Confessions of a Shiftless Mind

Foreword: This is Part 2 of a series on Birth Control. Please refer to Part 1 if you are just joining us. Click here for Part 3.

Birth Control is so common these days, that nearly every developed nation in the world now has a sub-replacement birth rate. The culture has become so self-centred that nobody even wants to have kids anymore, because they “get in the way” of their personal goals. The ideal platform for having kids: the marriage of man and woman has been under siege for decades now, with men preferring sex with men, and women with women, and even those who are attracted to the opposite sex are told they must put career before kids, education before kids, and fun before kids. It is no wonder that marriages fall apart at an atrocious rate. We have become so self-focused that even in marriage, we expect our spouse to enable us in our aspirations and dreams, instead of seeking to put our spouse before ourselves.

Enter into this Yahweh, El Shaddai, Elohim, Emmanuel, Jesus. Before all else, God commanded man and woman to have children. Yet, today it seems even to many Christians, this is the last thing on their priority list once they get married. They think of all the things they have yet to accomplish, and just see children as an obstacle, an expense, a bother to care for and a hindrance to their own personal goals. Some even try to rationalize by saying to each other, God wants to use us before we have kids. They don’t stop to think that perhaps what God wants from them IS kids, that this is the service God wants them to render.

God is the one who decides when we have children. He opens and closes wombs, and I can’t think of a single case where a woman did not rejoice in a child anywhere in the Bible.

Children are a reward and a heritage. Following this verse comes further descriptions about how a man should be proud of his offspring, how they will forever be of benefit to him.

Children are a pride to the old. This is a truth that many have forgotten as our “nanny state” has grown wider and wider in its reach. In times past, the only people who would care for the old would be their family - their descendants. When the government developed old age pensions, this ceased to be an overriding factor. However, we are learning in these days that this will once again change. With shrinking working populations, the developed nations will begin to be overburdened by medical expenses for the care of the elderly. They will be overburdened by the expenses of old age pensions as the number receiving them passes the number paying for them. It will do one of two things: it will either bankrupt our nations or the government will simply cease to pay for them. Given recent moves towards euthanasia and a growing utilitarian view to health care, a third way is growing in probability every day - that the government, since it is providing pensions and health care, will simply mandate that an old person has outlived their usefulness and is now a “burden to society”, and mandate euthanasia. Should the former or the latter come to pass, it will mean that once again, the elderly will be at the mercy of their progeny, and with fewer and fewer people having progeny, and having fewer total, the expenses will drive their children to their knees, or simply leave the childless person out of money and destitute.

Whoever welcomes children welcomes Christ. Though the context of this verse is the disciples trying to keep the children from him because Jesus was too busy in their eyes, I believe this is directly applicable to us. Most people who opt for birth control are “too busy” for children, and would do well to take this admonishment to heart.

Paul encourages young women to have children. Why does he do this? To keep them busy? Prior to this verse, in verse 4, there is clear instruction that people should be taught to “first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God.” Seems pretty plain to me. In the immediate context of verse 14, admittedly, there is much reference to the traps that some women fall into when they find themselves unoccupied. Having more children would seem to occupy them, but keep in mind, in light of these other verses, Paul is not recommending children to “keep someone busy”. He is doing it because it having children is good for them - for teaching them about themselves, for accomplishing a good work in the Kingdom, raising up new souls to honour God.

Throughout the Old Testament, God blesses people with children. If children are a blessing, how can we say to God, “please, don’t bless me right now,”? If God chooses to bless us with money, we will not complain. If God blesses us with a companion, we will not turn it away. If God blesses us with a promotion, we will not quit. Why so with children? I don’t hear people on acceptance to University say, “please, I don’t want an education right now. I want to have fun right now. Can you give me my education in a couple years after I have had some fun?” Well, actually I do hear that on occasion, and it sounds bizarre, doesn’t it? Why then does it sound reasonable to hold the same opinion about another blessing that is talked about over and over in the Bible? How many times is an education mentioned in the Bible as a sought-after blessing, as opposed to how many times children are a blessing?

Children are a blessing from God. It doesn’t make sense to me that this, of all the blessings God wishes on us, in spite of the fact that it is His first command to mankind, that we wish to forego it. We, of all people, who treasure life above all else, should be embracing children . This is how Christians will be known now - as a people who love children, love life, and embrace it. We don’t seek to stop it, prevent it, or avoid it. We welcome it, embrace it, love and nurture it. I don’t understand how someone can be against abortion, but be for birth control. We as Christians know that life doesn’t even begin at conception. Life begins exactly where, and when God wants it to. The spark of life is not created by a couple of chains of RNA bumping together in a fallopian tube or a petri dish. It is created when God breathes life into His newest creation. It is a miracle that is given to whom God wishes to bless, and it is given for their good.

Stay tuned for part 3, where I deal with common objections.