Where babies come from

[Rythal]

So will each prayer result in a child or does the God have some guidelines and decide who can have a child? What if a couple is very devout, but infertile? Would the God still have the option to "grant" them a child? If it's a true God the answer would be yes I guess. It might be more interesting though for the setting to have something like infertility. In a society like this having no children as a couple would be a huge social stigma I think, as it could be interpreted that the couple is not devout enough. This opens the door to all kinds of stuff to spice up the setting. Think intolerance and jealousy.

I was under the impression that everyone was infertile until the God said/granted otherwise. My concern, and this was already "touched on" by tilt, would be the case of STD's/STI's/ Whatever they're calling them these days.

[rdanhenry]

So, do children still get born with birth defects? If so, I think this would be seen as a very bad sign of punishment from the gods, like the most extreme cases in our own world. It would split couples apart with mutual accusations, or the whole family might be sent into exile. If not, it makes it even more utopian of a setting. Which isn't a bad thing, as long as there's an outside threat. Far more fiction goes too far the other way, where I don't care if the "heroes" win or lose, because the world they're fighting for is arguably better off dead.

[Gandwarf]

I was under the impression that everyone was infertile until the God said/granted otherwise. My concern, and this was already "touched on" by tilt, would be the case of STD's/STI's/ Whatever they're calling them these days.

Yeah, I understand what you say.
I was thinking more like this: most women are biologically capable of getting with child, but the God needs to kickstart it with a spark of life or something. If a man or woman is biologically incapable of having babies (infertile), maybe not even the God can help with that? But as I said, if it's true God he/she could even fix infertility. Making my point mute

[waldronate]

I would think that a critical point is whether it is prayer alone that allows fertility or whether it's prayer in an appropriate venue/with appropriate priestly ritual that allows fertility. It is often pointed out in our modern world that the sole purpose of marriage is to provide a socially acceptable framework for the rearing of children. In the proposed context it might be that it is more than a socially acceptable situation but is a physiological requirement.

Another possibility is not that divine intervention is required to bring a baby to term, but that things conceived in an improper frame of mind / without proper prayer will rarely result in something akin to a soulless abomination (we call them managers where I work).

A similar idea in a modern context is universal application of birth control before puberty with specific requirements for short-term reversal to allow conception and birth.

[Alvary]

Neat idea and a heap of neat ideas in reply!

What if there were no god(s) at all and something physical or mental were triggered when praying to allow pregnancy...sort of like praying brought them into cycle.
Also, if there are god(s) has this always been the way or has some event brought that they must pray in order to reproduce. Perhaps the god(s) was feeling neglected.

Anyway, a few notes
Jessica

[Aval Penworth]

Thanks everyone for your ideas and opinions. I'll get to it.

I think the story will get interesting when a handsome incubus enters the scene. I'm not sure who yet, but someones daughter (king? priest? noble?) will get an unexpected visitor.

[ShadowBB]

You could (if you want, just brainstorming out loud here) make it extra nasty instead of utopian. What if pregnancy occurs normal but for actual life to occur the baby needs a soul, granted by the god. So if two people have sex without consent or without some sort of sign from their god after prayer, the woman might still get pregnant but the child will be born soulless and thus dead (or maybe undead, or whatever other effect not having a soul has in your metaphysics).

I like the general idea. It's original. Good job.

[tilt]

now that is a truly evil idea ShadowBB - kudos

[Ascension]

Birthing undead is downright evil to the max. I love that idea. I guess baby zombies need goat brains or cow brains instead of milk?

[tilt]

If anyone has read the "Assasins Quest" trilogy by Robin Hobb - you'll know a bit about what impact soulless creatures can have on society - of course in those books its your friends and family that turns "undead" so people you've lived amongst for years and years. And no, its not a zombie book, so don't go buy it for that - but its well worth the read, some of the best fantasy I've ever read.