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But lest some one say to us, "Go then all of you and kill yourselves,
and pass even now to God, and do not trouble us," I will tell you why we
do not so, but why, when examined, we fearlessly confess. We have been
taught that God did not make the world aimlessly, but for the sake of
the human race; and we have before stated that He takes pleasure in
those who imitate His properties, and is displeased with those that
embrace what is worthless either in word or deed. If, then, we
all
kill
ourselves we shall become the cause, as far as in us lies, why no one
should be born, or instructed in the divine doctrines, or even why the
human race should not exist; and we shall, if we so act, be ourselves
acting in opposition to the will of God. But when we are
examined,
we
make no denial, because we are not conscious of any evil, but count it
impious not to speak the truth in all things, which also we know is
pleasing to God, and because we are also now very desirous to deliver
you from an unjust prejudice.
07.05c. A Christian Attitude Towards Suicide and
Birth
Control; The Importance of Relationships. Oddly enough, "Chapter IV.-
Why the
Christians Do Not Kill Themselves" of
Justin's Second Apology connects together suicide, birth control, and Pastor
Mangrum's ECC sermon of yesterday:
This is a prudential argument against suicide. It takes the sensible position
that
suicide is not contrary to a direct command of God (as I mention on May30), nor necessarily bad for
the
believer himself. Rather, in typical situations, it thwarts God's purpose for
us, and
hence is bad. There may be other situations in which it is justified (e.g., to
prevent
questioning that would reveal where other Christians are hidden so the
questioner
could martyr them).
I think this argument could also be made against birth control by any means (perhaps even including by celibacy). For many of us, the best way we can advance God's kingdom is by rearing children (though, not necessarily, to be sure, our genetic children).
This is what connects to Pastor Mangrum's sermon. Among other things, he talked about how relationships and fostering leadership in other people advances God's kingdom. A person can only do so much by himself: relationships with other people leverage his influence. Part of this is relinquishing control to other people, something difficult for many energetic people. God does not just want effort, especially if it burns you out: he prefers you to nurture your own soul and to advance his cause humbly, putting your powers into other hands.
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