The Business of Birth/Death, Humanities Decline & The Choice to Have Children
God's creation, this world specifically has been down the road of self-destruction several times before.
And each time God has chosen to reset his project.
The only result which has been demonstrated by the historical record is that mankind always self-destructs, always. We in fact are doing it right now.
The pie-in-the-sky hope by that human innovation, technology and don't forget extraterrestrials will save, us is not going very well.
Some point to the decline of human genetics over time as a major component in the nose dive the world is seeing in population. ( Read Genetic Entropy by John Sanford)
As it turns out the predictions of overpopulation were indeed bogus.
The opposite is true now.
Lets start with how many people have been born into this world (107 billion) including the 7 billion alive today that makes the best possible answer is 114 billion human souls.
How many have died since humanity was created?
"This means that for every person alive today, there are approximately 14 people who are no longer with us.." from the article: How Many Humans Have Ever Lived?
The Dead Outnumber the Living (Infographic)
From the article: The Dead Outnumber the Living (Infographic)
Roughly the numbers are:
7 Billion alive today
107 billion having been born in the past
114 Billion total humans
God and The Declining Birthrate
What does God have to do or think about our declining birthrate.
The obvious is the world including America has been using abortion as birth control. This goes against the very core of God's instructions to us.
Below are statistics compiled by bedbible.com
There were 652,989 abortions in the USA in 2022
11 out of 1,000 women get an abortion every year
1 out of 4 pregnancies end in abortion
57.7% of abortions are from women that are 20-29 years old
91% of abortions are Medical (before week 9) and Surgical (before week 13) – so in the start
There were 1.534 facilities in the US that provided abortions in 2022
80.9% of abortions occur within the first 9 weeks (Approx. 2 months)
0.31 persons for every 100,000 die from an abortion
The majority of Women (67%) get an abortion because they are a) not ready, b) don’t have the money, or c) don’t want one more child
The average price of an abortion is 568$
64% of US citizens think abortion is a personal medical decision and not something that the state should dictate
5 out of 10 abortions happen in an official clinic
4 out of 10 abortions were on non-Hispanic and black women"
Children are a gift from God.
Psalm 127:3-5
3 Children are a gift from God; they are his reward. 4 Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. That man shall have the help he needs when arguing with his enemies.
As many Americans realize that God is judging America and the world for our sin and unbelief we must recognize how God has disciplined nations in the past.
God warned His ancient nation of Israel of certain curses that would befall them for failure to be obedient to Him (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). One of these curses was the fruit of their womb would be taken away (Deuteronomy 28:18).
Since America claims to be Christian based and to acknowledge the God of the Bible, we need to take this seriously. History shows that not even Israel could be obedient to their God, and they suffered the consequences. Today the United States is moving in that direction. Americans have become disobedient to their God.
And among other judgements God is closing the womb.
To become obedient we must repent of our sins, change our behavior and thinking and worship the one true God. Will we as a people do this?
Even many Christians have turned away from God seeking other idols.
The Science & Faith Podcast - James Tour & John Sanford: Genetic Entropy & Genome Degeneration
Video from Dr. James Tour
"In this podcast, Dr. James Tour and Dr. John Sanford discuss science and faith, including Dr. Sanford's challenge against the idea of natural selection benefiting the fitness of living organisms, coming as a direct result of his research on genomes showing the fitness of biological systems are degenerating due to the accumulation of harmful mutations. Dr. Sanford also introduces Biblical data that coincidentally matches the degeneration curve and biological decay. Questions from the audience conclude the talk." from video introduction
Distilled Demographics: How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?
Video from Population Reference Bureau
"PRB informs people around the world about population, health and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations. Find out more about PRB at our website, www.prb.org. The question of how many people have ever lived on Earth is a perennial one among information calls to PRB. One reason the question keeps coming up is that somewhere, at some time back in the 1970s, a now-forgotten writer made the statement that 75 percent of the people who had ever been born were alive at that moment. This factoid has had a long shelf life, even though a bit of reflection would show how unlikely it is. For this "estimate" to be true would mean either that births in the 20th century far, far outnumbered those in the past or that there were an extraordinary number of extremely old people living in the 1970s. But if we judge the idea that three-fourths of people who ever lived are alive today to be a ridiculous statement, have demographers come up with a better estimate? What might be a reasonable estimate of the actual percentage? In this video, PRB senior visiting scholar Carl Haub, with some speculation concerning prehistoric populations, approaches a guesstimate of this elusive number." from video introduction
How Low Can America’s Birth Rate Go Before It’s A Problem?
"The U.S. fertility rate hit a record low in 2020 — just as it did in 2019, and 2018. Although the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have accelerated this decline, the drop has been underway for years. The total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman is expected to have over her lifetime — now sits at 1.64 children per woman in the U.S. Not only is this the lowest rate recorded since the government began tracking these stats in the 1930s, but it’s well below the so-called “replacement-level fertility” of about 2.1.
The latter number is what social scientists and policymakers have long regarded as the rate a country should maintain to keep population numbers stable. When the fertility rate falls below replacement level, the population grows older and shrinks, which can slow economic growth and strain government budgets. Today’s babies are tomorrow’s workers and taxpayers: They’ll not only staff the hospitals and nursing homes we’ll use in old age but also sustain the economy by funding our pensions when we retire, paying the taxes that finance Social Security, Medicare, and many other government programs we’ll rely on, and buying the homes and stocks we invested in to build our savings.
But recently, some experts have questioned whether we ought to be so concerned about low fertility. “There’s nothing really magical about replacement-level fertility,” said Erich Striessnig, a professor of demography and sustainable development at the University of Vienna. There are ways to overcome the challenges of low fertility, but it’ll take an investment in the people who have been born already..." from the article: How Low Can America’s Birth Rate Go Before It’s A Problem?
Japan PM Says Country on the Brink Over Falling Birth Rate
"Japan's prime minister says his country is on the brink of not being able to function as a society because of its falling birth rate.
Fumio Kishida said it was a case of "now or never."
Japan - population 125 million - is estimated to have had fewer than 800,000 births last year. In the 1970s, that figure was more than two million.
Birth rates are slowing in many countries, including Japan's neighbours.
But the issue is particularly acute in Japan as life expectancy has risen in recent decades, meaning there are a growing number of older people, and a declining numbers of workers to support them.
Japan now has the world's second-highest proportion of people aged 65 and over - about 28% - after the tiny state of Monaco, according to World Bank data.
"Japan is standing on the verge of whether we can continue to function as a society," Mr Kishida told lawmakers.
"Focusing attention on policies regarding children and child-rearing is an issue that cannot wait and cannot be postponed."
He said that he eventually wants the government to double its spending on child-related programmes. A new government agency to focus on the issue would be set up in April, he added.
However, Japanese governments have tried to promote similar strategies before, without success.
In 2020, researchers projected Japan's population to fall from a peak of 128 million in 2017 to less than 53 million by the end of the century. The population is currently just under 125 million, according to official data.
Japan has continued implementing strict immigration laws despite some relaxations, but some experts are now saying that the rules should be loosened further to help tackle its ageing society.
Falling birth rates are driven by a range of factors, including rising living costs, more women in education and work, as well as greater access to contraception, leading to women choosing to have fewer children.
Last week, China reported its first drop in population for 60 years.." from the article: Japan PM says country on the brink over falling birth rate
How Low Can They Go? Rural Hospitals Weigh Keeping Obstetric Units When Births Decline
"As rural hospitals struggle to stay financially stable, their leaders watch other small facilities close obstetrics units to cut costs. They face a no-win dilemma: Can we continue operating delivery units safely if there are few births? But if we close, do we risk the health and lives of babies and mothers?
This story also ran on Modern Healthcare. It can be republished for free.
The other question this debate hangs on: How few is too few births?
Consider the 11-bed Providence Valdez Medical Center, which brings 40 to 60 newborns into the world each year, according to Dr. John Cullen, one of several family physicians who deliver babies at the Valdez, Alaska, hospital. The next nearest obstetrics unit is a six- to seven-hour drive away, if ice and snow don’t make the roads treacherous, he said.
The hospital cross-trains its nurses so they can care for trauma and general medicine.." from the article: How Low Can They Go? Rural Hospitals Weigh Keeping Obstetric Units When Births Decline
To Have or Not to Have Children
Genesis 9:7
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”
For a long time it was part of the fabric of our culture, a given that if possible all married couples would have children.
That all changed when the culture of self became the norm and self-fulfillment replaced what for generations had been the way humans perpetuate themselves.
Now like the pagans of old we kill unborn babies and yes even small children to suit our desires.
Even many Christians have made this choice.
Is it a Sin to Choose Not to Have Children?
Should Christians have children? Is it their choice, or has God already laid out a plan for Christian marriages? These are great questions we will discuss and more.Birth rates in the United States and globally have been consistently dropping. There are quite a few speculations as to why, but regardless of the why, the numbers are telling. Even China is changing its restrictions on couples, allowing them to have more children.In this article, I will be speaking about Christian marriages and whether they have a duty to have children. This article does not cover whether or not a couple is able to have children.
What Is the Purpose of Marriage and Children?
Let’s look to the Bible and remind ourselves of the purpose of marriage. The three purposes of marriage described in Genesis are companionship, unity, and procreation. God is the creator of marriage. In Genesis 2:18, the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” The Lord created women as a companion and helpers.
When the Pharisees confront Jesus in Judea in Matthew 19, he quotes Genesis 2:24 in his response stating, “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” He goes on to say in Matthew 19:6, “So they are no longer two but one. Therefore, what God has joined together, let man not separate.” Marriage is the union of two separate beings, both made in the image of God, who are brought together to create oneness. Michael Foster states, “Marriage is God’s picture of the perfect one to getherness we will ultimately experience in communion with Him.”.. from the article: Is it a Sin to Choose Not to Have Children?
We Cannot Predict Our Children’s Influence.
"..There’s another problem with presuming to think that we can do more good by not having children — like, for climate change. The problem is: we simply do not know whether our child will be a debit or a credit to the human race — a curse or a blessing, a taker or a giver. We don’t know. He may be a freeloader with a big carbon footprint, or he may be the genius who invents the very means of saving millions of lives. Who do we think we are? My goodness, who do we think we are to predict that our children will be a loss rather than a gain for the world, and for the glory of Christ, whom we can believe and pray to?
We don’t know, and it’s not our business to know. Our business is to give them life and raise them up and do what we can to build into them every dream and every possibility and power and blessing for the world — and for the glorifying of God.." from the article: Are Christian Couples Required to Have Kids?
Death in America, like birthrates is declining. Yet much of this decline is explained by economics and the choice of cremation instead of a traditional burial.
Why Funeral Homes Are Vanishing Across America
Video from Modern MBA
"The funeral industry in the United States is worth $20 billion dollars annually with 2.4 million funerals taking place every year. With death and taxation being the two certainties in life, funeral homes have a long-standing reputation for highly resilient and stable businesses. Everyone dies. If there’s any business that should stand the test of time, it would be funeral homes and cemeteries. But when we look at the numbers, the surprising reality is that it’s not actually true. For 2 decades, average funeral home revenue has been declining every year. The number of funeral homes has been shrinking every year with more and more closing their doors. Today, the American funeral industry is significantly fragmented, seemingly unscathed by the M&A of corporate America. There are roughly 18,800 funeral homes in the United States. There are about 1,000 crematoriums and 115,000 cemeteries. Service Corporation International is the largest public funeral home corporation today, operating 1,471 funeral homes and 488 cemeteries across 44 states. The company has 16% market share by revenue and 11% market share by the number of funeral homes under its ownership." from video introduction