Happy Atheist Forum

If you're not familiar with the Duggars, they are a deeply religious family with 18 children (plus another one the way).

Here's an article announcing their first grandchild's birth:
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33238369/ ... nd_family/ (http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33238369/ns/today-parenting_and_family/)

How say ye, or ye of little faith?,
JoeActor

Why are we as a society fascinated with people who are trying to hump the planet out of its resources?  4 kids are too many 18 kids is ridiculous and with someone growing up in that environment he is likely to have just as many kids.  I'd almost advise dumping some uranium in the house ... you know make it so they can't have babies.  Save the planet by taking out people who think every time they hump a baby must come out.

Quote from: "LoneMateria"Why are we as a society fascinated with people who are trying to hump the planet out of its resources?  4 kids are too many 18 kids is ridiculous and with someone growing up in that environment he is likely to have just as many kids.  I'd almost advise dumping some uranium in the house ... you know make it so they can't have babies.  Save the planet by taking out people who think every time they hump a baby must come out.

Humans are hypersexual beings. It's almost a morbid "WE could achieve that if tried" subconscious yearning. We're wired to boink out a lot of offspring in the shotgun style that will ensure that at least 1 survives to pass along our genes. Our bodies are not yet adapted to our advances in medicine.

Two thoughts. Firstly, I find it disturbing that all the boys have the same haircut. Secondly, she didn't give birth in 1993, 2003 or 2006.

It's a vagina, not a Clown car.

yeah, thats jusd wild and depressing.

Quote from: "Ninteen45"It's a vagina, not a Clown car.

My thoughts exactly.

Speaking as an only child of an only child dad with an only child son, I do not understand the desire to populate the earth completely on your own.  We had two families we were friends with when I was growing up, and both families had 4 kids.  Their houses were always chaotic, games never had pieces, kids fighting and picking on each other.  I always dreamed that if I had siblings, we'd be great friends and we'd never fight.  Then I married a man who has 2 younger siblings... and they never talk.  NEVER.

I believe that anyone who has more than 4 kids... and especially those who have into the double-digits... are irresponsible and unreasonable and illogical and many more adjectives than I can even type here.  I don't care if they can care for them or not (and they obviously can't because they needed donations to build their house and the Gosselin's are a mess despite the money they've earned on their reality show).  With 18 (soon to be 19) children, it's the older children who are raising the younger children and NONE of those children has adequate parental attention.  And they homeschool, too.  UGH.

Now the oldest son who just had a kid has made the "no comment" when asked how many kids he and his wife will have.  FSM forbid they decided to have 20 and homeschool them as well.  Makes me throw up a little in my mouth.

If Mr and Mrs Duggar's children also have 18 children each, they'll be grandparents to 18 * 18 = 324 grandchildren. I wonder if they could remember all their names? And how would they choose holiday gifts for them all? They would have just over a day throughout the year to choose each gift. An most days it would be one of their grandchildren's birthdays. And what if their grandchildren do the same thing? 18 * 18 * 18 = 5832 great grandchildren. Lol.

Since they clearly have the ability to support all 18 children, I don't really see anything wrong with them having so many. I also find it pretty unlikely that each one of the 18 kids is going to have a lot children (any studies to support this view?)

Quote from: "Reginus"Since they clearly have the ability to support all 18 children, I don't really see anything wrong with them having so many. I also find it pretty unlikely that each one of the 18 kids is going to have a lot children (any studies to support this view?)

Haha, no studies to support it. It was tongue in cheek. The likelihood of a couple living in the US having 18 children is low, never mind their children doing the same thing =).

Aren't they the people on television?  If so then yes the currently have the means to support it, say the show got canceled then what?  Would it still be okay for them to have that many kids?  I understand its some biological need to have children but there eventually is a point of diminished returns.  If one kid doesn't fill a gap you have inside yourself what makes you think 18 will?  All they will do is keep you distracted enough so you don't have to face yourself.

Quote from: "Reginus"I also find it pretty unlikely that each one of the 18 kids is going to have a lot children (any studies to support this view?)

Quote from: "AlP"The likelihood of a couple living in the US having 18 children is low, never mind their children doing the same thing =).

No study needed. It's inference. The Dugers belong to a conservative Evangelical Christian sect (cult) called Quiverfull. The style of dress should have been a dead giveaway.

Quiverfulls believe " Its viewpoint is to receive children eagerly as blessings from God, eschewing all forms of birth control, including natural family planning and sterilization."

So, if even a few of the children follow the cult of their parents, then it is very likely that they will have an insane amount of children.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quiverfull

Quote from: "Ninteen45"It's a vagina, not a Clown car.

(https://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg235.imageshack.us%2Fimg235%2F5858%2Fvagclowncar.jpg&hash=82fef02c33b0405328b78b0876e5e6e1783ca25a)

 

Mikeyv: Can't get a message to you, personally in this forum, sorry - email me if you happen to run across this haight@hotmail (dot) com - it's about baylink bbs

Quote from: "Haight"Mikeyv: Can't get a message to you, personally in this forum, sorry - email me if you happen to run across this haight@hotmail (dot) com - it's about baylink bbs

Are you a spammer?

Mikeyv hasn't been active on HAF since '09 and you could have PM him if you had tried (not that he'd get it).

That's too many children.

Quote from: "skwurll":eek:

That's too many children.

Not if the bigger ones raise the littler ones and the parents are giving birth to keep the ratings up on their TV show and to sell their books and products such as videos, recipes and advice.

These people are just plain sick. Wasting air that somebody else could put to better use.

Quote from: "parrotpirate"These people are just plain sick. Wasting air that somebody else could put to better use.

Man I don't agree with this at all. These are human beings that are doing what they desire to do and until I am shown that they're doing anything illegal or unethical or crazy or whatever I fail to see how what they're doing is anyone's business.

Are we to expect that we will like everything that other human beings decide to do with their lives? Such judgements are much more befitting the religious mindset.

I guess there might be a case for some of these kids missing out somewhat. Surely a mother and father can only do so much as parents for 18 children. The eldest kids will definitely have to babysit the younger ones and help out where possible. No that that's a bad thing, but it just highlights the fact that two people cannot adequately take care of 18 children without help.
I just wonder if all of those kids will get the same mental nourishment from their parents as a two, three or four child family.

Personally, i think 18 is too much for varying reasons. I can't see how in this day and age, it is justifiable.

Quote from: "karadan"Personally, i think 18 is too much for varying reasons. I can't see how in this day and age, it is justifiable.

It's not.  I have some neighbors who have about 8 and the only reason they're justifies is that they are self-sustaining on a family farm.  Even that is a short-lived cycle, considering the human population at this point.  We seriously need to legislate reproduction as relates to family size.  If we don't we will be finding the moon to be a pretty attractive piece of real estate and that's just sad.

I agree. However, i wouldn't want to be the one trying to legislate such a political and legal nightmare as that can of worms.

Quote from: "karadan"I agree. However, i wouldn't want to be the one trying to legislate such a political and legal nightmare as that can of worms.

I would, but my political clout is zero and my potential to get some is even less than that.  Of course I wouldn't want to get as draconian about it as China, I would just like to see a cap of about 3 or 4 children placed on families.  It would have to be at least 2 to keep from ending up in a situation where there are tons of retired people and not enough young adults to fuel the economy.  I don't think 3 or 4 is an unreasonable cap and I don't think too many people would disagree.  I wouldn't advocate licensing or anything like that either.  I wouldn't require forced abortions or executions, but I would advocate compulsory sterilization for people who went above the cap.  I don't think those ideas are too extreme and I think the little bit that they do solve is worth it.  Of course, real legislation would have to be much more detailed in order to address concerns I didn't mention.

So, not compulsory vasectomy's for all men (with reversal after successful application for fatherhood) and bar code tattoo's for all women who've conceived?

 

Quote from: "karadan"So, not compulsory vasectomy's for all men (with reversal after successful application for fatherhood) and bar code tattoo's for all women who've conceived?

 

Barcodes...  Hmm...

It could replace the tramp stamp

Yes, that's exactly right, I'm a spammer, you caught me - I sent that last post out to millions of email addresses.

Quote from: "i_am_i"

Quote from: "parrotpirate"These people are just plain sick. Wasting air that somebody else could put to better use.

Man I don't agree with this at all. These are human beings that are doing what they desire to do and until I am shown that they're doing anything illegal or unethical or crazy or whatever I fail to see how what they're doing is anyone's business.

Are we to expect that we will like everything that other human beings decide to do with their lives? Such judgements are much more befitting the religious mindset.

You don't think it would be irresponsable if every couple had 20+ kids. Not just the fact the earth would become overstrained and die within a generation. Have you heard of middle child syndrom multiply that by 18 middle children. How can 2 adults possibly give 20+ kids a proper amount of personal attention and time to bond and love. While a big brother or sister can be a great role model they shouldn't EVER become a surragate parent while the birth parent are alive and able. It's unfair to the child and to the siblings who have to give up they're own time, childhood, and experience to cover for parents who at this point are only having more kids selfishly for the money and attention. The Duggers absolutly sicken me.

(I say 20+ because even after the dangerous and difficult birth of #19 they want to try for another.)

Quote from: "karadan"So, not compulsory vasectomy's for all men (with reversal after successful application for fatherhood) and bar code tattoo's for all women who've conceived?

 

How about compulsery Birth control. Vasectamies while fairly minor surgey is still freaking surgery and not always reversable. Stop taking a hormone shot and boom you're fertile again. Not to mention with the ways laws are written men have nearly zero reproductive rights. so shouldn't mothers who would be giving birth and more likely remain a parent after a split. A "succesful application for motherhood" would seem a better solution. Of course with either solution stupid people are going figure "now we can rawdog in safty" and VD will skyrocket.


just my $.02