Christian Antinatlism

[Kenny'sID]

I feel peace knowing my children will never hurt, because they will never be born.

The truth? Glad my parents didn't feel that way. I'd much rather have a shot at it all and deal with "unsafe", as opposed to never have experienced life...by far.

A: It is contrary to God's clear commands:

Genesis 1:28
God blessed them (A&E); and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth, and subdue it;

Corinthians 7:7 through 9

I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry.

 

[Kenny'sID]

I see no reason to believe that God has given the same command to Bluerose31, or indeed to any of us living in the current era.

I think before Christ said otherwise, the command was for all of us. Or was it ever actually a command? I'll have to look into that.

 

[Bluerose31]

Living a life based on fear is not much of a life. I know that I
have had enough of it in my life. You're looking for a hiding
place, which is what God is, but you aren't trusting Him to
keep his word.

You are right Pat. I will try and trust him more.

 

[Bluerose31]

The truth? Glad my parents didn't feel that way. I'd much rather have a shot at it all and deal with "unsafe", as opposed to never have experienced life...by far.


Corinthians 7:7 through 9

I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry.

Thank you for sharing this Kenny.

 

[AlexDTX]

I am a Christian Antinatalist. I do not want to be married for several reasons but one is that I do not want to have children. I feel that the world is not a safe place and I do not want to bring children into the world. I think children are beautiful but because of what I have experienced in life it shows me that life is not a safe place and not compassionate. I feel peace knowing my children will never hurt, because they will never be born. I have experienced alot of pain in my life and I don't feel life is good. I long for heaven and I long for being safe and healed in God's heaven. Antinatlism is just the philosophy that it is better not to have children because life is unsafe. Has anyone decided not to have children for similar reasons? What are your opinions of Christian Antinatalism?

Then you are making Satan very happy.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Then you are making Satan very happy.

Geez, how is that?

 

[AlexDTX]

Geez, how is that?

Satan does not want Christians procreating. The unregenerate nature is already satanic, families that would increase the new birth are his bane.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Satan does not want Christians procreating. The unregenerate nature is already satanic, families that would increase the new birth are his bane.

I'll repeat what Christ said and I seriously doubt Christ is in cahoots with Satan.

Corinthians 7:7 through 9

I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry.

 

[AlexDTX]

I'll repeat what Christ said and I seriously doubt Christ is in cahoots with Satan.

Corinthians 7:7 through 9

I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that. 8Now to the unmarried and widows I say this: It is good for them to remain unmarried, as I am. 9But if they cannot control themselves, let them marry.

Paul said that, not Jesus.

1Co 7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
1Co 7:12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord:

 

[Swan7]

Paul said that, not Jesus.

Oh boy....

The Bible is God-inspired. God saw fit to include Apostle Paul's letters. What Paul writes and what Jesus has said should be looked at very carefully because on the surface, it does indeed look like they contradict - when it actually doesn't in context.

Anyway, back to the OP and staying on topic.


I used to think like this too, but getting into a closer relationship with God made me realize my errors in that. It's true, I have experienced many negative things, but so did the apostles and children of God. I'm no longer afraid of what the "world" will throw at me because I fear God much more. Even though I believe in God, I did deny His power by having this fear for children in this world. I hope all this makes sense and encourages you, @Bluerose31
God is much bigger than the worries/giants of the world.

 

[Kenny'sID]

Paul said that, not Jesus.

1Co 7:6 But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment.
1Co 7:12 But to the rest speak I, not the Lord:

Does that make it any less true, or at the very least, make you question your harsh comment towards the OP?

 

[Emli]

I have chosen to stay celibate, and I agree with Paul, it is better if you want to focus solely on God and the Kingdom, which I definitely do.
But I have been tested and tempted sexually since I decided that, and that was all to see whether I would actually be comfortable living this way. And I am, and I believe that Jesus will keep me strong in Him, and keep me from falling, because He has given me confirmation that it is His will for me. And He has blessed me a lot so far.

But this has nothing to do with children. It is a very good thing to stay celibate, if it's done for the right reason, which is to be closer to Christ. But to do it just to remain childless would not be the right reason. Because your choice is not made out of love for God, but out of fear of the world and fear of man, and not only does that show that you have a lack of trust for the Lord, but that is actually a sin. We are supposed to fear no evil. We must trust that everything is in God's control, that He will protect us and our children, if that is His will, and that He will redeem every bad thing that happens to us, if that is His will.

If you do feel called to stay celibate for Christ and His Kingdom, then I say good for you. But take this advice from someone who has actually made this choice, talk to God about it. The choice must be made in love and trust, and in faith, and according to His will, and not done in fear, nor for selfish reasons, as with every choice we make.

I hope that helps. Godbless!

 

[Willing-heart]

Where do people come up with all these silly names? I am a Christian blah blah blah... You are a Christian. Period! Nothing more or less. There is a saying, "A ship is safe at shore but that is not what it was made for." Do you know why parents teach their kids to look both left and right when crossing the road? It's because they know they are going to go it alone one day. I think it's really sad that we are often trying to tell God - this how it works. Children are gift from the Lord, they are not even yours but God gives us the responsibility to look train them up in His way so when they grow up they will not depart from it.

 

[salt-n-light]

I am a Christian Antinatalist. I do not want to be married for several reasons but one is that I do not want to have children. I feel that the world is not a safe place and I do not want to bring children into the world. I think children are beautiful but because of what I have experienced in life it shows me that life is not a safe place and not compassionate. I feel peace knowing my children will never hurt, because they will never be born. I have experienced alot of pain in my life and I don't feel life is good. I long for heaven and I long for being safe and healed in God's heaven. Antinatlism is just the philosophy that it is better not to have children because life is unsafe. Has anyone decided not to have children for similar reasons? What are your opinions of Christian Antinatalism?

Funny thing, I was listening to a sermon on singleness. It brought me to tears. I too feel weary with the thought of marriage, of birthing kids in this world, and even the church has put so much pressure on it. But this sermon, has open my eyes to the testament and gift of singleness.

One of the major takeaways, is that you give birth both in singledom and marriage. Marriage testifies of physical birthing and singledom speaks of spiritual birthing. When you are married your birthing kids for your husband. When you are single and walking with God and witnessing, you are producing children for the bridegroom. Think about it, when you are going out into the world making disciplines, you are making them into children of God.They are being born again. With both,you are aiding the birth and nurturing of someone in a fallen world.

Im pretty sure God understand your situation, since he's literally seeing us struggle.

Both singleness and marriage is a gift. There's a testament to God when you are single, just as much as a testament to God in marriage. Know that you will be birthing and nurturing someone from both, whether its physical or spiritual.It may not be your own, but maybe it could be someone that you are accounting for. So having a term like Christian Antinatlism, is making that fear of such responsibility a philosophy. Not saying all this to encourage you to solve anything by stop fearing having kids, or just be single, but to challenge you to think about the deeper concerns you may have about the fear of being a factor of potential hurt from someone you are nurturing, or the fear of them being hurt beyond your control.

Just as we were called from the beginning through physical marriage of man and woman to be fruitful and multiply, we are called as a church in marriage to the Bridegroom, to be fruitful and multiply spiritually.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Funny thing, I was listening to a sermon on singleness. It brought me to tears. I too feel weary with the thought of marriage, of birthing kids in this world, and even the church has put so much pressure on it. But this sermon, has open my eyes to the testament and gift of singleness.

One of the major takeaways, is that you give birth both in singledom and marriage. Marriage testifies of physical birthing and singledom speaks of spiritual birthing. When you are married your birthing kids for your husband. When you are single and walking with God and witnessing, you are producing children for the bridegroom. Think about it, when you are going out into the world making disciplines, you are making them into children of God.They are being born again. With both,you are aiding the birth and nurturing of someone in a fallen world.

Im pretty sure God understand your situation, since he's literally seeing us struggle.

Both singleness and marriage is a gift. There's a testament to God when you are single, just as much as a testament to God in marriage. Know that you will be birthing and nurturing someone from both, whether its physical or spiritual.It may not be your own, but maybe it could be someone that you are accounting for. So having a term like Christian Antinatlism, is making that fear a philosophy. Not saying all this to encourage you to solve anything by stop fearing having kids, or just be single, but to challenge you to think about the deeper concerns you may have about the fear of being a factor of potential hurt from someone you are nurturing, or the fear of them being hurt.

Some good points.

John 15 is all about abiding in the vine and being fruitful.

Some Christians can't seem to get beyond the idea of being fruitful with their bodies through offspring.

But as you point out, we can be very fruitful for God while abstaining from marriage and its gender activities.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I feel peace knowing my children will never hurt, because they will never be born.

It goes further than that. They will never hurt, because there's no such thing as your children. You're not saving anyone from anything. You can't save what does not exist.

Antinatlism is just the philosophy that it is better not to have children because life is unsafe.

You're right. It is unsafe. Noah was righteous, but how many of his descendants will see Heaven? Take any righteous person in the Bible, and you have the majority of their offspring falling away from the faith.

It's physically unsafe. It's emotionally unsafe. Yet, people continued to have children through some of the hardest of times, otherwise we would be extinct by now. I'm always amazed at what horrors a society can undergo, yet keep right on having children.

Has anyone decided not to have children for similar reasons? What are your opinions of Christian Antinatalism?

My wife and I decided not to have children. I swore to God when I was a kid that I wouldn't put anyone else through what I went through. It wasn't worth it. I don't care if the whole species does go extinct (It won't). It does seem like there are only three kinds of children: those who bully, those who get bullied, and those who stand around and do nothing about it. Yeah, I'm not interested in making any more of that.

God's will marches on. No one really has a say in who comes into the world. Only God decides life and only God decides death. No one is born a Christian. You can't make more by having babies. We can plan and scheme as we might, but God's will manages to happen in spite of us.

You have chosen not to birth another unsaved soul. Now use your free time to reach the unsaved who are already born.

 

[Emli]

Funny thing, I was listening to a sermon on singleness. It brought me to tears. I too feel weary with the thought of marriage, of birthing kids in this world, and even the church has put so much pressure on it. But this sermon, has open my eyes to the testament and gift of singleness.

One of the major takeaways, is that you give birth both in singledom and marriage. Marriage testifies of physical birthing and singledom speaks of spiritual birthing. When you are married your birthing kids for your husband. When you are single and walking with God and witnessing, you are producing children for the bridegroom. Think about it, when you are going out into the world making disciplines, you are making them into children of God.They are being born again. With both,you are aiding the birth and nurturing of someone in a fallen world.

Im pretty sure God understand your situation, since he's literally seeing us struggle.

Both singleness and marriage is a gift. There's a testament to God when you are single, just as much as a testament to God in marriage. Know that you will be birthing and nurturing someone from both, whether its physical or spiritual.It may not be your own, but maybe it could be someone that you are accounting for. So having a term like Christian Antinatlism, is making that fear a philosophy. Not saying all this to encourage you to solve anything by stop fearing having kids, or just be single, but to challenge you to think about the deeper concerns you may have about the fear of being a factor of potential hurt from someone you are nurturing, or the fear of them being hurt.

Very well spoken.

 

[derpytia]

I wouldn't say that I am anti-natal. But I have also made the choice to just not have children because of the evil in the world and because I don't think I would be able to be a good mother to a child. Even if I was in a loving, godly marriage I don't think I'd be able to raise a child up well. I'm already awkward and sometimes annoyed around small children and I have various mental and physical health issues that prevent me from being at my best every day (something that children need and expect from their mothers) and coming from a family that has seen more divorces and bad parents than anything else, I don't have any experience with what makes a good family/parent. I'd ultimately fail a child.

Marriage is another story that I won't get to here.

My take? I think everything is in God's hands and I don't think He will be angry with you for deciding to remain celibate and not have children. Use your freedom to do as He commanded, to proclaim Christ to others and do His work in the world.

 

[Bluerose31]

It goes further than that. They will never hurt, because there's no such thing as your children. You're not saving anyone from anything. You can't save what does not exist.



You're right. It is unsafe. Noah was righteous, but how many of his descendants will see Heaven? Take any righteous person in the Bible, and you have the majority of their offspring falling away from the faith.

It's physically unsafe. It's emotionally unsafe. Yet, people continued to have children through some of the hardest of times, otherwise we would be extinct by now. I'm always amazed at what horrors a society can undergo, yet keep right on having children.



My wife and I decided not to have children. I swore to God when I was a kid that I wouldn't put anyone else through what I went through. It wasn't worth it. I don't care if the whole species does go extinct (It won't). It does seem like there are only three kinds of children: those who bully, those who get bullied, and those who stand around and do nothing about it. Yeah, I'm not interested in making any more of that.

God's will marches on. No one really has a say in who comes into the world. Only God decides life and only God decides death. No one is born a Christian. You can't make more by having babies. We can plan and scheme as we might, but God's will manages to happen in spite of us.

You have chosen not to birth another unsaved soul. Now use your free time to reach the unsaved who are already born.

Thank you for sharing that you and your wife decided not to have children. I feel the same. Thank you for your words.

 

[HenryM]

I am a Christian Antinatalist. I do not want to be married for several reasons but one is that I do not want to have children. I feel that the world is not a safe place and I do not want to bring children into the world. I think children are beautiful but because of what I have experienced in life it shows me that life is not a safe place and not compassionate. I feel peace knowing my children will never hurt, because they will never be born. I have experienced alot of pain in my life and I don't feel life is good. I long for heaven and I long for being safe and healed in God's heaven. Antinatlism is just the philosophy that it is better not to have children because life is unsafe. Has anyone decided not to have children for similar reasons? What are your opinions of Christian Antinatalism?

Aside from Paul writing inspired words that it's ok not to marry, which others have posted, Jesus also directly says it. Athough he technically speaks of men, we can conclude that this can apply to women too:

"All cannot accept this saying, but only those to whom it has been given: For there are eunuchs who were born thus from their mother’s womb, and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven’s sake. He who is able to accept it, let him accept it." (Matthew 19:11)