David – a reply to your abortion article: 10/11/04
David, you argue that pro-life people are not consistently
so. I have met many and never found this to be the case. Of course they value
the lives of children killed in war or acts of terrorism regardless of who
pulls the trigger. Every single life is just as precious to God as every other.
In terms of numbers being killed though, no other preventable tragedy comes
even close to the size of the abortion holocaust. Not even the Nazi holocaust.
70 plus million per year. God loves children (see end of
article) – God hates the shedding of innocent blood whether by a terrorist, an
abortionist or a soldier mistakenly killing innocent children (even in a
justifiable war – if there is such a thing? It is justifiable to intercede when
you see a drunken man abusing a child).
Of-course we should all love God’s earth and be concerned
about protecting it for our future and our children’s future – you may have a
case here that Christians generally fall short on this issue, but they fall far
shorter on the issue of standing up for the most innocent of those made in
God’s image.
There are virtually no situational ethics that justify
abortion. Rape and incest are not solved by killing the innocent child
conceived. Blame the father, not the unborn.
Statistically pregnancy from rape is very rare – around at
most 1 per 1000. Around 1% of abortions in America are cited as because of
rape.
If your father committed a crime, should you go to jail for
it. If you discovered you were the result of your mother being raped would you
feel you no longer had a right to live?
No adverse circumstance (including the horror of incest) for
one human being changes the nature and worth of another human being.
With modern medical technology the case of needing to kill
the child to save its pregnant mother is almost, if not, non-existent.
You mention the ‘backyard
abortion’ issue. This is also a blatant fallacy that was perpetuated by the
abortion industry. Prior to the ‘legalisation’ of abortion, 90% were performed
in physicians offices. Prominent abortionists such as Dr Bernard Nathanson (now
a pro-life advocate) admitted that they greatly inflated the numbers of deaths
from ‘back-yard’ abortions.
The history of abortion strongly
invalidates your claim. In Poland, when abortion was legal they had, for
example, 168,000 abortions in 1970. Since making it illegal they had only 253
in 1998. Poland now has 25% less miscarriages and 30% fewer women dying. In
fact the latest annual report is that Poland had 21 women die for pregnancy
related problems with none listed as dying from abortion.
Women still die from legal abortions to the tune of over 300
in America. The reality today is that if abortion were illegal there would be
very few and more than likely, those performed would be with the same equipment
being used in abortion clinics today by the same abortionists.
I do agree that the lack of sexual purity and our
promiscuous society is a significant factor. Killing children is not the answer
though. Education is. Churches standing up and promoting biblical values is.
Pro-lifers do not normally attack individuals but they fight
the ignorance and mentality of this age that sacrifices its children on the
altar of convenience. Pro-life people are the most compassionate people I have
ever meet. Saving the most innocent from death and their mothers from the
terrible suffering that generally comes with choosing to abort their children
is very compassionate.
The only more compassionate thing we can do I believe is to
proclaim the gospel and help try and save people from hell.
How God Sees Children
"See that you do not look
down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven
always see the face of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:10)
"But Jesus called the
children to him and said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke
18:16)
"Your
Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be
lost."
(Matthew 18:14)
"Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him."
(Psalms 127:3-4)
"So God created man in his
own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them." (Genesis 1:27)
"Know that the Lord Himself
is God: it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and
the sheep of His pasture." (Psalm 100:3, NASV)
"For every living soul
belongs to me, the father as well as the son." (Ezekiel 18:4)
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are
the potter; we are all the work of your hand."
(Isaiah 64:8)
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the
Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your
own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
"See now that I myself am
He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have
wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand."
(Deuteronomy 32:39)
"The LORD brings death and
makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up."
(1 Samuel 2:6)
The
Shedding of Innocent Blood
"Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to
Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD." (Leviticus
18:21)
"The LORD said . . . 'Any Israelite or any alien
living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death.
The people of the community are to stone him. . . . by giving his children to
Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. . . . If the
people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his
children to Molech . . . I will set my face against that man and his family and
will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him . . ."
(Leviticus 20:1-5)
"Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in
your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so
that you will not be guilty of bloodshed." (Deuteronomy 19:10)
"The LORD sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against
him. He sent them to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the LORD
proclaimed by his servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah
according to the Lord's command, in order to remove them from his presence because
of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent
blood. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was not
willing to forgive." (2 Kings 24:2-4)
"The LORD said, 'What have you done? Listen! Your
brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.'" (Genesis 4:10)
"For God will deliver the needy who cry out, the
afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy
and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and
violence, for precious is their blood in his sight." (Psalm 72:12-14)
"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that
devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness
who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers."
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
Consider Matthew 25:3146, the sheep and goats story.
Christ makes a distinction
of eternal significance based not merely on what people believe and preach, but
on what they have actually done for the weak and needy.
Jesus
said,
"Inasmuch
as you've done it to the least of these my brothers . . . so to me.
Whatever
we do or don't do for the needy, Jesus takes it personally.
As
part of the Great Commission, He told us to be
"teaching them to obey everything I have commanded
you"
(Matthew
28:20)
God
hates hands that shed innocent blood
(Prov. 6:17).
…
the only one that can ascend the hill of the Lord and stand in His holy place
is
"He
who has clean hands and a pure heart."
(Psalm
24:3-4).
"If
anyone turns a deaf ear to the law, even his prayers are detestable." (Prov. 28:9).
"When I called, they
did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen."
Zec 7:13
If you falter in times of
trouble,
How small is your strength!
Rescue those being lead away to
death;
Hold back those staggering toward
slaughter.
If you say, “But we knew nothing
about this,”
Does not He who weighs the heart
perceive it?
Will He not repay each person
according to what he has done?
Proverbs
24:10-12