Meher Baba on Birth Control and the Sanctification of the Family

Meher Baba took a conservative view of the sanctification of marriage, traditional family roles, and children.

First here is what Jesus said about marriage.

And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. (Bible KJV Mark 10:2-9)

Baba never counseled anyone to get a divorce, and even discouraged it.

World Controller Mustapha Mond in 
1980 film version of Brave New World

On roles in family, Baba was equally clear and conservative. Baba was adverse to  physical means of control, and counseled mental-control instead to control the number of children. People today are so conditioned from the 1960s to believe birth control is a natural part of marriage that many have wondered what he could possibly mean, when it is quite clear what he means. This is not unlike the way people in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World would have have reacted to his words if they had heard them.

Since the woman has to undertake the trouble and the responsibility of bearing and rearing children, she may seem to be affected more seriously by any possible failure in mental control than the man. In fact, it does not mean any real unfairness to the woman. While it is true that the woman has to undertake the trouble and the responsibility of bearing and rearing children, she also has the compensating joy of feeding and cuddling them. Thus the joy of motherhood is much greater than the joy of fatherhood. Further, the man must also face and shoulder the economic and educational responsibilities for the children. In a properly adjusted marriage there need not be any injustice in the distribution of parental responsibility to be shared between the man and the woman. If both are truly conscious of their mutual responsibility, inconsiderateness will give way to an active and cooperative endeavor to attain full mental control.

It is bound to be a gradual process; and in cases of failure in practicing control, the couple must allow nature to take its own course rather than interfere with it through artificial means. They must cheerfully welcome the consequences and be prepared to shoulder the responsibility of bringing up the children.

For those who are not prepared to undertake the responsibility of children, there is only one course left to them. They must remain celibate and practice strict mental control; though such mental control is extremely difficult to attain, it is not impossible.

From Discourses of Meher Baba



Meher Baba had much more to say on the subject of marriage worth reading. See the full discourse here. Sanctification of Married Life.