On the issue of contraception, the three major branches of Christianity hold varying opinions rooted within their respective interpretations of sexual expression, marriage, and the commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Murder”. In order to understand each branch’s stance on the utilization of contraceptives as a moral issue, I will explore all three branch’s stance on the purpose of sex. The nuanced differences within their interpretations will reveal unique implications within each branch’s position on the morality of contraceptive use. The Protestant Baptist position on contraception ranges from outright condemnation to casual acceptance. The wide differences are a result of the “Sola Scriptura” mindset with which Protestant denominations interpret
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If sex is the only method with which man is to multiply and consequently obey God’s command, then sex is only truly obedient and fulfilling when children are born as an end result. Stopping the process purposefully at any juncture via contraceptive means, according to scripture, should be considered disobedient to the command to “be fruitful and multiply”. Furthermore, Baptists discern contraceptives as morally wrong through critique of the motivation behind contraceptives. Sex, according to scripture, is only to be performed between a man and a woman who have committed to a marriage covenant. In Hebrews 13:4, marriage is to “be held in honor among all” by keeping the marriage bed “undefiled”. This command effectively bars sex from being a casual social activity. It raises sex to a sacred practice that only individuals who are highly committed to one another under God can partake in. By this standard Baptists believe that in a society that approves of sex before marriage, the motivation behind using contraceptives would be to …show more content…
They believe that contraceptives in any form are essentially wrong because they prevent human beings from coming into existence. This belief is derived from natural revelation, scriptural revelation, and, most distinctly, traditional apostolic revelation. Though similar to Protestant Baptists in linking the ideas of sexual relations to the God-ordained end in procreation, Roman Catholic belief differs in its refusal to shift on contraceptive matters. They have held the same views regardless of the societal climate. This is because of the strong pillars of faith Roman Catholics have founded upon the authority of church tradition. Notable Church figures from the earliest times within Church history have purported that interrupting the natural end of procreation from sex is a morally corrupt action. Clement of Alexandria wrote in 195 AD that because man’s seed was ordained by God to be the means by which man procreates, the seed should not be “vainly ejaculated”, “damaged”, or “wasted” (The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2). The seed of man and the womb of a woman are sacred and should not be taken desecrated. Scripturally, the Roman Catholic Church points to Genesis 38:8-10, a passage that directly involves the act of withdrawing before ejaculation. In this passage, a man named Onas had been commanded by God to aid his brother in impregnating his wife in order that God may bless
If sex is the only method with which man is to multiply and consequently obey God’s command, then sex is only truly obedient and fulfilling when children are born as an end result. Stopping the process purposefully at any juncture via contraceptive means, according to scripture, should be considered disobedient to the command to “be fruitful and multiply”. Furthermore, Baptists discern contraceptives as morally wrong through critique of the motivation behind contraceptives. Sex, according to scripture, is only to be performed between a man and a woman who have committed to a marriage covenant. In Hebrews 13:4, marriage is to “be held in honor among all” by keeping the marriage bed “undefiled”. This command effectively bars sex from being a casual social activity. It raises sex to a sacred practice that only individuals who are highly committed to one another under God can partake in. By this standard Baptists believe that in a society that approves of sex before marriage, the motivation behind using contraceptives would be to …show more content…
They believe that contraceptives in any form are essentially wrong because they prevent human beings from coming into existence. This belief is derived from natural revelation, scriptural revelation, and, most distinctly, traditional apostolic revelation. Though similar to Protestant Baptists in linking the ideas of sexual relations to the God-ordained end in procreation, Roman Catholic belief differs in its refusal to shift on contraceptive matters. They have held the same views regardless of the societal climate. This is because of the strong pillars of faith Roman Catholics have founded upon the authority of church tradition. Notable Church figures from the earliest times within Church history have purported that interrupting the natural end of procreation from sex is a morally corrupt action. Clement of Alexandria wrote in 195 AD that because man’s seed was ordained by God to be the means by which man procreates, the seed should not be “vainly ejaculated”, “damaged”, or “wasted” (The Instructor of Children 2:10:91:2). The seed of man and the womb of a woman are sacred and should not be taken desecrated. Scripturally, the Roman Catholic Church points to Genesis 38:8-10, a passage that directly involves the act of withdrawing before ejaculation. In this passage, a man named Onas had been commanded by God to aid his brother in impregnating his wife in order that God may bless