Did you know there is a demographic decline in many parts of the world? Certain societies and cultures are losing their populations at such a rapid rate that they are at risk of losing their culture.
The worst fertility crisis in the world, however, is presently afflicting South Korea—a population collapse so swift and severe that pediatric clinics and kindergartens are shutting down.
South Korea could lose nearly half its population by the end of the century if current birth rates continue. South Korean society is almost growing allergic to children, as if they were weird alien things that childless people should never have to encounter.
The basic replenishment rate for most societies is 2.1 children per woman. South Korea was down to .84 in 2020.
A culture is not sustainable at that level. South Korea is now considering more immigration to help those numbers. But those people won’t be Koreans returning home. Bringing in an influx of people that know nothing about your culture nor do they have any desire to continue your culture, is that a good thing?
I recently read that the fertility rate in Japan is .7 and the U.S. is down to 1.9. When cultures drop below the 2.1 number, they typically never return to that number. We are seeing in many societies that having children is considered to be a problem rather than a joy. Couples are happy to live together and never have kids. We used to call them DINKS: Double Income, No Kids.
The Future Might Change
What got me thinking about all of this was an article I read by Don Blythe on abortion. The article is well worth your time:
https://www.atthewellministries.org/blog/a-series-of-blunders
One thing he covered in it was whether a woman should be prosecuted for taking her child to a doctor to be killed:
The question about whether or not to punish a woman who commits an abortion is clarified by a future situation of our country coming to its senses. The answer to that question is based upon a future change in society. Therefore, in a future setting, the country has overturned the deadly “Supreme Court” Roe v Wade decision for the right reasons, and the country has re-established the right to life of children living in the womb. These pre-born children would have equal protection under the existing laws, that will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law those fathers and/or mothers who would abuse their offspring.
Our country rightly prosecutes, now, the men and women who starve their children to death, shake them to death for crying, beat them to death in a rage, leave them in a hot car to die, lock them in a room or cage, or, as Susan Smith did in 1994, drowned her two small children in a lake because her boyfriend didn’t want any children.
How does a “pro-lifer” rationalize the idea that a woman is a “victim” who pops into her stomach a set of pills that starves a baby to death in the womb, or pays an abortionist to slice up her pre-born child with a sharpened vacuum cleaner hose and suck it into a jar, or secures an abortion that decapitates a baby, and then she signs a release to sell the baby’s parts to a lab?
The overwhelming majority of women who today and in the future seek to kill their children in the womb KNOW what they are doing. To believe otherwise is naive in the least or ignorant of what is really going on out there in the real world.
I have been outside abortion centers for almost forty years, and today, most men and women KNOW what an abortion is doing to a baby. A large number of women and couples boastingly say to sidewalk counselors outside abortion centers, “I know I’m killing a baby. I’ve’ killed two already and don’t care.”
Undergirding Society
But this got me thinking about the 2.1 kids that a society needs to keep their culture going. I have always been fascinated by numbers and what they mean. But there isn’t any one of us out there who is going to have a .1 child! You either have two, three, or ten! But a .1 child is not going to be happening.
We talk about things like women deserve better, parental rights, and 15-week bans. But why aren’t we saying things like, “Child Sacrifice Must End in America?” Study some history. Child sacrifice has been around for a very long time. But yet, there are societies where it has ended. And God wiping out a society because of its murder of children is probably not the direction the U.S. needs to be heading.
Zero Tolerance
Every abortion murders a preborn child. Have you ever thought about how a society should have zero tolerance for this practice and nothing in between?
Psalm 127:3-5
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
Genesis 1:28
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.
John 16:21
A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
Proverbs 17:6
Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
Psalm 128:3
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Strengthening the Young
Have a beautiful year bringing some godly children into this world. Have a wonderful year being as pro-life as you have ever been. If childbearing and rearing are not part of your season in life, there are all kinds of ways you can help others in that process. Share the gospel with all those young ones in your extended circle. Heaven or Hell is the eternal destiny for one and for all. As you want the best for a child here, you want the best for everyone on the other side as well. And Jesus is the only answer to that question.
Until the nets are full,
P.S. Years ago I spoke at a church in Wichita, KS. Wichita and Buffalo were two of the strongest frontline cities when it came to taking a stand against the murder of children. The pastor of that church made an interesting comment to me. He said, “Our church is one of the most pro-life churches out there. We don’t want one baby to die.” But then he said, “Once the child is born, we could basically care less if that child one day goes to Heaven or Hell.” He stated, “That must change.” Please don’t make that mistake, folks. Every living human being needs Jesus. Go ahead and give Him to them!
P.P.S.
