Influential Evangelical leader: The sexual revolution started with contraception

LifeSite News ^ | 12-18-15 | Ben Johnson

[ReformationFan]

December 18, 2015 (LifeSiteNews) – One of the most influential evangelical Christian leaders in the United States says the sexual revolution began with the widespread availability of birth control.

Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, made the remarks Saturday on David Wheaton's "The Christian Worldview" radio show.

“We are clearly at a very important turning point, but you have to go back to the early twentieth century when sexual revolutionaries largely funded an effort to separate sex and procreation, and that was birth control," Dr. Mohler said.

"Most Christians seem to think today that birth control was just something that came along as something of a scientific or medical development," Mohler said. "They fail to see that it was driven by moral revolutionaries who knew that you couldn’t have a moral revolution, you especially couldn’t have a sexual revolution, unless you could separate sex and babies.”

In recent years, evangelical Christians and observers in general have taught the harms inflicted by birth control - from the potential abortifacient properties of some forms of contraception to the way it has unleashed promiscuity and inhibited true intimacy. Author Mary Eberstadt, a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, told LifeSiteNews that when she wrote her 2012 book on contemporary sexual mores and their consequences, Adam and Eve After the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution, "I was just blown away by" the accuracy of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae. She said the subsequent rise of commitment-free sex destroyed marriages, spread diseases, and led to the nation's skyrocketing rate of illegitimate births.

Dr. Mohler, who released the new book We Cannot be Silent in October, said the second major development that undermined the family was the no-fault divorce "revolution."

In the six year period between 1977 and 1983, 39 states passed laws allowing either party to end a marriage for any reason, or no reason.

"That was massive," he said. "Evangelical Christians just didn't recognize it for what it was."

"You can't have anything like same-sex 'marriage' until you redefine marriage, eliminating it as a lifelong covenant," he said.

Degrading marriage led to a "massive spike in cohabitation among heterosexuals."

“One kind of sexual misbehavior leads to the rationalization of another," he said. "Thus, we couldn’t have the Obergefell decision that came this June, we couldn’t have the legalization of same-sex 'marriage,' if there hadn’t been a lot of sexual revolution before we got there.”

Dr. Mohler went on to answer a question he is frequently asked: Whether faithful Christians should attend the same-sex "wedding" ceremony of a friend or relative.

"Absolutely not, because to participate in a same-sex 'wedding' in any way is uniquely to give an affirmation of it," he said.

While he encouraged faithful Christians to "establish a relationship" with homosexuals in order "to share the Gospel," he said that "going to a [same-sex] 'wedding' is the one thing we can’t do.”

[redleghunter]

Catholics have said this all along. At least I have.

And for good reason. I think there is more to the puzzle of the 60s, but yes the eugenics policies of Margaret Sanger helped usher in the 'sexual revolution.' It was one of two major factors of the counter-culture movement in the 60s which continues today in bold fashion.

The good news is a lot of people who should have known better are waking up. For that we should rejoice.

On another note...Merry Christmas.

[redleghunter]

IMHO it was abortion on demand. When mothers can kill babies the role of parent changed and morality died.

That is a very good point. The 'no fault' abortion or abortion on demand was the key factor in the dehumanization of pre-born life. At conception we see distinct human DNA formed. That is human life no matter how much pro-abortion advocates rail it is not.

[redleghunter]

Wow, it only took him 85 years to figure out that what the Catholic Church has said all along is absolutely true.

Well not all of us. :) But I'm sure you know that as Evangelicals and Catholics have been marching together for decades now for Life.

When it comes to this article, IMHO, Catholics should be rejoicing instead of saying 'see I told you so.'

[Elsie]

The truth is that once marriage is no longer about children, then how far and how perverse you want to make it is simply a question of degree.

Let's have CHILDREN!!!

---

Solomon's Song of Songs.  

 

Various verses....

 

 

 
  Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
    your name is like perfume poured out.
    No wonder the young women love you!

 

 

  Tell me, you whom I love,
    where you graze your flock
    and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
    beside the flocks of your friends?

 

 

  While the king was at his table,
    my perfume spread its fragrance.
 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
    resting between my breasts.

 

 
  I am a rose of Sharon,
    a lily of the valleys.

 

 
  Like a lily among thorns
    is my darling among the young women.

 

 

 

  Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

 

  My beloved is mine and I am his;
    he browses among the lilies.
  Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you
    by the gazelles and by the does of the field:
Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

 

 

 

 Your breasts are like two fawns,
    like twin fawns of a gazelle
    that browse among the lilies.

 

 
 How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!
    How much more pleasing is your love than wine,
and the fragrance of your perfume
    more than any spice!

 

 

 

The fragrance of your garments
    is like the fragrance of Lebanon.
 

  Awake, north wind,
    and come, south wind!
Blow on my garden,
    that its fragrance may spread everywhere.
Let my beloved come into his garden
    and taste its choice fruits.
 

  I slept but my heart was awake.
    Listen! My beloved is knocking:
"Open to me, my sister, my darling,
    my dove, my flawless one.
My head is drenched with dew,
    my hair with the dampness of the night."
 I have taken off my robe--
    must I put it on again?
 

 

  My beloved thrust his hand through the latch-opening;
    my heart began to pound for him.
 I arose to open for my beloved,
    and my hands dripped with myrrh,
my fingers with flowing myrrh,
    on the handles of the bolt.
 I opened for my beloved,
    but my beloved had left; he was gone.

 

  

 

    Tell him I am faint with love.

 

 

 

  My beloved has gone down to his garden,
    to the beds of spices,
to browse in the gardens
    and to gather lilies.
  I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine;
    he browses among the lilies.

 

  

 

The young women saw her and called her blessed;
    the queens and concubines praised her.

 

 

 

Your waist is a mound of wheat
    encircled by lilies.

 

 
 
  Your stature is like that of the palm,
    and your breasts like clusters of fruit.
 I said, "I will climb the palm tree;
    I will take hold of its fruit."
May your breasts be like clusters of grapes on the vine,
    the fragrance of your breath like apples,
    and your mouth like the best wine.
 

 

 

The mandrakes send out their fragrance,
    and at our door is every delicacy,
both new and old,
    that I have stored up for you, my beloved.

 

  

 

 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you:
    Do not arouse or awaken love
    until it so desires.

 

 

 We have a little sister,
    and her breasts are not yet grown.
What shall we do for our sister
    on the day she is spoken for?

 

 

[Wyrd bið ful aræd]

No, but the primary and fundamental purpose of sex is to have children. Some people aren’t capable of having children, etc. But for healthy couples (or unhealthy couples) to put something artificial that removes the possibility and openness to life that comes with natural relations violates God plan. Children aren’t a disease to be avoided via pills, condoms, or whatever method someone may fancy.

[metmom]

Breastfeeding is God's design not any kind of "deterrant". That’s as absurd as saying that conception is birth control because you can't get pregnant while you're pregnant.

Thank you. I was looking for an equally absurd analogy and came up short, but that is perfect.

[metmom]

Is that like, Sarah, are you awake?

Any woman who doesn't want sex is NOT going to answer THAT question. They know why it's being asked.

They'll just pretend to be asleep.

[Elsie]

...violates God plan.

Like...

...be fruitful and multiply?

[Elsie]

Are you trying to get me in trouble?

You know that being reminded of someone who was deprived of sex for 12 years ALWAYS sets me on a path of insulting some of FR’s best contributors!

[baltiless]

What you need to understand is that not everybody has the same idea about what constitutes “God’s plan.” I myself fulfilled my biological imperatives many years ago and became voluntarily sterile not too long after doing so. I very much enjoy, at my advancing age, to be able to ensure that I’m unable to father any more children.

[metmom]

The truth is that once marriage is no longer about children, then how far and how perverse you want to make it is simply a question of degree.

What happens once a woman is past menopause then?

Procreation is not possible and sex is just for the fun. That's perverse to you?

[metmom]

So abstaining a few days a month is the same as killing the infant in the womb with chemicals and calling that "contraception"

No, it's not the same thing but don't let stop you from making an irrational argument.

[metmom]

PS By the by, NFP (some call it, Not For Protestants) is more effective than the pill and is in essence the same method people having difficult conceiving a child use only in reverse.

NFP is BIRTH CONTROL.

It's just church sanctioned to that people can be deluded into thinking they're not sinning after all because they are doing it the church approved way.

[metmom]

No, but the primary and fundamental purpose of sex is to have children.

Got any Scriptural support to back your opinion?

If that's the case, then sex outside the possibility of procreation would be immoral. And once a woman was past childbearing years there would be no need for it. So why continue?

There's a spiritual component of sex that includes the one flesh relationship. Man is more than just an animal with physical drives.

[Mark17]

Any woman who doesn't want sex is NOT going to answer THAT question. They know why it's being asked.

They'll just pretend to be asleep.

How about if the lady wakes up if a pin drops?

:-)

[Rashputin]

LOL. in fact ROTFLMAO

You're scamming the wrong guy, pal.

[metmom]

I’m too late.

You’ve already been had.

[daniel1212]

Agree, and it is the primary purpose, like eating is for health, yet God did not give senses simply for that reason, but

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; (1 Timothy 6:17)

God simply wanted it to be Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth. Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. (Proverbs 5:18-19)

[daniel1212]

Paul warned us about those introducing false teachings, "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Indeed.

And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:4)

Here are a few.

And for what Rome effectually fosters:

• Just 15% of U.S. Catholics say that using contraceptives is morally wrong. 41% say that using contraceptives is morally acceptable, while 36% say it is not a moral issue. 37% of Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week say using contraceptives is morally wrong while 33% say it is morally acceptable and 30% say it is not a moral issue. — http://www.pewresearch.org/key-data-points/u-s-catholics-key-data-from-pew-research/#abortion

• 74% of Evangelicals, 73% of Mainline Protestants, and 68% of sexually active Catholics women use birth control. 3% of the Catholics rely on natural family planning. Attendance at religious services and importance of religion to daily life are largely unrelated to use of highly effective contraceptive methods. ^

• 88% of Catholics believe that they can practice artificial means of birth control and still be considered good Catholics. New York Times/CBS News poll, Apr. 21-23, 1994, subsample of 446 Catholics, MOE ± 5%

• 98% of self-identified Catholic women ages 15-44 who have ever had sexual relations have used a method of contraception other than natural family planning at some point in their lives. .” http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-claim-that-98-percent-of-catholic-women-use-contraception-a-media-foul/2012/02/16/gIQAkPeqIR_blog.html?wprss=fact-checker

• 40% of 18- to 29-year-old Catholics said the church’s “teachings on sexuality and birth control are out of date.” http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church

• 59% of all Catholic women of childbearing age practice contraception—a rate of usage statistically equivalent to that of the general population (60%). Calvin Goldscheider and William D. Mosher, "Patterns of Contraceptive Use in the United States:

• 58% of Catholics 52% if they are voters) believe that employers should be required to provide their employees with health care plans that cover contraception;

• 50% of white Catholics support this requirement, versus 47% who oppose it, along with 38% of white evangelical Protestants an 50% of white mainline Protestants. Public Religion Research Institute, February 2012 http://publicreligion.org/research/2012/02/january-tracking-poll-2012/

  Bishop Zubik acknowledged that many Catholics see nothing wrong with using artificial contraception and following secular views that see pregnancy as a "disease ... rather than participation in the generative love of God." At least 80 percent of couples seeking marriage from the church are already living together, he wrote. "There is hardly any shyness in stating to the priest their living arrangements," Bishop Zubik wrote, adding that co-habitation is growing even among senior citizens... http://www.post-gazette.com/local/region/2014/02/28/Catholic-sexuality-survey-finds-dissension/stories/201402280087

  In many countries surveyed, significantly higher shares of Protestants than Catholics say that using contraceptives is morally wrong.

  In Chile, for example, roughly a quarter of Protestants (23%) say using contraceptives is morally wrong, compared with just 5% of Catholics. And in Peru, about four-in-ten Protestants (39%) object to artificial means of birth control, compared with 23% of Catholics. Objections to artificial means of birth control are highest in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Panama,

  Generally, Protestants are more likely to oppose sex outside marriage than are Catholics. In 15 countries plus Puerto Rico, majorities of Protestants say that sex between people who are not married to each other is morally wrong. Among Catholics, half or fewer share this view in most countries surveyed.

  As on other topics related to morality, differences between Protestants and Catholics are especially pronounced in Venezuela, where 77% of Protestants and 36% of Catholics say that sex outside marriage is morally wrong. Gaps of 30 percentage points or more between Protestants and Catholics also are seen in Colombia, Chile, Brazil and Panama.- http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3299016/posts

  Responsible parenthood and family planning

  1 percent said the teachings of Humanae Vitae were completely accepted. Fifty-six percent said they were not accepted, and 43 percent said they were accepted in part.

  76 percent support alternatives to Humanae Vitae, including contraception.

  80 percent judged availability of contraception to be either extremely important (56 percent) or very important (24 percent).

  Three-quarters indicated that the following of conscience about family planning, even when it is not consistent with church teaching, does not appear to restrict approaching the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist. - The Vatican survey on Family Life (http://www.associationofcatholicpriests.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/ACP-Family-Life-Synod-survey-analysis-edited.pdf)

[ealgeone]

I wonder what the impact of penicillin had on this also?