Religion and birth control

[Moxie]

Are there any religions, beside Catholic, that forbid birth control? I'm not just asking about Christian religions, any faith.

[Soror]

fwiw birth control bans were universal in the Christian faith until about 1930

[BigMamaBird]

We used to attend a non-denominational church that was getting increasingly patriarchal. While there was never an official ban, it seemed like all the young, married women were all very much against birth control. All these women were what could be called "Crunchy Christians" too, so they may have been avoiding them because of the artificial hormones. They did practice NFP so they were technically using a birth control method, just nothing man made. Like I said, it was an independent, non-denominational church, so there was no official hierarchy.

[VeritasMama]

For Islam, from what I've read it depends on the type of birth control and the circumstances:

 

http://islamiclearni...m-birth-control

 

But hopefully some of our Muslim members will chime in...

 

I do know that Traditional Buddhism does not oppose birth control that prevents conception, but they oppose abortificatients such as IUD's that don't allow fertilized eggs to be implanted. They also oppose abortion.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/contraception.shtml

[milovany]

We were advised by our priest when we converted to Orthodoxy to not use birth control. There's not an official dogmatic stance against it, from what I understand, though. It's a pastoral issue, not a doctrinal one, from what I've seen. It's not like a priest will say, "This is what you have to do or else." He'll counsel with a couple about the issue.

[Spryte]

BC is frowned upon in my sister's community. She is Orthodox Jewish. There are varying levels of orthodoxy, of course, but she is on the more extreme end. The consensus about BC 20 years ago was that the rabbi would say no to any BC, so don't ask specifically and don't ask, don't tell. Now, it's just a simple, "No BC."

 

Her community has many large families, needless to say.

[Excelsior! Academy]

Short answer, yes. Some Protestants and Non-denominational groups don't do bc. There are also many families that have a personal conviction that the religion they belong to as a whole does not have a stance on. Some Christians don't believe in bc while some do. Both would say they belong to the same religion and use the same book, The Bible.

 

 

Eta: Don't the FLDS forgo birth control also?

[Moxie]

I'm not talking about a conservative church down the road. I'm talking about denominations that forbid BC. I know lots if big FLDS families--do they forbid birth control or just encourage big families?

[musicianmom]

Some Missouri Synod Lutherans teach against it, but it is not official church policy.

[happypamama]

Short answer, yes. Some Protestants and Non-denominational groups don't do bc. There are also many families that have a personal conviction that the religion they belong to as a whole does not have a stance on. Some Christians don't believe in bc while some do. Both would say they belong to the same religion and use the same book, The Bible.

 

 

 

Yes to this. I've never attended a denomination of Christianity that has an official stance on birth control, but I have my own personal convictions about it, which are directly related to my religious beliefs.

[Pamela H in Texas]

The Bible leaves matters up to personal decision so our religion (Jehovah Witness) does also.

Certain kinds would need to be avoided due to Bible principles, but past that, it is a personal choice.

[Dahliarw]

Short answer, yes. Some Protestants and Non-denominational groups don't do bc. There are also many families that have a personal conviction that the religion they belong to as a whole does not have a stance on. Some Christians don't believe in bc while some do. Both would say they belong to the same religion and use the same book, The Bible.

 

 

Eta: Don't the FLDS forgo birth control also?

 

 

Yes, FLDS are against birth control.

[Moxie]

Yes, FLDS are against birth control.

 

Forbid it or just don't encourage it??

[Shahrazad]

There is a difference of opinion in Islam on birth control. The 2 main opinions are:

 

1) It is permissible but should not be done on a permanent basis (ie tubes tied or hysterectomy UNLESS medically necessary)/

 

2) Birth control is not allowed UNLESS there is a valid reason. Reasons include medical reasons, psychological reasons, spacing out pregnancies for breastfeeding (2 years is the norm), etc...One exception is that financial difficulty is not generally considered a valid reason.

 

Most of the people I know follow the first view, I follow the latter but I do have a medical reason to prevent right now (I also am breastfeeding as well) so I don't plan to have another for a good 3-4 years.

[Whereneverever]

Some Missouri Synod Lutherans teach against it, but it is not official church policy.

 

http://www.lcms.org/document.fdoc?src=lcm&id=632

 

LCMS position on birth control.

[Orthodox6]

I like the balanced answer set forth in this Eastern Orthodox article: http://www.roca.org/...55-156/155h.htm

 

The article does not discuss self-sterilization (vasectomy, tubal ligation), which sometimes are considered a form of birth control. The Orthodox Church forbids these procedures.

[Moxie]

I like the balanced answer set forth in this Eastern Orthodox article: http://www.roca.org/...55-156/155h.htm

 

The article does not discuss self-sterilization (vasectomy, tubal ligation), which sometimes are considered a form of birth control. The Orthodox Church forbids these procedures.

 

Thanks. I didn't realize how differently Orthodox and Catholics view marriage and sexuality.

[Staceyshoe]

I'm a Christian (not Catholic). Because of my belief that life begins at conception, I am personally uncomfortable with birth control methods that prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. I have no personal issues with birth control that prevents conception. I don't know whether many denominations make this distinction, but it's an important one for me personally.

[emcap]

I like the balanced answer set forth in this Eastern Orthodox article: http://www.roca.org/...55-156/155h.htm

 

The article does not discuss self-sterilization (vasectomy, tubal ligation), which sometimes are considered a form of birth control. The Orthodox Church forbids these procedures.

 

Just wanted to point out that the Catholic Church does not teach that marriage is only for the procreation of children, but rather for the sanctification of husband and wife as well as procreation.

 

Also the church does not teach that sexuality without procreation is sinful. Quite the contrary, it is considered a means of grace because it unites husband and wife and strengthens their love. (Unless by sexuality they are talking about oral s*x or something and i misunderstood that part of the article)

 

The church is indeed against artificial birth control, but I briefly skimmed that article and didnt want it to mislead anyone.

[Moxie]

I'm a Christian (not Catholic). Because of my belief that life begins at conception, I am personally uncomfortable with birth control methods that prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. I have no personal issues with birth control that prevents conception. I don't know whether many denominations make this distinction, but it's an important one for me personally.

 

As I understand it, Orthodox and Missouri Synod Lutheran do, and probably others. Catholics do not. Sing with me, "Every little sperm is sacred"!!

[VeritasMama]

Catholics are allowed to use natural birth control, such as NFP. They are not allowed to use abortificatients, hormonal birth control, to sterilize themselves, or to hold back during the sexual act through the use of a barrier. The teaching states that they are to give their whole self to their partner, and this includes their fertility. Obviously, with NFP you are trying to avoid pregnancy, and so you abstain during the woman's fertile period. But, even if you are engaging in the sexual act at a time when pregnancy is not likely to occur, you are still giving your whole self to your partner as you have not altered your fertility or your body, and you are not using barrier methods to limit contact. This is also why it is not immoral to engage in sexual acts if you are naturally infertile, because you have not caused the lack of fertility, it is a naturally occuring condition which you have no control over, and so is not a sin. Since being infertile is not a sin, it is not an impediment to the sanctifying grace that comes from marital relations, and so infertile couples are free to engage in relations in order to partake of this grace even if conception can not occur.

 

Catholics are not expected to have large families, but some such as myself choose to. Catholics are not supposed to limit their number of children for selfish reasons either, they are expected to have grave reasons to avoid or limit childbirth. Wanting more material goods or not wanting to go through the work of raising a child is not considered a good reason. Reasons that are seen as valid for limiting family size include how another child would impact the physical/mental health of the mother, the financial burden on the family, the health of others in the family, etc. Catholics in these situations are allowed to use natural means of avoiding pregnancy, though the success rates for NFP really depend on how educated the users are and how well they can use the methods. This is why almost every parish I have been too have offered professional classes and counseling on various methods of NFP, and why so many Catholic OBGYNs (not all) also offer assistance in this area.

 

As for LDS and birth control, my best friend growing up was LDS and my sister married into an LDS family. I have always been told that birth control is allowed in the LDS, but LDS members are expected to have large families. I have known quite a few Mormons in my day, and 3-5 children was the average, while some families had 6-8.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Well, lets first distinguish between LDS and the FLDS mentioned up thread. Big differences. I'm mainstream LDS. BC and family size are considered personal matters between husband and wife. Permanent sterilization is discouraged, but not prohibited.

[Moxie]

Catholics are allowed to use natural birth control, such as NFP. They are not allowed to use abortificatients, hormonal birth control, to sterilize themselves, or to hold back during the sexual act through the use of a barrier. The teaching states that they are to give their whole self to their partner, and this includes their fertility. Obviously, with NFP you are trying to avoid pregnancy, and so you abstain during the woman's fertile period. But, even if you are engaging in the sexual act at a time when pregnancy is not likely to occur, you are still giving your whole self to your partner as you have not altered your fertility or your body, and you are not using barrier methods to limit contact. This is also why it is not immoral to engage in sexual acts if you are naturally infertile, because you have not caused the lack of fertility, it is a naturally occuring condition which you have no control over, and so is not a sin. Since being infertile is not a sin, it is not an impediment to the sanctifying grace that comes from marital relations, and so infertile couples are free to engage in relations in order to partake of this grace even if conception can not occur.

 

Catholics are not expected to have large families, but some such as myself choose to. Catholics are not supposed to limit their number of children for selfish reasons either, they are expected to have grave reasons to avoid or limit childbirth. Wanting more material goods or not wanting to go through the work of raising a child is not considered a good reason. Reasons that are seen as valid for limiting family size include how another child would impact the physical/mental health of the mother, the financial burden on the family, the health of others in the family, etc. Catholics in these situations are allowed to use natural means of avoiding pregnancy, though the success rates for NFP really depend on how educated the users are and how well they can use the methods. This is why almost every parish I have been too have offered professional classes and counseling on various methods of NFP, and why so many Catholic OBGYNs (not all) also offer assistance in this area.

 

As for LDS and birth control, my best friend growing up was LDS and my sister married into an LDS family. I have always been told that birth control is allowed in the LDS, but LDS members are expected to have large families. I have known quite a few Mormons in my day, and 3-5 children was the average, while some families had 6-8.

 

 

 

The Church, on purpose, DOES NOT say what are and are not grave reasons to avoid. That is left up to the couple. I always cringe when I see a list of grave reasons.

[gaillardia]

VeritasMama, I thought you were LDS! I am LDS. I was never told that I was expected to have a large family, I am a convert of at least 20 years and had three children at the time of my conversion. It was purely mine and my dh's choice to have a large family.

I was told, like LemonPie said, it was a personal matter between husband and wife. I was also told that I should be able to take care of the ones I have and that it isn't anyone else's business except ours.

[VeritasMama]

 

 

The Church, on purpose, DOES NOT say what are and are not grave reasons to avoid. That is left up to the couple. I always cringe when I see a list of grave reasons.

 

Well, that's news to me, I was given these examples from Catholic sources, and they are examples, not a definitive list. But yes, some people need examples in order to understand what "grave" would mean in order to be able to make that determiniation for their family. That doesn't mean that I was listing every grave reason there ever is, I specifically said they were some examples.

[VeritasMama]

VeritasMama, I thought you were LDS! I am LDS. I was never told that I was expected to have a large family, I am a convert of at least 20 years and had three children at the time of my conversion. It was purely mine and my dh's choice to have a large family.

I was told, like LemonPie said, it was a personal matter between husband and wife. I was also told that I should be able to take care of the ones I have and that it isn't anyone else's business except ours.

 

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I was going by what my best friend's LDS mother told me. She is very devout, and I didn't think to question it.

 

She didn't tell me that the church forced people to have large families, she said it was just sort of expected as part of the culture that couples would have as many children as they could. I also watched Saturday's Warrior several times at her house growing up, and so it did make an impression on me that it was part of the culture.

 

She is older now, so maybe this was something that was part of her local ward culture when she was younger that has changed now.

[Forget-Me-Not]

FYI, 'Saturday's Warrior' is pretty doctrinally incorrect ;). Sometimes it's tricky to differentiate between the LDS doctrine and the LDS culture.

[meggie]

Official LDS doctrine taken from the LDS website

 

 

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.

Married couples should also understand that

sexual relations within marriage are divinely ap -

proved not only for the purpose of procreation,

but also as a way of expressing love and strength-

ening emotional and spiritual bonds between

husband and wife. -Handbook 2 Section 21.4.4

[Butter]

She didn't tell me that the church forced people to have large families, she said it was just sort of expected as part of the culture that couples would have as many children as they could.

 

Culture and doctrine are two different things :) My sister has one kid (secondary infertility... even IVF failed). Some people make rude comments to her about "limiting" her family. I know people who get nasty comments from other LDS people about their "big" families. However, we have been told by the leadership to, basically, shut up about other people's family size decisions. One, don't know what's going on behind the scenes (like my sister's extreme heartache over only being able to have one when she desparately wanted more) and two, it's none of our business. Official position: It's between the husband, wife, and the Lord. End of story.

 

FWIW, typical family size where I live, within the LDS church, is 3-5 kids. Some have 1 or 2, some have 6+, but the majority are in the 3-5 range.

 

I do believe the FLDS forbids birth control.

 

On Sister Wives once the Browns were talking about birth control a little bit and it sounded like the United Apostolic Brethren (which is the off-shoot from the LDS church that they belong to) does not allow birth control, but I wasn't totally clear if it's just that the Brown family chooses not to use any or if their church says not to.

[Melissa in Australia]

The Bible leaves matters up to personal decision so our religion (Jehovah Witness) does also.

Certain kinds would need to be avoided due to Bible principles, but past that, it is a personal choice.

Interesting. I was brought up JW . In my particular congregation there was a definite encouragement to use birth control and people who had large families were looked down on. I thought it was a standard view, I must have had a misconception. I came from a family of 8 children

[Melissa in Australia]

I know 2 protestant families that are apposed to birth control in all forms including natural planning. I don't know what sect of protestant they are

[VeritasMama]

FYI, 'Saturday's Warrior' is pretty doctrinally incorrect ;). Sometimes it's tricky to differentiate between the LDS doctrine and the LDS culture.

 

Thanks for letting me know :)

[LucyStoner]

There is what the church says and then there is what a plurality or majority of church members actually do. The difference is vast.

 

I use FAM/NFP but have no religious reasons to do so.

[Dahliarw]

 

Forbid it or just don't encourage it??

 

In the FLDS circles I've read about (You know, the ones under Warren Jeffs and all that) it is forbidden. I've never heard of an FLDS that uses birth control, but there may be in some of the more progressive familes (like the browns who I know consider their religion different then the cultish FLDS) who don't isolate themselves from the rest of the world. I have no idea.

[Butter]

(like the browns who I know consider their religion different then the cultish FLDS)

 

 

They absolutely are NOT FLDS. FLDS refers to a specific religious sect. There are a whole lot of off-shot religions from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The largest is The Community of Christ Church which used to be known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of the offshoots are tiny and several practice polygamy and are often referred to as fundamentalist Mormon/LDS churches, but are not the same as the specific FLDS which is officially Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Browns belong to the Apostolic United Brethren. It can be kind of confusing. Wiki has a chart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sects_in_the_Latter_Day_Saint_movement

[dbmamaz]

totally off topic, but yesterday my teen son brought a large home school park day moms conversation to a dead halt by loudly beginning to talk about the two things named in the topic of this post :ohmy:

[Dahliarw]

 

They absolutely are NOT FLDS. FLDS refers to a specific religious sect. There are a whole lot of off-shot religions from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The largest is The Community of Christ Church which used to be known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of the offshoots are tiny and several practice polygamy and are often referred to as fundamentalist Mormon/LDS churches, but are not the same as the specific FLDS which is officially Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Browns belong to the Apostolic United Brethren. It can be kind of confusing. Wiki has a chart http://en.wikipedia...._Saint_movement

 

 

Thank you. I knew they WEREN'T FLDS, and I should have phrased it differently. I dont' know if others who practice polygamy as part of the mormon religion are against birth control, including the Browns.

[gaillardia]

I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, I was going by what my best friend's LDS mother told me. She is very devout, and I didn't think to question it.

 

She didn't tell me that the church forced people to have large families, she said it was just sort of expected as part of the culture that couples would have as many children as they could. I also watched Saturday's Warrior several times at her house growing up, and so it did make an impression on me that it was part of the culture.

 

She is older now, so maybe this was something that was part of her local ward culture when she was younger that has changed now.

Please don't think I was offended! I'm sorry if I sounded offended.

It is strange how the culture interprets it, we each interpret it to suit ourselves (and sometimes it's not right/correct) but I am very glad Meggie found the right stuff to put out there on the topic of LDS doctrine regarding birth control.

Some people think that the Church is so restrictive on so many things.

[SorrelZG]

 

Interesting. I was brought up JW . In my particular congregation there was a definite encouragement to use birth control and people who had large families were looked down on. I thought it was a standard view, I must have had a misconception. I came from a family of 8 children

 

What was the reasoning?

[Melissa in Australia]

What was the reasoning?

The reasoning was based on a scripture in the Bible talking about the time of tribulation that says something along the lines of Woe to the pregnant woman. Also people were very strongly encouraged to devote all their time to godly pursuits, specifically preaching as the view is that the world as we know it will end very shortly, like as in possibly tomorrow or next week.

 

People were encouraged to remain single, and if they married to delay childbearing or even not have children at all. I personally know quite a few couples who felt they were being more pious by getting permanently fixed so they could not have children before they got married so no accidents could happen. I remember hearing many sermons exulting people who had taken such measures. The view that was pushed forth was that people can have as many children as they would desire in the new system after Armageddon.

[SorrelZG]

Melissa, thank-you for taking the time to explain and satisfy my curiosity. I appreciate it. :)

[Tap]

I'm a Christian (not Catholic). Because of my belief that life begins at conception, I am personally uncomfortable with birth control methods that prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. I have no personal issues with birth control that prevents conception. I don't know whether many denominations make this distinction, but it's an important one for me personally.

 

 

I have friends of faith and atheists who also follow this thought pattern. They feel that BCP= abortion, because the egg is already fertilized.

 

My one friend who was the most open about it was the wife of a Church of the Nazarene Pastor (don't know if this is the right word for that faith). I don't know if it was faith dictated or personal choice, but they only used condoms (without spermicide) or nothing at all.

[Melissa in Australia]

Melissa, thank-you for taking the time to explain and satisfy my curiosity. I appreciate it. :)

 

no problems :coolgleamA:

[stripe]

Thank you to Melissa for explaining the JW position. I had never understood it before.

 

For Islam, from what I've read it depends on the type of birth control and the circumstances

 

I would summarize Islam as being generally encouraging of married couples having children, but recognizing that childbirth and childrearing are taxing on the mother, and providing religious support for thoughtful spacing of children, more so than total avoidance of any.

 

I think when one considers situations where people have been sterilized without their consent or had their reproduction determined by a third party (such as the state), Islamically the view is certainly not restrictive in terms of trying to prevent couples from reproducing, which can be (should be?) seen as a human rights violation.

 

I think the tone on the website cited was a bit irritating. Any phrasing on the website about "this birth control is allowed if the husband agrees" is wrong as far as I know. Having babies is seen as the right of the woman/wife/mother, so any attempt by the man to prevent children requires her consent. This is most applicable when talking about coitus interruptus/withdrawal, which is explicitly allowed in Islam and on which most rulings about contraceptives are based.

 

Permanent methods are really just for those with serious medical issues. Otherwise better to keep one's options open. Also breast feeding for 2 years is seen as the right of the child, and, while not perfect for any one particular woman, when many women breastfeed extensively, a good portion have a delayed return to fertility. There is also an explicit prohibition against infanticide, particularly of girls.

 

Contraception is allowed to facilitate harmonious family life, with the caution that children are important and do bring joy, but one must be realistic. Most of the usual methods are generally seen as allowed, including barrier methods and withdrawal, as well as hormonal methods, but there are varying opinions about IUDs and abortion. Abortion to save the life of the mother is certainly allowed and in fact would be the proper thing to do.

[EmmaNZ]

Muslim here too and I agree with every word of Stripe's post.

[NicAnn]

http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/contraceptives-bible-view/

 

Just FYI, that's a link to the official position of the Witnesses on birth control. There are also several other articles included on the page relating to the topic.

[Scarlett]

 

Interesting. I was brought up JW . In my particular congregation there was a definite encouragement to use birth control and people who had large families were looked down on. I thought it was a standard view, I must have had a misconception. I came from a family of 8 children

 

 

Definitely not a standard view. How many children a couple has is a strictly personal matter.

 

[Shahrazad]

In Islam, abortion is also permitted, but discouraged, up to the "official personhood" of the fetus, which is a set age/term. **You could, of course, pull up scholars who disagree if you were looking to do that.

 

 

Actually, to expand on this, the 'personhood' or in reality, the time at which Muslims believe the fetus is imbued with a soul is generally accepted as 120 days (although some take an opinion which is closer to 3 months). After this point, abortion is completely disallowed with ONE exception and that is, when it is necessary to save the life of the mother or she will come to great physical harm or death through completion of the pregnancy. PRIOR to 120 days, it is not a blanket allowance on abortion but is allowed under the circumstance of medical necessity, the fetus' being deformed, sick, or disabled, or rape. It IS considered haraam (sinful) to have an abortion because you just don't want the pregnancy, even before 120 days. However, if someone did go ahead and decided to do it, it is not considered 'murder', because the fetus does not yet have a soul, the sin is forgivable through repentance and expiation, and it is certainly less of a sin than some other things could be. After 120 days, an abortion for a non-permissible reason would require you to perform expiation on par with killing someone unintentionally.

[unsinkable]

 

 

 

Actually, to expand on this, the 'personhood' or in reality, the time at which Muslims believe the fetus is imbued with a soul is generally accepted as 120 days (although some take an opinion which is closer to 3 months). After this point, abortion is completely disallowed with ONE exception and that is, when it is necessary to save the life of the mother or she will come to great physical harm or death through completion of the pregnancy. PRIOR to 120 days, it is not a blanket allowance on abortion but is allowed under the circumstance of medical necessity, the fetus' being deformed, sick, or disabled, or rape. It IS considered haraam (sinful) to have an abortion because you just don't want the pregnancy, even before 120 days. However, if someone did go ahead and decided to do it, it is not considered 'murder', because the fetus does not yet have a soul, the sin is forgivable through repentance and expiation, and it is certainly less of a sin than some other things could be. After 120 days, an abortion for a non-permissible reason would require you to perform expiation on par with killing someone unintentionally.

 

 

So Islam teaches that the soul enters the fetus at 120 day gestation?

[Coco_Clark]

I like the balanced answer set forth in this Eastern Orthodox article: http://www.roca.org/...55-156/155h.htm

 

The article does not discuss self-sterilization (vasectomy, tubal ligation), which sometimes are considered a form of birth control. The Orthodox Church forbids these procedures.

 

 

 

I found this interesting, as while it agreed 90% with what my Orthodox priest taught my husband and I per sex and the Orthodox's stance there are a few disagreements. Mostly that he lectured us quite firmly that abstaining from each other during fasting periods is a "little t" tradition (ie great and good and NOT necessary nor even advisable for everyone) and that we are never to undertake such a thing unless we both mutually agree. And secondly that we were granted his blessing to use barrier methods for a time (after repeated painful miscarriages).