, it does not mean the command to be fruitful and multiply applies to each and every individual on the planet. The Apostle Paul recognized this when he taught that it was best for a Christian man not to touch a woman (1 Corinthians 7:2). This idea is directly opposite of the concept of fruitfully multiplying.

There would be some who would argue that to "be fruitful and multiply" is an obligation of all married couples. But of course the Bible does not teach this. Companionship seems to be as important as procreation according to Genesis 2:18. This idea of companionship is echoed in Ephesians 5:25, 1 Corinthians 7:3, 5 and elsewhere. Interestingly, the New Testament does not give any command that couples have children. The issue is not brought up in any context.

Many contemporary Christians have been brainwashed to believe the focus is on the family. Nothing could be further from the truth. The focus of the Bible has always been on Jesus Christ, and following him. Did Jesus share the same views of family as, say, a popular contemporary radio psychologist? Jesus said, "He who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matthew 10:37). Jesus said, "Everyone who has left houses...or wife or children... for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life."(Matthew 19:29)

It may very well be the false emphasis on the family by so many churches that is rendering them impotent in these latter days. Raising children properly is extremely important, but that does not mean the Christian faith should be reduced to a cult of the family.

The Old Testament has passages about the value of children, such as Psalm 127:4 which says, "Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them." While this is true for a man who can afford to feed and clothe many children, it was probably more of a statement about the culture at that time rather than a general statement for all times. Children had much more of an economic and strategic role in Old Testament times, and that's one of the reasons polygamy was practiced to generate more of them in a shorter period of time. Wealth and power came from having big families to tend flocks and fight enemies.

With this in mind, we can dismiss sentimental ideas about big families. They may be nice for some people, but they certainly don't fulfill any requirement of God.

What methods of contraception are acceptable, if any, from a biblical perspective.

If we remove the idea, as I hope we have, that God expects every human on the Earth to reach maximum breeding efficiency, then the question of birth control becomes an important concern.

Before we examine the pros and cons of various methods of birth control, we need to make a general statement about what birth control really is. Birth control, or family planning, is nothing more or less than good Christian stewardship. Generally we tend to think of stewardship only in terms of money, but it extends to all areas of life. Jesus calls us to be good stewards of our resources, and he explains that to us in places like Luke 16. Jesus holds us accountable for all the resources he provides in our life. We show good stewardship when we bring children into this world that we can love, feed and educate. We show bad stewardship when we neglect, though our emotional or financial limitations, the children we bring into the world.

What are the best means of birth control for Christians? The Bible is silent on birth control, so it is fair to conclude family planning is acceptable to God since he did not speak against it. He would have given us specific scriptures outlawing the practice if that were his will. But God does teach us about the sanctity of life, and that is an overarching principle. It is one thing to place a barrier between sperm and egg, but another thing completely to abort an egg that has already received a sperm, and where life has already begun.

So here is a brief summary of the various kinds of birth control available, along with some comments.

1. Abortion. Not an option for Christians, married or unmarried. Sadly, many nonbelievers are using abortion as a form of belated birth control. Most Christians believe it is morally wrong, and is the taking of innocent human life.

2. IUD, which goes by many names including Copper T. It acts to abort a child at the very earliest stages and should not be used.

3. RU486 and various other "morning after" pills. These also induce an abortion at the earliest stages and should not be used.

4. The Pill. Pills that control ovulation do not allow sperm and egg to meet so have become a popular means of birth control. They do carry certain side effects and may be a health factor to some women. However, they are morally neutral as long as they prevent conception rather than destroying a fertilized egg. You need to check with your doctor to make sure which of several types are available. The Pill is highly effective and acceptable when used properly.

5. Condoms. Hinder sexual spontaneity and have a failure rate of about 5%. Most men do not like to use them because they dull sexual pleasure. Efficiency increases when combined with contraceptive jelly or foam. Condoms were on of the first attempts at barrier contraception and were first made of sheep intestine according to early Egyptian history.

6. Diaphragm. Covers a woman's cervix and acts as a barrier between sperm and egg. There are no side effects and diaphragms have a low failure rate especially when used with contraceptive jelly or foam. Widely used and a good choice for many.

7. Rhythm method. This is a procedure where a woman's temperature records are kept to determine the time when ovulation has occurred so that intercourse may be engaged in safely. Failure rate us extremely high, and this is not considered a reliable method of birth control.

8. Withdrawal. This is the method of birth control described in Genesis 38 and involves a man withdrawing moments before ejaculation. Not a reliable method for two main reasons. First, because it is unnatural and unsatisfying to withdraw at just that moment. Second, because men generally leak seminal fluid just before they ejaculate and conception can occur from that.

9. Surgery. Vasectomy for a man, which is a very simple operation, or tubal ligation for women which is a far more serious procedure. In these cases the operation permanently stops the reproductive process. A vasectomy can be reversed in some cases, but both of these procedures should be considered rather extreme. They should only be done after prayer and appropriate counseling.

A Final Word

Sometimes children are conceived no matter what steps we take. In such cases we should accept them as a special gift from God. You mention that you don't want more children because you want to devote more time to church and God. This is fine. But remember, when you devote time to a child you are serving God. It is all part of the greater plan he has for us all.

This article was adapted from a forthcoming book, Christian Sexual Dynamics by Donald L. Hughes, JesusJournal.com editor.