Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Bible Scholars weigh in

I have to set this up, so bear with me.

Having a discussion with someone the other day about politics and religion (yeah I know). My basic position is government has been established by God, and we should follow it's rules, as long as those rules don't go against God's law. As such, I cannot vote for a democrat because they think abortion is ok, and it's clearly against Gods law. So this person goes, what about birth control. God knows everyone before they are even created. It seemed like this person was likening using birth control to abortion, and went on to say he would meet all his unconceived children in heaven.

I just cannot get there. Just because you have sex doesn't mean conception occurs. I can't find a biblical basis for his position.

Thoughts?

A rebuttal would be what about all of the conditions that birth control is used to correct/regulate (pcos, irregular cycles etc)? Now IUD to me is different than OCPs, but my question would be so what other good is abortion used for versus what other good is birth control used for? Just a thought..

That’s deep. Probably referring to this verse: “ Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart”
I guess if God wanted to form you he could regardless of the type of contraception. I’ve known women who have gotten pregnant while on birth control.

I would be willing to bet there are Republicans who agree with abortion but I understand what you’re saying

I think it is perfectly ok for a married couple. God gave us sex as married couples, he didn’t set boundaries on that for them/us.

Watching but learned my opinion draws anger lol

Asking Grok:

Using only the ESV Bible to answer this question: "What does the bible say about contraception for or against it?"

The English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible does not directly address contraception or birth control as understood today (such as pills, condoms, IUDs, etc.). Modern contraceptive methods did not exist in biblical times, so the Scriptures contain no explicit command either forbidding or permitting their use in marriage.
The one passage most often referenced in discussions of this topic is the account of Onan in Genesis 38:8-10 (ESV):
Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his. So whenever he went in to his brother’s wife he would waste the semen on the ground, so as not to give offspring to his brother. And what he did was wicked in the sight of the LORD, and he put him to death also.
This describes Onan deliberately preventing conception through withdrawal (coitus interruptus), which was an act of contraception. However, the text states that what he did was wicked and that God judged him for it. The context makes clear that Onan's sin was primarily his selfish refusal to fulfill the levirate duty (a responsibility under Old Testament custom/law to provide an heir for his deceased brother—see also Deuteronomy 25:5-10). He used Tamar for his own pleasure but refused to produce offspring that would legally belong to his brother, thus dishonoring family obligation and covenant responsibility.
The passage condemns Onan's heart motive and disobedience more than the act of preventing conception in itself. It is not presented as a general prohibition against all forms of birth control or family planning within marriage.
Elsewhere the Bible speaks positively about children and fruitfulness, without addressing intentional prevention of conception:

Genesis 1:28 (ESV):And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…”
Psalm 127:3-5 (ESV):Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
Psalm 128:3 (ESV):Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.

The Bible frequently portrays children as a blessing and fruitfulness as part of God's good design for marriage. Barrenness is sometimes shown as a hardship (e.g., Sarah, Rachel, Hannah), and God is praised when He opens the womb (e.g., Psalm 113:9: "He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!").
Summary:
Using only the ESV Bible, there is no direct verse that clearly prohibits or endorses contraception in marriage. The closest reference (Genesis 38:8-10) shows God judging an act of deliberate non-procreative sex, but the condemnation centers on selfishness and covenant-breaking, not on the prevention of conception as a standalone principle. Other passages celebrate children and fruitfulness as blessings from God, but they do not command couples to have as many children as physically possible or forbid wise stewardship of family size and timing within marriage.

PS: For the record-I am NO BIBLE SCHOLAR, not even remotely close, but I seek answers from the Bible and/or pray for answers from the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, answers are not obvious and I trust God/Holy Spirit will lead me in the right direction at a time of His choosing.

Come on with it

Y'all are going to waaayyyy over think this one. I can answer without one shred of scripture.
Yes, God know us before we are created. If sperm never meets egg, there is no creation therefore no one to be known. I'll be chilling over here if you need any more answers.

Yep. And stopping conception and killing after conception are two very different things.

I have very deep convictions about abortion. My wife was on birth control several years. We never felt convicted about it. Thats all i need. Theres ALOT of things i do and dont do because i want to be right with the Lord. Im really not a good person at all. If not for Jesus, they would have done put me up somewhere or God would have took me.

Correct.. and to compare birth control to abortion is totally irrationally unless you're grasping at straws. Based on his "unborn children in heaven", I'd have to ask "where do you find that idea in the bible"? I have noticed recently that people are seeking to justify abortion based on biblical arguments... which is indefensible.

The bible does say that God knew us before we were in our mothers womb, or something to that effect. I have no idea what that means, but i assume that would be where that concept came from.

That's Psalm 139... everything in the psalm speaks about what God knew AFTER sperm had joined with egg, not prior to it. As I mentioned before, using that argument to argue the legitimacy of abortion is indefensible.

In my pre wedding counseling the preacher said with the pill sometimes the egg is fertilized but the pill would not let attach and grow. Thought about that for almost forty years. We did use the pill and was never convicted so idk 🤷‍♂️ right or wrong on this one .

I asked my old small group leader about this, and he said to be very careful taking scriptural advice from this person.

In Jeremiah 1:5 KJV, God says, "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." This highlights that God has an intimate, pre-existing knowledge and purpose for individuals before conception or birth.


I think this is the one i was talking about. Like i said, i dont know exactly what it means and i try to avoid building a biblical theory off one verse

Life begins at conception. No conception no life. Your buddies views are way out there and non scriptural. I wouldn’t waste my time trying to convince him otherwise. It’s generally a waste of your time trying to convince people to change their beliefs. It that happens, its generally a process they work out by themselves.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit goes before us. And all he needs is another point of view.

yea aldeer is probably more accurate than ai. I actually had copilot at scold me over asking if something was gay, yep I had to let it know real quick. kinda silly though getting scolded by a machine that doesn’t even know right from wrong.