This family home evening (FHE) lesson is a follow up to the importance of marriage FHE. Many people in the world, and even in the Church, underestimate the value of children so I wanted to make sure my family knows my testimony that having children is the highest and holiest calling one can have and it brings the richest blessings of God. I also wanted to respond to accusations that the Earth is overpopulated, so this lesson presents some data showing "the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare." We can trust in the Lord and His wisdom in commanding us to multiply and replenish the Earth.

1. Importance of Having Children
FHE Lesson for Smith Family
Jan 2023

2. • “The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their
potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s
commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in
force.
• …Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each
other and for their children.
• …Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be
reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete
fidelity.”

3. • Gen 1:28 “And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it.”
• Mos 5:2 “And Adam knew his wife, and
she bare unto him sons and daughters,
and they began to multiply and to
replenish the earth.”
• Psalm 127:3 “Children are an heritage
of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb
is his reward.”
• D&C 132:19 “If a man marry a wife by
my word, which is my law, and by the
new and everlasting covenant …they
shall pass …to their exaltation and glory
in all things …which glory shall be a
fulness and a continuation of the seeds
forever and ever.”
Scriptures on Importance
of Having Children

4. •“Grand as it is, planet Earth is part
of something even grander—that
great plan of God. Simply
summarized, the earth was
created that families might be.”
• Pres. Russell M. Nelson (father of 10
children)
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2000/04/the-creation?lang=eng

5. “Children are our most precious gift from
God—our eternal increase. Yet we live in a
time when
• many women wish to have no part in the
bearing and nurturing of children.
• Many young adults delay marriage until
temporal needs are satisfied…
• The number of births to Church members
is falling…
• Over 40% of births in the United States are
to unwed mothers.
Those children are vulnerable. Each of these
trends works against our Father’s divine
plan of salvation.” –Pres. Dallin H. Oaks
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2022/04/51oaks?lang=eng

6. • “It is concerning that even in some of the
most prosperous countries of the world,
fewer children are being born. ‘God’s
commandment for His children to
multiply and replenish the earth remains
in force.’ When to have a child and how
many children to have are private
decisions to be made between a husband
and wife and the Lord. With faith and
prayer, these sacred decisions can be
beautiful, revelatory experiences.” – Elder
Neil L. Andersen
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-
conference/2021/04/26andersen?lang=eng

7. Responding to the
Accusation that the Earth
is Overpopulated
• People (friends, teachers, media,
etc.) may try to convince you that
the world is overpopulated, and you
should have few, or no children
• What follows are news articles,
statistics, and quotes on the subject
• Above all, it is my testimony that
having children is the highest and
holiest calling one can have and it
brings the richest blessings of God

8. People Are "The Ultimate Resource" Not a “Population Bomb”
• In 1968, Paul
Ehrlich wrote a
book called “The
Population Bomb”
• He argued that
over-population
would deplete the
earth of natural
resources
• He said population
growth will result
in widespread
poverty and famine
• Julian Simon, after
much research,
developed a
different theory
• He said humans
innovate out of
scarce supplies of
natural resources
• Human ingenuity
makes all other
resources more
plentiful
• In 1981 published
book called “The
Ultimate Resource”
• Since then, world
population increased
145%
• GDP per person
increased 183%
• Wealth grew 26%
faster than
population
• Commodity prices
(food, metals, etc.)
have fallen by 53%
• The world is creating
resources faster than
consuming them
• The two made a bet
about the availability
of resources as
population grew
• After ten years, earth
population grew by
about 50% yet the
availability of
resources increased
%50
• Julian Simon won the
bet and the data in
his favor has gotten
even stronger in the
past 40 years

9. • The “Simon Abundance Index” is named after Julian Simon

10. BYU’s Gale Pooley Says More
Population Means More Resources
• Does population growth make resources more scarce?
• No. After analyzing 200 years' worth of data on
hundreds of goods and services, Pooley found that
resources become more abundant as population grows
• Resource abundance increasing faster than population
growth is what he calls “superabundance”
• Humans, on average, create more value than we consume
• How is this possible? More people produce more ideas
• People’s ideas lead to innovations overcome shortages, spur
economic growth, and raise standards of living
• To achieve superabundance, says Pooley, people must
be free to think, speak, invest, trade, start businesses,
and profit.

11. Technologies that Have Improved Crop Yields to
Feed 8 Billion People on the Planet
• Nitrogen fertilizer (from natural gas) is responsible for feeding 50% of the
world
• https://fossilfuel.com/why-are-fossil-fuels-needed-in-agriculture/
• Plant geneticists have developed plant variants with double the edible
grains
• https://www.cshl.edu/researchers-double-sorghum-grain-number-to-improve-food-supply/
• Drones monitor crops, spray pesticides, and even are scare crows, all of which
improve yields.
• https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/ghanas-farmers-drones-boost-crop-yields/
• LED bulbs have been optimized to be more sun-like for indoor farming, so
crops grow faster, larger, and with better nutritional content
• https://compoundsemiconductor.net/article/107988/Seoul_Natural_Spectrum_LEDs_Increase_Crop_Yields
• Farmers use big data and AI to boost crop yields by 40% and reduce fertilizer
• https://blog.ciat.cgiar.org/artificial-intelligence-and-farmer-knowledge-boost-smallholder-maize-yields/

12. % of World Population in Poverty is in Decline,
Means More Resources Are Getting to More People
• Tech developments and
other factors are helping
bring billions of people out
of poverty
• Showing this earth has the
resources to feed a growing
population
• Since 2000, global
population has grown 33%
• From 6 to 8 billion
• Simultaneously, the % of
people in poverty has
dropped dramatically
• From 28% down to 12%

13. • “We do not fear the phony population
explosion, nor do we fear a shortage of
food, if we can be free and good. The Lord
has declared, ‘… the earth is full, and
there is enough and to spare.’ (D&C
104:17.) We can accept this promise with
confidence.” -Elder Ezra Taft Benson
• https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-
conference/1973/04/watchman-warn-the-wicked?lang=eng
We Trust in the Lord and His
Wisdom in Commanding Us
to Multiply and Replenish
the Earth

14. Appendix: World Population Growth and Rate