Which of Onan's sins were worse

[111111]

I understand the scripture and how it’s interpreted but I can’t really understand how God would have been ok with Onan sleeping with his brothers wife with no love involved. To me had Onan sleeping with his brother’s wife is a graver sin then “spilling his seed on the ground”. Thus, I’m still having difficulty concluding that contraceptives are wrong. It seems after reading the scripture that it would be ok to sleep with my friend or brother’s wife in God’s eyes but not to use contraception when I did. Now I know that that would be wrong but that’s the way I see it so I’d love some redirection on how to better interpret this. Thanks.

 

[mark_a]

Thus, I’m still having difficulty concluding that contraceptives are wrong. It seems after reading the scripture that it would be ok to sleep with my friend or brother’s wife in God’s eyes but not to use contraception when I did.

Onan was somewhat obligated under the law to father an heir for his deceased brother.

He could have refused and would have had to undergo a little public humiliation.

Now I know that that would be wrong but that’s the way I see it so I’d love some redirection on how to better interpret this. Thanks.

Here’s an article that explains the situation and the Church’s teaching about it (actually from Jewish tradition), from which the teachings about contraception and masturbation are derived.

The article is a little long, but does a good job of addressing your concerns.

ccli.org/nfp/morality/bible.php

 

[111111]

Ok, after reading some outside resources I can agree that God slew Onan for the sin and that means contraception is bad. But I don’t see how God could have permitted Jewish law to allow and even demand a man lie with his brothers wife when he doesn’t love her and the act is not in love. If we don’t think that that’s acceptable now and even that it’s a sin when did God change his mind and if he changed his mind on that can he change it on contraception. Again, these are just the arguments that I’m thinking of and any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[tjm190]

Onan had an obligation to provide children for his brother- he could have refused and been subjected to public shaming. However, he chose to sleep with his brother’s wife, gaining the pleasure his obligation bore, and reduce the probability of the outcome he saw as negative (children), therefore not fulfilling his burden and avoiding the original consequences (shame).
So God got angry.

This does not seem to be a condemnation of the use of contraceptives at all.

 

[mark_a]

when did God change his mind and if he changed his mind on that can he change it on contraception.

We can see in the new testament that Jesus “changed” marriage back to the original design.

Nowhere do we see that Jesus “changed” anything about the Jewish view of contraception.

 

[kage_ar]

But I don’t see how God could have permitted Jewish law to allow and even demand a man lie with his brothers wife when he doesn’t love her and the act is not in love.

Romantic love is nice to have, however it is not required for a valid marriage.

 

[PeterK]

Onan had an obligation to provide children for his brother…

Overlooked in this obligation is Tamar’s implied right, as a married woman, to bear children - to fulfill herself as a woman by bringing new human life into existence.* (A repulsive ideal for the culture of death’s liberated woman.) *This God-given right to womanhood is at the heart of what Onan, and later Judah, were obstructing.

It’s one thing if God prevents conception - ala Sarah - quite another if man prevents it.

PeterK

 

[jjesan]

My opinion/question is……
“Husband and wife can join together for unity purpose without having procreation in mind. In such case, why can’t they use contraception (prevent conception) when they feel that they are going to be in trouble medically or psychologically?

In support of this, I would like to submit this article.
In the article catholic.com/library/Birth_Control.asp, Holy Father says,

“The biblical penalty for not giving your brother’s widow children was public humiliation, not death (Deut. 25:7–10). But Onan received death as punishment for his crime. This means his crime was more than simply not fulfilling the duty of a brother-in-law. He lost his life because he violated natural law, as Jewish and Christian commentators have always understood. For this reason, certain forms of contraception have historically been known as Onanism"

Please read the scripture below:

In Deuteronomy 25:5-9 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them die, and have no son, the wife of the dead shall not be married outside to a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in to her, and take her to him as wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. It shall be, that the firstborn whom she bears shall succeed in the name of his brother who is dead, that his name not be blotted out of Israel. If the man doesn’t want to take his brother’s wife, then his brother’s wife shall go up to the gate to the elders, and say, “My husband’s brother refuses to raise up to his brother a name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband’s brother to me.” Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak to him: and if he stand, and say, “I don’t want to take her”; then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face; and she shall answer and say, “So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother’s house.”

According to the scripture above, performing the duty of husband’s brother is a two step process:

1. First, the brother who is alive should marry the wife of his brother.
2. They new husband should join with his new wife (wife of his brother) and give her a child.

God has commanded to do these two things to perform the duty of husband’s brother. Now, let us look at Onan’s case. Please read the scripture below:

In Genesis 38:8-10, Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her, and raise up seed to your brother.” Onan knew that the seed wouldn’t be his; and it happened, when he went in to his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest he should give seed to his brother. The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also.

According to the scripture above,

1. Onan had actually accepted his brother’s wife as his wife. In the sense, Onan must have married his brother’s wife as his wife.
2. He also had unity with her, but finally denied to give her a child by spilling his seed, thinking that the child will not be his child.

So, my interpretation is that he married her to avoid the public humiliation, and finally betrayed her and everybody by spilling his seed on the ground not to give a child. He had evil thinking to betray his wife and everybody who trusted him. God can see inner heart of everybody. Onan indirectly violated the commandment of God. That should have been the reason why God might have killed him. So, God’s punishment would not have been for spilling the seed, but for the betrayal, evil thinking and the sin against God.

Spilling seed will happen even in NFP method also, which Church has already permitted. If there is no egg to conceive, the seeds entered into the womb will come out. Even if there is any egg in womb, only one of the million will go inside the egg. Other seeds will go waste. So, my opinion is that seed-waste is not a sin; it is a kind of natural process in the same way how the woman eggs go waste when it is not conceived.

I don’t support wasting the seed by masturbation because the people who masturbate will have evil thinking in their minds, which are all sins. I am submitting this article in support of married couples who can’t get children due to medical and psychological reasons. Church should permit them to use Contraceptives that prevent conception. I don’t support pre-abortion and post-abortion.

 

[CHRISTINE77]

I think in the Old Testament times, the whole thing was to have generations and generations of children - as numbered as the stars in the sky. So to waste seed really was a sin. In ancient societies children were very important, not only as lineage, but as helpers. It really was a blessing from God to have a lot of children.

In today’s society, I suppose it is still a blessing to have a large family, but a lot of children are not as necessary to the family, in fact, they are often a financial burden, because of the task of providing for them and educating them… Children today do not herd sheep or plant crops or help mother with the hard tasks of washing, cooking, etc., that were so necessary even a few generations back in this country.

Masturbation today is a sinful activity, not only because of the loss of seed, but because of the idleness and lewdness of the thoughts while committing the act.