In much of the world, people have stopped having the number
of children society needs in order to grow and remain healthy and flourishing.
Today we answer the question: Why?
We discussed in Part I that the fertility rate must be 2.1
in order for a population to at least remain stable: every woman in the
society, on average, must produce one child to replace herself and one to
replace a man. In addition, one woman in 10 must have a third child to
compensate for infant deaths and slightly higher birth rates among males. Those
numbers aren’t materializing; the US has a Caucasian birth rate of 1.65 with an
overall US birth rate of 1.9. Much of Europe falls lower than that, with Italy
at 1.26. These numbers are a serious concern as we face the prospect of
cultures courting extinction if these numbers don’t change.
Population decline is also at the root of our economic
woes. W e are not producing enough people
to consume goods and offer the needed services. Population growth produces
economic growth; population decline creates a declining economy.
There are two major reasons for our alarming worldwide
population decline.
The first takes us back to the economy. As prosperity
falters, people fear they cannot afford to have children, so they don’t.
Economic decline becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy: We don’t have the money,
so we don’t have the children, so we don’t have goods being consumed or new
services being offered. Creativity and innovation stumble, optimism for the
future wanes, and the population declines further in a circular progression
that is hard to stop. Sweden has been locked into this spiral for generations,
and even serious government intervention hasn’t helped. To encourage births,
the Swedish government pays all prenatal and delivery costs, gives the mother a
paid year off after a birth, and a monthly stipend for each child until age 18.
With all that, Sweden’s fertility rate stands at 1.5, dangerously below
replacement levels.
The second reason takes us to religion. Much of the Western
world has abandoned Christianity to embrace secular humanism, the “religion”
where man worships himself. Under humanism, man puts himself and his wants at
the center of existence. These beliefs are opposed to Christian principles,
which include a belief in God as a loving Father, a purpose for life and a
hereafter, consequences for sin, and a time when we will account for our
actions and our treatment of others. Those beliefs all lead us to create
families, to think of others, and to structure our lives in ways that build
society. Humanism, by contrast, accepts no God and no hereafter with
accountability for personal actions. While humanists believe people should treat
others well, without the moral force of a divine, universal authority to which
we answer if we misuse others, there is little consequence for selfishness.
Power-hungry people can rise to prominence, and selfishness expands. The
divine, God-given reason for having children doesn’t exist, and children are a
hindrance unless one happens to want them. In a culture where humanist
principles are expanding, the reasons for having children are contracting.
Demographic experts tell us there is every reason to believe
Western populations will continue to decline, probably at even steeper rates
than the last 50 years, when population worldwide has decreased by 50%. With
the ugly consequences of socialism coming home to roost in most of Europe,
economies are, and will surely continue to, decline. With the US debt levels
escalating rapidly our economy is guaranteed to take a serious nosedive,
bringing economic and population troubles we can only faintheartedly imagine.
In addition, the world seems determined to abandon Christian
principles for secular hedonism. As people become increasingly self-absorbed,
children will become increasingly burdensome. The future possibilities for a
thriving economy and a thriving birthrate appear gloomy.
For years, population fearmongers have flogged public opinion
with their bogus issue. It was never real. Those of us who knew God doesn’t
overpopulate the worlds He creates tried to tell them so. Worrisome declines in
fertility rates have taken up the dialogue, and the statistics are hard to
dismiss.
Pamela's new Ebook, "Promises of the Constitution:"
http://www.amazon.com/Promises-Constitution-Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow-ebook/dp/B00LEWCS4E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407776265&sr=8-1&keywords=ebook+promises+of+the+constitution
No comments:
Post a Comment