It seems that everywhere I go, the debate of having children goes on and on. Even among members of the LDS Church, who since its inception, have valued children. Are we members of the Church now buying into the consumerist, worldly view so well that we cannot see the illogical conclusions the anti-family movement is coming to?!
Here's my response to a rather heated debate going on at an LDS, homeschooling message board I frequent:
The crux of the matter is the willingness to be obedient. Whether that means two children or ten. And NO, President Hinkley has NEVER come out and said that families should not have many children in order to avoid welfare. (If you have a source, quote it. Anything else is simple hearsay.) I DO remember when a letter was read in sacrament meeting about 3 years ago stating that members of the Church should not judge each other with regards to the size of their families, be they large or small.
I look at Europe and see their birthrate. It is literally KILLING their culture and their future. The replacement rate for the guarantee of a stable population is an average of 2.1 children per couple. And Europe is currently at 1.5. According to the book The Empty Cradle, (which is not an LDS book, btw) if the birthrate doesn't rise by 2020, there will be a projected 88 million fewer Europeans at the end of the century. That's simple MATH.
The above effect is what President Packer was addressing in his Women's Conference talk. I still have yet to understand WHY society no longer values children. It is sad, and confusing. And absolutely illogical.
In the Proclamation on the Family, it states "We declare that God's commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force." It is in the best interest of mankind for children to be born.
BTW, I have eight children (and we WILL have more, in case you were wondering), my husband is one of eleven children, and one of my best friends in the world has thirteen children. To imply that we must be on welfare to support our families is rude and insensitive-- and ridiculous. All of us have raised our families on ONE income-- and rather well, thank you. When the Lord says He will provide for those that obey His commandments, HE IS TELLING THE TRUTH.
Brigham Young said that the road to apostacy begins when we criticize our bishops. I can't even begin to IMAGINE how one can justify criticizing one of the Lord's own twelve apostles.
If you can't tell, I am sick of the debate members of the Church keep having on this issue. DO IT OR DON'T, BUT QUIT TAKING THE CULTURE OF THE WORLD AS THE GOSPEL TRUTH.
I am done today. If you would like Brigham Young's direct quote, I can give it to you. It can be easily found in the B.Y. Teachings of the Prophet manual.
