The Debate Rages On...

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.

Why do so many women reject motherhood?

Today I read an article that is really disconcerting to me: (see below)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,196367,00.html
"' If you're choosing contraception, then there's not a lot of point to having periods,' says Dr. Leslie Miller, a University of Washington-Seattle researcher and associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology..."

"According to Miller, modern women endure up to nine times more periods than their great-grandmothers, who began menstruating later, married young and naturally suppressed periods for years while they were pregnant or breast-feeding. Today's women may have about 450 periods. "

This makes me so sad! :-( It's not that I think having a period is such a wonderful experience, but it is a natural process every woman should go through, to remind her that she is a woman, a future mother. It just makes my heart ache to see another example of women rejecting motherhood for the sake of convenience and frivolity.

Just last week, at a RS Humanitarian Night, some of the women were talking about Michelle Duggar and her family, and said how shocked they were that she still would want more. :( Our family is literally the largest in the ward, and though I know they weren't trying to be offensive, it hurt. How must Heavenly Father and His waiting children feel to hear women say such things? I feel it is a priviledge to be a mother, and I now wish I had stood up and said something... :-(

To my mind, it is a terribly tragic trend-- especially since so many women in the Church are subscribing to these philosophies. :-( Is our eternal perspective so narrow that we think only of today and our own convenience? Selfishness has become a virtue...

And besides the spiritual ramifications, what will the physical consequences be??? That is frightening to me, as well! What happens to our bodies when they cannot purge themselves?

I gladly welcome all the spirits that the Lord has for me to raise. I consider them jewels in my crown. Is it easy? Of course not. But that does not give me a reason to tell the Lord that my plan is better than His!

Another angle on this subject was written as an editorial in USA Today back in March.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-03-13-babybust_x.htm

So who will raise the children of the future? Only those who choose to have children. Those who embrace motherhood! And what will we teach OUR children? I am teaching my daughters that motherhood is the sweetest reward a woman can have. What about the women who reject motherhood? Who will they pass their teachings on to?

It seems the future may be on our side after all...