We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Ten Arguments against the use of birth control and a response to each: 1. Genesis 1:28; 9:1. But: a. If this were a specific command to every individual, every man and woman would be required to marry. But clearly marriage is not a universal obligation (Jesus, Paul, 1 Cor. 7). b. This text does address the responsibility to bear children but says nothing about how many or for how long. Nothing in the text explicitly requires us to have as many children as is biologically possible. c. Gen. 1:28 must be read in the light of 1:26. 2. Deut. 23:1 – The argument is that this prohibition reflects God’s displeasure with any means of birth control. But: a. There is nothing to indicate that these men were castrated as a means of birth control. b. In all likelihood, this refers “not to states of infertility produced by illness or accident, but to deliberate acts of castration at times associated with pagan worship in the ancient Near East” (Davis, p. 37). 3. Genesis 38:6-10 (Deut. 25:5-10). But: a. Onan’s sin was not that he violated the general command to have children, but that he violated the specific obligation in the law of levirate marriage. His action was sinful not because he used a form of birth control, but because he disobeyed a legal responsibility to raise up seed in his deceased brother’s name (probably because he didn’t want to assume the personal and financial obligation of raising them). b. Lev. 20:10-21 lists specific sexual crimes punishable by death under the Mosaic Code. If coitus interruptus, such as that committed by Onan, were regarded as an abuse or sin, one would expect to see it in this list. 4. Psalms 127:3-5; 128:1-6 – No one would dare disagree that children are a wonderful blessing from the Lord. But: a. Why should we conclude from these texts that we are morally obligated to have as many children as is biologically possible? b. As with all God's blessings, we must be wise and prudent stewards in the enjoyment of them. 5. The purpose of sex in marriage is procreational, not recreational. But: a. The Bible reveals at least [four other] purposes for sex in marriage. b. “If sex were intended only for procreation, then it would be strange that nature has it that women can procreate less than half of their married life…and then only at a very limited time each month” (Geisler, p. 215-16). c. If this argument were valid, it would be sinful for a married couple to have sexual relations subsequent to female menopause or a hysterectomy or in cases where either husband or wife is sterile. 6. Birth control is unnatural and artificial. Common sense suggests that the purpose for human sexual organs is reproduction. Anything that prohibits or interrupts the sex organs from performing their appointed role is thus sinful. But: a. “If the sole purpose of sexual intercourse is procreation, then why did God give women the desire for sexual intercourse at times when they cannot become pregnant? Does not the natural order of things, then, demonstrate that procreation is not the only purpose of sex?” (Feinbergs, p. 175-176). b. We do many so-called unnatural things that run counter to and hinder so-called nature, none of which any of us would regard as immoral or unbiblical: shaving, air-travel, mowing the lawn, etc. c. If we consistently applied this principle we would be forced never to employ medical assistance, medication, or surgery. d. Those who employ this argument concede the use of the rhythm method and abstinence during times of ovulation, none of which is itself natural (charting or scheduling intercourse based on body temperature, etc., is hardly natural; and abstinence runs counter to the natural sex drive). 7. Birth control betrays a lack of trust or faith in the sovereignty of God. He is Lord over the womb. If God wants us to have children, He should be free to bestow them. If He doesn’t want to, He (and He alone) should have the power and prerogative to prevent conception. But: a. We must be careful that our trust in God is not simply irresponsible behavior. b. If this argument were consistently applied, we should never work, use locks or alarms on our homes, save money for emergencies, purchase life or health insurance, wear safety goggles when using a weed-eater, use sun-screen when outside, or support the police or national defense. 8. Birth control has the potential to alter in a destructive way our concepts and experience of love and commitment. But: a. The fact that birth control may yield negative consequences does not itself make birth control wrong. The absence of intimacy, promiscuity, etc., are wrong, not because one may have employed a contraceptive device, but because such things are declared to be wrong in the Bible. 9. Birth control encourages promiscuity among both married and unmarried people. But: a. We must distinguish between an object and the purpose or use to which an object is put. Cars are not sinful simply because people can use them to escape the scene of a crime they’ve just committed. The fact that an object can be used for immoral purposes does not necessarily prove the object is in and of itself immoral. 10. Birth control devices have negative side-effects and are detrimental to one’s health. Since our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should not employ those things that do damage to our physical constitution. But: a. If a birth control device is found conclusively to have physical destructive side-effects, it should not be used. But such scientific evidence does not exist for all methods of contraception.

Sam Storms

We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

1992 2nd Place Pecan Tassies

January 30, 2023

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Dairy, Eggs	Chicago	Cookies, Holiday	24	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1/2	c	Butter, softened
3	oz	Cream cheese, softened
1	c	Unsifted all-purpose flour
1		Egg
3/4	c	Packed light brown sugar
1	T	Butter, melted
		Pinch salt
3/4	c	Chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS

Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes  Heat oven to 350
degrees. Have ready 2 miniature muffin tins with  cups that measure
about 2 inches across and 7/8 inch deep. For crust,  beat butter with
cream cheese until smooth. Add flour and mix until a  dough forms.
Divide into 24 balls. With your fingers, press each ball  into an
ungreased muffin cup, taking care to make a smooth, even  layer over
the bottom and up the sides. For filling, whisk egg in a  medium bowl.
Add sugar, butter and salt and mix well. Spoon about 1/2  teaspoon
chopped pecans into each crust. Add filling so it comes  almost to the
top of the cups, making sure it doesn't spill over.  Sprinkle remaining
pecans over the top. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven  to 250 degrees and
continue to bake until crust is light brown at the  edges, 10 minutes.
Cool. When muffin tin is cool enough to handle,  loosen cups from the
sides of the tin and carefully transfer to a  wire rack. Cool to room
temperature.  This second place winner is by Frances Marcinkiewicz of
Countryside,  Illinois. from the Chicago Tribune fifth annual Food
Guide Holiday  Cookie Contest December 3, 1992 Posted to MM-Recipes
Digest V3 #339  From: Linda Place <placel@worldnet.att.net>  Date: Wed,
11 Dec 1996 11:24:27 +0000

A Message from our Provider:

“Ask ‘What would Jesus do?\” Apply the answer!”

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients) ---------------------------------------------- Calories: 96 Calories From Fat: 71 Total Fat: 8.2g Cholesterol: 23.1mg Sodium: 27.1mg Potassium: 28.6mg Carbohydrates: 4.6g Fiber: <1g Sugar: <1g Protein: 1.4g