Religious Studies· 2026Q1
Religious antinatalism: a rare breed
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- 2026year
Short summary
Antinatalism, the view that creating new sentient beings is wrong, is not logically incompatible with theism and can be supported by core religious concepts like reducing suffering (Buddhism) and original sin/hell (Christianity).
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Key points
- Antinatalism is not logically incompatible with theism.
- Religious traditions like Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism have pronatalist features (e.g., procreation injunctions) but these have limits.
- Core religious concepts, such as reducing suffering (Buddhism) and original sin/hell (Christianity), support antinatalist arguments.
- The paper identifies examples of religious antinatalist thinking across four major religions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract This article examines the relationship between religion and antinatalism – the view that it is wrong to create new sentient beings. Many people reject antinatalism on religious grounds. In this paper, I respond to such a rejection. First, I argue that antinatalism is not logically incompatible with theism. Second, I consider the pronatalist features of some religious traditions – those of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. These include religious injunctions to procreate, imitatio Dei , and preservation of the religious community. I also show the limits of these pronatalist features. Third, I provide some examples of religious antinatalist thinking in the four surveyed religions. Finally, I say something about why many religions should be more antinatalist than they are. I do this by showing how central concepts – such as reducing suffering in Buddhism and original sin and hell in Christianity – provide compelling support for antinatalism.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Religious Studies, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities