Posted on 07/06/2005 12:46:20 PM PDT by Between the Lines
The focus of this article is only fertility among the whites. It doesn't say much about fertility among other ethnic groups.
I fail to see what the big deal is. I had 3 kids, the oldest of which is 22 now. I could have had more but 3 is enough. I think somebody has been sold a bill of goods about big families. The biggest problem I can see is all these folks moving to smaller communities making the communities BIGGER and eventually turning them into what they moved away from.
Well, I used to know a guy like this (7 kids). He was suffering from a maniacal delusion that he was a rabbit, while he was not.
ecumenical ping....
"Natalists" sounds very derogatory. And I'm sure that's no coincidence.
Fact is, many Christians actually view children as blessings, not curses. Why would they reject God's blessings?
The non-believers, & the blue states will continue to butcher their children in-utereo, and eventually numbers will win out.
I can only hope and pray that having many children (or as many as God wills, be that none or 12) will once again regain "popularity" amongst Christians. The power to impact the world with a large family is enormous. Imagine the increase within a couple of generations.
Indeed.
I propose a better title:
Back To the Future: The Growing Movement of Normalcy.
Our little suburb (Peachtree City, Georgia) is a good example of this trend. Family life is the focus of the community, and it's not uncommon to see families with four or more children. The people are church-going and socially conservative, with many stay-at-home moms and many dads and moms who work from home. I can't imagine moving back into the city with a small child--and not just because of housing prices.
Don't worry! Even if I move my family of ten to Fishbite Falls, it won't turn into Chicago overnight!
I raised 4 kids, the youngest is now 25. When they were children we were treated like we were aliens for having what they perceived as a "large" family. Friends, business associates, employers, schools, restaurants, etc. all acted as if it was a great imposition to accommodate us. Couple this with the fact that we were young parents (we were both 22 when our youngest was born) in a time that it was popular to wait until you were in you mid thirties to have children, and everyone thought we were a freak show.
The idea of having one or two children at most is the norm today, except in poor or church going families. Western Europe has already demonstrated that a culture with declining birthrates is a culture in decline, and if we cannot turn this "norm" around, you will see the US become like them.
Of course it is meant to be derogatory. Just like evangelical or Christian right, or fundamentalist. But remember, Christian was originally a derogatory term also.
I would rather be labeled a "natalist" than an abortionist.
I raised 4 kids, the youngest is now 25. When they were children we were treated like we were aliens for having what they perceived as a "large" family. Friends, business associates, employers, schools, restaurants, etc. all acted as if it was a great imposition to accommodate us. Couple this with the fact that we were young parents (we were both 22 when our youngest was born) in a time that it was popular to wait until you were in you mid thirties to have children, and everyone thought we were a freak show.The idea of having one or two children at most is the norm today, except in poor or church going families.
I can relate. We had 5 kids, from when we were aged 25 to 35. We never saw anything strange in it.
At kid 2 or 3 (I forget which) our pastor at the time quipped that we were growing the church in the "traditional Reformed way".
You are truly blessed to have found a home like Peachtree City.
As long as they're not on welfare, no problem.
Better "Natalist" than the homosexual derogatory term for hetrosexuals: "Breeder."
The Breeder thing never offended me. What HAS offended me is the occasional remark by a homosexual to the effect of "Let 'em keep breeding, they'll make more of us."
As for me and my house... no, we won't.
Well my mom says I am the best argument against birth control, for I am the youngest of seven. =D
Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Pope Paul VI ( I may be wrong on the number) was right. The encyclical Humanae Vitae which banned artificial contraceptives for Catholic faithful is a beautiful statement on Christian marriage and parenthood. It is also prophetic about the effect artifical contraceptive would have on society.
HUMANAE VITAE, ENCYCLICAL OF POPE PAUL VI ON THE REGULATION OF BIRTH, JULY 25, 1968
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