How to lose a Biblical Argument with an Atheist.
Short recap: Unravelled wrote: "Abstaining from sex during fertile periods is actually a very responsible, loving act to do if a married couple decides it is not the right time to have a baby."
And I responded: Except that this is entirely against what the Bible teaches, as you [Unravelled] wrote, the commandment is "To go forth and multiply…"
The only reason that I’m using the Bible as a justification, by the way, is because apparently Unravelled believes in it, and takes it very seriously. Which is why I was confused that he would be advocating something that is not only unbiblical, but goes against its teachings.
Brother Jim agreed with my assessment.
I asked Unravelled to post Bible verses if he thinks that his position is Biblical. He posted 19 different places in the Bible. I’m guessing that Unravelled posted the locations of 19 places in the Bible to back up his case because he thinks I might not check up on these verses?
I don’t think I’ve had such a lob-sided argument in recent memory. This is just beautiful…
In any case, I have reproduced each of the verses that he listed here (KJV). Good luck finding anywhere where the married couple is told to be the one to decide when to have children and not God. Remember we are looking for where the Bible notes the responsibility of abstaining from sex during fertile periods if the couple decides "it isn’t the right time".
Genesis
1:27-8 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Multiply — nothing about contraception here… only encouraging having many kids. I would quote this as a verse that strengthens my case.
Psalms
127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
127:4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
127:5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Again, a verse that says the more kids the merrier. In fact, there’s a whole ministry dedicated to these verses: http://quiverfull.org/ where they believe that "God is the best birth controller" — NOT married couples who decide when to have kids.
1 Chr.
25:5 All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
25:6 All these were under the hands of their father for song in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, psalteries, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king’s order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.
25:7 So the number of them, with their brethren that were instructed in the songs of the LORD, even all that were cunning, was two hundred fourscore and eight.
I even listed extra verses to give some context, again, nothing that supports your notion that: “Abstaining from sex during fertile periods is actually a very responsible, loving act to do if a married couple decides it is not the right time to have a baby.”
1 Chr.
26:4 Moreover the sons of Obededom were, Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, and Sacar the fourth, and Nethaneel the fifth.
26:5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peulthai the eighth: for God blessed him.
Come on, you aren’t even trying. This is just a list of children!
Hosea
9:10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: but they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto that shame; and their abominations were according as they loved.
9:11 As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.
9:12 Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them!
9:13 Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer.
9:14 Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.
9:15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters.
9:16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.
9:17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.
Awesome, another quote that says that God decides when people will have children. Remember the point you are trying to argue with? I wrote, "there is never a place where [the Bible] even hints at refraining from having kids."
Exodus
23:25 And ye shall serve the LORD your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.
23:26 There shall nothing cast their young, nor be barren, in thy land: the number of thy days I will fulfil.
Deuteronomy<br style=”font-weight: bold;” /> 7:13 And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Genesis
38:9 And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
38:10 And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also.
This is one of my favorites! HELLO God kills Onan because he was doing the "pull-out" method, and refraining from doing what he was commanded: 38:8 "Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother."
Leviticus
20:13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Man, you’re going for it here… most Christians, nowadays at least, kind of shy away from quoting the verses that order death to the homosexuals.
Deuteronomy
25:11 When men strive together one with another, and the wife of the one draweth near for to deliver her husband out of the hand of him that smiteth him, and putteth forth her hand, and taketh him by the secrets:
25:12 Then thou shalt cut off her hand, thine eye shall not pity her.
What? You are actually quoting the commandment to cut off your wife’s hand if she grabs another guy’s junk to save you from getting beat up by him. Remember YOUR EYE SHALL NOT PITY HER you are commanded to cut that hand OFF.
Romans
1:25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Finally, the New Testament — I was curious if we’d end up there. Again with the condemnations of homosexuality. Seriously, there is no context where this factors into our argument — well, vaguely on my side. Men aren’t supposed to be having sex with other men, they’re supposed to be procreating. So, even in the oddest of readings, this verse doesn’t help your case.
1 Timothy
2:11 Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
2:13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve.
2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
2:15 Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
Ok, own up. You’re not actually a Christian, but a parody, right? Joke’s on me? I’m hoping so. Remember women, learn in silence! Do not have authority over man! It’s a good thing you’re saved by having kids… Hell, even if you are joking and being a parody, it’s worth it to have all of these juicy Bible verses in one place as a reference.
Galatians
6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Matthew
21:19 And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.
Mark
11:14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
More fig tree.
Galatians
5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
I love this verse! Very compact.
Revelations
9:21 Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.
21:8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
1 Corinthians
6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Seriously, I’ve been doing this for over 6 years now. I have some seriouspatience, but honestly, you think I don’t have access to a Bible? You think I’m just lazy?
Have you read the Bible? I mean, do you know what it says?
Hehehehehehe. Makes you feel good, doesn’t it? I’m not even the one who won the argument and I still got warm fuzzies. However, many “Christians” DO abuse Leviticus 20:13 waaayyy too often. Which is interesting, because there is wide speculation over its true meaning…the original translations can be interpreted in different ways that may or may not mean that all gays are an abomination. Iforget the exact original phrasing…I’ll have to look it up.
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It’s a sheer arrogance, coupled with the knowledge that if they lose too badly, they merely need to fade away and come back with a different mask.
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When Muslims are a minority in country, they are commanded to either accept the government or leave it. I am not sure what you mean by a “Muslim revolution”. I’d support anything that serves God’s cause with everything I have. The case of Israel is a special case, because the “Muslims” there care more about nationalism than Islam.
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in a* country. Most religions people are pathetic when they get into argument with guys like you. About Islam, it is something to be accepted with an open mind and heart, not something to be argued about, because God has made His religion in way which leaves a small space for doubt, because if Islam was something that left no place for doubt, there would have been no value for believing in God.
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God rewards Muslims for their accepting to believe in Him. It is not a case of logic or common sense. Suppose you die and find yourself in front of God (I guess you have been told this before), what’d you say then, make fun of Him too? Try to make Him understand your logic? You might find it too silly to consider that for even a moment. A reason why the Qur’an impresses me is because it always
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leaves a place for people like you to make fun of it. Because God cares more about feelings than about logic. The logic is the simple “software” that God has written for the universe to work by, while the feelings are the marvelous outcomes of that “software”. God doesn’t want unworthy people to enter His country. Those people who think they are so clever when they make fun of His kind words.
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i did mention that i’m in love with you..right? *smirk*
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Actually, you have taken every single verse out of context. I will string together my verses into a coherent Biblical, Christian view…but don’t wait up for it. It might be a few months from now. I’m busy. You claim to have “won” an argument when there is no argument going on. I know Jesus was the messiah. He lives and came here to save you and me from our sin. There is nothing to argue.
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my primary concern, is the salvation of you, me and the world. I have no desire to “argue” with you over a debate which has been won by Christians long ago, by much more intelligent people than either of us. I would consider myself an amateur apologist. Try your hand at someone like Thomas Aquinas and you will find that atheism will crumble in your hands.
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There is strength in numbers, that is why the sheep are told to procreate like crazy. Extra cannon fodder always comes in handy.
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”I know Jesus was the messiah.” (unravelled) Come, come now. You BELIEVE he was the Messiah, you can’t possibly know.
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Actually the only scripture I can think of as semi-relevent to this “argument” is Genesis 38:8-10. However, Onan was probably condemned for his refusal to provide offspring for his dead brother, not for using birth control.
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“I will string together my verses into a coherent Biblical, Christian view…” How is that not taking verses out of context???
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“You BELIEVE he was the Messiah, you can’t possibly know” Yes I can know….and I do know that Jesus was the Messiah. History has proved it over and over again….and so has fulfilled prophecy. I do however have to disagree with Unraveled….the Bible teaches “go forth and multiply”…not birth control.
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I enjoy respectful theological debates and I value that not everyone believes in the same thing, I even enjoy pushing the envelope a bit too (if people can’t explain why they believe, then why do they say they do?) but ridiculing others’ beliefs is just wrong. All we have are a bunch of theories, anyway. That’s all any of us have.
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The context of Onon can be found in the tradition of Moses later made law by Moses concerning what should be done if a brother should die and his wife whose son was to carry on the family lineage did not concieve child. If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her,
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and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her. (Deuteronomy 25:5 KJV) Here Judah was telling Oman to following the tradition to wit Onan rejected that tradition because he thought it was not right. Did God find it acceptable? And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that
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And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also. Genesis 38:8-10 KJV) How did God deal with what Onan knew….He slew him because he was displeased with what he had done.
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It is also important to understand why God was so displeased. It was through the Line of Judah that the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would come and thus Onan was acting out of concert with God’s eternal plan of redemption. In essense Onon was determining what is right and acceptable not God. It was not “pulling out” as birth control, it was his disobedience that brought his death.
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Furthermore, the same holds true today. The wages of sin is death, and man is by birth and practice and vile sinner who is not obedient to the law, no not even one as the scriptures would teach. Onan sin was disobedience, ours is disobedience. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can save us from the quick and utter demise of Onon if we put our faith and trust in the substitionary death on the cross of
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Calvary. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV..But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 KJV
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Hi Bum. Thanks for your note. I appreciate all comments and points of view. I quite agree with you, that reality isn’t bound by anyone’s imagination — yours or mine. Just because we can’t imagine our existence without a creator, doesn’t make it so. Conversely, just because we can’t imagine our existence with a creator, doesn’t make it so either. It’s called faith. We all have faithin something, whether it’s God, a natural order, humanity, our ourselves. You write well, and you have obviously studied the bible. I’ve enjoyed reading some of your entries. Thanks. Pura vida!
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I would have to disagree hope500. Saying that you *know* he is the Messiah, that you *know* there is a God would be just as ridiculous as me saying I know 100% there is no God. I would be foolish to do so. It’s all about belief, conviction and coming to logical conclusions, for both sides. I’d be interested to know which events in history you speak of though.
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Jesus is well hench
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Seeing the words coherent and Biblical next to each other in a sentence is better than anything a stand up comedian has to offer.
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RYC: I usually respect your opinion and hope you are not being serious about the worship of Mary! It is so clearly evident that this practice exist as ever church in my area start or ends with the term of Mary and not the Head of the Church the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to their prayers and it is infested with Mary, not the one who answers prayer. Nowhere in the Bible does it say ask unto Mary
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and believe and you will have it, though it says that about Christ. They have elevated her to co-remptrice or however you spell it. No where does it tell us to do anything of the sort. She is Mary, a virgin at the time of conception by the Holy Spirit who had many more children. Can she really still be a virgin. God used her just like he has used many. She should not be exalted anymore than they.
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This entry is made of win. Good show. The person you were originally arguing against has given up on rational argument based on any objective evidence of any sort and has retreated to subjective personal experience (or has deferred the argument to a unspecified date in the future). A winrar is you!
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hey, congrats, three whole entries w/o overt anti-semitism. Like most of your entries there seems to be something lacking here. What are your views regarding the issue (bearing children)? You obviously think a christian is supposed to believe one way, but what about you? Do you advocate caution or abandon? Are you saving yourself for marriage? Big on how others should act, short on personal discl
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Ok, ok, It isn’t really important to me. I guess the reason I asked is because you seem to have a very black and white view on other peoples morality. If you are registered democratic, by these standards, you are obliged to support every democratic candidate. Most people don’t work like that. Most people take what they can use, what makes sense in their lives, don’t you?
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Catholics are the only sect I know with a hard on for birth controll, most other sects of christianity don’t. Catholics have a bit different bible, a tool you seem to use as though if it were not sancrosanct to the christian they aren’t really christians, a tool you use like a bludgeon. Are you really concerned with unravelleds mating/procreation habits or is your argument an attempt to belittle
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either the person or the beliefs? Personally I think not having a child when you don’t want one is an excellent practice regardless of ones religious beliefs and would never think of arguing a person out of that position either through shame of implied hypocracy (neener neener neener, the bible says different) or, well, any means. It’s why it’s a valid question; what do you believe?
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Interesting. Though you disagree with my religion, I would still honor advice from you, because you think it out well.
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wow, unravelled got served! i love your diary. keep up the good work.
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Hey, I’m back! I’m so sorry I never got around to writing that rebuttal. My life has kind of taken a more difficult turn lately and I haven’t had much time to do anything, let alone come up with that rebuttal. I’m going to have to hold off on it indefinitely for now, at least until things settle down here. I’ll continue to write and leave notes, though. Unravelled is definitely in the wrong here.
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God is the only one with the authority to give life and take it away. He said to be fruitful and multiply. A couple who doesn’t procreate is sinning, regardless of their reasons. If the time isn’t right, let God be the judge of that. Birth control is a sin (and I’m not even Catholic!). Married couples must procreate. That’s the whole reason for marriage, in the first place.
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Also, I’m not convinced Unravelled knows what reading verses in context means. You can’t string verses together and call it ‘in context’, because that’s simply making the verses say what you want them to say. To understand what each verse says, you need to take it in context with the verses surrounding it; read the whole chapter, not try and rationalize it with other, unrelated verses.
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“I have no desire to “argue” with you” – Unravelled “I’m so sorry I never got around to writing that rebuttal.” – California Christian Christians unable to defend their faith? How… novel. NOT. “I have some serious patience” – A Thinking BUM No kidding! Kudos to you, and I only hope that you soon see the day when you can get confirmation that you’ve gotten through to someone…
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I seem to remember a time a while ago when I sent a 15 page defense of the resurrection of Jesus that was going to be answered and never was. Just saying, it’s not just the Christians here who don’t answer direct questions. In the case I’m talking about, BUM didn’t answer because he couldn’t, he didn’t answer because his real life got too busy. It happens. Not making a response isn’t = lose.
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“Procreation is the whole reason for marriage” (paraphrase) This is absolute crap. What about married couples who CANNOT conceive? Does that invalidate their marriage? I submit that procreation is but ONE reason for marriage. Another (possibly higher) reason is the display of love between the two people. In marriage the husband and wife imitate God in the trinity, the joining of two distinct
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persons to make one. Also, there is a difference between birth control and not having sex during the fertile periods. Natural Family Planning is nothing more than common sense. If a couple feel they are not ready to be parents or able to support a family they record and project the likely timing of the wife’s cycle. This allows them to use their free will in choosing to try to conceive or
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trying not to conceive. The difference between NFP and birth control is that BC either physically prevents the sperm from reaching the egg or the mediation prevents implantation or the release of an egg. The problem with this is that the couple is then taking their free will and imposing that will upon the possibly creative plan of God.
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If you want an line of thought AGAINST BC, consider this. IF the married couple is to represent the Trinity and thus God, they must be creative as God is creative. This does not mean they must present offspring but that they must be open to the possibility of having children. In being open they will not have an abortion or use contraception. Again NFP is not contraception or birth control.
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A problem that fundamentalists will encounter in this line of thinking is that it is not directly backed by scripture. That is one of the beauties of being Catholic. We have scripture AND tradition. We also have a large body of Bishops and Cardinals who come together when there is something of great importance to settle. (Vatican II covered more than our Mass) The new teachings arrive from
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Scripture, Tradition (handed down from the Apostles and early Church fathers), and our moral systems. All teachings fit together as a quilt. If an idea is against God it will directly conflict with other parts of the moral system, tradition OR scripture (or all three).
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So where does it say that EVERYTIME we have sex it must be to multiply? So if a hammer is created to drive nails…..it must never do anything else? It can ONLY drive nails? God gave us free will…nice try on twisting the context though.
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“So where does it say that EVERYTIME we have sex it must be to multiply?” Where do I say that? Where do I say that that’s what the Bible teaches? I think you’re trying to argue with me, but I think you disagree with things I haven’t said.
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