Birth Control in the Age of Fulfillment

Live from the Mecca of Mormonism, this is Heart of the Matter, where we are re-learning how to live in the age of fulfillment. And I’m your host Shawn McCraney

The Spirit's Role in Christian Living

Show 5A
BIRTH CONTROL IN THE AGE OF FULFILLMENT
Taped February 4th
Aired February 10th 2020

So, we have talked about sex and marriage, we have talked about sex in general, and the most logical step we should cover for Christian living in the age of fulfillment is . . . BIRTH CONTROL.

It's important to understand that in the age of fulfillment a believer really truly trusts that the Spirit reigns over and in the hearts and minds of those who are Sons and Daughters. Religionists have a hard time believing this, and so they balk at the liberties I espouse, thinking that religion and its leaders must constantly emphasize the evils of fornication and abortion and the like. But in the age of fulfillment, where men and women choose to follow God in Spirit and truth, these warnings and exhortations aren’t necessary – a true Son or Daughter will follow their King and see themselves as responsible before their God.

If someone chooses to live to their flesh in this age, they can, and reap accordingly from the hand of our loving Master. But gone are the days of men (or women) standing over us and reminding us weekly what “sins” need to be avoided – all daughters and sons know what is good and what is not.

Traditional Views on Birth Control

Unfortunately, in the area of birth control, unauthorized organized religions of authority (UORA’s) have long asserted themselves between people (once again) and tried to tell us, in the name of God, whether they can manage the production of children in their lives – or not. Usually, the ideas against birth control include and even start with the biblical story of a guy named Onan who had a brother Er, who died without having children. And so Judah told Onan to go in unto Er’s widow and make a baby. Genesis 38 beginning at verse 8 puts it this way:

8 And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. 9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. 10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.

The insipid interpretation of this story is Onan was slain because “he spilled his seed on the ground” but the more reasonable and actual interpretation was that Onan refused to participate in what was later described by Moses as Levirate marriage. Standing on the Onan story though, religion has long stomped on the practice of “seed spilling” (and therefore, birth control) and it started with the Catholics.

This is from a Catholic website summary on birth control:
Gen. 38:8-10 – “Onan is killed by God for practicing contraception (in this case, withdrawal) and spilling (Heb. s?hat = corrupting, ruining, destroying) his semen on the ground.” All contraception, all contraceptive methods, all contraceptive devices, “cast the semen on the ground.” Withdrawal, obviously, directly casts the semen “on the ground.” This is the ultimate destination of all semen emitted elsewhere than in its proper place, the vagina. Condoms are discarded… eventually on the ground. Wasted. Semen emitted within a vagina during menstruation is deliberately wasted. Semen emitted within a vagina during purification is deliberately wasted.”

And working backward from this man-made summary, we have dozens of the most ridiculous statements from Catholic founders on birth control – which I am not even going to read.

Reason and Stewardship

Let’s just talk reasonably here – God told Adam and Eve to dress and keep the garden he gave them. This requires responsibility, thought, and reason. As human beings, we are given stewardship over the things of this earth. If you have a farm and don’t manage the ground and crops properly, you will ruin the ground given you.

If this is so with the land, it is certainly so with the womb of a woman and the mental stability of parents. And yet Paul instructed married people to not be abstinent for too long for that could lead to trouble.

So what to do? Run roughshod over the body and mind of a wife, impregnating her endlessly until she hits menopause (which would give the name real meaning, wouldn’t it?) and then what is?

Religious Perspectives on Birth Control

her husband to do during the times she is pregnant, menstruating or in menopause, since his seed cannot be wasted?

Time and place folks – for everything. What we read in the Bible was for them/then, as God was raising up a Nation to bring forth the oracles and the Messiah.

Are we supposed to practice Levirate marriage today? Of course not – and most pastors would agree. But they pick and choose all of this stuff instead of realizing that we are in a completely different age.

But to the religions of the world, they want to keep these practice running in order to create for themselves MORE member! Hence the LDS leaders have said this about birth control:

Historical LDS Views

Relief Society Magazine 4:69, 1917?George F. Richards My wife has borne to me fifteen children. Anything short of this would have been less than her duty and privilege.

Relief Society Magazine 3:367-368, July 1916?Joseph Fielding Smith Those who attempt to pervert the ways of the Lord, and to prevent their offspring from coming into the world…are guilty of one of the most heinous crimes in the category. There is no promise of eternal salvation and exaltation for such as they…

1939 Softer version – we do not condone birth control, however, be considerate of your situation . . .

1999 LDS Church Policy (post-1999) Church Handbook of Instructions?January 1999 It is the privilege of married couples who are able to bear children to provide mortal bodies for the spirit children of God, whom they are then responsible to nurture and rear. The decision as to how many children to have and when to have them is extremely intimate and private and should be left between the couple and the Lord. Church members should not judge one another in this matter. Then in a remarkable advance, the policy included: Married couples also should understand that sexual relations within marriage are divinely approved not only for the purpose of procreation, but also as a means of expressing love and strengthening emotional and spiritual bonds between husband and wife.

So that’s the LDS. Going back to the Reformation, Luther had the following to say about Birth Control

Protestant Reflections by Luther

This is a most disgraceful sin. It is far more atrocious than incest and adultery. We call it unchastity, yes, a Sodomitic sin. For Onan goes in to her; that is, he lies with her and copulates, and when it comes to the point of insemination, spills the semen, lest the woman conceive. Surely at such a time the order of nature established by God in procreation should be followed. Accordingly, it was a most disgraceful crime to produce semen and excite the woman, and to frustrate her at that very moment. (LW 7.20-21).

And there have been variations on this stance that have gotten more and more watered down with time since Luther penned these words.

But wasn’t Luther one of the authors of Sola Scriptura? And this was his interpretation of the Scriptura? And even more quizzically, don’t most Protestants practice birth control today?

So we have three general messed up views regarding birth control from the major religious presentations that have been trusted by billions of people seeking God:

The Catholics say birth control is wrong – and stick to it today. This produces too many children and torn up mothers.

The Mormons said is was wrong, and then said it was wrong but up to the couple, and but now say its okay, producing convenient theology based on demand, and the Protestants were firmly against it from the mouth of their founders but don’t really care and live in hypocrisy!

All of this is the product of religious men and women insisting that the scripture is applicable to us today and not seeing that it is all fulfilled.

And so from the rhythm method, to the pull out method, to the condemn to the pill to the patch to the IUD, and whatever else is out there – birth control is the responsibility of the couple involved and God will lead by the Spirit those who are His by faith.

You, made in God’s image, are capable with His spirit and laws written on your hearts, to decide when or if to have children and when to prevent them. I mean even God took a rest after six days, right?

But this brings us to the biggest question relative to birth control – or the most aggressive form of it – abortion.

Which we will hit next week!

So write your comments and questions below on the subject of birth control tonight.

Main Broadcast Announcement

and we will cover them tomorrow night on our follow-up program at 8PM mountain, here, on HEART OF THE MATTER.