In ancient Gnosticism, abstaining from having children was rooted in a dualistic view that the material world is flawed and physical bodies trap the divine spirit.

Why Some Gnostics Avoided Procreation

• The Material Prison: Gnostics believed the physical universe was created by a lower, ignorant or malicious being (the Demiurge). Bringing a new life into the world meant trapping another pure, free spirit inside a corrupt, material body.