The folks at Politico would like us to think that anyone who wants “a culture in which child-rearing is paramount” is “far right,” and thus a menace to be eschewed. They would have us think that concern over the birth dearth is for oddballs. But such a belief isn’t “new right” or “far right.” It is an ancient and permanent feature of any sane and virtuous society. And the fact that societies around the globe have embraced life scripts that undermine child-rearing should be seen as an urgent crisis. Anyone who wants to condemn natalism in toto is bringing a fire extinguisher to a flood.
But we shouldn’t be surprised that pro-natal religious conservatism unsettles progressives. For one thing, if the religious keep having more kids than non-believers, and those kids remain religious, the religious will literally inherit the earth within a generation or two. Granted, the cultural warfare script of “outbreed the enemy” can run into profound problems on the parenting front. But the potential demographic shift spells certain doom for the secularist and his progressive worldview of ever-decreasing piety.
For another thing, religious people seem to have children because they have hope and perceive higher goods that are worth sacrificing oneself for. As Tim Carney recently quipped, “The secular story, the godless story, ends up being too sad to want to continue the human race.” That minivan packed with kids going to church on Sunday morning? It’s an affront to the secularist mythology, a galling reminder of the ugliness of the secularist error.
Read more at WORLD Opinions.
St. Jude's Anglican Church
We are a parish of the Reformed Episcopal Church. We have been worshiping together in the greater Richmond area for over a decade. We’d love to have you join us for Christian worship in the rich Anglican tradition.
