2015
People say the world is dangerously overpopulated. Should I not plan to have very many children, if any?
March 2015

“People say the world is dangerously overpopulated. Should I not plan to have very many children, if any?” New Era, Mar. 2015, 41

People say the world is dangerously overpopulated. Should I not plan to have very many children, if any?

Image
couple with child

Photo illustration by Dave Peterson

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said: “From the perspective of the plan of salvation, one of the most serious abuses of children is to deny them birth. This is a worldwide trend. … As rising generations diminish in numbers, cultures and even nations are hollowed out and eventually disappear.”1

We believe that “children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3) and that “God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.”2

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has also said we should follow the Lord rather than the philosophies of men: “Arguments swirl around that the earth is dangerously overpopulated and that couples should restrict the number of their children. … I adjure you to believe the Lord, who said that ‘the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare’ [D&C 104:17].”3

Notes

  1. Dallin H. Oaks, “Protect the Children,” Ensign, Nov. 2012, 43.

  2. “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” Ensign, Nov. 2010, 129.

  3. Russell M. Nelson, “Youth of the Noble Birthright: What Will You Choose?” (Church Educational System devotional for young adults, Sept. 6, 2013); lds.org/broadcasts.