Quiverfull

{{religion}}
'''Quiverfull''' is a social movement popular in some [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] and [[Fundamentalist Christianity|fundamentalist]] circles in the [[United States]]. The movement's signature doctrine proclaims that couples should have really large families, in many cases ten children or more. Think of it as [[Protestant]] [[fundamentalism]] meets [[Roman Catholic]] doctrine on [[contraception]]. Quiverfull started in the [[USA|United States]] but has started spreading to infiltrate [[nation|fresh woods and pastures new]] — including the [[UK]].<ref name=BBC/>

The name "Quiverfull" comes from a [[Bible|Biblical]] quote:

{{quotebox|As {{wpl|Bow and arrows|arrows}} are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.<ref>[[RationalWiki:Annotated Bible/Psalm#Psalm 127:4|Psalm 127:4-5]]</ref>}}

The implication is that large families are an element of [[Spiritual warfare|a divine arsenal]].

==What people don't want to hear==
Since the evangelical mainstream is currently preoccupied with telling gullible [[sucker]]s with a bit of cash what they want to hear, and since most people want to hear that they are permitted to have all [[Sexual intercourse|the sex]] they want without saddling themselves with a bunch of smelly babies, the movement has yet to gain widespread acceptance in the evangelical community; Quiverfull families often attend small, independent churches.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8287740.stm Fighting the 'contraceptive mentality' </ref>

==Misinformation and surrender==
The movement explicitly encourages members to surrender to [[God]] as much as possible, particularly in the question of how many children a family should have. They believe that every child is a gift from God, and so God will decide how many children is appropriate. In this way, they see [[contraception]] as interfering with God's will (so much for divine omnipotence).

Women are told to sacrifice their bodies as [[Jesus]] [[Crucifiction|sacrificed himself]] [[Crucifixion|on the cross]]. Strain and health problems that result from frequent childbirth are seen as being on the cross. Childbearing must continue even if this puts the mother's life in danger.

{{quotebox|Garrison suffers from a rare bone condition that made pregnancy dangerous. Her husband had a vasectomy after baby number three. But after reading Campbell and other Quiverfull authors, her ideas and the vasectomy were reversed.

Garrison continued to get pregnant against all medical advice, almost dying with the birth of her last — and seventh — child. But for a true believer, dying in childbirth is supposedly a noble act, she says.

"I really believed that I wouldn't die unless God willed that I die, and if he did then I would accept that, because obviously he's the smart one, and has the big picture and knows the whole plan."<ref name=BBC>[https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-22526252 The Quiverfull: The evangelical Christians opposed to contraception]</ref>}}

Older daughters are taught that serving their families and helping their mothers look after children is serving [[God]]. The strain on the childbearing women is most obvious, but older girls are also under pressure helping to care for younger brothers and sisters. Fathers are under pressure to provide for large families; the whole family in many cases suffers through being too large.<ref>[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nolongerquivering/2012/06/why-quiverfull-moms-do-not-and-cannot-love-their-bodies-2/ Why Quiverfull Moms Do Not and Cannot Love Their Bodies]</ref>

Never mentioned are if the extremely high child mortality rates of the [[Middle Ages]] and before were also God's will, nor if advances in medicine are seen to be subverting it. They also peddle a plethora of debunked claims about birth control, calling it an [[Abortion|abortifacient]]<ref>https://quiverfull.com/birth_control/pill_abortifacient.html</ref> and warning men that a vasectomy will cause their [[Testicles|junk]] to "blowout" like an old fire hose.<ref>https://quiverfull.com/birth_control/dangersofvasectomy.html</ref> Not only are women who are at high risk for complications or death told to keep bearing children and place their trust in God, but Quiverfulls try to convince non-Quiverfulls that it's actually better for women to have all those kids.<ref>https://quiverfull.com/articles.php/id13/</ref><ref name=abc>https://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=2767898&page=2</ref><ref>http://www.jeubfamily.com/2011/12/06/study-having-many-children-is-healthier</ref>

==Mass produced kids==
The ideology behind the movement is essentially that children should be mass-produced to serve their 
[[cult]]
 [[faith]], which is rather at odds with its supporters' claims that children are equal to unborn fetuses in that they should be treated as unique, valued individuals.<ref>"Quiverfull.com's first priority is to serve God through proclaiming that every child is a gift and blessing from our gracious heavenly father." [https://quiverfull.com/aboutus.php Quiverfull.com, About us]</ref> Not surprisingly, therefore, Quiverfull children are often [[homeschool]]ed,<ref>[https://archive.is/jPtqA 10 Lies I Believed About “Worldly Parents” ~ AKA, You!] A former Quiverfull member, on alternet.org.</ref> in order to keep them indoctrinated to the pleasure/utility/oppression of the movement.

==Feminist criticism==
[[Feminism|Feminists]] have expressed concern about the Quiverfull movement, as it generally follows a patriarchal model and encourages "Biblical womanhood", a fancy term for being a submissive little skivvy who accepts her husband's total supremacy. This patriarchal model usually goes far past what even conservative [[Baptist|Southern Baptist]]s (who officially endorse a wife's subjection to her husband) would consider appropriate, with the husband making every single decision for the entire family, and even raising daughters to the task of being mothers.<ref name=abc />

Moreover, the set-up is usually rigged in such a way that any woman who tries to leave the movement is incapable of sustaining herself, as they usually have no work experience or references (as the entire community shuns them); in this way, it resembles a [[cult]]. At the same time, women who support the movement see themselves as part of a counterculture opposing a feminist ''status quo''.<ref>[http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/890/women%27s_liberation_through_submission:_an_evangelical_anti-feminism_is_born Kathryn Joyce, "Women’s Liberation Through Submission: An Evangelical Anti-Feminism Is Born:]</ref>

==In media==
{{main|19 Kids and Counting}}

==Viability as a political strategy==

It's questionable whether Quiverfull is actually a useful strategy for influencing politics and social norms.

Some researchers have questioned how reliably children inherit the political views of their parents. Quiverfull ideologues would respond that, because they deliberately groom their children to believe a certain way, the likelihood of children adopting those beliefs is higher. But this may be of no help to them: other studies have shown that children become more likely to rebel against their parents' beliefs if parents attempt to force them on their children.<ref>Te-Erika Patterson, [https://archive.md/TUbvr Do Children Just Take Their Parents' Beliefs? It's Not That Simple.] The Atlantic, 1 May 2014.</ref>

Furthermore, Quiverfull families and churches exist almost exclusively in communities that are already deeply conservative and religious to begin with, and because of their strong dependence on their other family members and dislike of secular society, they rarely move far away from these communities. As a result, they don't have any electoral influence outside of districts that would be safely under conservative control even without their help.

==Irony==
The [[irony]] is that if evangelical Christians outbreed non-evangelicals, they will succeed in proving the concepts behind [[evolution]], even as many of them tend towards [[creationism]].

Also ironic is that many evangelical Christians [[Psychological projection|accuse Muslims]] of having large families in order to out-breed and conquer the infidel populations by displacing them with their sheer numbers, when they themselves do the very same thing often with the same line of reasoning.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150417075810/http://www.alternet.org/story/77290/christian_right%27s_demographic_nightmare%3A_muslims_are_"out-breeding"_whites|work=Alternet|title=Christian Right's Demographic Nightmare: Muslims are "Out-Breeding" Whites}}</ref> At the same time, birth rates in the Muslim world are declining.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2011/01/27/the-future-of-the-global-muslim-population/|title=The Future of the Global Muslim Population}}</ref> These accusations are [[Eurabia|particularly common in Europe for some reason]].

==See also==
*[[Lies Women Believe]]
*{{wpl|Donald Cline}}

==External links==

===Pro-Quiverfull===
*[http://quiverfull.com/ The official website]

===Anti-Quiverfull===
*[http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/890/women%27s_liberation_through_submission:_an_evangelical_anti-feminism_is_born Criticism on feminist grounds]
*[http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nolongerquivering/ A blog run by ex-Quiverfull women]
*[https://becomingworldly.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/1567/ "A Quick and Dirty Sex Ed Guide for Quiverfull Daughters"] - by a woman raised in the Quiverfull movement
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0188t2w "A Womb is a Weapon," BBC radio documentary on Quiverfull]
*[[Cracked]]: [http://www.cracked.com/article_21061_5-insane-lessons-from-my-christian-fundamentalist-childhood.html 5 Insane Lessons from My Christian Fundamentalist Childhood]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Sexuality]]
[[Category:Fundamentalist Christian organizations]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Sexism]]

Categories: Sexuality, Fundamentalist Christian organizations, Cults, Sexism