Like It Is

That is the only thing I can call these people, or rather this “movement.” What else do you call having kids by the bucketloads, with the excuse that “It’s What God Wants” I’d never heard of them, but according to the article on ABC News A Full Quiver the group is, apparently growing in America. I would take that with at least a pinch of salt, however I thank Carisa, who brought Quiverfull (link below) to my attention.

In short, the Quiverfull group is about having as many kids as possible. Actually, that’s not quite how the group describes it. For them it’s about having as many kids as “The Lord blesses them with.” Which to me, is having as many kids as possible. This could be six, seven, or even 15. There are no limits. This particular family has eight kids. And if more “come along” then they’ll be added to the tally.

Needless to say,to breed consistently on this basis, the Quiverfull group is against all forms of contraception. Unsurprisingly, they also have a problem with the rhythm, or “natural” method of contraception. To them contraception is unnatural and goes against “the way God designed our bodies.” In other words, preventing conception whenever you have sex. Sounds rather Catholic to me. And as to the question of whether it’s dangerous for a woman to keep having children one after another, well, this isn’t an issue for Ken Carpenter, the father who was interviewed for the ABC News article.

At the centre of the Quiverfull movement is the role of the father as head of the household and the woman as the submissive wife. The biblical model, as he says. Indeed, the oft quoted verse that instructs women to be submissive to their husbands would need to be the bedrock, otherwise how else would God (or the man, depending on how you look at it) have total control over the woman’s body?

Forget that this is a model that could today be called outdated at best and oppressive to women at worst. The man leads and makes all the decisions, the woman defers to his leadership. Ken Carpenter’s wife fully agrees with this model. Her role, she says, is to be “nurturing, loving, and submissive to my husband and shepherding to my children.” And, this is the way they want their children to live, so these values will be instilled into them from an early age. Given that I have a marriage where my husband and I are equals, the model makes me shudder just as much now as when I was a church-going Charismatic singleton.
They say this is the way God wants it, and that women are “opening their wombs to God”. God is in control of their fertility. Meanwhile, as to how they will feed and clothe these children they are breeding like rabbits? Well this particular family aren’t too sure about the money. No problem then with others’ taxes supporting their breeding then – at the very least in terms of perks and tax breaks for parents. Though this particular family home schools the kids.

It’s clear that, to this group childfree people (or people who don’t want to have more than one or two kids, or who want to plan their families for that matter) are totally unnatural and selfish. As a childfree woman, I am aghast as the utter selfishness of this group in the name of religion and God, not to mention their total disregard for the health of the women and any social responsibility.

I suppose poorer people, who can barely manage to feed and clothe one child hear this “teaching” they are supposed to replace any sense of social responsibility with the the God will provide mantra as the reason to breed non-stop.

Choosing not to have children is called selfish particularly by the churched. The thousands of diapers to be tossed on the garbage heap, the food and clothing that this one family will consume, the sheer fuel resources that will support this one breeding group is not seen selfish. How amazing. And the other pressures that this continuous breeding will put upon our environment and planet isn’t selfish either. Oh no.

Because, as far as Quiverfull are concerned, God wants them to have kids, so He will also provide the means to look after them. and of course, it’s “God’s will.”

They can have kids, so by God, they are going to continue breeding till the cows come home. Of course, the idea that they are selfishly using the God given resources of our planet is completely ignored. As is the idea that God also asked people to be stewards of the resources of this earth.

But hey, others have used God (along with selected Bible verses) to justify whatever they want to do. It’s nothing new. So Quiverfull hasn’t the slightest problem being able to quote chapter and verse on how this is “God’s will.” In my experience of protestant churchgoing, (and I have plenty) the “this is God’s will” was often a cop out people used to justify and abdicate responsibility for their actions whenever they wanted something, as well as an excuse to seemingly switch off their brains.

I can see governments concerned about the dearth of kiddies being born in the light of rather more enlightened men and women who see reproduction as a choice and not a mandate just loving Quiverfull.

I can just hear them encouraging them to breed in the same breath as they tell countries to do more about over population, the destruction of the environment,pollution, mass starvation, drought and global warming. And they won’t even have to pay the women – who will happily breed for free. Sorted. Not.
If you are interested, here’s the link Carisa found. Pandagon also had a take on the Quiverfull “movement” with some interesting responses.

The Quiverfull website is full of reasons why breeding should continue unabated. Warning: 15 kids aren’t considered too many.