With the rise of former state governor Mitt Romney to the position of the Republican Presidential Candidate, some questions have surfaced about his religion and certain aspects of that religion.
As is widely known, Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Or more commonly, Romney is a Mormon or colloquially, LDS.
Contrary to some perception, Romney is hardly the first LDS to run for the US Presidency. Others include the founder of the Church, Joseph Smith, along with Romney's own father George and US Senator Orrin Hatch.
As for how the Church regards birth control, the short and very simple answer is that it doesn't. Unlike Catholicism, for instance, Mormon doctrine does not overtly take a stand on the issue.
it is not uncommon for Mormon families to be somewhat larger than the average US family. However, having several children (Romney and his wife have five of their own) is not an indication that the Church forbids birth control.
The Mormon Church recognizes the importance of a sexual relationship in a marriage; it recognizes the ability of such a relationship to build stronger emotional bonds. It therefore does not encourage abstinence.
However, from that point the Church considers birth control to be a private matter, to be discussed and agreed upon between a married couple and God.
Children are regarded as children of God; for married couples, bearing and raising children is both a privilege and something of a sacred responsibility; in bearing children, the responsibility to nurture and rear them is with the parents. To that end, the decision concerning how many children to have, or when to have them, is a private decision for the couple.
(Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)
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