What was Onan's sin?

[AgnosticBoy]

The Catholic Church uses the story of Onan to justify their position that contraception is a sin. Because of this, I want to examine the story.

Genesis 38:8-10

8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.� 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also

One site I checked mentions that the sin that Onan committed was violating the Levirate law. This is from GotQuestions.org:

Is onanism a sin? The true crime of Onan was refusing to sire a son on his brother’s behalf, which doesn’t really apply to modern culture, anyway.

A Catholic website mentions that violating the Levirate Law was not the problem since such violation was not punishable by death. Instead the sin was not fulfilling the function of sexual intercourse - which is to procreate.

I believe Onan violated the Levirate Law. He also engaged in deception by leading his wife and father to believe that he would impregnate his wife while he had no intentions to do so. Did God step in for one or both reasons or some other reason?

What do you guys think? What was Onan's sin?

[brianbbs67]

God must have needed him to reproduce for His purpose. Under direct order, he refused, so did another if I remember right. Seems strange now but in the beginning not so much.

[RightReason]

[Replying to AgnosticBoy]

The difficulty with this argument is that violation of the Levirate law was not a capital offense. If a man didn’t fulfill his obligations to his deceased brother’s wife, she was to take the matter to the elders, who would counsel him and try to persuade him to change his mind. If he persisted, the widow was to “go up to him and strip his sandal from his foot and spit in his face, saying publicly, ‘This is how one should be treated who will not build up his brother’s family!'� (Deut. 25:9).

While such a punishment might be embarrassing, it falls short of the death sentence Onan received for his act. This suggests he sinned not only by violating the Levirate law, but also by the way in which he did so. The kind of act he committed was so despicable that, in the Old Testament context, it was punishable by death.

John Kippley, in Covenant, Christ and Contraception (New York: Alba House, 1970, page 19), explains it this way:

“Onan went through the motions of the life-giving act but refused to accept the consequences. He withdrew in order that the act could carry no reproductive consequences . . . [H]e went through the motions of the Levirate covenant, but he denied the reality of that covenant.�

Catholic teaching regards marriage as a covenant which has as one of its constituent elements an openness to new life and the procreative good. Sexual intercourse involves a renewal of the marriage covenant. Contraceptive intercourse is a violation of that covenant because it acts directly against procreation, one of the basic goods of marriage.

By acting contraceptively, Onan robbed sexual intercourse of its life-giving meaning and acted against the good of his potential offspring’s life. Both his intent and his concrete actions were against life. As a result, Onan received the Old Testament penalty for his crime.

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print ... in-of-onan

Claiming Onan's sin was a violation of Levirate law doesn't make sense.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 3 by RightReason]

Indeed but was God subject to the Mosaic law?

JW

[RightReason]

[Replying to post 4 by JehovahsWitness]

Indeed but was God subject to the Mosaic law?

\

Exactly. And probably why He struck Onan dead – demonstrating His law was way above any Mosaic Law or man’s laws. It wasn’t about not violating Mosaic Law or technically doing all the right things, etc. God was showing He was creator and master of all. His gift of sex to us and allowing us to become co creators demonstrates His love for us as well as the sacredness and awesomeness of the marital act, procreation, and honoring God’s design. Because THAT is what the story of Onan shows us.

[shnarkle]

The Catholic Church uses the story of Onan to justify their position that contraception is a sin. Because of this, I want to examine the story.

Genesis 38:8-10

8 Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.� 9 But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. 10 What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also

One site I checked mentions that the sin that Onan committed was violating the Levirate law. This is from GotQuestions.org:

Is onanism a sin? The true crime of Onan was refusing to sire a son on his brother’s behalf, which doesn’t really apply to modern culture, anyway.

A Catholic website mentions that violating the Levirate Law was not the problem since such violation was not punishable by death. Instead the sin was not fulfilling the function of sexual intercourse - which is to procreate.

I believe Onan violated the Levirate Law. He also engaged in deception by leading his wife and father to believe that he would impregnate his wife while he had no intentions to do so. Did God step in for one or both reasons or some other reason?

What do you guys think? What was Onan's sin?

My memory isn't that great, but isn't Tamara in Christ's genealogy? If so, then it isn't just an affront to God's covenant to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the starts, but an obstacle to producing the promised messiah. Perhaps that carries a little more weight, and thus becomes a capital offence as well.

[William]

@

shnarkle: My memory isn't that great, but isn't Tamara in Christ's genealogy? If so, then it isn't just an affront to God's covenant to make Abraham's descendants as numerous as the starts, but an obstacle to producing the promised messiah. Perhaps that carries a little more weight, and thus becomes a capital offence as well.


William: It may have already been mentioned, but was Onan executed before his seed was planted?

[brianbbs67]

I hypothosize, Tamar had to bear a son by God's plan. One way or the other. Perez came from the other other but His will was done, anyway.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Tamar-Bible.html

[William]

@


William: It may have already been mentioned, but was Onan executed before his seed was planted?

brianbbs67: I hypothosize, Tamar had to bear a son by God's plan. One way or the other. Perez came from the other other but His will was done, anyway.

William: Much ado about nothing in particular then...There are none righteous not even one, so Jesus (as Jehovah) made do with what was available.
cheers.

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 3 by RightReason]

Indeed but was God subject to the Mosaic law?

JW

I say yes in regards to Israel(maybe mankind). It was a marriage contract. Israel agreed to observe God's rules and God agreed to prosper and bless Israel. God plays by His rules. If He didn't what kind of god would He be? Short answer is a pagan one. If God agrees and promises, it will be done. Unless, of course if the partner in the contract doesn't act as they should.(over and over as He is patient as shown in the Tanakh.) But, even when Israel failed, He still called for repentance and He would accept them back. For evidence, I submit that God is never recorded with breaking any contract unless the other party did , numerous times.