The Birth Dearth of Europe and Japan

[Guest]

Europe and Japan’s Birth Dearth

More is less, and less is more? This mantra of many in our society holds some truth. Yet when it comes to the ultimate natural resource- human lives, industrialized Western nations find that dwindling populations haven’t brought a modernist’s utopian society. Quite the contrary, the population implosion of most of Western and Eastern European countries along with Japan has brought worker shortages and worries about old-age pensions.

The 1960s Malthusian predictions of overpopulation and mass starvations haven’t come to pass. Paul Ehrlich, in his 1968 book The Population Bomb, warns in his prologue, “The battle to feed all of humanity is over. In the 1970s and 1980s, hundreds of millions of people will starve in spite of any crash programs embarked on now.” He also predicted that one-third of all Americans would starve well before the turn of the century.

What happened to the predictions of Malthus and Ehrlich? While a population boom did occur, they did not foresee improvements in the agricultural arena and technological advances. According to the Population Research Institute, from 1900 to 2000 world population grew from 1.6 billion to 6.1 billion. Yet real gross domestic product increased 30 times, allowing the world to not only sustain the larger population, but at vastly higher standards of living.

Surely, tragic starvation has occurred in areas since the advent of Ehrlich’s book- not simply because of increased population, but largely because of distribution problems due to state-sponsored genocide (Darfur), civil wars displacing populations and obstructing local food production, and corrupt governments.

What causes this dearth in demographics? To maintain current levels of population, fertility levels must be at 2.1 children per woman. Current replacement levels are United Kingdom, 1.7; Germany 1.3; Japan 1.3; Italy 1.3; Spain 1.1, and the France is doing relatively well at 1.9, due in large part to immigrants with larger families.

What does a fertility rate of 1.1 mean for a country’s population? At this rate, the population of Spain halves with each generation, a literal death spiral of the population!

Japan, rejecting large-scale immigration, reflects well the modern population dearth. According to an article from Brietbart.com of June 6, 2007, the Japanese government forecast in its annual report on aging that two in every five people will be 65 or older by 2055 if the trends of a low birthrate and high life-expectancy continue. The document warns, “Japan is likely to become an unprecedented ageing society like no other country in the world has ever experienced.”

Their government has struggled to persuade the Japanese people to produce more children, with many people finding families a burden on their lifestyles or careers. According to the report, the government foresees a crisis, with a smaller working population supporting a mass of elderly.

Japan also has worker shortages that spawned apparent cultural problems. Because of a lack of laborers, the Japanese allowed workers from South East Asia and the Philippines to fill empty jobs. But the workers like Japan, and not all want to go home after their jobs are over. Some Japanese complain that these foreigners are changing their culture…..

Surely, industrialized nations are finding fertility rates below replacement are creating worker shortages, pension worries, and perhaps even cultural problems. In these cases, less is truly less, and more is needed for the future.

[Guest]

Surely, tragic starvation has occurred in areas since the advent of Ehrlich’s book- not simply because of increased population, but largely because of distribution problems due to state-sponsored genocide (Darfur), civil wars displacing populations and obstructing local food production, and corrupt governments


Right you are, i've heard more then once we can produce enough food to feed the world 7 times over but the problem is distribution.
The bible says children are a blessing but the problem is as it usually is which is man trusts his own judgment more then God's.

[Guest]

I agree 100% Steve 7150.

In our world, we have a consumeristic mentality in which children are seen as burdens, not blessings.

I think one of the best "things" we could give our children is not a boat, or a glamourous pre-college vacation, but.... another sibling, to teach sharing, sacrifice, working to build kingdom of God, and to love one another.

[Guest]

maybe we should organize a mass air drop of Steve's "A vision for children" in europe and japan.

i know of 2 babies who are about to be born because of this message; one in about a week and one in about a month (my stepgrandaughter!).

TK

[Guest]

Tell me more!

What is this "Vision for Children" you're talking about? It sounds great.

How wonderful that children are conceived or born thanks to the generosity of faithful men and women. More souls to give eternal glory to God!

I am in a dialogue currently with a multitude of pro-abortion women and men who pretty much have the attitude that the child is the problem 100% of the time.

Some people are reconsidering late-term abortions, but they are still a really tough crowd.

Thanks for any information,

Liseux

[Guest]

Tell me more!

What is this "Vision for Children" you're talking about? It sounds great.

How wonderful that children are conceived or born thanks to the generosity of faithful men and women. More souls to give eternal glory to God!

I am in a dialogue currently with a multitude of pro-abortion women and men who pretty much have the attitude that the child is the problem 100% of the time.

Some people are reconsidering late-term abortions, but they are still a really tough crowd.

Thanks for any information,

Liseux

Here's the lecture "Vision for Children":

http://www.thenarrowpath.com/mp3s/misc/ ... ildren.mp3

Enjoy!