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| (The Duggar Family of Arkansas) |
"Lo; Children are a heritage of the Lord...Happy is the man who hath his quiver full of them." (Psalms 127:3,4,5)
I was sent a link some time ago to a website called Quiverfull.Com after a post I did on overpopulation. "Make sure you take a Valium before you read this," was the caution.
Holy zygotes, Batman.
I'm pretty well-posted on my disdain for organized religion of any stripe. Here in America, though, we've got no end of 'flavors' of the religion-du-jour, Christianity. While I'll hasten to add that the Quiverfull folks perhaps number 30,000 adherents - hardly a huge movement - they are a subset of the Fundamentalist movement which supports their worldview.
Which is, in sum, to breed as many chitluns as possible.
Perhaps their most widely-known advocates are the Duggar family of Tontitown, Arkansas. Longtime advocates of this form of reproduction, the Duggar's oldest son announced in April of this year that his wife is now pregnant. This will place Michelle Duggar, the matriarch of this clan, in the rather strange position of being a new mother (#18 having been born not long ago) as well as a grandmother.
But what about the average person who participates in this 'program'? To some, it's a blessing. To others, however, it's a form of victimization. Cheryl Seelhoff, a former adherent, stated that the movement is one in which "...women and children are routinely and systematically subordinated and subjugated by the men in their lives...as a matter of Biblical principle."
Kathryn Joyce, in "Quiverfull - Inside The Christian Patriarchy Movement" makes it clear that the movement is one of many which seeks to turn back the women's-rights movement, complete with a return to good old Sixteenth Century Calvinism. It's a movement which, as she goes on to say, "we ignore at our peril."
So, what do these folks believe?
From their website, I've taken their Ten Reasons To Have Another Child - and because I couldn't write this piece without some refutation, there are notes below some of the 'reasons':
1. Have another child to join with God in the creation of an immortal soul.
2. Have another child to bring joy into your life. (I don't suppose these people have read the stats - there's absolutely no link between having children and a happier marriage.)
3. Have another child to grown (sic) in holiness and virtue.
4. Have another child to help end abortion. (Just where they get the linkage for this one is beyond me.)
5. Have another child so your sons will have brothers and your daughters will have sisters.
6. Have another child so you (and your parents) won’t be lonely in old age. (Y'know - a well-meaning neigbor-lady once told me that I wasn't going to have anywhere to go for Christmas when I was old, because I didn't have any kids. I said, "Sure I will! How about the Bahamas, on the money I'll save by not breeding?")
7. Have another child because people are our greatest resource. (This worked in the 19th century. Things are a little different now.)
8. Have another child to contribute to the economy. (Great. Another 19th-century gem. Just how this is a 'contribution' is beyond me. To 'contribute', one has to have an education or at least some brains. The average American thinks Iraq is in the Balkans; can't find Ohio on a map, and needs a disclaimer to keep from putting lemon-scented dish soap in his/her iced tea. Quantity does not equal quality. How 'bout we start educating the ones we've got?)
9. Have another child to counter global depopulation. (News flash, folks. There are 6.6 BILLION people on the planet. Global starvation - not depopulation - is the problem here, people! Further - it's not just about raw numbers - it's about consumption. Every one of these new 'souls' is going to consume 300% of the resources consumed by his/her Third World counterpart. Some basic math, helps here, folks!)
10. Have another child to help populate heaven. (Words absolutely fail me here....)
These folks have made comments on their website that "...the entire population of the world could live in the state of Texas, in single family homes with front and back yards.", and "...there's no overpopulation problem in heaven!"
Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. They view all this indiscriminate breeding as 'making arrows for the war' -- a war on and unbelieving, sinful world. Each child, raised in the same way, will 'go and do likewise', creating an army of 'warriors for God.' By sheer weight-of-numbers, they intend to change society.
A grip on reality isn't on their agenda.
In their worldview, there is no such thing as overpopulation or the inability to feed large numbers of people. There's nothing but a black-and-white for-or-against conflict, with 'god' on one side, and Everyone Else on the other.
It's enough to make me -- well -- want to go order batshit by the truckload, yet again.
