Don't Be Fruitful and Multiply

[cbayer]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roy-speckhardt/dont-be-fruitful-and-mult_b_3443172.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Roy Speckhardt
Executive Director, American Humanist Association

Posted: 06/17/2013 7:18 pm


With the school year at a close and kids across the country out and about, we're reminded just how many children live in the U.S. -- over 100 million. While America certainly has many children, our annual population growth rate is less than 1 percent. This figure is astonishing when we look at countries like Niger and Malawi, with population growth rates of 3.5 percent and 3.0 percent respectively. Economics certainly has a role to play in this difference, but how significant is religion's role in increasing world population?

Many of the countries that are listed as having the highest birth rate by the CIA World Factbook are also the same countries which were deemed the most religious by a recent Gallup report Given that correlation, it should come as no surprise that especially religious states here in the U.S. usually have higher birth rates than less religious states. Richard Florida of the Atlantic discusses this trend in a recent article by highlighting a study done by the Martin Prosperity Institute which found that the "teen birth rate is actually higher in more religious states." This tendency of religious states to have a high teen birth rate is echoed in an article by Lisa Belkin of the New York Times which shares a report by the journal Reproductive Health that found "a strong association between the teenage birth rate of a particular state and its level of religiosity."

What these studies show us is that religious belief increases the number of children an average woman will have, regardless of whether the increased religiosity of where she lives is in Mali or Utah. It also doesn't matter if the dominant religion is Islam like the 99 percent Muslim Afghanistan, or Catholicism like the 80 percent Catholic Philippines, or Latter Day Saints, like the over 60 percent Mormon Utah, or Protestantism, like the over 70 percent Protestant Texas.

The traditional religious emphasis on copious reproduction and common teachings against the use of contraception are having a direct impact on population growth, especially in countries that can't afford it. Religious mores about stereotypical gender roles that encourage women to focus their lives on children reinforce this effect. For Christians and Jews, scripture clearly says in Genesis 1:28 to "be fruitful and increase in number" and this sentiment is found in almost every other major religion and belief system.

more at link

[muriel_volestrangler]

1. Just to correct one thing - there aren't 100 million children in the US

His link goes to a .gov website that won't load, but here's one that does: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0007.pdf
2010 census: 0-4 20.2 million; 5-13 36.9 million; 14-17 17.1 million. 0-17 total: 74.2 million.

This is not surprising; but over 100 million under 18 in a population of about 310 million would be - that would indicate a rapidly growing population (or one that only lives to about 60 on average).

[cbayer]

3. Thanks for the correction.

It's still a whole lot of kiddos.

[dimbear]

2. For your scripture lesson this week, open your Bibles to the Book of Soft Porn, er I mean

Canticles. Song of Solomon you may call it.

Where do these modern kids get their ideas?

[love_katz]

4. This is why I don't like mainstream religions.

Let's replace the ability to think critically and reason with blind dogma and (in)breeding.

Let's just take on the breeding dynamics of fleas and mosquitoes.

Makes me think there is some truth to the old canard, that humankind has a limited supply of intelligence: as the population swells, the level of intelligence per human goes down.

These kinds of religions assume that the only kind of life that matters is human life (forgetting what supports human life), completely fails to address sharing this planet fairly and sustainably with the other creature-beings who live here with us, are invariably anti-woman, anti-body, anti-earth, and result in more wars and extreme hoarding of wealth by a few elitists. Also, the kinds of societies promoted by this kind of (mental straight jacket) religion are totalitarian, oppressive in the extreme, and ironically (or not) enormously destructive to ALL life.

I could go on about how such beliefs are sadistic, but I bet you get my drift.

[cbayer]

5. While there is often an emphasis of having many children in some cultures

and within some religions, I think the lack of or unavailability of contraception may play a big role as well.

There is a strong correlation between economic status and religious belief.

The author calls on both secular and progressive religious organizations to address these issues both with governments and religious institutions.

I'm not sure it is right to call these groups, who are mostly poor and marginalized, inbreeders who are lacking in intelligence.

Welcome to the religion group, I guess.

[okasha]

6. Patriarchy has a lot to do with birthrate, too.

In cultures in which "manhood" is equated with number of offspring, there is a strong disincentive to limit births. Poverty also limits access to birth control. Economic empowerment of women, on the other hand, has at least two demonstrable advantages: overall economic improvement and lower birthrates.

"Inbreeders lacking in intelligence"--hoo boy. Or as Kipling put it, "Lesser breeds without the law." We're back to good old-fashioned racism here.

[cbayer]

7. Agree - there are so many factors at play here.

I was taken aback by this post.. Sometimes I can't believe what people think it's ok to say here.

[okasha]

8. Some of the things that people think it's ok to say here

strike me as things that it's not ok to say anywhere.

And when they are said, it's usually after a few too many drinks. I suppose there's a certain advantage to knowing someone's honest opinion, though.