What kind of loving parent figure never gives you freedom and instead expects to be consulted on all matters? When one adult micromanages another adult's life like this and threatens punishment if the other doesn't obey, we call this abuse. Why then is God's expectation that he have the right to micromanage our lives seen as being loving instead of abusive?

A lot of things don't exist in the bible, and yet we have the anyway. Triplets don't exist in the bible, but this doesn't mean there weren't any.

If you think adultery, and therefore impurity, are only coital intercourse, what do you consider other acts, such as heavy kissing and "petting" of someone other than your spouse? If there is no emotional attachment, and it's two strangers who met, hooked up, and never saw each other again, is that not cheating even though there was no penile-vaginal penetration?

Lori, people do think about whether or not to stop having kids. I didn't stop because of my feelings or society, but because my husband I wanted to be sure we could support the family we have instead of subjecting our family to poverty. Between having the large family my heart wants, but knowing they'd be deprived of a lot that life has to offer, or keeping our family small so our children can be educated and stable and have plenty of nutritious food and activities that let them develop as individuals, how would it be anything other than selfish for me and my husband to have what our hearts want, which is more kids, when it means the kids we already have would be the ones making the sacrifice?

This is why I don't understand why let god decide. If you want kids, have them. If someone else really doesn't, but has them anyway, how is that good for the kids? If a family is already not able to feed the kids they have, isn't it better to tend to the flock they have instead of adding more? Not everyone goes to church in an area with enough wealth to supply everything tons of large families need.

I can't be the only one frustrated with the idea of having more kids when someone stops because of wanting to make sure they can afford them. The lord doesn't always provide. Christian children starve to death every day. Why take from kids who already don't have enough so Mom and Dad can prove they can still make babies?

I don't expect you'll answer this since it's not all praise and rainbows, but I wish you would.