Those who believe the Bible are often castigated because of their skepticism of the dictatorial declarations of science. They deny evolution (a fact we are told) and even question scientific certainties concerning the cause and outcome of global warming. How can they be such clods? Do they not know that science deals with certain facts and must be trusted to guide us? Perhaps these scientists should step back from their calculations for a bit so they can see what the rest of us clearly see. For an example, just consider the population explosion.
For decades, the scientific community warned of the impending disasters on mankind that were just around the corner because of the population explosion. These warnings began with the publication of "An Essay on the Principle of Population" by Thomas Malthus in 1798 and continued until the present. Yet today, the entire concept is getting turned on its ear and is quickly becoming the solitary domain of green groupies who want to save the planet by wiping man off its surface. Economist Thomas Sowell has shown that, in practice, no country is economically worse off than it was when it was half the size it is now. Now, countries all over the world are pushing the panic button in fear of--you got it--population decline.
Phillip Longman has written (2004) the book, "The Empty Cradle: How Falling Birthrates Threaten World Prosperity and What to Do About It." Canada, Japan, most of the countries of Europe, Russia, China, and even parts of the Middle East are experiencing population loss. Advanced countries like France, Singapore, and Sweden are giving incentives to encourage parenthood. The problem is so severe in Russia that the government recently offered $9,200 (a tremendous sum in Russia these days) in pay to mothers who have a second child. It seems that the only major advanced country in the world without this problem is the United States. And, although immigration is one of the reasons, there is another equally important one. America has a higher than average rate of religious rate and highly religious people tend to have more children. In other words, this country has avoided one of the greatest scourges of the age because of the Bible-believing families who doubted the scientific pronouncements and went ahead and had large families--even when accused of being stupid and almost unpatriotic for doing so. Just trust us, you say? Within limits, perhaps. But not as the gods you want to be.
