Babies are good for Christians

This interview with Katharine Jefferts Schori appeared in the New York Times Magazine this past weekend. I read it and then heard someone mention it in a sermon. It’s interesting enough and shameful enough to share a bit.

How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?

About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.

Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?

No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.

As Jacob pointed out, chances are good that those parents and one child/no child families are leaving a larger carbon footprint than poor families with a ton of kids that don’t have a huge house to heat and drive 2 SUVs.

I also love the connection between better-education and lower birth rates. Smart people don’t have time for babies or see them as a burden on the earth. Even more awful is the insinuation that Episcopalians have no theological reason for welcoming children. Good Lord! What has this church come to! This interview makes me want to have 10 kids and certainly reaffirms our reasoning for the practice of NFP.

And congrats to Jane and Chad on the recent welcome of baby Ella. Jane, you are a champ.