Greece’s financial system is in a meltdown. Spain and Portugal are not far behind. Great Britain is said to have debt far above any of them, and could take a nosedive at any time. The world is focused on what to do to bail them out, and who is going to do it. And, just under the surface are several other member states of the European Union. Unfortunately, no matter who steps up to the plate, or what they do to prop up these economies, they are only postponing the inevitable.

Let me explain. When a nation becomes so preoccupied with its own material pleasure, ease and leisure and turns its back on creating a family with children – and all of the responsibilities that come with it — it is only a matter of time until that nation’s economy collapses without recourse. The real crisis, therefore, is far more personal: the loss of faith in the family as the most important institution in society. It is the personal commitment to have a family with 2+ children. And, this is a more important crisis than either war or financial collapse.

America is alone among the industrialized nations of the Western world in actively seeking to “multiply and replenish the earth.”1 It has the only native-born population that is maintaining or increasing in population.

By 2050, the UN estimates that Europe, home to about 730 million people, will shrink by 75 million. The UN expects Japan, with 128 million people, to lose 16 million and South Korea, with about 48 million people, to lose more than 3 million. The US is projected to grow from nearly 300 million people to about 420 million.2

Especially ominous for Europe is the report (“Communication From The Commission”) by the Commission of The European Communities in Brussels issued on March 16, 2005 titled “Confronting Demographic Change: A New Solidarity Between The Generations.” In that communication the Commission stated that

Europe is facing today unprecedented demographic change. In 2003, the natural population increase in Europe was just 0.04% per annum; the new Member States, with the exception of Cyprus and Malta, all saw falling populations. In many countries, immigration has become vital to ensure population growth. The fertility rate everywhere is below the threshold needed to renew the population (around 2.1 children per woman), and has even fallen below 1.5 children per woman in many Member States.i

Placing this “in this context, a low birth rate is a challenge for the public authorities. Never in history has there been economic growth without population growth.”i

They went on to say that:

Europeans would like to have more children. But they are discouraged from doing so by all kinds of problems that limit their freedom of choice, including difficulties in finding housing. It is also the case that families – the structure of which varies but which still constitute an essential part of European society – do not find the environment in which they live conducive to child-rearing.i

It is not often that demographics becomes politics, but when it does, it does so with a vengeance. And, it will ultimately have a greater impact on societies than all of the economic collapses or wars that are being fought across the globe. In fact, it very well could be more important than the War on Terror. It is the War on the Family. Stated in general terms, it is a war going on in every household in the Western industrialized world.

With all of the hardships throughout history of nations and peoples surviving through natural disasters, wars, plagues, and starvation, the belief that the modern societies of the industrialized West do “not find the environment in which they live conducive to child-rearing” is a crisis of confidence in the family that is unprecedented in all of history.

In a sense, most of the industrialized West is living on the “Pay-As-You-Went” plan, having already spent their own wealth and their children’s, now they are working on their grandchildren’s wealth. And, as if this is not calamity enough, with the exception of the USA, the West – particularly Europe – has also destroyed its economic producing base by decreasing the absolute and relative number of new workers entering the system, thereby destroying the ability of their country to work its way out of the predicament. Fewer workers are available in the next generation to support the aging population of their parents and grandparents by providing the retirement, medical and aging income necessary to support the lifestyle these seniors have voted for themselves: retirement early, long vacations, generous benefits, long lives.

The [European] Union’s working age population (15-64 years) . . . between 2005 and 2030 . . . is due to fall by 20.8 million . . . . The number of young adults (25-39 years old) [began] to fall in 2005 and this trend is set to accelerate significantly after 2010 (-16% between 2010 and 2030). The number of 40-54 year olds will start to fall in 2010. In parallel, the number of people aged 55 and over will grow by 15.5% between 2010 and 2030.i

The stark reality for all of Europe is:

1.They have an aging population.

2.They have no hope of having the necessary working age next generation to pay for their needs.

3.Their financial benefits are locked in.

4.So is the number of their children. The people who have caused the problems of overspending, debt and leisure living, have also decided not to “multiply and replenish”, instead they have subtracted and abandoned the earth.

Europeans have a fertility rate which is insufficient to replace the population. Surveys have revealed the gap which exists between the number of children Europeans would like (2.3) and the number that they actually have (1.5).i

Looking at individual countries makes these numbers even more ominous. Let’s look at the birth ratei (estimated 2009) for just the four countries mentioned above.

Greece 1.37
Spain 1.31
Portugal 1.49
United Kingdom 1.66

They are representative of the overall birth rate problem. Equally important, this trend has worldwide consequences for Europe in that the share of the EU-25 in world population between 2000-2030 is likely to fall from 12 to 6%. Other regions are also affected. Africa is likely to become one of the new giants. The shares of India and Other Asia are also expected to rise. The increasing demographic size of these other regions could diminish Europe’s influence in the world.

Additionally, although immigration may lessen some of the issues, Europe’s immigrants (unlike America’s) bring a totally different culture and cultural values to their new home. Westernized Europe is decreasing so rapidly that it will require 840 million immigrants to maintain its population ratios, including taking into account the needs of an aging population to be supported through growth among its working population.

The number of Muslims in contemporary Europe is estimated to be 50 million. It is expected to double in twenty years. By 2025, one third of all European children will be born to Muslim families. Today Mohammed is already the most popular name for new-born boys in Brussels, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and other major European cities.

The fact that this seems not to bother Europeans is evidence of a loss of faith in their culture and religious heritage, and has an impact on their laws, education and cultural indoctrination, and language.

While native-born Europeans are in steep decline by births per family, the immigrant population is growing both by immigrant numbers and by immigrant births. (The other side of the industrialized world is not immune to the problem either: Japan is in a population free fall – and is a nation that loathes immigrants.)

Some laws can be changed. Some cannot. Governments can vote to pool resources and fund countries out of bankruptcy, as is happening in Europe today. But, unless genetic engineering can find a way for European mothers to give birth to 30 year-old college graduates with a job, the laws of nature cannot. Europeans have made the decision – household by household — to abandon the family in favor of their own materialistic comforts, and with it the only hope for long-term relief from the financial crisis now upon them.

1 The Holy Bible, The First Book of Moses Called Genesis 1:28. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

2 “Immigration Fails to Stem European Population Loss.” Associated Press, Thursday August 17, 2006. Guardian Unlimited, The Guardian. https://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1852509,00.htm.

i “Confronting Demographic Change: A New Solidarity Between The Generations.” Communication From The Commission, The Commission of The European Communities, Brussels, Belgium. March 16, 2005, p. 1.

i “Confronting Demographic Change.” Relevant citations throughout the report.

i “Confronting Demographic Change.” Relevant citations throughout the report.

i “Confronting Demographic Change.” Relevant citations throughout the report.

i “Confronting Demographic Change.” Relevant citations throughout the report.

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