Generally, most Christians believe that children are a blessing from God, and one should bear as many as they can take care of. They consider family as the root of many generations, starting from the first man on earth. If you bring forth children into a family, you are continuing that generation; hence, some who cannot have children due to certain reasons, mostly medical, consider adoption.
So, why do Mormons have so many kids? Mormons have so many kids because they believe there are millions of spirit children residing with God that need to come to earth through birth by a Mormon woman and join a loving and caring family. Mormons value family more than anything else. Mormon’s believe is that before people are born, they are in a spirit form with God, and one gains a body by coming to earth and acquiring the necessary experience tools to earn you eternal life and salvation.
Mormons indeed tend to have larger families than usual. This fact may leave you with so many unanswered questions; for instance, can they practice family planning and birth control methods. We will discuss this and more pressing issues in the rest of the article.
The Doctrine of the Latter Day Saints has it that Mormons have a spiritual responsibility to bring forth children into the earth. So, Mormons who are capable, the church encourages them to go ahead and have as many as they wish.
Mormons believe that we are all eternal beings, and there is a point in which we lived with God as His spirit children. So, to become like God the Father, you must become mortal by being born and living with earthly parents. With them as your earth’s guides, they will show you love, spiritual living, morality, security, stability, and most importantly give you a home.
God’s spiritual children are in millions, and all must be born by Mormon couples. This belief is the drive behind Mormons having many offspring. However, as Mormon’s give birth to many children, the church encourages them to have those that you can provide for comfortably.
A Mormon’s duty is to introduce them to serving God once they are baptized at eight years and guiding them to morality. Mormons also need to let them experience and enjoy life as God’s mortal spirit children.
Finally, note that as a Mormon, the size of a family may not be their decision because God may intervene and ask them to have many children. It is God that has given the children to a Mormon so that He will provide for them.
Do Mormons Believe in Birth Control?
Mormons practice birth control; however, it is a more private discussion among couples and not a matter of discussion in the church. As much as they should bring God’s spirit children to the world, the church encourages them to have many children but only a manageable number.
The parents must feed and provide for all of them. Once you feel that you have reached the maximum number of children you can comfortably raise, you can consider birth control.
Since the Mormons believe that the number of children to sire is a covenant between couples and God, they believe that God can ask a certain couple to give birth to many children. In such a situation, you will have to birth and raise them all, given that it is God’s perfect will.
Similarly, they believe that God has a plan for all who live on earth, and having children born into loving families are central to His plans. Thus, He commanded Adam and Eve to go forth, be fruitful, and multiply. Him being the provider, he will take care of his children.
The issue of family planning is crucial among Mormon couples. The goal is to have a healthy and stable family and adequately provide for them; this is what the LDS encourages. According to them, lovemaking isn’t all about procreation but is also a means of showing love to one another and strengthening the couple’s spiritual and emotional connection.
Although they can practice family planning, one action that the church strongly forbids is abortion.
Even though Mormons tend to have slightly larger families, it does not imply that they must have many kids. This idea is misleading since every believer has the right to have a family they can afford to provide for; by practicing birth control measures and praying for God’s guidance.
What Is It With Trampolines and Mormons?
The Mormons normally have bigger families; therefore, recreation is a necessary part of their lives. The trampoline offers such kind of family fun for all to enjoy. It keeps the children busy; thus, it brings them together, leading to a close-knit family.
However, the trampoline is not exclusive to the Mormons. It is for anyone who finds it great fun for the family; even when they are small.
Trampolines are toys made of tight fabric tied to frames with a landing surface that one can jump and spring back on. Mormons love fun and enjoying life, but they do so by observing high moral standards and avoiding practices that the religion discourages.
For instance, sports are a core activity among LDS church members, and a trampoline, one sport activity tool that attracts many believers. Since it is a harmless sport, Mormons tend to be drawn to the trampoline. Their church tradition requires that you bring forth children and give them a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, a trampoline comes in handy.
If you own a home with a small compound, you can consider having a trampoline in your backyard for children to play. There are some purported reasons for trampolines being common among the Mormon community, but most are just misconceptions. For instance, some people claim that LDS families have a strong attraction to the equipment because they use it to jump to bring them closer to God. Such reasons are baseless and unrealistic if you get to mingle closely with them.
Mormons and Family
Family is a basic and a guarded unit in the Latter Day Saints Church. The Mormons believe that even in their passing to meet their ancestors, they will still exist as a family. Mormon parents have to provide earthly bodies for the spirits to reside in as planned by God.
Such families will believe in prayers and will ensure that they always pray together at least once a day. They also believe that you should have a family you can comfortably provide for physically and spiritually.
The Mormon Church strongly encourages loyalty, integrity, chastity, and fidelity, and the children should grow up holding onto these values. In the early centuries, Mormons used to have many wives to help them sire more children; however, the tradition is becoming obsolete as many associated it with the destruction of the Mormon temple.
Finally
In the Latter Day Saints Church, the family is centered, and it is common to find that Mormon families are a bit larger than other non-Mormon families. The decision to have large families among the believers is God’s commissioning to the couples to bring forth bodies that His spirit children will dwell in a while on earth.
They also believe that the journey to immortality begins with a birth in a mortal form. Regarding the trampolines among the Mormons, the activity is just a way for the entire family to engage in a fun activity; there’s no spiritual reason behind it. It only serves as family fun and to help the family draw closer to each other.