Months ago I wrote on the unintended consequences we reap for ourselves when we rebel against God and His word. As a case in point, I discussed God’s command to man to be fruitful and multiply, in the context of what was happening in secular Europe, which had declined to observe God’s ways. (They are more enlightened than that, don’t you know.) Europe is undergoing population decline in numbers not seen since the Black Death of the 14th century, because enlightened Europeans, with their career-minded feminists, and effeminate metro[s-x]ual men, and aren’t- gays- the- pinnacle- of- human- evolution attitudes, can’t be bothered with the selfless hard slog of raising children. I wrote:
What the Mohammedans could not do for the valor of Christendom’s defenders from 732 ad at the battle of Poitiers through the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in World War I, Europe is doing to herself by committing generational suicide. The only demographic with a positive birth rate is the immigrants, and the majority of these are Muslim.
Now Mark Steyn has taken the same topic, the population decline of the West, and written a brilliant essay on the state of the West, its survival and suicide, and the prospect of the Islamists inheriting the earth, rather than the meek. It is called, It’s the Demography, Stupid, and although it is long, it is a must read. Go read it, I’ll wait …
I will conclude with my previous words of encouragement for all of us underappreciated, “just” stay- at- home Moms “just” doing the Lord’s vitally important work:
So the next time someone asks you in the grocery store, “Are all these children yours?!” in that incredulous and condescending tone, just smile.
***
01/05/06
Update: I was looking on the Seeds of Change website, an organic seed company (I was blogging about seeds over at my homestead blog, this side of heaven) and read this little blurb they had posted:
The U.S. population doubled during the past 60 years and is projected to double again in the next 60 years to more than 520 million. If this takes place, there will be insufficient land to maintain food exports and feed the U.S. population. – David Pimintell, Ph.D., Cornell University
“If” is the operative word in that paragraph. The evidence seems to indicate the opposite crisis, i.e. population decline, not population explosion.
The Lord has blessed us with three children (four in Heaven) but do you know I have had people ask me if they are all mine! Three? I don’t think of that as a large family but I guess to some it is.
Thanks for the article. Very thought-provoking!
—
Elaine <
I have six children. And when I am asked, “Are they all mine.” I smile and say, “Yes, they are my social security and you better be nice to them because they’re yours too.” That usually keeps them quiet.
I did some research on world population for the first chapter of A Child’s Geography: Explore the Holy Land—first chapter on population can be read online at http://www.achildsgeography.com/holyland.html and was intrigued by some of the stats……
Is overpopulation a myth? When you think that if the entire population of the world were put into the land area of Texas, each person would have an area equal to the floor space of a typical U.S. **HOUSE** and the population density of Texas–houseing the world’s entire population!!!— would be about the same as Paris, France.
Stunning when you think that Europe had 25 percent of the world’s population in 1900…but by 2050, Europe will have only seven percent.
Every child should know what a gift they are to the world—to Him. And every child should know how God wants to fill His Earth with beautiful people, stewards of His home for us….and every child should take seriously the responsibility to *care* for all the other people in Earth’s family who share God’s home with us!
Thanks for good food for thought, Christine!
Blessings,
Ann V. HolyExperience/Choosing Home
I only have four children and people are always making comments like “You have your hands full” or “Are they all yours?” They’d probably drop if I told them we wanted to have twice as many!
Hugh Hewitt interviewed Steyn
Radioblogger has the transcript. Click here
spunky