Population Crisis Continued...

What is the population crisis theory all about?
There are two sides to every story aren't there? On one side, there are those who believe our world is in a state of crisis b/c there are too many people consuming and adding to the problems of the breaking down of the ozone. These people look at numbers of people currently alive and compare them to numbers of people who lived in past decades and centuries. Based upon those truthful numbers they come to the conclusion that there are more people alive know than ever and that the earth is over populated, etc....

Then there is the other side of the story...
It is the theory that we as a human race are headed for a Demographic Winter (a decline of the human family).
It is also based upon truthful numbers. They too look at how many people lived in past decades and centuries... however, they also look at the way families operated in those times and how many children they had (their fertility rates)... which in cause lead us to the numbers of people we have in the world today. Then they look at the numbers of people we have today and the fertility rate of today (which is drastically declined mainly due to the decay of the family). Just as the fertility rate of centuries past lead us to the future we are currently living in... so to will the fertility rate of today lead us to the future population numbers for the human race in our future (year 2050).

Last spring we order the video Demographic Winter.

It is a non-religious documentary which interviews demographers from all over the world on their views of the population crisis at hand. I would highly recommend it if this is a topic of interest. I found it a bit redundant and a little dry (they are interviewing Demographers... not entertainers), but very educational and eye opening.

Here are a few mind provoking quotes:
"Never in History, have you ever had economic growth with demographic decline."

"We have had 40 years of Social sciences... clearly the deterioration of marriage and the encouragement of sexual interactions outside of marriage are not good for children or marriage... the best way to change this is by strengthening the family."

Demographer Philip Longman, author of "The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates threaten World Prosperity" observes, "The ongoing global decline in human birthrates is the single most powerful force affecting the fate of the nations and the future of society in the 21st century."

Birthrates have declined 50% in the last 30 years (since 1979- the year I was born). There are now 59 nations with 44% of the world's population, with below replacement fertility." Meaning we are not even replenishing! Makes sense doesn't with the average number of children per household being 1.4 children in Western Society. It takes 2 to make a baby... and they are only having one. My Bible says be fruit full and multiply. I am not going to say everyone needs to have a certain number of babies... I don't see a number in the bible. However, I know what multiplication is. You have to have a larger number than one to have any kind of expontential growth. Logically... if a married couple has 2 kids, they are in fact replenishing the earth, right?
God did not just say to "be fruitful and replenish." No he said, "Be fruitful and multiply." To multiply would be clearly more than two... correct? I know this is hard to swallow. I am not trying to be accusatory or black and white here. I am just making a logical point to drive home the connection between what God clearly says in the Old Testament and this current population winter we are headed for and why.

The United Nations predicts that sometime within this century, the world's population will begin to decline. The UN Population Division says that "world-wide we could achieve a below-replacement fertility by 2030. At some point the decline will become rapid."

Russia is losing 3/4 of a million people a year. France is in an even more dramatic situation.

Question: If birth rates are declining why does the world's population continue to grow?
Answer: Today's population is due to two factors. 1) Higher fertility rates in the 50 and 60s. 2) More people living longer due to the medical advances

Truth: A nation's demographic future can be seen in it's current birthrate.

These are just a few facts and theories I learned from this video. Very interesting isn't it? So which side do we stand on? Do we allow the media and today's culture views of too many people in the world deter us from having more blessings, I mean babies? Do we just sit and watch the human race walk down the road of a future headed for extinction?

What do you think?