Be Fruitfull and Multiply

I think you misunderstand me. I do not mean children helping out, as if in you have to go to the bathroom, your hanging out laundry, or learning chors. I mean kids whose responsibibilty is to actually raise the younger children. Mom and dad do almost nothing in the way of raising the kids anymore. The older ones are half raised up (8 or 9 yrs old and they are to raise the younger. Only help from mom and dad is cooking. These are not kids sharing responsibiblity, or learning responsibiblity, everything kids in the family is their responsibiblity.

 

DonnA, Really now, if we can't apply God's commands to Adam and Eve in this matter(child bearing) to our lives today, how can we apply any other command God made to directly to other people to our lives in other matters? This is a dangerous path you are traveling down, my friend.

And God also made this command to Noah, Noah's family and to all the animals that came off the ark. (Gen 9:15-17) It is a general command to every being on earth.

Personally, I believe God allowed this command to be modified with the developement of birth control and only allowed man to invent birth control in our times where we can well believe that the earth is filled. But my personal belief doesn't negate God's direct command, it only modifies it somewhat.

 

Again, you demonstrate commands given to someone else, not to us. Look at the context, Adam and Eve were the only people on the planet, Noah and his family were the only people on the planet. He did not tell either of them to bred christians. Did Noah and his wife have more children after the flood? If not then they apparently disobeyed God by not being fruitful and multiplying.
People with lots of kids think everyone should have lots of kids, no matter what, even if they can't feed them.

 

2 X 1 is multiplying (=2).

2 X .5 is multiplying (=1).

2 X 0 is multiplying (=0).

What number do we have to multiply "2" by to be following the command? 2? 3? 4? 10?

 

Apparently not as Noah and his wife would've been past the age of childbearing, but in any event we aren't really told one way or the other. He may have, might not have.

The command was to be fruitful and multiply. It was not just to humans, but also applied to animals. The animals took the command so literally that yet today we have little control over animal reproduction. (hence millions upon millions of unwanted cats and dogs every single year)

Donna, by your logic, the commands given in the NT also wouldn't apply to us because they were given to other's beside ourselves. I know you don't believe that.

 

If you don't hit the magic number you are apparently in disobedience to God. What magic number? I don't know we aren't given one in scripture.

 

I hope the magic number is 2, 'cause we have 4 kids.

 

SBCPreacher, don't get me wrong. I'm not about to tell someone else how to multiply. Then again, I don't wish to be told that because I more than replaced myself having children, that I somehow compare to parents who can't parent.

 

Now animals are obeying God and humans are not(in the matter of reproduction).
How many commands in the bible were given to one person, are we to obey all of those?

 

What, every large family I've ever heard of, or heard from? Which is many in an area like this.

 

Maybe we need to move you out of your area!

Honestly, we have lots of large families here to and what you describe is not the norm for a large Christian family.

It is the norm for shiftless folk who lay around and get babies here and there and everywhere and simply don't intend and never did intend to really take care of the kids. These kind of folk don't really intend on taking care of themselves and have rejected any sort of Christian instruction in the matters of living.

 

I agree!~~~

 

my grandmother was from michigan, another area.

Almost every family I've seen or heard from are christian families who attended church regualrly, read the bible, and teach scripture to their kids.

 

Yes, by telling us we need obey God's command to Adam and Eve, and then to Noah.

 

oh no! no, i do not (and most of the people i know with a lot of children) do not think every one should have a lot of children. i know a lot of people that shouldn't have children...ever.

i just don't appreciate being told that because my children have chores and i expect them to do things around the house, with and for the younger children that my children are the ones doing the parenting.

and i would still love to know what your definition of a "childhood" is.

 

You must have missed this:

 

Again, you have misunderstood (now I'm thinking it is on purpose since it keeps happeneing)what I said about children raising children. It has nothing to do with chores. I did not say your children are doing the parenting. What I did say was large families I have seen and heard from.

 

MK, then what, God's command to Adam and Eve and to Noah is also a command to us, but we can modify God's command?

 

No, what I am saying, Donna, is that as Christians, washed in the blood, we are given the right/privilege of applying God's commands to our lives in the way we see fit as persons led by the Holy Spirit. I believe the priesthood of the believer concept applies here.

Thus, your decision to have only two children is right and my decision to have more than two children (and allow their friends to invade my house with regularity) is also right. Right also is TLB who has had no choice but to allow God to directly govern her fertility even though it has resulted in 7 1/2 children and may yet result in more!