The Importance of Having Children

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.”