More babies, or just more Christian babies?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/10138134/We-need-more-babies-if-were-to-bounce-back.html?utm_source=GraphicMail&utm_medium=email&utm_term=NewsletterLink&utm_campaign=Update+07%2D13&utm_content=



A paragraph from this poorly formed article really grabbed my attention:

　

"I would pursue King’s point. For 50 years now, European culture has developed the idea that the problem is too many people (1). Without quite realising, it has developed attitudes that work against the future of the human race. In cultural terms, the celebration of contraception, homosexuality and euthanasia all represent this trend (2). In economics, the idea of spending rather than saving does the same. So do the Greens, who see the productions of mankind as the enemy of the earth, and attack economic growth without seeming to realise that they are thus advocating impoverishment. (3)"

　

(1) Yes, and it's an idea that can't be dismissed out of hand. Population growth provides many challenges to the environment and economy, that we need to address before we get too carried away in a race to "outnumber" other countries or cultures. We have to be a bit careful with population growth, so that technological solutions allowing more sustainable growth and some semblance of maintenance of our living standards, have time to develop and can keep up. It is a bit irresponsible to follow a path where unfettered rates of population growth are encouraged. After all, actions have consequences: our countries and cultures may have clear borders and boundaries, but the global ecosystem is intricately interconnected.

(2) It sounds like your definition of the "future of the human race" is a game of numbers: the more the better, and to hell with the wellbeing of the masses.

OK, so some gay people may do a bit of celebrating, but seeing as they've only recently been widely given some of the basic rights denied to them for tens of thousands of years, I'd say that was justified. But I'm not aware of any celebration of contraception or euthanasia. People may be happy they have the right and ability to have access to these things in some (not all) countries, but celebration of the act itself? Is this guy serious? Who the hell goes about jumping for joy about using a condom or being able to legally put themselves to death?

I really fail to see how contraception, homosexuality or euthanasia are working against the future of the human race. In fact, evidence shows the opposite. Countries where contraception is more readily and freely available, and where homosexuality is socially acceptable, have higher scores in the indices of human development as expressed by the Human Development Index (HDI). This takes into account life expectancy, education levels and income of the population of a given country. Such correlations are compelling - socially forward-looking countries such as Norway, Sweden and Australia consistently come out on top. 

There is a particular group of people that have something majorly irrational against contraception, gay people and euthanasia. They are the religious, particularly Christians, and I detect the somewhat malignant influence of a Christian in this article.

So this is where the author's true implications are revealed: he's not just advocating for increased birth rates and more people - he wants more CHRISTIANS. More babies who can be brainwashed into Christianity, by not being given a free choice in what they want to believe, or not believe. Because as Richard Dawkins says, children cannot belong to a religion. There is no such thing as a Christian baby. Just a baby whose parents are Christian and want to lay out a pre-set "moral" path for their offspring. This is arrogant and misguided control freak-ery at its worst.

It seems the writer of this article wants more people who are of the same skewed Christian mindset as himself, or at least, are more likely to be persuaded round to it. So his religion can win. How that may occur, by conversion or crusade, is something I don't care to think about.

(3) Yes, finally you have something correct. The current Green movement is massively mistaken in this regard, and that's why we need a new Green movement which is inspired by science, not ideology. This is one of the clear messages from Mark Lynas' book The God Species which I shall be reviewing at some later stage.