A sad response to a well-meaning article

I have been musing over an article I recently read on msnbc.com, or more specifically, the comments that were posted about the article. I had noticed the article "Shaky Economy Means ‘Bye-bye baby’ For Some" and stopped in to read what it had to say, and especially what other readers had to say. I was surprised by the harsh and even cruel responses the readers had toward the article and each other. First, it was almost unanimously decided that to have more than one or two children is unbelievably selfish. The world is overpopulated, readers declared, and there are plenty of adoptable children out there - if you must satisfy your selfish desire to have a child, pick one of them. And in fact, not to have children is a much higher road. I was shocked to read comments extolling the policies of China which allow couples only one or two children. These readers banded together to excoriate anyone who dared suggest that having more than two children was perfectly normal, and even scolded readers who suggested that having two babies was blameless because it replaced Mom and Dad in the population.

First of all, who created the world in which we live? A wise and loving Father in Heaven, whose magnificent and unsurpassed design of the universe demonstrates His knowledge of the needs of all of His creations. Second of all, for what purpose was our world created? This answer was revealed to Moses as he viewed the wonders of the universe: "For behold, this is my work and my glory," God tells Moses, "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." In other words, the earth was created for the express purpose of providing a place for Heavenly Father's children to experience mortal life and learn to keep His commandments.

So far, the arguments against having children have stemmed from the belief that the world is overpopulated. And yet this world was created for all the children of God by a perfectly wise and all-knowing Father. Are parts of the world overpopulated? Yes! I've never been to Asia, the continent with some of the worst overcrowding on the face of the earth, but I have lived in New York and yes, there are way too many people living in that city! But as a West Coaster in America, would my decision not to have children ease the overcrowded cities of Asia? No. Would not having children benefit the economy and my society? No - for instance, Europe is currently struggling because of a sharp population decline and is currently the "oldest" region in the world. If birthrates continue at their current level, deaths will outnumber births and economic and social growth and stability will begin to crumble in a few years. Do we really believe that God didn't think far enough ahead to create a world big enough for all His children?

My heart especially went out to one lady who remarked that, in her experience, all the financial security in the world could not replace the joy of having a baby, and she felt that she would rather do without certain luxuries and wants than not have another child. She was immediately labeled as "irresponsible," "ignorant," and just "satisfying selfish needs" because she valued children over economic stability.

I was aghast. The people criticizing her cannot possibly be parents. Sure, we look askance at celebrities who pop out kids that they then discard for a life of partying and appearing in the tabloids, and yes, we throw our up hands when unwed parents bring more and more children into the world without the means to provide for their physical and spiritual well-being. But people wanting to bring children into the world, nurture and protect them, and try as best they can to provide a good life for them are anything but selfish, ignorant, and irresponsible. I look at my parents, who put our needs above their own and constantly strove to provide for and protect us, teach us good principles, and set good examples for us and I'm profoundly grateful for their sacrifices on our behalf. I look at Megan and Karl and the energy and efforts they give to enrich and bless their daughter's life and I think, "To what better cause could their hearts be dedicated?" Sure, times are tough. We're all facing uncertainty and worry, and the less money we have to spend, the better. But the joy and happiness and the fulfillment and wonder that children bring to our lives are worth more than money could ever buy and "security" could ever give us.

It makes me shake my head to think that wanting to have children is now considered unnatural or selfish. I made my friend Cheick laugh when I asked him, "Isn't that kind of a built-in thing?" "If we weren't meant to have children," he told me, "then we wouldn't be able to have them in the first place." He told me that a family member of his cannot have children, and that adoption would cost the family $25,000. I'm not sure who is posting comments on that article, but that kind of expense makes adoption not a realistic option for most of us and makes those "high-minded" posters looks rather ridiculous. In fact, someone had the audacity to say that adopting a child rarely costs anything at all! I think our society needs a good slap upside the head. Use resources more wisely, break down the corrpution that keeps essentials from the poor and keeps the wealthy fabulously rich, teach self-sufficience, thrift, and charity to the general populace, and let people have their own kids and shut up about it, for gosh sakes!

Something much better than "financial stability."