Belarus is on its way to extinction, but there is a way to survive
Photo Canva.com, EPA, Tatyana
Christian Life
Belarus kept its demographic problems hidden for several years, but can no longer hide that its population is on its way to extinction. Surprisingly, this is not because of a lack of prosperity, as many always think, Zmicier writes.
For the past three years, the Belarusian State Ministry of Statistics has not published data on birth and death rates in the country. We knew how many potatoes were harvested, how big the carrot crop was, and how many tractors were produced for Zimbabwean farmers, but we did not know how many of our fellow citizens were born and how many died.
At last, the silence was broken recently, shocking many. It turned out that in 2024, twice as many Belarusians died as were born. Last year, only 58,000 babies were born, while 115,000 people died. This is unpleasant news for a nation of only ten million people. It is not difficult to calculate how many Belarusians will remain in 50 years with such a negative balance.
Maternity leave
Some people believe that the low birth rate is due exclusively to the poor social conditions developed in Belarus. We have been dealing with a protracted political crisis, Western sanctions, and the war in neighbouring Ukraine.
So, to what extent is this reasoning correct? Then we must examine the material circumstances of families with children in Belarus.
Belarusians with a large family would receive free housing.
What benefits does the Republic of Belarus provide to families who have had a child? At first glance, they may seem insignificant. However, given the economic situation in the country, they are quite impressive. For example, how many days of maternity leave does your country provide? One month? Two? Three? In Belarus, it’s three years! This includes six months of fully paid leave for women.
In addition, there is a one-time payment of $1,500 for the birth of the first child and almost $2,000 for subsequent children. The family also receives $200 per month throughout the leave period. For Belarusians, this is quite a substantial amount of money.
Orphanages
And that’s not all. Until recently, there was a programme to encourage large families. When parents had three or more children, they were not only awarded a medal and a “large family” certificate, but also given the opportunity to either obtain an incredibly favourable loan for a flat or even receive housing completely free of charge. That is a big favour because, due to Belarus's extraordinarily high housing prices, it is very hard to buy a home with an average income.
Even Abraham would envy such promises for his heirs. But, in the end, the above programmes only partially motivated the most disadvantaged segments of the population to have children. The flats they received were often rented out or sold shortly afterwards. And the money frequently went to very different things instead of being used to raise children. As a result, many children from large families, “motivated by material benefits,” ended up in orphanages or other unfavourable conditions, despite all the benefits.
Obstacle
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the reason for the reluctance to have children in our country lies not so much in poor provision or a lack of concern for the material needs of the people. Instead, we must blame the overwhelming materialistic worldview, which makes a child a disruptor of adult comfort or an obstacle to achieving high goals in life instead of the blessing of God it is.
If children do not serve their interests, they would rather not have them.
The materialistic worldview puts the individual at its centre. And that resounds with people because since their Fall into sin, they constantly want everything in life to revolve around them. If children do not serve their interests, they would rather not have them. Instead, Belarusians are increasingly replacing children with dogs or remaining childless. You can see this even when scrolling through your Instagram feed. Therefore, materialism poses a great threat to the survival of Belarusians.
Extinction
Of course, low birth rates are not a problem unique to Belarus. Perhaps readers in Western Europe are just as concerned about demographic issues as we are. In any case, for Christians in Belarus, this is a serious issue.
So, how can we avoid extinction? We noted above that the population problem is more a matter of worldview than social circumstances. Consequently, the key to increasing the birth rate is the restoration of a holistic Christian worldview. That will help many people to seriously consider parenthood in the light of God’s institutions and the history of redemption, rather than modern cultural prejudices.
Having children is a necessary condition for human life and fulfilling our calling, despite the Fall.
John Calvin wrote in his “Institution of Christian Religion” that it is only by knowing God that we can better understand and know ourselves, as if we were looking in a mirror. The Holy Scriptures, in their very first chapters, show us God’s cultural commandment to humanity: to be fruitful and multiply.
The Creator created man in His image and likeness, not only for “worship and enjoyment of God,” but also for ruling the earth and bringing up children. Therefore, having children is a necessary condition for human life and fulfilling our calling, despite the Fall.
Heirs to the promises of God
The Bible pays special attention to children, who are included in God’s covenant. We see in the stories of Adam, Noah, Abraham, and David that children are always present among the beneficiaries of the Covenant. Of course, the redemptive story in the Bible always points to Jesus Christ above all, but we cannot fail to notice that the blessings of the covenant always extended to both the individual and his household. This is true of Abraham in the Old Testament and Cornelius in the New Testament, for example. The Bible shows that children are not superfluous, but heirs to those very promises of God.
Finally, even God presents Himself as a Father, Who accepts into His family different and imperfect sinners through the work and person of Jesus Christ. For the salvation of His children, God sacrificed His Only Son. And He welcomes sinners, without needing anything in return. And it is this example of fatherhood, full of love, that calls on modern Belarusians to be responsible parents.
Today, Christians in Belarus pray that the Gospel, through the power of the Holy Spirit, will restore the Biblical worldview in our country so that people start valuing parenthood again and that many men and women may once again find the joy of a complete family — a family that is not a barrier or an obstacle but, on the contrary, part of a full and successful life according to the standards of life created for us by God.
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