Why does the Mormon church tell people to have so many children?

Question

I'm just wondering why a church would tell people to have so many children, even when they're unprepared for them financially. I'm also wondering how ethical it is, seeing as I have relatives on state welfare and medicaid who have had children before they were financially ready because they were counselled to do so by their leaders. If the LDS church tells people to have babies before their ready, shouldn't the LDS church pay for their medication bills and groceries instead of making tax payers do it?

Let's see, how about a quote from one of the prophets: President Spencer
W. Kimball: "I have told many groups of young people that they should not
postpone their marriage until they have acquired all of their education
ambitions. I have told tens of thousands of young folks that when they marry
they should not wait for children until they have finished their schooling and
financial desires. Marriage is basically for the family, and when people have
found their proper companions there should be no long delay. They should live
together normally and let the children come. . . . I know of no scriptures where
an authorization is given to young wives to withhold their families and to go to
work to put their husbands through school. . . ."
So, not only are women not supposed to work or support their husbands school efforts, they should completely forget their own school as well. This link below is to a BYU publication of the talk http://fc.byu.edu/jpages/ee/w_etb87.htm

I still don't think it's morally correct to command a young couple to have kids when they're not financially ready. My two relatives are on medicaid because although the church has a storehouse that you can get like dried potato flakes and canned beef, they don't pay anyone's hospital bills. The talk by Kimball specifically tells couples to have children even if they're not ready. That seems very irresponsable and unfair to other people who then have to support these children because the mother won't work because it's her sacred duty to stay at home with her kids....

Answer 1

The Catholics do the same thing. The Pope will speak to huge groups of people in countries where they can't feed the children they have now, where people are dying of AIDS, and he'll tell them birth control is a sin. It's just as people here are saying: the more of one group there is, the more power they will have. "Look how many members we have." It's a power trip at the expense of the people who trust them the most.

Answer 2

The official church position on this - which has been stated in several general conferences over the last few years which is much more RECENT than the 70's Kimbal era - is to not limit family size for selfish reasons, and that each couple should prayerfully decide together when and how many children to have. Unlike the catholic church there is no ban on any sort of contraceptive a couple prayerfully chooses to use together.

Perhaps this councel has been more recent because, the church has noticed, as you've seen, some couples do take the "have children" counsel overboard, and put themselves and their families in very sticky situations. Of course the Lord never intended for people to give up basic health and survival needs for having children, but He does want us to give up "that big house on the hill" or that "sunroof in the car" or "that extra meal out" for them.

Personally, I didn't get married until after graduating from college, we didn't get pregnant until after two years of marriage, and while we do have to cut back on some luxuries (like eating out all the time) for this coming child, we're financially just fine to take care of ourselves.

Answer 3

Was it not the Lord himself who commanded Adam and Eve to "multiply and replenish" the earth?
The gospel is about family. The family is the central, eternal unit in our Heavenly Father's plan. I believe we should heed the counsel of the apostles... have as many children as we can take care of physically, spiritually and mentally. For me, I feel as though I would have a small family, maybe 2 or 3 children. I have been a Mormon my whole life, been married 7 years and just have had no children yet. I believe they come when they are supposed to - whether or not a person is on birth control or whether or not they are "prepared"... there is a saying that "If you wait until you are prepared to have children, you won't ever have any."
There is no "set" number of children or set time-frame a person must have children in... it is up to each couple to go to the Lord prayerfully when thinking of having children. They are of course his offspring too and we need His counsel.

***By the way - the church doesn't "forbid" the use of birth control, they don't tell you how to have sex or how not to. It is up to each couple to decide for their family, through the counsel of the Lord. I was on b.c. for 5 years. I know many people who have become pregnant while on bc or other forms of prevention...like I said before, I believe they come when they are supposed to.

Answer 4

It sounds like a case of old fashioned rules/laws of society conflicting with ways of the modern society. I don't see a problem with having a lot of kids if you can take of them all equally financially and other ways. But in our society of high prices, low wages, etc it's not really feasible. And taxes only cover up to 4 children for an exemption. And even welfare (I've heard) now has a limit to how many children per mother they can support. Of course they would probably be different for each state.

Answer 5

Actually, convert baptisms outdo COR (child of record) baptisms, about three or four to one.

This was part of the statistical report for 2006:

Increase in Children of Record 94,006
Converts Baptized 272,845

The reason we are ENCOURAGED to have children is because we believe that we pre-existed this mortal bodies, and that it is very important for us to come to mortality. The only way this can happen is for families to have babies.

However, we are encouraged to plan carefully so that we don't end up dependant on the church or the government.

Answer 6

The LDS church never tells people to have lots of children, can you please give us a source for this. The church actually teaches us to be financially secure. I think you have your facts a little mixed up. The LDS church has it's own welfare system from out tithings, they also have a Bishop's storehouse where they give food to families in need. I would know, so actually it isn't taxpayers money. I have one child, and it wasn't planned, no one told me to have children.

Answer 7

I think it is appropriate for the leaders of the Church to remind us of our roles in life that are just as important as gaining personal wealth. The best years to begin a family are in a person's 20s.

Paul warned us in Romans 1:26 about those who are against families: For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

Modern prophets have consuled both to have families early as you quote and "Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs", as is found in the Proclamation on the Family. In some cases one advise goes against the other. This 'conflict' is for each individual couple to resolve.

Answer 8

Well in our church one of the most important part is family and we are counseled to pray and search for guidance in every aspect of our lives so after couples are married they pray and deliberate to determine how many kids they should have. Nobody is told how many kids they should or shouldnt have because the leaders of the church dont have the right to tell members to have this amount of kids at this time.

Answer 9

The LDS church doesn't "tell" people to have lots of children but they do forbid the use of birth control. They believe that God will decide how many children they are supposed to have. If a family has 10 children before the mother's body gives out then it was God's will that they have 10 children.

Answer 10

Its the only way to increase church membership, kind of hard to convert anyone to that whacky religion.