Conservative Anabaptists and Birth Control

[steve-in-kville]

I should add that the official stance of the church everywhere is not to use any form of BC, which couples are reminded on their wedding day of. The ones who space out their children will use Natural Family Planning methods.

I know the Catholics have this stance, also, but it seems so unbiblical that it surprises me that Anabaptists would make this rule.

Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. -- 1 Corinthians 7.5 HCSB

I don't really think of it as being Biblical or unbiblical. I'd worry more about selfish motives. Or maybe we're talking about the same thing???

[Karstan78]

I know the Catholics have this stance, also, but it seems so unbiblical that it surprises me that Anabaptists would make this rule.

Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. -- 1 Corinthians 7.5 HCSB

The Natural family planning isn’t a rule. It’s what some seem to use as a “loophole” for spacing out their children and still say they aren’t on birth control.

[Soloist]

I don't think there is anything sinful about spacing out children. I'm not Quiverfull here...

If we do the same for animals because its harmful to pop baby after baby out, the logic should apply to our wives. A little spacing gives them a break. People that have small families either use birth control, have fertility issues or space out excessively. I respect those that are quiverfull while I do not hold that position myself for practical reasons and not seeing it being a Scriptural command.

The fertility issues are such that they weep over the lack of children and envy those who do have large families. Adoption is a tricky thing these days too...

Nobody sees their own choices as sinful.

[nett]

I would say that there are various socioeconomic factors that contribute to a move toward smaller families in our social contexts.
Some that come to mind:
The move from farming, where children can be involved at very early ages, to outside employment, where in most cases "child labor" is not permitted until much later. This affects the ability of a father to adequately support his family.
Family travel - It takes a pretty large vehicle to 'haul' even 8 people. (I grew up in a family of 7, and that seemed to work OK until we children grew too big for 4 in the back seat.)
In some communities (like here in Holmes County), the scarcity of land at reasonable cost is probably also driving down the typical family size.
Personally, missionary involvement would have made it difficult to us to have more than 3 children, because that is one entire plane load on a 6-place airplane. (We personally married much later in life, because of the focus on training for missionary service, and, well, we only met when I was nearly 27. For me, the objective of this specific type of Christian service greatly diminished the "pool of candidates for a potential spouse".)

My point is that I do not see this as a sign of some sort of 'worldliness', although I suspect that some here will still see it that way.

The overall trend towards smaller families for the sole purpose of comfort or wealth is what's worldly.

So I'll ask you the question that I, as a (nearly) 65 year old man am asking myself - How much is enough, How much is too much? In other words, What is wealth? Where is the line between providing for one's family, and 'worldly wealth'? This is not a challenge, an argument, or a rhetorical question, the answer to which I have 'hidden' in my comments here, or within the question itself. It is a real question that I am struggling to answer for myself. [I am not so concerned about the possibility of having crossed over into 'worldly wealth', because we were career missionaries, and I'll just tell you that you don't generally get rich doing that (unless of course you mine gold on the side, which is what the city people often 'accused' us of).]

This is a big question, and one I'm still wrestling with myself. Working in tech, I make a lot more money than the average person, and I am pretty concerned about it. I often wonder if I'm deluding myself daily, and need to summarily quit for something more meager.

This might be a topic for another thread?

[nett]

I should add that the official stance of the church everywhere is not to use any form of BC, which couples are reminded on their wedding day of. The ones who space out their children will use Natural Family Planning methods.

I know the Catholics have this stance, also, but it seems so unbiblical that it surprises me that Anabaptists would make this rule.

Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. -- 1 Corinthians 7.5 HCSB

The context of this verse does not apply to NFP. I think making your wife barren is definitely more unbiblical.

[Soloist]

The overall trend towards smaller families for the sole purpose of comfort or wealth is what's worldly.

So I'll ask you the question that I, as a (nearly) 65 year old man am asking myself - How much is enough, How much is too much? In other words, What is wealth? Where is the line between providing for one's family, and 'worldly wealth'? This is not a challenge, an argument, or a rhetorical question, the answer to which I have 'hidden' in my comments here, or within the question itself. It is a real question that I am struggling to answer for myself. [I am not so concerned about the possibility of having crossed over into 'worldly wealth', because we were career missionaries, and I'll just tell you that you don't generally get rich doing that (unless of course you mine gold on the side, which is what the city people often 'accused' us of).]

This is a big question, and one I'm still wrestling with myself. Working in tech, I make a lot more money than the average person, and I am pretty concerned about it. I often wonder if I'm deluding myself daily, and need to summarily quit for something more meager.

This might be a topic for another thread?

Start it up and I'd throw my two mites in

[steve-in-kville]

This is a big question, and one I'm still wrestling with myself. Working in tech, I make a lot more money than the average person, and I am pretty concerned about it. I often wonder if I'm deluding myself daily, and need to summarily quit for something more meager.

This might be a topic for another thread?

The people of faith that I know faced similar issues put it to the Lord's work. One saved up and retired early and went into domestic missions.