While conversion to Islam is a concern to many Christians, implicit in the study is that birth rate also will play a part in Islam’s accelerated growth. According to Pew Research, Muslims have the highest fertility rate globally – an average of 3.1 children per woman; Christians are second, at 2.7 children per woman. The “replacement” level – the minimum typically needed to maintain a stable population – is 2.1 children per woman. – from OneNewsNow
It makes me sad when Christian couples choose not to have children, or do not want a “large” family: “Oh, one or at most two kids are enough!” Or I see couples wait to have children, and waited too long that the biological clock of the woman catches up and does not allow her to have more than one child. Christians, above all others should value children because God values children. The Bible has nothing negative to say about children.
Yes, I understand it’s a choice. We are not “commanded” by God to have a certain number of children. I am just bothered by the attitude that children are “hard to raise today” or “expensive” or “we want time to ourselves” or “there’s so much we want to do that we can’t do once we have kids” rather than the blessing that God says they are. What if kids will give you more fun than the traveling you want to do? What if kids are the best use of your money than the vacation you are paying for? What if kids will enrich your life more than anything you could be involved in? What if kids are actually worth all the time and energy you invest? Why do people automatically assume that everything else they want to do is better than kids?
Whenever a parent tells me that they are not sure whether or not they should have another child, I tell them that I’ve never heard any parent regret having more kids, but I do hear parents wishing they had more.