Let’s get right to it.
Having children is a topic we hear a lot about. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, we understand that God has commanded all of His children to “multiply,
and replenish the earth,” (Genesis 1:28).
But many of us have heard different opinions and approaches on this subject.
In 1968 a man named Paul R. Ehrlich published a book
entitled The Population Bomb which changed
the scene on this topic forever. In this
book, Ehrlich discussed how the population was doubling and by the 1970s/1980s
there would be widespread famine because the resources available would not be enough
to sustain the amount of people. We have
seen that those are inaccurate predictions because we have doubled the
population from then until now and we still have enough resources to support
the people. Science advances have helped
us reap more crops per acre of land than ever before.
The opinions contained in this book had a very large impact
on the way people thought about families and brining children into this world. They thought it was irresponsible to have
many children because it is selfish to require many resources for your own family. However, this has caused many new
issues. As the generation of Baby
Boomers age, and the number of children we are having is decreasing, there will
not be enough workers to support and sustain the older generation. This will cause a great impact on our economy
in the United States as well as worldwide.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we understand the importance
of bringing children into our lives. In a
talk entitled “Precious Children—A Gift from God” given by Thomas S. Monson in October
of 1991, he states, “It is our solemn duty, our precious privilege—even our
sacred opportunity—to welcome to our homes and to our hearts the children who
grace our lives.” We know that marrying in the temple and having children is
crucial in our journey to exaltation.
President Brigham Young once stated, “There are multitudes
of pure and holy spirits waiting to take tabernacles, now what is our duty?—To
prepare tabernacles for them; to take a course that will not tend to drive
those spirits into the families of the wicked, where they will be trained in
wickedness, debauchery, and every species of crime. It is the duty of every
righteous man and woman to prepare tabernacles for all the spirits they can.” If
we will not accept our solemn responsibility to bear and raise children in
righteousness, those precious spirits will be sent elsewhere to gain their
bodies and may not be raised in a righteous environment. It is critical that we understand the importance
of providing those tabernacles for those sweet souls, so they have the best
opportunity to progress and become like God.
In the United States, we can see these problems laid out
very clearly. The age of marriage is
increasing, and women are bearing children in their mid-to-late 30s. This greatly limits the number of children
they have. Also, the number of people
getting married is declining. These are
problematic for the family and for the economy.
Many people say that they are too busy or that they cannot afford a
family. Elder Anderson of the Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles shares in his address entitled “Children,” It is not
something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time
for.” It is important for us to realize
that the reason we are sent here is to bear and rear children in righteousness
and strengthen our families so we can live with them for eternity. I recommend watching this short video from
Elder Anderson’s talk: https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/todays-family-we-believe-in-children?lang=eng
He expands more on the topic of children.
I am going to finish this post with the eloquent words of
Thomas S. Monson because there is no better way to phrase it,
“The truth of the words of Charles M. Dickenson come to
mind:
They are idols of hearts and households;
They are angels of God in disguise;
The sunlight still sleeps in their tresses,
His glory still gleams in their eyes,
These truants from home and from Heaven,
They have made me more manly and mild;
And I know now how Jesus could liken
The Kingdom of God to a child.
My dear brothers and sisters, may the laughter of children
gladden our hearts. May the faith of children soothe our souls. May the love of
children prompt our deeds. “Children are an heritage of the Lord.” (Ps. 127:3.)
May our Heavenly Father ever bless these sweet souls, these special friends of
the Master, is my humble and earnest prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”
Comments
Post a Comment