Some of you may remember me saying that I didn’t want to have any natural-born kids. I did say that, and I repeated the sentiment often. Adrienne was on board as well. Naturally, we were asked why we felt that way and would usually respond with some brief, set answers. Our inquiring friends loved to remind us that we were young, that we would likely change our mind, and that we shouldn’t be too quick to make a decision. Well, Adrienne and I can both be pretty stubborn…or said in the way we see it: can be really set on living out what we’ve discerned is the right course for us. On the ‘eve of expecting’, with our “Little MO” only having a few days left before she/he faces the world, I will share the reasons why I still hold the conviction about not having biological children. It is beautiful, really—a dance with Thoreau and Webster—that in the same breath I can confess both my conviction for not having natural-born kids as well as my excitement about welcoming a third member to our family.
Our intention to not have biological children wasn’t made out of a desire to duck from the responsibility of parenting. We planned to parent in some manner, albeit not the traditional route—offspring. Ok, just so it’s on the table, I do value my freedom and Dre and I’s ability to pick-up and go…and I knew a child could threaten that. I don’t deny some selfishness. The main impetus for my thinking, however, was my belief that there is a general misinterpretation or at least erroneous emphasis on the Bible’s documented word from God to “be fruitful and increase in number”. Is this command still valid today? I believe that it is not and that the context in which it was written is no longer applicable.
In the hour in which we live, holding tightly to a literal interpretation of the command recorded in Genesis makes me question if we truly are those who walk with a living God who’s constantly interacting with his world, redeeming and restoring, or rather are those who cling to the Bible as our god. Thus, I believe that the repercussions of continuing to misinterpret this command are profound and need to be inspected.
Before I go further, let me clarify what I am not saying: Having lots of kids and preaching to do the same is not a ‘sin’, of course, just like having sex is not a sin! However, if our choices are made without a conception of a greater picture or a greater work being done, we may miss a potential. For example, in order for sex to fulfill—and not lord over us, it needs to be accompanied by a commitment to one person. Outside the bounds of that commitment sex doesn’t reach its potential; it becomes a controlling force that leaves us never satisfied.
Having lots of kids and preaching to do the same is not like lying to a friend, gossiping about a co-worker, or being controlled by sex—all of which can bring hurt from one to a few. Rather it is like being indifferent to a missionary’s need, the impoverished in your city, the plight of the river’s water quality, or the lives of unborn children.
Each choice we make has potential to further the greater good. One choice, how many kids we have, has the potential to impact the world’s human population. I feel confident that we are on the verge of over population. To many—many Christians in particular—this very idea is ludicrous. Believing that the command “be fruitful and multiply” is just as applicable today as it was a few thousand years ago disposes one to consider acknowledging an over-population problem as being synonymous with humanism or questioning what God said to Adam. Christians tend to think that by recognizing the over-population crisis they’re somehow devaluing human life. It is assumed that God would never allow such a thing as over population to happen if He had given the “be fruitful and multiply” command. To reinforce their thinking and in an attempt to debunk over population, so-called Christian scholars have highlighted facts that suggest that every person in the world could be fitted into a section of land the size of a large county. Suck in that tummy! That thinking is flawed. Listen to ecologists, those who are knowledgeable in population dynamics and a system’s capacity (in this case, Earth) to handle certain pressures put on by a population. You may recall common ecology lessons with coyotes and rabbits. Lots of rabbits can support more and more coyotes. But once there are too many coyotes and not enough rabbits, the coyote population crashes down to lower numbers. Humans will not experience a crash like that (maybe). But the quality of life for us (coyotes) may come crashing down—especially for the orphans, widows and impoverished. If you know them and consider them your neighbor, you too will feel the impacts. Continued…
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