Expert: Elder Greg Madden - 6/18/2010

Question
Hi:) I love your website:) and just wanted to ask if there is anything wrong with contraception being used within the marriage to prevent an unwanted pregnancy?...
I'm asking becuse I am married but not yet ready to start a family due to being overweight, as well as having several physical health problems which are currently under specialist investigation (Hormonal problems, POCS andundiagnosed fluid retention/swelling)and which require me to be on several prescribed medications as ordered by my specialist doctors(Hormone Replacement Therapy -HRT and diuretics etc.)which could probably cause birth defects/potentially interfere with a healthy pregnancy, as well as being quite overweight and feeling unprepared mentally and emotionally (and yes, even unprepared financially as well
-my medication costs alot and is only available to buy via private prescription, which means the cost of it is not covered by the government/medicare)to handle the responsibility of caring for a (quite possibly unhealthy)child to begin with!...
I would not want to get pregnant and be told that I should have an abortion due to the risks of having an unhealthy pregnancy/newborn with birth defects, I don't believe in abortion and do not believe it is God's will for us to plan to have abortions to solve the dilemma of how to deal with any possible unwanted/unhealthy pregnancies, which will probably occur without using some form of birth control...
I have always thought that in my situation, I have good reason to believe that using birth control would be the right thing to do, but just recently I was reading about all contraception having been originally condemed by the church, even when in the context of using it within a christian marriage -saying that all contraception is in opposition of and rebels against God's will, and some people still have this view today -even using some use bible verses/passages (I'm not sure if there being interpreted correctly or if they're used out of context or not?)...
An example of exactly what I'm talking about can be found using the http I have provided below:
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/contraception.html
By the way, I'd just like to quickly point out that I am no longer a catholic, -I'm now a baptist believer after leaving the catholic church after years of wrongly beliving and personally feeling and suffering many years of such completely unnecessary self-condeming guilt and originally wrongly beliving that salvation was works-based, but I came across that article when I was doing a search on contraception methods and had a quick read of it and the part that worried me is that it states within that article the contraception was originally opposed by all of the christian church(including protestant churches to begin with) and it also quote biblical verses to definently imply to the reader that all contrception is biblically wrong -regardless of the reson it is being used!...
I really want to know the biblical truth (not just some bible verses or passages misinterpreted or taken completely out of context)as to whether or not contraception is permited or not, within the context of using it in agreement with my husband within our healthy marriage relationship?...
I love God and now know that I am saved by grace -not works, and through having a relationship through our Lord Jesus Christ, but I do want to honor God and do what is right and to live according to the will of God and in agreement to His word concerning all areas of my life out of a healthy reverence and love and respect for Him
-including honoring Him in the way I view or decide whether or not to use any contraception/HRT treatment (Some of my HRT treatment incldes a pill that treats my POCS as well as being contraceptive at the same time) at all?...
Please help!!!...
Any help with this would be really appreciated:) and I think it could help others out there who could also be confused about what the bible correctly teaches on this issue!...
Thankyou so much:) and I really look forward to reading your response soon:) -Keep up the great work!!!:)
~My Kindest Regards Always~
      Stephanie

Answer
Stephanie,

Please forgive the late reply. Summer is a rather busy time for me.

As to your questions, please allow me to share with you a portion from my home churches "Positional Papers" on this subject that I think will help...

Birth Control
The command of God to mankind first mentioned in the Bible is found in Genesis 1:28: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it." This was a command of God to procreate. God created human sexuality as the means of filling the earth and having stewardship over the earth. In Bible days marriage and children were considered normal life experiences (Genesis 2:23,24). Barrenness was seen as a curse from God (Genesis 29:31; 1 Samuel 1:3-11; 2:5). A large family was viewed as a sign of God’s blessing (Psalm 127:3-5). Then as is still true in many societies around the world today, children provided the social security system for the parents.

Harvest Church believes there are valid reasons for delaying, limiting, or not having children. There are those who realize they may need more time to mature before trying to raise children. There may be those who should never be a parent. Financial matters must also be considered. Some couples decide to wait until they have finished their schooling before having children. Living in a country in which the lives of the parents and children are in constant danger due to religious persecution might be reason to use birth control to await a safer time for starting or expanding a family.

The use of chemically induced or surgical abortion as a means of birth control is flatly rejected. Harvest Church has an official position opposing abortion. Any birth control method that functions to destroy a fertilized egg, rather than actually preventing conception, is considered unacceptable. Every couple should take this into account when selecting methods of birth control.

Having children requires that parents make a commitment to raising their children to be competent, committed members of their society. This requires sacrifice of time and money that could have been used by the parents for themselves. Unfortunately, there are too many parents in our materialistic, self-centered, society who are having children, but are unwilling to commit themselves to the sacrifices required to raise children well.

This is also an issue for Christian couples. While we in the church recognize the legitimacy of good family planning and the use of birth control, we need to strike a balance. We must look beyond our ambitions and seek God in making these personal decisions. This is not to say every Christian couple must have children. It is simply to recognize that God’s plan for our lives may or may not include children. And regardless of circumstances, whether planned or unplanned, wanted or unwanted . . . children are a gift of God to be cherished. As Psalm 139:13-16 makes clear, the Lord is concerned about each person from the womb. Any decision to have or not have children should be made carefully and prayerfully.

Stephanie, please let me know if this helps or if you have any further questions.

Elder Greg Madden