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In Gen 1: 27 God gives humankind dominion and control over every living being on the earth; one verse later, in Gen 1: 28 he directs humankind to be fruitful and multiply. Here is a thought provoking question for you: What if the two directives are contradictory? What if they get in the way of one another? What if you couldn’t fulfill the responsibilities inherent in the first directive without violating those of the second? And, of course, vice-versa.

The sad truth is: they are. Contradictory, that is. And you couldn’t. Satisfy them both, that is. Not if you interpret the second directive , “Be fruitful and multiply” as the Roman Catholic Church has throughout the ages to be a biblical mandate, a divine command against birth control. It is, so the argument goes, God’s very first explicit commandment to the original man and the original woman, “Be fruitful and multiply.” Period!

On this point, the Word of God is clear and unequivocal. It doesn’t say, “Except for such and such a reason,” or “Unless certain circumstances arise.” It doesn’t say, “Be fruitful and multiply, and when you get to a certain point where the planet might not be able to support further multiplying, don’t be stupid about it. Don’t keep multiplying until you multiply yourselves into a state of procreational genocide.” It doesn’t say any of those things, the anti-contraception forces of the world point out. It simply provides a universal, absolute mandate to procreate. Be fruitful. Multiply.

To which a fair response might be: “You are right, you anti-contraception forces of the world. It doesn’t say that. Nor does the Word of God say this. In response to the Creation story’s erroneously description of a three-tiered universe with heaven above the dome in the sky, earth in the middle, and the fiery flames of Hell down below, the Word of God does not say, “Hold on a second, humankind. You’ve got it all wrong. I, God, don’t reside up here in the heavens. You’ve got it all wrong.” There are a lot of things the so-called Word of God could have said, but didn’t. Unfortunately.

But even before the Word of God says “Be fruitful. Multiply,” there appears the implied commandment in Gen 1: 26 to humankind to exercise dominion and control over all God’s creation. I say “implied,” because it is written in the language of gift. “Then God said, ‘Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” And along with the words of Gen 1:28 calling for humankind to be fruitful and multiply are these words: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

Be fruitful and multiply. And have dominion and control over all creation. But how? It’s right there in Gen 1: 27: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female, he created them. In other words, exercise dominion and control, but not in an abusive, controlling way where you seek to reap the immediate benefits of the world for your immediate benefit and the heck with everybody and everything else. The heck with your environment, the heck with the guy next door, the heck with future generations.

Rather, exercise dominion and control in a responsible, fiduciary, loving way, the way any creator would take care of his or her beloved creation – an artist carrying for his work of art, a parent, for his child, humankind as caretaker for God’s beloved creation. Don’t “subdue” it in the sense of “conquering” it, “defeating” it, “destroying” it along the way; quite the contrary, nourish it as God Godself would nourish it.

But don’t forget, be fruitful and multiply. Without limitation? Blindly, without regard to the consequences for all of creation? Or within the context of the responsibility to exercise “dominion and control” over God’s Creation? Is the direction to multiply an invitation to do so responsibly, or is it an obligation to do so regardless of the consequences?

More next time.

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