The myth of "overpopulation"
Thanks to MM for sending me the link to her post with these shocking figures in them:
Check out this statistic, delivered in my seminar yesterday:I grinned when reading this comment by my friend, Mrs. J:Current World Population Demographics:
1 Billion Muslims
14 Million Jews
1.8 Billion Christians
The average Western Muslim family produces 6.4 children.
The average Western Modern Orthodox Jewish family produces 3.23 children.
The average Western Christian family produces 1.82 children.
If the numbers were to remain consistent in one generation:
The legacy of the Western Muslim family is 295 people.
The legacy of the Western Modern Orthodox Jewish family is 151 people.
The legacy of the Western Christian family family is 62 people.
... and if the numbers were to remain consistent over four generations:
The legacy of the Western Muslim family will be 2,588 people.
The legacy of the Western Modern Orthodox Jewish family will be 346 people.
The legacy of the Western Christian family will be 13 people.
...you get the idea.
Source: Dr. John C. Lamoreaux, Southern Methodist University.
I think bogus claims like "I'm saving the world from overpopulation!" and "I can't have children because I need to teach Sunday school!" are just salves for our consciences when we refuse to accept the blessings of God in favor of quiet living rooms and lots of dinners out.
Get busy ya'll.
posted by Crystal Paine at 12:23 PM
18 Comments:
Get busy...hehe...as married women, we should be honoring our husbands and their needs by doing just that! And our own as well...
Hey Crystal...I know this might be a bit off topic, but could you post about NFP? My husband and I have decided to go contraception free, but before we start trying tohave a baby, our Nurse practitioner (She's so awesome...thinks fertility is a GIFT, not something to be surpressed!) wants us to chart for a few months. I'm kind of nervous, and was just wondering about other ladies' experience with NFP, what they thought, did they like it,etc etc? Thanks!
Andrea: That's wonderful you've decided to go contraception-free! I wish more people would read and research on the very negative side effects which are entirely possible with all forms of artificial contraception - the most negative of which is, obviously, that most contraceptives are abortive. There are a host of other possible nasty side effects, too, so you are doing your future health good by choosing to not artificially mess with your natural bodily processes!
Concerning NFP, my husband and I have never done any type of family planning besides pray and ask the Lord to bless us with children. :) I'm not a real big proponent of it (though I'd much rather have a couple use that than something artificial) for reasons which I've stated before, mainly that my husband and I personally believe it would be wrong for us to do anything to prohibit the blessings of children. However, I understand not all couples are in that place and I do know those who have used NFP successfully. There is a website called www.FertilityFriend.com which has lots of helpful info and support groups on it and I've also heard that Taking Charge of Your Fertility is a good book.
If anyone else has charted, etc. and wants to share more on this to bolster Andrea's courage, feel free. You are also free to share your experiences with NFP and your thoughts on it so long as you do not turn this into a debate nor tear down Andrea and her husband for the decision they have prayerfully made. Please also remember that we have many younger readers so use discretion. :)
Crystal -
Thank you so much...Yes, my husband and I feel that we have to be open to WHATEVER God decides to bless us with...however, right now wouldn't be prudent due to just trying to get some school debt paid first before we go to one income. I appreciate you putting this up! I just got so sick of feeling so wacko all the time...people just don't realize how crazy extra hormones can make you.
Crystal,
I would try to get busy, but I have no husband to do that with LOL. Would you start a matchmaker section here??? It would be a big hit! BTW, thanks for posting the news article :)
Andrea -
My husband and I have used NFP for 8 years. We have had 3 pregnancies and all were prayerfully planned. We needed to delay pregnancies for a while due to a high debt load. We pray that God will bless us with more children as He sees fit.
NFP is amazing - it truly does help to increase love, respect and appreciation of your spouse. It has been a huge blessing for our marriage. It has also helped me realize certain natural and easy things I could do to regularlize my cycle and to reduce PMS.
I used oral contraceptives for the first 7 months of our marriage. They made me very sick and caused lasting health damage that I still have to deal with to this very day. I pray that Christians will get the word out that contraceptives (especially hormonal) are very dangerous.
Here are some links I would suggest to get you started:
www.omsoul.com One More Soul
They have a NFP only physician directory!
www.popepaulvi.com Dr. Thomas Hilgers at the Pope Paul VI Institute of Human Reproduction - He started NaPro Technology - an amazing system that helps couples conceive without using anti-life methods! A great resource website.
There are 4 methods of NFP:
1. Sympto-Thermal Method - http://www.ccli.org/ - Charting of cervical mucus and temperatures.
2. Billings-Ovulation Method - http://www.boma-usa.org/ or http://www.woomb.org Charting of cervical mucus, temperatures, and other natural signs.
3. Ovulation Method - http://www.familyplanning.net/index-home.html Charts cervical mucus patterns.
4. Creighton Model - http://www.fertilitycare.org/ Uses charting of temperatures, cervical mucus, natural signs plus a fertility monitor that detects pending ovulation.
All of these websites have pages that can help you find instructors near you. We use the Billings-Ovulation method but I am hoping to become trained in the Creighton model.
Please contact me if you have any questions - I would love to be of help!
Blessings and prayers -
Mrs. Callard
mhcallard@hotmail.com
The last number should probably be 134 and not 13.
Nevermind the 134. The math is completely off for this whole thing. Incredibley misleading.
Anonymous,
Crystal and I are doing the math now and something does not add up. Thank you for pointing that out. Maybe MM could explain the math for us, as it was taken from a seminar she was in. Despite the numbers not being accurate (at least not facially, as I read them), the concept is nevertheless true. I have heard numerous reports that in a very short period of time, Muslims in Germany, France, and Italy will outnumber all other people in their respective countries because of their high birthrate compared to the national averages. The thrust of the studies was that national heritage or the Christian West would be drowned out by shear numbers in very short order unless birthrates increased.
MM?
I've heard statistics like this many times because we're about to head out to a Muslim country. It's also good to remember this when you hear statistics like "Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world." The very reason of this is their family size - you're born into Islam, whereas "Christianity" is a relationship and not something you're given because of what your parents adhere to. This statistic always bothers me, because it waters down the amazing things Christ is doing on a daily basis right now around the world. Thousands of people are choosing Christ every minute (literally).
Jesse and friends,
I apologize for the seemingly misleading numbers- there is a small percentage (3.3%) for rates of intermarriage that was factored into the mix, which I left out in order to indicate the outcomes merely. If you like, I will update my post to reflect the more precise callibrations, but am away from my notes with my family till Tuesday! - Sorry, all.
Andrea,
That is nice that your NP thinks fertility is a gift. I know more people who have a harder time conceiving than not. I view my fertility as a gift. (It is not hard for me to conceive, so far).
The more couples I see struggling with infertility the more I see that God has gifted me (and my husband, can't forget him).
My sister would really like a 4th child and she was reading that statistically there is only a 25% chance that a women will conceive during ovulation. That isn't that much. The beginning of life is truly a miracle. Everything has to be right for it to happen.
I'd love to get busy! God needs to send me a husband to get busy with, and Shannon too while He's at it!
I have read TCOYF and I chart, and I think the methodolgy behind it is pretty sound as far as pinpointing the "best times" - although I'm sort of limited because it's not as if I have tried to use it for anything other than keeping track of what's going on with my cycle. As someone who is "older" I wanted to learn everything about optimizing my chances when/if I do get married so that we can get a good start on baby-making right away - no time to waste!
Zan, that 25% is what I've been reading too and I believe it's even less for we ladies in our 30's. That's why I think it's VERY important for ladies to learn how to chart their cycles and determine the best time. I wish my mother had told me this stuff, as I had no idea it was so...intricate. God's design for the function of our bodies is awe-inspiring to say the least.
Fertility is SUCH a gift. I got my monthly phone call from a dear dear friend who has been trying for almost two years. Its the same every time...her doing a lot of crying, me doing a lot of consoling. I suggested NFP to her as well, and she's actually considering it for timing now. The sad thing is, she's 24. We *shouldn't* be having trouble at our age, so if those of you who have extra room on your prayer list, I'd greatly appreciate it if you remember "B" in your prayers. I'm hoping I can hear some month soon..."I'm PREGNANT!" instead of having to share tears with her.
Also, for the ladies that did use NFP, it honestly helped you space children? I'm definitely not trying to be a doubting Thomas in anyway, but we are not in any way ready to be able to support a child the way we would like to.... I'm so afraid of pregnancy right now in general, much less being able to afford to feed the baby!
Andrea: Hang in there, girl! I know it can be so hard to trust in the Lord completely but I promise you that He is trustworthy. If He gives you a child, He will provide for you. If you could have seen our finances (or lack thereof) when I got pregnant with Kathrynne you would know that I am not just making this up. I know from experience that God will provide.
Don't fret! Just throw your burdens and cares on Him - He is big enough to carry them for you. You might check out my article on How Big is Your God, if you've not read it recently.
Trust, rest, and be encouraged!
Oh, I know He's trustworthy...
Its the rest of the world I don't trust.
*sigh*
Perhaps this might inspire a posting or two over at "Wandering Through Leaves of Grass" in the coming days....
My husband will be home from Iraq in 6-7 days and you can guarantee we will be busy! LOL. We have been married for 5 years and no blessings yet but we want a housefull. I am 25 and he is 27 so we better get a move on! LOL. We don't believe in birth control either and was doing NFP when he wasn't deployed...LOL. Now though the Lord has just said "let Me be in control" instead of us controling it, so...alrighty God! It's all up to You! I'm excited! LOL.
Even though I am not Catholic, I do support www.omsoul.com. They are awesome. And they have sent me all kinds of free goodies. I have been planning on ordering some tracts from them to hand out to my fellow Christian ladies but keep forgetting to do it. There is alot of information on the site so go thru it on a rainy day.!
God bless you....and happy child making!!!!! LOL. :-)
~Dawn~
Thanks for quoting me, Crystal: a huge honor.
I added a few more thoughts on "getting busy" at MM's blog which broaden the context a little--if you're not married or raising children at the moment, you can definitely still multiply the Kingdom demographic by making disciples of all nations. And we all should be making disciples whether or not motherhood is on our plate at the moment.
Christians are definitely called to multiply our numbers whether we raise them up or lead them to Christ.
Mrs. J - I completely agree and I knew what you meant when you were saying "get busy" :)
Just because you don't have a husband doesn't mean you can't do a great work for the Lord! Or that you are somehow missing out. The possibilities for ministry while unmarried are almost limitless, as I try to really encourage in my latest book, Handmaidens of the Lord. Find some needy little children in your area, volunteer to help weary moms, and don't overlook your own home and family first - if you are still living at home.
I pray for you dear unmarried women often. I know it's not an easy road, especially when you would love ot have a husband, children, and a home of your own. However, I know that God has a very special, wonderful plan for you right now. Invest this time for Eternity!
By the way, I sometimes get letters from single guys who say that they wish they could find a woman who upholds the values and principles we uphold on our site. Do you know how hard it is for me to bite my tongue and not suggest that they go visit all my blogging links or introduce them to some of you dear girls?!? However, I've learned from bad experiences in the past that me trying to "play God" in match-making never works out good in the end!
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