Filed under: Christianity | Tags: birth control, Christianity, duggar family, family planning, quiverfull, sanctity of life, submission, vision forum
My mom and I stumbled upon a Discovery Health Channel special on the Duggar family. If you haven’t heard of the Duggars, check out this link: http://health.discovery.com/convergence/duggars/duggarfamily.html. They have 17 children (18 if you count the one on the way) and believe that birth control is ’selfish’ since the Bible says that children are a blessing from the Lord. Families that adhere to this philosophy are called ‘quiverfull’ families in reference to Psalm 127: 3-5: “…blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them (children).”
I don’t intend to posit that children are anything but a blessing; I believe the Bible is quite clear on the subject. However, the Bible also encourages good stewardship. In Genesis, we’re commanded to be good stewards of the earth. The stewardship motif doesn’t stop there. The Scriptures are packed with examples of the consequences brought by bad stewards and the blessings brought by good ones. One of Jesus’ most famous parables deals with stewardship, and the Apostle Paul instructs early believers to be sure that an Elder is a good steward of his household ( http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=433; as an egalitarian I disagree with some parts of this commentary but it provides a closer look at the stewardship element of the office).
Here’s my question: is it good stewardship to have a Duggar-sized family? I would argue that it is actually very poor stewardship indeed. It’s not selfish to want to control the size of your family. It’s common sense. If you know you don’t have the resources to care for a large family then you have no business having one. Plus, if you’re using all your available resources (time, money, etc) to provide for you and yours, what do you have left to contribute to the kingdom of God?
When you consider the quiverfull philosophy from this angle, their argument is turned on its head. Birth control suddenly doesn’t seem so selfish, does it?
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This would be a decent time to read Pope Paul VI’s landmark encyclical Humanæ Vitæ… It is the fortieth anniversary of the letter to Catholics that re-affirmed that the Catholic Church was going to stand by what had been – up until 1931 when the Anglicans changed course on the teaching by vote – the unanimous consensus throughout the Christian world.
Of course there is a huge difference in being open to life and actively seeking to have all the children that one can… But arguing it is poor stewardship on the part of a family that has no debt and support themselves… I have a tough time with that one.
Comment by asimplesinner August 28, 2008 @ 12:48 amI think the Quiverfull movement is based on flawed, simplistic theology. And I also question whether having as many kids as you can is good stewardship. Actually, I’m pretty sure that it’s not.
Though the Duggars do appear very successful and well-adjusted. I wonder if they’re supported by any state benefits and programs, however? One site I found said they live on $5000 a month ($60,000 per annum, not a lot when you have 19–almost 20–people in your family).
http://jacob1207.wordpress.com/2008/10/01/duggar-family-getting-even-more-bigger/
Comment by jacob1207 October 1, 2008 @ 5:43 amI would first ask how you know they don’t have the resources to care for their large family. Then I would ask how you know they are not contributing to the kingdom of God. All we really know about this family is what they allow us to know about them through TV and other interviews. Unless you have the inside scoop on their finances you cannot possibly make an accurate judgment about whether or not they are being good stewards. Shouldn’t we leave that issue to the family to take care of and be accountable for to God?
I think if you will learn a little more about this family you will find that they live frugally, but they are certainly not poor. They have learned to be resourceful and don’t have to have all of the “toys” and luxuries others have. They purchase everything they can used, make their own laundry detergent, and live debt free (cars and house included). They buy their clothes/shoes second hand (which most people would never do). They shop for food at a discount food store (ALDI). We have one of these stores in our area and shop for food there as well. We cut our food bill a great deal by doing so. They heat their home with wood cut off their own land. They also buy used vehicles rather than lose all of that depreciation on the vehicle when you drive if off the lot. (All of this information can be gleaned from watching their shows).
A lot of women I know feel they have to go to the salon on a regular basis and plop down a wad of cash on highlights/perms/nails or go to the spa on a regular basis. They shop for expensive clothes/shoes (usually on credit), and their families have the latest gadgets and big homes with new cars in the garage. Along with this type of lifestyle usually comes debt, which means that mom must work outside the home to help support the lifestyle of the family, rather than being available to joyfully minister to her family.
If you had no debt (no mortgage payment, no vehicle payments, no credit card debt or bank loans) and lived on $5000 (if that figure is accurate) a month with only the basic necessities to pay for (food – which I think is about $2000/mo., electricity, phone, gas, etc.) it would be doable. The eldest two boys in the family have a business together, and actually now the eldest son is married and living in his own home, so as the older children begin to support themselves or marry and move out of the house the family expenses go down some. From my perspective it seems they are being good stewards of what they have and rearing a family with a purpose – to honor God. It really should be left to each family how many children they will have. Each person is accountable to God for the choices they make, so since I’m not accountable to God for the Duggar’s choices (or any other family who chooses to have a large family) I cannot stand in judgment against their choice. I don’t see this as a sin issue, but rather an issue of conviction for the parents.
Comment by Missy October 26, 2008 @ 3:17 am