my letter to Mothering Magazine several months ago (that was not published)

I am writing in response to Alyssa Colton’s article, The Language of Birth. I’d first of all like to say that the message of her article is absolutely essential, period. I was very blessed by a similar article I read on the internet when I was pregnant with my first child. I have now given birth thrice at home, completely naturally and I still prefer to refer to the sensations of labor as “intense” rather than “painful.” So, thank you Alyssa for getting this essential message out. I have already shared this article with friends!

In my view, the only bummer about the article is the way that Biblical thought is presented on the issue. I am not qualified to write a complete study on childbirth in the Bible, but I do know that the two Hebrew words translated as “pain” in Genesis 3:16 are definitely not equal with the English word for “pain.” I’m sure that Alyssa would favor the Hebrew words when it comes to childbirth! Both descriptions of the Hebrew words for “pain” include “toil,” “sorrow” and “labor,” while one mentions “worrisomeness” and the other “pangs (whether of body or mind):-grievous.” This is according to my New American Standard Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible, which is said to be the closest English translation to the original text as can be. So, if “punishment” and “revenge” are mentioned in the definition of “pain” in the English dictionary, then the English word “pain” does not accurately describe what God allowed to befall women in childbirth as a result of Eve’s sin.

See, like Alyssa, I’m also someone who likes to find just the right word to describe things, so I’ll also mention that I think that the curses brought upon the serpent, Eve and Adam are better described as being the result of their actions contrary to God’s admonition (sin), not a punishment for it. God gave Eve and Adam the freedom not to do what He told them to, so when they chose to defy His warnings, which were meant to preserve them, He allowed the natural consequences to ensue. (There is a fascinating theory about how the very first people may have been created with bodies that somehow regenerated, so God’s original plan was for man to live forever, in paradise, in direct communion with Him! Which is why He commanded them not to eat the fruit of that one particular tree, that was the tree that had somehow, in its chemistry, such an effect on the physiology of their bodies, that it would terminate their ability to regenerate. This leaves me thrilled at the idea of what childbirth might have been like before the fall, carried out through an eternal body!

)A scripture worth noting here is I Timothy 2:15, “But women shall be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” And the word “preserved” also translates as “saved,” “delivered,” “healed” or “made whole.” How’s that for encouraging birthing language?!

Thank you, Mothering, for offering people like me a non-judgmental forum for sharing these types of thoughts. My next letter will be the one of utter appreciation for your publication, you know, the one I’ve been meaning to write since I first subscribed, six years ago! Hee hee, that seems like a drop in the bucket in light of the fact that you’ve recently celebrated your thirtieth anniversary, Happy Anniversary!

Sincerely,
Jennifer Stankovits
Santa Ana, California