Guy With 21 Siblings And 78 Niblings Does An AMA: "And Yes, My Parents Are Mormon"

It's no secret that many Mormons tend to have quite big families. While the average American family has 1-2 kids, it's not unusual for some Mormons to have 5 or more children. In case you're unaware, Mormonism is a religious belief system that originates from the Latter-Day Saint movement. It's also known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mormons place huge emphasis on family. Jim Harmer, who was born a Mormon, writes that he and others "believe God’s commandment to multiply and replenish the earth," and that "having children is an important purpose in life."

According to the website mormonrules.com, the church’s official statement on birth control states the following:

“Children are one of the greatest blessings in life, and their birth into loving and nurturing families is central to God’s purposes for humanity. When husband and wife are physically able, they have the privilege and responsibility to bring children into the world and to nurture them. The decision of how many children to have and when to have them is a private matter for the husband and wife.”

The site notes that many Mormons pray about how many children to have and trust God’s judgment. Having a giant family is not considered a negative thing, but rather a blessing.

"They are building for eternity and so, not having as much discretionary income here, or having less time or a less prestigious career so they can spend more time with family seems to be less of a sacrifice," explains the Mormon Rules site. "This life is a brief span in a three-part eternal life. What they do here prepares the pattern of life for the rest of eternity. The children they have will be theirs forever."

Harmer backs this up by writing that Mormon families believe their family units will stay together even when they're in heaven. He describes a typical Mormon family day as waking up each morning and reading scriptures together for 15 minutes or so...

"Then we all kneel down as a family and pray to God to give us strength, faith, and wisdom to become better people that day. We pray for each other in our personal prayers," he continues. "On Monday nights we hold a little short church service in our homes with our families that we call family night (my kids think of it more as treat night since we always have a dessert afterward). On Sunday we go and attend church seated together."

Harmer argues that since Mormon life is so focused on families, it's no surprise that adding more kids to the family comes naturally.

Both Harmer and the Mormon Rules site stress that it is entirely up to each couple how many children they choose to have. The Church's policy on birth control states: “Husband and wife are encouraged to pray and counsel together as they plan their families. Issues to consider include the physical and mental health of the mother and father and their capacity to provide the basic necessities of life for their children."

It adds that decisions about birth control and the consequences of those decisions rest solely with each married couple.