Posts Tagged ‘ Bible ’

Birthing Controversy

Just a word of warning, some of today’s material may not be suitable for the younguns. It is up to your discretionFamily Planning storefront.

I thought it would be a funny good follow-up to a Valentine’s Day series about love to talk about birth control!

One of the passages I think is among the most misused and misquoted is from Genesis 38 (Taken from the NIV):

Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death also.

This passage is frequently quoted as proof that we should not masturbate or use birth control.

My thoughts on this passage: Do not use selfish motives! Seriously, Onan was not struck dead for masturbating, he just did not want to father a child who was not his. To help us understand, it is like a couple who cannot have children asking friends to donate sperm and/or eggs for in vitro fertilization (making babies with science, not sex). The friends do not want to help out because they would not get to be the parent of the child even though the child would have their DNA. The difference here is instead of politely declining it would be like they donated the necessary goods and then had the doctors mess up/destroy the so-called goods. Then they blamed the doctors for why this couple did not have children.

Before I get into texts that could argue against birth control, I will argue for it!

We have several medical and technological thingies which (unless you are from a denomination/sect/religion/cult [and I am not equating any of those with others, merely grouping!] which says avoid them) we are okay with using or even say something along the lines of “God has given us the ability to create/do these things that improve our lives, including the miracle of medicine!”

[Disclaimer: I am not suddenly endorsing sex outside of marriage! Take everything I say within the context of marriage!]

How come when it comes to condoms or medicine (The Pill) and other such things, it is wrong? Do these things cause physical harm to people?

Actually, many “contraceptives” are actually things which affect the chemistry of your body, maybe even your emotions, and in many cases are nothing more than abortion pills or whatever. Chemicals can harm the body and mind, and abortions do harm women (let alone the “fetus”). This is not a message about abortion, so I will move on from that for now, but these things actually do have the possibility of harming living things (whether a baby/fertilized egg – to be momentarily PC – or the woman herself).

What about condoms? They are a piece of rubbery plastic material (actually, they are usually latex) a person wears (there are male and female versions) with the primary intention of stopping sperm from getting to eggs. Some do use spermicide to accomplish this, which I think is a bad idea just in case it harms us in some way. There is also a debate about whether or not condoms can protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) (do an internet search to see, such as that lower quality condoms can have holes up to 100 times bigger than the HIV virus). I will just point out, condoms are not 100% effective against preventing diseases or pregnancy (Ask my mom’s parents).

Quite honestly, the safest way to avoid “an accident” that will literally change your life forever is to not have sex. If married, we can argue that if the device or medicine used has no physical side effects and does not induce an abortion it is okay to use it. God has given us the ability to create these, so why not? (Also, this argument can not and should not be used for weapons, pornography, or anything else. The argument I am presenting is for things which do not harm others or go against God’s word.) We are merely utilizing a resource God has provided.

Now for the part where I mention reasons why we might not want to use contraception!

There are arguments flying around that “It is a woman’s body, so it is her choice” about having sex, getting an abortion, inserting things or ingesting/injecting stuff that prevents or stops pregnancies. Well, guess what the Bible talks about? Yep, this very subject:

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything . . . . Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:12-20, NIV)

Okay. Obviously we should not have sex outside of marriage. It seems we should also treat our bodies with respect, so it would be best to avoid those things which can harm the body.

If you are someone who denies the Bible has any authority, if you just demand physical proof that abortions are bad, start here. There are way more sources to consult, as well. (I stopped supporting abortions before I believed Jesus is the Son of God, before I was sure God was real, and before I attended church. I also did not want to have sex outside of marriage for two reasons: I did not want to get a disease or have to “deal with” a baby. Again, before following Christ.)

What about condoms and other “safe” options?

Other than what I have already mentioned about the chances that they can fail, I think there are two good arguments.

One is that God can do what He wants. If you are meant to get pregnant, your birth control will fail. If you do not like that little nugget, I am sorry but … well … deal.

Two is that it could very well be argued that we are giving into temptation. What temptation, you ask? The same sin that has plagued humanity from the beginning: To be like God. We want to have control, so this is one area we can take some control. How about this little quote from Jesus and Deuteronomy:

“Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

I guess it comes down to you. I have listed arguments for both sides and statistics. Any thoughts? Where do you stand?

2011
03/07
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Abortion
Birth Control
Love
Masturbation
Relationship
Valentine's Day
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Rising Second Title

Earlier we heard from Mark about faith in Christ and the importance of the Resurrection. I have some other thoughts.

Today is Groundhog Day! This is the day a bunch of American’s put their faith in a small mammal who rises out of the ground to tell us whether we have to wait six more weeks for spring or should expect spring to come on March 20. So many people put their faith in this tiny creature to let them know if we have to wait 42 days to see the snowy season end or … 46 days.

Do those four days really matter? And, really, the hope is that it is an early spring will come if the little guy does not see his shadow. A few funny tidbits about Phil and his history:

  1. His predictions are frequently “Long winter”, sometimes for multiple years in a row, with “Early spring” never being repeated a year after it was last reported. That is rather pessimistic!
  2. Out of 115 predictions, 15 (13%) have been early spring.
  3. Out of 115 predictions, 45 (roughly 39%) have been correct.

To be fair, the Bible tends to be rather pessimistic, as well:

  1. All (as in all people. Every single person, minus One … but He was also fully God) have sinned.
  2. Israel could not listen, and they had to be disciplined.
  3. Our world will get worse before it gets better.

 This can cause a lot of us to doubt our world, the Word, and even weather predictions! (That order seems off)

Consider this:

  1. How many Bible prophecies have been proven false? (Honestly. Not “there is no evidence” quotes from people who have barely even touched a Bible)   0 (Zero).
  2. How many religions have founders who died, rose to life again, and have not died since?   1 (One).
  3. How many religions have changed how time itself is measured?   1 (One).

It seems that the Bible is rather reliable, and Christianity seems to be the best … nay, the ONLY real option. It really is centered around the Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. There are some great places discussing this very thing (Most recently at Matt Appling’s blog). It is through the cross we are truly introduced to God’s grace, another central point. It is through the cross we were given forgiveness. It was the Resurrection that solidified the deal forever, justifying us by signing the check that was written in His blood to pay for our sins.

It is not faith in a furry animal that gives us peace. It is not weather forecasts or cute productions that allay our fears of death and judgment. It is all through the death and Resurrection of Jesus the Christ.

What doubts do you still have? What fears keep you from moving forward? Where are you placing your faith, your trust? Who do you reveal your worries and concerns to? What hope do you hold on to?

2011
02/02
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Bible
Doubt
Relationship
Religion
Resurrection
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Confronting doubt with Truth

Doubt can push us towards God or away from God.

One of the only ways to remove doubt is to introduce truth. This is not just looking at some facts. Anyone can look at facts (I think a great example is the difference between believing in six days of creation or millions/billions of years of evolutionary process … while looking at rocks and fossils). It is seeking truth.

I think this kid has some things figured out:

But there is still a question of whether or not it is okay to doubt. It sure seems the great people of the Christian faith had it all figured out. But as I mentioned, doubt can push us towards God or away from God.

Judas Iscariot believed Jesus as the Messiah, but his doubts after helping get Jesus arrested and crucified sent him to hang himself.

Heck, the Sanhedrin, for the most part, doubted Jesus was the Messiah, and this doubt brought about the very act that could redeem them!

We need to ask, does our doubt cause us to curse God or follow Him? There were other doubters:

Lee Strobel was an adamant atheist doubting God even existed until he met a woman while doing a story for the Chicago Tribune (he wrote about it in Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary. I had to read it my first semester at college). Her faith caused him to doubt his doubt in God and is today one of the most famous Christian apologists.

Josh McDowell thought Christianity was bunk until he looked at the evidence. He is also one of the most famous apologists.

Ravi Zacharias grew up in an atheist, and he was so sure that he was a failure and that his life would be better not being tried to commit suicide by mixing several household chemicals together and drinking them. Someone brought him a Bible while he was in the hospital. Today, he is one of the foremost Christian apologists.

Albert Henry Ross doubted the resurrection, considering it a myth without merit. He later wrote a book declaring the truth of the Resurrection called Who Moved the Stone?

Mother Teresa, while raised in the Catholic faith, had many doubts about the existence of God when seeing all of the misery around her in India. Yet she persevered; and we all know of her great contributions to the poor, sick, homeless, and godless.

Martin Luther doubted paying money for indulgences could absolve sins. He inadvertently began the Protestant Reformation (so, for many people, he helped make their denomination even possible).

Thomas doubted, and he was an Apostle of Jesus! It is believed he was the first missionary to India (where he … uh … was killed).

The most famous Apostle of all, Paul, doubted! As Saul, he persecuted the early Church to the point of approving of killing believers! As we now know, the risen Jesus personally called him to service, and he went on to write most of our New Testament.

The list is really quite long. Suffice it to say, if you have doubts about God you are not alone.

2011
01/28
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Bible
Doubt
Religion
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I doubt that is true. I can’t believe it. I SHANT believe it!

Doubt has a bad rap.

I also think it rightly has a bad rap, but I think that sometimes gets in the way of people acknowledging or even confronting their doubt.

I just started the class “Systematic Theology” this week, and doubt is one of the first issues we are tackling (hence the idea to write about it!).

When is doubt a good thing?

How about when God is crying out for us, leading us to Him? Doubt can be a very good thing. We start to doubt the wisdom of the world. We start to doubt everything we have been raised to believe about what the world is telling us. If our doubt is truly from God then we will find ourselves doubting the world more and more and God les and less. This doubt will lead us to the saving knowledge of Christ as Lord and Savior.

Doubt can also be good as a believer. Poor Thomas, that Apostle of Jesus, gets a bad rap that comes with a nickname: Doubting Thomas. If someone does not believe something, they might be called a “Doubting Thomas” in more of a derogatory way. But sometimes it is okay.

If we sit in a church pew (or chairs, as they are becoming more popular all the time) and blindly listen to what the preacher is saying, are we really growing? Especially if the message being preached is weak, heretical, or even blasphemous, doubt can play a big role. If your church preaches “God hates certain people, so we are going to go to funerals and protest and yell at people that God wants them to go to hell”, then doubt might push you to research and find the truth. It could be a message that God only wants you happy and rich and have your best life now, but doubt gets you to find the Bible says something a little different.

Is this to say that certain people will not be sent to Hell or that we can have happiness and financial prosperity here on Earth? No. In fact, the Bible tells us that there are righteous people and evil people who both do well.

But people still doubt. Sometimes when a person says “I don’t believe it”, what they are really saying is “I can’t believe it”. Or if they say “I can’t believe” they may really be saying “I won’t believe it!” Zechariah had trouble believing angel and was punished; Mary had trouble believing the same angel and was considered righteous. Why? Zechariah allowed his view of the material to interfere with his view of the power of God, but Mary sought understanding. Zechariah said “I can’t or won’t believe this, because it is so strange”, but Mary said “I am unable to understand this. Help me!”

This is the same issue many people face with the Bible. Everyone asks “Why did God have the Israelites destroy all the people in the Promised Land?” One person may say “I refuse to believe a loving God would do that!” Here is something to mull over:

If you had learned that a violent pedophile had moved into your area, would you not want them gone while wondering “How could they let someone like that live near me?” Or perhaps this pedophile moved right next to your child’s school. You would do everything within your power to make sure that your child was safe.

Now look at Israel. God knew what would happen. Here are these various nations and tribes who undoubtedly would have heard about the army of Egypt being destroyed by the Hebrew God, but they all said “We won’t believe in that God!” God knew these people would turn the hearts of the Israelites away from Him.  He knew that if these people were allowed to remain in the area, they would do very naughty things to His people and lead them astray.

We should be aware of doubt and willing to allow God to use it to move us closer to Him. Proverbs chapter one tells us who refuses to listen. They doubt and suffer. Instead, the beginning of wisdom comes from seeking God (see verse seven). It is okay to doubt as long as it leads to God. If it begins to turn us away from God, we begin walking the path of fools.

What say you? Are there doubts you struggle with? Do those doubts hurt your relationship with God or help? Do they confuse you about which way they are pulling? Further on, do you have people around you to help you through your doubts? A pastor is good, but a friend is better (especially if that pastor is a friend!).

Grace and Peace!

2011
01/25
POSTED BY
CATEGORY
Bible
Doubt
Religion
Wisdom
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