words are blunt instruments

I can't remember what was on the list now besides the birth control question -- and it's a good one.

My biggest problem with the theological issue is how to answer people who point out that without birth control women would be stuck giving birth over and over again and wouldn't be able to participate in the work world. I know that birth is a woman's role in the whole family scheme but why do we have to sacrifice a fulfilling career? If we didn't use the pill and wanted to advance in the work world we would seriously have to either not get married and be abstinent or get married but be abstinent for the majority of our married lives. That's a little too extreme to even consider.

But then, who are we to say we want it all and to go about doing whatever we have to in order to get it?

As a woman looking to advance in the work world and as someone who sees the possibility of making a difference in the world (even if it might be miniscule) by doing so I don't want to make a decision between marriage and work because eventually I do want a family I just might not want 10 kids or I might not want them all right away. It's a tough issue to consider.

first of all there are natural methods of birth control (ie;diet changes, etc.)and many people control the number of children they have without the birth control pill. second of all i think you would have a hard time convincing me that the Bible says that women should persue a career over a family. actually i think you would find it hard to show that for men too. if your job and advancing in it is more important than having and raising strong minded and Godly children then you will never be happy with any family you are given. plus i don't think you're really dealing with the theological issue, you're talking about the social aspects of choosing to wait over having children whenever they come. i guess one answer would be to simply wait to get married until you and your career are ready for a family.

Well Matt, I knew that would be your response and I would like to see you say that to a class full of women at University. It wouldn't go over well at all. Not that it should given the fact that you're looking at life as it should be given what is written in the Bible and they look at life as it is despite what is written in the Bible.

I ponder how I would respond to your response for quite some time the other night and here goes.

God gave us intellect, correct? We know what we know today because we are smart people. Should we continue on through life as people did in the 10th century, for instance, and not consider what we have learned and what we now know about the world and science, etc?

To give a firm illustration, we know that our planet is overpopulated -- grossly over populated. Should we advocate that people have large families today in order to avoid using birth control despite the fact that we know many of those children will have a very poor quality of life and possibly die as a child because of it? What is the better alternative, birth control or allowing numerous lives to go through such agony?

Now, if God really wants a couple to have a child for whatever reason He can work past the whole birth control issue.

As for birth control, if there are better methods than the pill for this it would be nice to hear about them. I certainly do not want to take any medication that I don't have to take and definitely do not look forward to the day when I have to consider taking such a body altering medication like the pill.

I completely agree with you Caro!

the statement "the world is overpopulated" is in fact not true. the world is not over populated. it is grossly mismanaged and suffers greatly from the effects of sin, but it is not overpopulated. that is a myth. the entire population of the world would fit into the area of metropolitan Jacksonville, Florida ......... twice (each person gets well over 4 square feet, a total of over 70 billion square feet). i am of course not talking about space to live; simply that when you compare that space to the size of the livable land mass on earth it is impossible to say the world is over populated.

quite frankly i don't care how secular society chooses to live their lives and i try not too expect them to try to live up too the bible.i would not try to convince a class full of women at university to do what the bible says. if they don't believe in it i can't hold them too it. what does bother me is when Christians try to justify choices using secular logic instead of Biblical truth. we are no longer children of the world, we are children of God and therefore the choices and decisions we make should reflect that. of course we all stumble, and i am one giant example. that doesn't change the fact that God gave us guide lines in scripture for all aspects of life and that that is where our answers, as Christians, should come from.

i'm not a huge fan of oral contraceptives, but i am also not in a position where i have to share in those kinds of decisions. i am simply disturbed by the idea of manipulating a womens body chemically for sex. there are too many unknown variables and it seems very one sided as far as responsibility goes.

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