Protestant Babies

The ambiguous nature of modern Protestant thought was well illustrated last week in a pronouncement from the Federal Council of Churches on the subject of having babies. In a statement called "Religion and the Birthrate" the Federal Council plumped cautiously for planned parenthood, sought more babies and yet fewer. The crux of it:

> "The carrying on of every good cause [makes] it necessary that people of good health, mental and physical, and of good principles should have their full quota of children. Otherwise the irresponsible who propagate recklessly and give little thought to the nurture of their offspring will be represented in disproportionate numbers."

> "Society should study reasonable and just ways of discouraging parenthood on the part of those who are seriously unfitted to cope with its responsibilities."

> "Without a necessary biological provision for the future of the church our best Christian efforts will fall short because they will lack an adequate constituency."

Neither Biblical nor patristic authority was cited in support of the argument. The approach had been sociological, not theological. Said Dr. L. Foster Wood, secretary of the committee that drafted the pronouncement: "We don't have to bring in a theological basis for every social question. We think social questions have a theological significance in their own right."

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