Why The Steep Decline In Birth Rates

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Why are we facing such steep birth rate declines in the West today? Is it the pill, abortion, the fact that people marry later and focus on career instead of family? Yes, these factors are all involved, for sure. But they are not the full cause, the underlying reason is that society is under the curse of God. As Hosea warns us,

Hosea 4:10-11 – “10 For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to the Lord. 11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart” (Hos. 4:10-11, KJV).

“10 They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not  multiply, because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish 11 whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding” (ESV).

When God is done with the sins of a nation, he gives people over to their choices, and their choices lead to the decline or even destruction of that people. Hosea prophesies that people would have lots of sex with lots of partners, they would give themselves to whoredom, sexual license, but it would not amount to a growing birth rate, they “shall not increase”. As any farmer knows casting seed far and wide does not make a crop. Good seed needs to be planted in good soil to ensure a good return. If you just cast your seed far and wide it is just as likely, if not more likely to find bad soil.

But more than that, God will not send the blessings that he does on a righteous people who do things the right way. Children are a blessing from God, and when a nation or people rebels, the blessings from God begin to dry up, until they turn to him again. Too much historical evidence shows that societies which give themselves over to sexual immorality and wanton sexual license do not increase, they decline and fade away, or are at least severely weakened. The Bible tells us why this is. So does observation.

So, we should recognize that our declining birth rate is a result of the judgement of God, and the natural causes we see are only a part - though a serious part - of the problem. This means it is not just a natural problem, but a spiritual problem, a problem of sin, and the only way to solve a problem of sin is to repent and turn to God and trust in him when he says living a certain way is the right way.

The question is: will the West listen? Will our nation listen? Will America, Europe and the rest of the West heed the words of God, or continue to suffer under his discipline?