America's One Child Policy is a long but interesting article on fertility rates, how fast they are dropping and what desperate governments are trying to do to get them where they need to be. Despite monetary, tax and housing incentives the bottom line is that folks the world over are not pro-creating at a rate that will support their families, culture or government. There is one exception to this: committed people are faith:"But on this question there are two (Americas) today: a secular population that wants small families (or no family at all) and a religious population that wants
larger families. Religious affiliation is part of the story, but the real difference comes with church attendance. Among people who seldom or never go to church, 66 percent say that zero, one, or two children is the ideal family size, and only 25 percent view three-or-more children as ideal. Among those who go to church monthly, the three-or-more number edges up to 29 percent. But among those who attend church every week, 41 percent say three or more children is ideal, while only 47 percent think that a smaller family is preferable. When you meet couples with more than three children today, chances are they're making a cultural and theological statement.
I agree with this statement. As a mom of more than the national average I have to say that having kids is an act of faith. Faith in God to provide for the big and little things our kids will need (which He has from clothes to college tuition's), to providing us with the strength and patience and perseverance we need. It's faith in something bigger than we can see and trusting that God will nourish and sustain our kids despite the inevitable calamities that will occur in this world. It's faith in the value of legacy. It's faith in joining with God in the creative process by bringing about something completely new with the birth of each child. It's faith that GOOD and TRUTH will overcome evil and darkness and despair.
People with a committed faith system get that.
(And don't you just love the poster above. The moms of many that I know ARE more. Another lie that flies in the face of scripture).
3 comments:
Amen.
I live in a town with a homeschool group where having three children or less is a small family. We have three biological children and adopted a fourth which makes people think I have a lot. Compared to my homeschooling friends, I really still have a medium sized family. Go big families!
grr- aggravatin' poster
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