What is the biblical basis against contraception?

Question

I don't have hard statistics at hand, but a quick search on the web can easily reveal that the use of contraception is controversial among Christians, as not every denomination or church openly accepts it. Just for the sake of sharing an example, this BBC article claims that:

Christian acceptance of contraception is relatively new; all churches disapproved of artificial contraception until the start of the 20th century.

In modern times different Christian churches hold different views about the rightness and wrongness of using birth control.

Question: What is the biblical basis against contraception? What are common exegetical arguments against the practice of birth control?

Answer 1

• Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply
• Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply
• Genesis 8:17 Be fruitful and multiply on the earth
• Genesis 9:1 Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth
• Genesis 9:7 Be ye fruitful and multiply
• Genesis 28:3 God Almighty bless thee and make thee fruitful and multiply thee
• Genesis 35:11 I am God Almighty : be fruitful and multiply

On seven occasions in Genesis, fruitful multiplication is encouraged (one might say, commanded) by God or the blessing of it is conveyed.

To Adam and Eve, by God himself ; to Noah, again by God himself after judgment of the earth ; by Isaac to Jacob ; and finally by God himself, again, to Jacob.

Fruitfulness and multiplication is set before humanity, as such, in the beginning and again after catastrophic judgment and again in what might be termed a covenant relationship.

There is every encouragement that, within a marriage union, there should be fruitfulness. The subject of deliberately avoiding having babies is just not there, apparently.

Answer 2

The best Scriptural evidence against contraception is Genesis 38

8 Juda, therefore, said to Onan his son: Go in to thy brother's wife and marry her, that thou mayst raise seed to thy brother. 9 He knowing that the children should not be his, when he went in to his brother's wife, he spilled his seed upon the ground, lest children should be born in his brother's name. 10 And therefore the Lord slew him, because he did a detestable thing:

Contraception itself—specifically, coitus interruptus—and also masturbation is called Onanism.

See Noonan's Contraception pp. 33-4, whose footnotes 6 and 7 cite these articles regarding whether God killed Onan for contraception or for other motives (like disobedience, cowardliness/effeminacy in unwilling to assume the responsabilities of raising children, etc.):

• A. M. DuBarle, O.P., "La Bible et les Pères ont-ils parlé de la contraception?" La Vie spirituelle 15, Supplèment (1962), 573-610
• J. P. Schaumberger, "Propter quale peccatum morte punitus sit Onan?" Biblica 8 (1927), 209-212"

Answer 3

There was a question about this on an EWTN forum a while back. Whereas most of the teaching against contraceptives come from a fairly straightforward understanding of the word "Use" under the Natural Moral Law. There is a straightforward Biblical Basis

Given the widespread contraceptive practice of the first century, euphemistically referred to as "using magic" and "using drugs," it is logical to see in the New Testament prohibition of "mageia" and "pharmakeia" an implicit condemnation of contraception. This is especially true in the context of Galations 5:20 and Revelation 21:8,22:15, which refer to sins against chastity.

https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/ask-father-forum-938

The gist of it is, one of the magic arts used, that had very practical effects, was that which induced abortion. As Arthur C. Clarke said, more-or-less, any science that is too hard to understand most people think of as magic, so it makes plenty of sense to consider any provision against magic, especially magic potions, as an injunction against contraception.

idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions

Gal 5:20 - NIV

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Rev 21:8 - NIV

Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

Rev 22:15 - NIV

Now, the crime Onan committed also was contraception, in that he deliberately prevented conception. People conflate that with masturbation too, which isn't a stretch, but lots of Christians who consider contraception sinful also consider masturbation sinful and I can never remember which one is more grave (I've read arguments either way, and I think it depends on what you're doing and who you're doing it with), so it's best to just just avoid them both.