The tenets of most religions relate, either directly or indirectly, to population issues. In the following section, some of the major religions will be examined for an understanding of their points of view in this respect.

Hinduism: Traditionally, the Hindu religion has laid stress marriage and the begetting of children. Even today, marriage is universal amongst the Hindus because it is expected that a man should go through the various stages of his life performing the duties attached to each stage, and marriage is considered to be one such duty.

After the first stage, bramhacharyashram, when he is a student and devotes his time and energies to the pursuit of knowledge, a man enters the second stage, grihasthashram, by getting married.

The aims of Hindu marriage are said to be dharma, praja (progeny) and rati (pleasure).

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When a man gets married and becomes a householder, he accepts dharma as the highest aim of marriage, indicating that it may be desired not so much for sex or for progeny as for obtaining a partner for the fulfillment of one’s religious duties.

For the woman, marriage is essential because, though a man goes through several sacraments throughout his life, marriage is the only sacrament that she is allowed.

Procreation is the second aim of Hindu marriage, and bringing forth a son has always been considered necessary because only he can ceremoniously kindle the funeral pyre and thus affect the salvation of his father’s soul.

He, therefore, is called putra, one who saves father from put, that is, hell. Even a daughter is desired because kanyadaana adds to the punya of the parents.

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The newly- married Hindu couples have, therefore, always received blessings from their elders: “May you have eight sons and five daughters.” Till recently, the Hindu could legally have more than one wife, one of the main reasons for securing a second wife being childlessness.

Kautilya, is his well known treatise, Arthashastra, emphasised the desirability of a large population for military and economic power.

Judaism

The sacred books of the Jews emphasise the need for procreation. The oft-quoted injunction to Adam and Eve by the Almighty is an evidence of this: “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

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Childlessness was considered to be a serious misfortune. As & large population was to the advantage of the Jewish people, it is little wonder that it was highly desired.

Christianity

Christianity was mainly a moral and religious force and, therefore, early and medieval Christian writers viewed the question of population purely from the moral and ethical points of view.

There was heavy emphasis on celibate practices, the foundations of which are found in the teachings of St. Paul and St. Augustin. Marriage and reproduction were regarded as necessary evils.

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In later years, however, this emphasis underwent a change: marriage was said to be desirable and reproduction was thought of a being a divinely approved mode of living.

Islam

The Muslim thinking on population was mainly pro- populationistic. The Muslim tradition says, “Marry the affectionate prolific woman, for I shall be proud of you among the nations.”

Of the many objectives of marriage, one of the utmost importances is man’s procreation of sons and daughters, who thereby renews and extends his own life.

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Islamic texts are also clear on the point that the primary objective of the establishment of a family is the perpetuation of the human species through the satisfaction of the sexual urge, which is achieved through sexual intercourse between husband and wife.

It is, however, worth nothing that an important work of an Arab author of the fourteenth century, Ibn Khaldoun (1332-1460), made two interesting points.

He was of the opinion that a densely settled population was conducive to higher standards of living, for it’s helped achieve a greater division of labour and a more effective utilisation of resources, and also ensured military and political security.

He maintained that population increased and decreased in obedience to economic fluctuations, and that favourable economic conditions and political stability brought about population growth.

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Here, he sounded a note of warning, and stated that economic progress also encouraged luxurious living, led to higher taxation and brought about political instability, which in turn caused economic depression and depopulation.