Procreation as an Elective

It is not a requirement to get your Feminine Degree or your Religion Degree or your Certificate of Heart Authenticity. It's an elective course. One that may enhance the education of some but would be useless or even detrimental to others.

For example, I would never have survived organic chemistry. It would have caused me hours of pain and suffering with little if any positive outcome. And it is a complete departure from what I want to do with my life. However, my education would not have been the same without the course I took on the author Fyodor Dostoevsky. And your brain might be swelling just thinking about that. Each to their own.

** WARNING: The rest of this message is pretty long and slightly preachy. Read with caution and an open mind. Thank you. :) **

One argument that I encounter quite frequently (from Christians) is "well, what about that part in the Bible that says be fruitful and multiply?"

This is what they're talking about:

King James Bible
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)


New Living Translation
Then God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground." (Genesis 1:28)


Some people read this as a command. A moral imperative to go out there and get busy.

I have three responses to that (not even touching the idea that the first chapter of Genesis is more parable--and closely resembles the Babylonian creation myth--than actual account of a 7-day creation. I'm just leaving that one alone for now):

1.) I think (when I think about it at all) that this actually is more like permission or opportunity. At this point in the story, humans and animals are basically on the same plane. God just made them, they're all hanging out as peers and God is saying, "Alright humans, I'm endowing you with superiority. So, you're in charge of the animals. I'm done making stuff now, feel free to fill the earth with more of yourselves." I do not believe that it was his intention to forcibly fill the uterus of every female. (Wouldn't that negate the whole free will thing that we also claim?) And what of women who are biologically unable to reproduce? Does this interpretation consider them some sort of cursed failure?

2.) If we are looking at the New Living Translation that reads "fill the earth" and if we do read it as a command...well, check. Done. The earth is full. Full to bursting, even. According to the US Census website that displays the US & World Population Clock, there are an estimated 6,926,060,337 people on the planet right now. That's a number we didn't even learn to read until like 5th grade. According to an article in the NY Times published in July of 2010, there are 267 people being born every minute and 108 dying. I'd say we're covered in the "fill the earth" department. I'll save my rant about the decline in resources for another post. This statistic, for now, is merely to show that there is no shortage of babies just because there is not one in my body.

I appreciate this quote that I came across while reading about the issue:

"As a human species, we are successfully filling the earth. I don't think every individual has the responsibility to reproduce, because God hasn't given every individual the capacity to reproduce, or the desire. Humans are all responsible for fruitfulness. The context of the scripture in the creation account is about being fruitful, multiplying, subduing, and caring for the earth. We can express fruitfulness through responsibility, care, and stewardship for all of creation, which includes our biological children as well as all other children and all other parts of creation."

Jenell Williams Paris, professor of anthropology, Messiah College (This was in a collection of quotes compiled at Christianity Today.com)

3.) I have read articles about this passage that discuss it in terms of mathematics. At the time this was written, the idea of "multiplication" as we know it did not exist. When it was translated years and years later, perhaps "multiply" was the closest thing they could come up with and now we get all hung up on it. Perhaps it was more of a general idea of increase: sure, increase in number, but also in understanding, responsibility, compassion, influence, etc.

Another quote I could appreciate from the aforementioned compilation was this:

"There is a population and resource issue, and the best way to love our children and to love the future's children and to love, really, all people, or all children, will be to limit our family size … . I love bringing babies into families. But there may be a higher calling, now that we have been fruitful and multiplied as a species, to think about limiting our families. We've tended to think, as Christians, we need to have children because that brings more Christians into the world. But it may not be the best way to love our neighbor. I think it's difficult for us to think outside our little circle and say, 'Well, I've got enough to feed my children,' and not really think about the impact of the resource use on children in Africa, who are also Christian."

Lisa Graham McMinn, professor of sociology, George Fox University

If I had to choose, I would pick the King James translation of this passage. The phrase "replenish the earth" seems to suggest global responsibility. The need to care for our environment so it can continue to sustain us. And compulsive procreation does not seem like the most responsible option. Don't get me wrong, people can have kids--if they want them. But what I would love to see is that it is not expected of everyone. That the decision not to have children may be considered just as valid as the decision to procreate (I enjoy the term "spawn" :) but it tends to ruffle feathers and is not very productive in fostering an adult conversation about this).