# Would Christians Who Are Against Birth Control Be Okay With This? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 14, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183 "2012-06-14T22:23:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/1 "2012-06-14T22:23:04Z")
Scenario: 75-year-old man is recently widowed, and takes a young 30-year-old never-married woman as his second wife. So far all of this is kosher (no pun intended) with all major denominations of Christianity, right? Let’s say this man is still able to have sex and his sperm are still viable. Would the anti-birth-control denominations of Christianity be okay with he and his wife using birth control, as they are concerned that any baby won’t have a dad past his/her 10th birthday? Or are they still against it, with the idea that all acts of sex must have the opportunity to lead to conception, and so this couple should just practice monogamy if they don’t want to get pregnant? Or maybe they feel that God would only give this couple a baby if He felt they were prepared to take care of one. FYI, I am asking because I encountered a couple in a similar scenario today, although they had already had the baby and were not concerned about the dad being too old. So it’s not implausible. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/2 "2012-06-14T22:37:18Z")
God will provide. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/3 "2012-06-14T22:46:38Z")
You can’t be against birth control AND allow for exceptions for good reasons, because there are too many good reasons. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/4 "2012-06-14T22:49:37Z")
I think the premise would be used more as a reason to control who may marry more then if BC should be allowed. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/5 "2012-06-14T22:51:46Z")
People who are against birth control are also against sex for any other reason than procreation. ---
**Author:** ![Blackberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecd19e/32.png) [@Blackberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackberry)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/6 "2012-06-14T23:00:45Z")
I don’t know about that, Boyo Jim. I think they’re generally okay with sex even if pregnancy can’t occur for natural reasons (menopause, already pregnant, infertility). ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/7 "2012-06-14T23:01:27Z")
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**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/8 "2012-06-14T23:03:46Z")
There are many reasons individual Christians are against birth control and this is not consistent across the groups. Some base it on god killing Onan after he spilled his seed rather than get his brothers wife pregnant. Some think it breaks the go forth and multiply sections. To suffer meaningfully, for Catholics, gets them closer to the vision of eternal life. They (the church not it’s members) really don’t have a theological reason to avoid it based on potential suffering by the child. Most of the other churches who tend to be against birth control seem to be fundamentalist and as stated above they would tend to believe “god will provide” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/9 "2012-06-14T23:40:58Z")
> [@Gestalt](#): > > Or are they still against it, with the idea that all acts of sex must have the opportunity to lead to conception, and so this couple should just practice monogamy if they don’t want to get pregnant? How does monogamy prevent pregnancy? 😕 My wife and I are monogamous (well, I am, and as far as I know she is), and we have conceived twice. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/10 "2012-06-14T23:41:52Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > People who are against birth control are also against sex for any other reason than procreation. Not true. On a board devoted to fighting ignorance, why would you say this? In the Catholic tradition, sex has both a unitive and a procreative purpose. Sex between a husband and wife when the wife is past menopause, to take one example, is perfectly fine. Did you not know this? ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/11 "2012-06-15T00:00:10Z")
I support all non-abortificant birth control being used by married couples so this is not a problem. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/12 "2012-06-15T00:00:14Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > People who are against birth control are also against sex for any other reason than procreation. A better way to put this is that Catholics are OK with sex that is not primarily motivated by procreation as long as the possibility of procreation is not nullified. That would include the use of “artificial” birth control, masturbation and even _coitus interuptus_. **Bricker** : How about sex where you stop short of ejaculation? Is that OK? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/13 "2012-06-15T00:00:53Z")
So they think sex has some beneficial side effects too. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/14 "2012-06-15T00:02:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > A better way to put this is that Catholics are OK with sex that is not primarily motivated by procreation as long as the possibility of procreation is not nullified. That would include the use of “artificial” birth control, masturbation and even _coitus interuptus_. > > **Bricker** : How about sex where you stop short of ejaculation? Is that OK? How does this fit in with opposition to sex outside of marriage, even if no birth control is used? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/15 "2012-06-15T00:09:42Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > How does this fit in with opposition to sex outside of marriage, even if no birth control is used? Oops. I meant to say “sex with your spouse”. Sex outside of marriage is simply not done. And yes, as **Bricker** noted, they believe that sex is part of the pair bonding process in marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Gestalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/90ced4/32.png) [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/16 "2012-06-15T08:35:10Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > How does monogamy prevent pregnancy? 😕 > > My wife and I are monogamous (well, I am, and as far as I know she is), and we have conceived twice. :smack:. I meant abstinence, sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/17 "2012-06-15T10:39:15Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Not true. > > On a board devoted to fighting ignorance, why would you say this? > > In the Catholic tradition, sex has both a unitive and a procreative purpose. Sex between a husband and wife when the wife is past menopause, to take one example, is perfectly fine. > > Did you not know this? There is a huge qualifier though, physical PIV intercourse has to take place each and every time a couple has sexual contact. If a man in impotent due to injury or illness (like diabetes) and is not capable of penetrating his wife the couple can not have any other form of sexual activity. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 10:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/18 "2012-06-15T10:47:19Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > I don’t know about that, Boyo Jim. I think they’re generally okay with sex even if pregnancy can’t occur for natural reasons (menopause, already pregnant, infertility). The ones I know, yes. They would also be against the same forms of BC they’re against in general cases, for the case posted in the OP; that is, those who think counting days is ok would still be ok with counting days. And I have no idea where did you get the notion that according to the RCC “PIV must happen every time”, **Icerigger** , but that’s not what I was taught. _Moves over to sit besides **Bricker** , hi there_. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/19 "2012-06-15T11:31:29Z")
> [@](#): > > What recourse would a couple have in getting married if one of the members is paralyzed from the neck or even from the waist down? Depending on the situation the bishop himself may not be at liberty to grant a dispensation for marriage. This would especially be the case if there is no real possibility of recovery and consummation of the bond. Having said this a very grave concern of the Church would be the use of oral sex as an attempted substitute for the marital act. While permissible in the old morals manuals as a precursor to intercourse it cannot be sought as an ends unto itself. It falls on many of the same arguments as masturbation and homosexual interactions. [http://www.healthysexuallife.com/topic/view/id-19858](http://www.healthysexuallife.com/topic/view/id-19858) [ ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183/20 "2012-06-15T12:43:19Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > There are many reasons individual Christians are against birth control and this is not consistent across the groups. > > Some base it on god killing Onan after he spilled his seed rather than get his brothers wife pregnant. Some think it breaks the go forth and multiply sections. > > To suffer meaningfully, for Catholics, gets them closer to the vision of eternal life. They (the church not it’s members) really don’t have a theological reason to avoid it based on potential suffering by the child. > > Most of the other churches who tend to be against birth control seem to be fundamentalist and as stated above they would tend to believe “god will provide” Perhaps if the went to the Sudan or Haiti( and other such countries) they would see that "God Helps them that help themselves! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-christians-who-are-against-birth-control-be-okay-with-this/625183.md?page=2)