Good Woman, Good Christian Woman

With the reality show starring the Duggards, the ordinary person gets a first hand view of the daily life of a couple living the Quiver Full life style. To say they portray a happy Christian couple is an understatement. They are absolutely joyful with their life style.

The house is brimming full of happy well, adjusted kids. The home seems to overflow with love. Whether mother's belly is extended with the next addittion to the family or not, she seems to live a life of contentment. Her contentment comes from being married to a Godly man and fulfilling her role as a woman.

What about the other unhappy, unfulfilled Christian women with their scant brood of one or two children. Are they missing out on the ultimate intimate relationship with God? With antidepressants being prescribed in record numbers, can the answer be fulfilling God's command to multiply? The Quiver Full Movement would have one believe that there is not only joy in replenishing the earth but a duty.

Quiverfull is a movement among conservative evangelical Christian couples chiefly in the United States, but with some adherents in Canada,Australia, New Zealand, England and elsewhere.It promotes procreation, and sees children as a blessing from God, eschewing all forms of birth control, including natural family planning and sterilization. Adherents are known as "quiver full", "full quiver", "quiverfull-minded", or simply "QF" Christians. Some refer to the Quiverfull position as Providentialism, while other sources have referred to it as a manifestation of natalism. Currently several thousand Christians worldwide identify with this movement. It began to receive significant attention in the U.S. national press in 2004.

Quiverfull authors and adherents express their core motivation as a desire to obey God's commands as stated in the Bible. Among these commands, "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 1:22; 9:7), "behold, children are a gift of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3), and passages showing God acting to open and close the womb (Genesis 20:18, 29:31, 30:22; 1 Samuel 1:5-6; Isaiah 66:9) are interpreted as giving basis for their view. Quiverfull adherents typically maintain that their philosophy is first about an open, accepting and obedient attitude toward the possibility of birthing children. Within the view, this attitude may result in many, few or even no children, because God Himself maintains sole provenance over conception and birth. The duty of the Quiverfull adherent is only to maintain an "open willingness" to joyfully receive and not thwart however many children God chooses to bestow. Contraception in all its forms is seen as inconsistent with this attitude and is thus entirely avoided, as is abortion.

Quiverfull's principal authors and its adherents also describe their motivation as a missionary effort to raise up many Christian children to affect the world for the cause of the Christian religion. Its distinguishing viewpoint is to eagerly receive children as blessings from God.

Quiverfull authors and adherents advocate for and seek to model a return to Biblical Patriarchy. Mary Pride recently distanced herself from the patriarchy movement in an article for Practical Homeschooling. In her article, she clearly stated her disapproval of the movement, and sets the record straight that she should not be considered a founder of it. Citation: http://www.home-school.com/Articles/phs89-marypride.html

Quiverfull authors typically organize family governance with the mother as a homemaker under the authority of her husband with the children under the authority of both. Parents seek to largely shelter their children from aspects of culture they as parents deem adversarial to their religious beliefs. Additionally, Quiverfull families strongly incline toward homeschooling and toward homesteading in a rural area. However, exceptions exist in substantial enough proportion that these latter two items are general and often idealized correlates to Quiverfull practices and not integral parts of them.

I believe there is nothing wrong with this choice and that God probably favors it. The problem on arises when a woman is demeaned for not being a person who is willing to have several children. The Bible speaks of not trying to avoid having children. The best way for Christianity to spread or be maintained is through the birth of more Christians. But, it should still be a choice. God commands us to do certain things as his children. But, throughout the Bible we see outstanding righteous people fall short in regards to following God's command. They repent and try to move forward and follow God, but the point is that they can fall short of perfection. It is God's love that enables them to get back on the right path.

Some women are harmed in rigid procreation attempts and get lost in the submission of men until their God created selves are lost. It is the danger of not being a functioning intity that is a cause for caution.

Quiver Full women are doing what they believe is right in regard to their religious beliefs and should not be harshly ridiculed, especially if they are happy and content. Likewise, women who do not choose to have several children should not be ostracized as sinful. God does give different ministries to different people as he sees fit. If a woman is not blessed with children she still can have a relationship with God not based on procreation.

Having several children or no children should not be the divide among Christian women.