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Birth Rates

Discussion in 'General Baptist Discussions' started by Shortandy, May 22, 2009.

  1. Shortandy

    Shortandy New Member

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    I received an email with a link to a video on youtube. It was quite alarming! It dealt with the bith rates in our world. The average birth rate in Europe is anywhere from 1.3 to 1.7. The birth-rate in our country is 1.9. Yet muslims are over 5 in their rates.

    If this continues then European countries will be Islamic nations in our lifetime.

    Just curious as to what you guys thought.
     
  2. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I did my part! I have 4 kids. :D
     
  3. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    I think you forget, God is in control, the bible tells us as many as He wills will be saved, christianity can only grow at His rate, not ours, we aren't in control.
     
  4. Shortandy

    Shortandy New Member

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    So true...but "train a child up in the way he should go". "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." God instructed His people in Jeremiah 29 to have a lot of kids...because they were going into captivity and the way to make sure their culture and faith was carried on was to have children.

    I am not saying we all need to have 15 kids. But it makes you think.
     
  5. Shortandy

    Shortandy New Member

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    We are on our 4th pregnacy but we have miscarried twice. Looks like this one is a keeper....we are excited.
     
  6. preachinjesus

    preachinjesus Well-Known Member
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    Europe is completely past the Christianity thing and has been for the past 15 to 20 years. They will embrace a wider religious sample, which Christianity will be part of, but it will be empty religiousity.

    Besides, I thought we were to be confident in the belief that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church.

    To suggest this is because Christians aren't having enough children is not awfully good reasoning. Mrs PJ and I have two kids, that's it. We don't really feel led to have more (and at this point if we did it would be a miracle.)

    The failure of the Church is Europe is primarily based on their embracing a cold, dark version of Christianity and refusing to be the salt and light to those around them. That said I know plenty of good evangelicals working hard to change that, I am thankful for them. Besides family evangelism isn't always a sown up deal. You never know where your kids will end up.

    If Muslims have more kids than us, fine. That isn't our calling. Our calling is to live and speak the authentic Gospel to those around us.
     
  7. Thinkingstuff

    Thinkingstuff Active Member

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    I'm not sure if I did my part or not. My wife had four kids. I just played a minor role and supported her for each one. Does that count?
     
  8. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    I also miscarried twice - in between my second and third children. Congratulations on the new peanut!
     
  9. annsni

    annsni Well-Known Member
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    You played a bigger role than you think. LOL We just couldn't do it without you guys! :laugh:
     
  10. swaimj

    swaimj <img src=/swaimj.gif>

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    Western cultures tend to embrace birth control and abortion, while Muslim cultures do not. Western cultures tend to value material things more than children. Western cultures tend to be less agrarian. In agrarian societies, children are valuable because they can work the land, but if people live in cities, children become a financial burden until they can get an education to support themselves. Because of these factors, westerners tend to have fewer children than Muslim cultures and third-world cultures. I think, more and more, some Christians in western cultures are coming to be convinced that they are too materialistic and they are adjusting their lifestyles to a simpler lifestyle that can be supported with one bread-winner in the family and more children in the home. However, the trend you have observed will probably continue in our culture.
     
  11. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    God is in control of everything, but he also gave us a brain to observe and draw conclusions. If I am on a railroad track and see a train coming, the brain God gave me is going to say, get off the track, not say, well God put the train where it is and me where I am, so SPLAT.

    Yes, God controls all events and those He will save. However, the opening post is a very good observation. If they are having 5 kids, and we are having under 2, then yes, chances are those countries will be muslim in short order. All the opening post was saying is that based on numbers, this will probably happen. If it does, then God planned it that way, didn't He?
     
  12. Servent

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    How do you get a 1. anything can you have part of a child.
     
  13. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    I thought Baptists believed that Christianity grows by the second birth, not the first birth (John 3).
     
  14. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    haven't you done this same thread before?
    do you always leave God out of the equation?
     
  15. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    which has nothing to do with hos many kids God has given me, and peopel like the op always telling me I am ungodly becasue I didn't get more children.(which he did on his last thread like this)
     
  16. donnA

    donnA Active Member

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    supose too, since this si what the bible actually says.
     
  17. saturneptune

    saturneptune New Member

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    Well, on that point we agree. I got married when I was 24. Years passed and no kids. We even got on an adoption list. Then suddenly, at 32, here comes the first one, then the second at 34. With my patience, God gave me all I could handle. Actually we feel quite blessed to have any at all. They are both grown now and doing fine.
     
  18. Jerome

    Jerome Well-Known Member
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    "there is nothing that more debilitates females than frequent childbearing." ---John Calvin
     
  19. Shortandy

    Shortandy New Member

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    In the thread you mention I posted to see what people thought specifically about limiting the number of kids they have by birth control, etc.

    In this thread I am simply wanted to see what others think about the impact that birth rates have on the longevity of a culture.

    Do I leave God out of the equation? Certianly not. Im not even sure why you ask me this.

    I even offered a few thoughts from scripture. God told Israel through Jeremiah in chapter 29 to have some kids so they wouldn't disappear while in a pagan culture. This is why I think the number issue matters. I believe in evangelism and seeing people brought into by the second birth. But where do our own children fit? The scripture is not silent about the responsibility of parents train up children...so obviously the kids we have matter.

    So evangelism cant make this conversation go away.
     
    #19 Shortandy, May 24, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: May 24, 2009
  20. Shortandy

    Shortandy New Member

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    "Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them."---God, Psalm 127
     
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