Kristie Lynn Nelson
Christianity Vs Abortion
One very prominent issue in the world today, has been abortion and the politically correct opinions regarding this issue. While its not a new issue, it is a topic that has been increasing its measures on how far a woman can go with her choice and how lenient the world would be in allowing these new changes to occur. Christians in this world need to stand up to this and redirect the world’s way of thinking by starting with guiding their children’s mentality about their responsibilities as adults in this world and to value the sanctity of life.
As a standard definition on the ethics of these choices,” pro-choice is defined as the right of a woman to decide whether to terminate a pregnancy and pro-life is defined as the right of the embryo or fetus to gestate to term and to be born” (wiki).
Certainly as a woman living with the freedoms that America offers, I believe as individuals our body is our domain to choose what takes place with it, however with the matter of abortion, we are no longer just making choices for our body but we are now making choices for a viable embryo that is the beginnings of a new human life. Suddenly this choice is not so black and white. As Christians and as parents it becomes our responsibility to clarify to our youth the cause and effect on these choices and the many other choices they have when and if this situation comes to fruition for them.
Within our society today, lies a body of people who have been led to believe in a politically correct world where the rules of life and personal responsibility should be forgotten, because they are considered a manner of control. Our young people are losing respect for our world and the ability to respect themselves. The beauty of children growing up with a complete family and proper discipline, being taught to respect themselves and to respect life is becoming a lost way of life.
As Christians in this world it is our job to take a stand, by placing more focus on our
children and teaching them to respect themselves and have values and morals, to value the sanctity of life and the wonderful miracle of creating a life. In the King James version of the Bible God stated one of his ten commandments, Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” In today's world they are legitimizing aborting a child after birth, there is no other way to describe this other than killing. This is no longer an issue of a woman’s rights for her body and her life, this child is no longer connected to her body in any way.
I know we are starting to see some states and local governments fight back on this idea and I am certainly relieved to know there are still some dignified and good people in this world who respect and value an innocent life. Psalm 127: 3-4 states “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth.”
There is an argument today on the values and morals of Christians and for how long have they been standing against abortion. Some, like Dr Willie Parker believe he is “doing God’s work” by performing abortions and writer Nicholas Kristof tells us that “the conservative Christianity’s ferocious opposition to abortion is relatively new in the historical terms.” This of course is simply not true. As an article in the table talk magazine states “an early document, The Didache, that dates around AD 80-120 states, the way of life demands that Christians “Shall not murder a child by abortion nor commit infanticide.” “There are also more proof in this article of written documents stating against abortion dated in AD and as I previously shared from the bible, there are also numerous scriptures praising the “Sanctity of all human life” (Table Talk Magazine, 2017).
In our world today, we are a society of constant on the go behavior. There is no stay at home parents or very little of them. The best of parents, can lose their way and get caught up in the business of life and supporting a family, but we need to slow down and start to focus on our children and teach them about values and making responsible decisions in their lives as they are growing up towards adulthood. We need to share with them the options and choices they have to behave in a moral and just fashion.
Christians should remind them how valuable it is to have respect for themselves and save themselves until marriage. Now I realize that the world has changed quite a bit and that the thought of abstinence until marriage is pretty much non- existent, but it should never go without mention. Even if this is not an option, we can teach are children to practice safe sex and to be respectful of each other and mindful of their actions and how they can come to affect their lives in the future.
We can discuss the option, should an occurrence become present, of adoption as a choice that would give someone, who’s out there yearning to have a child but was not blessed with the ability to carry one, to have that opportunity to care and love that child, instead of choosing to end that innocent life. We can share with our child the beautiful works of our Lord and his scripture pertaining to the value of life and his words regarding life. This is not making the decisions for them but rather raising them with a moral ground to guide them. It should not be that as the world changes, Christians change or adjust their values and morals to fit the world but that as Christians we make certain that while the world is changing and bringing forth new ideas and corruptible challenges , we work to continue to hold steady to our morals and to God’s word, because his word never changes and our mentality and commitment to him shouldn’t either.
There will always be challenges to face and new ideas and thoughts to contend with but if Christians stay true to the word of God, the answers are there for these challenges, no matter what they might be. Now I am not suggesting that if a woman’s life is in jeopardy, she shouldn’t have choices to save her life, that are deeply considered between her and her physician, but I am stating that there are far more woman in this world, using this option as a means of contraception than as a life or death choice. The CDC, which started abortion surveillance in 1969 defines abortion as “For the purpose of surveillance, a legal induced abortion is defined as an intervention performed by a licensed clinician (e.g., a physician, nurse-midwife, nurse practitioner, physician assistant) within the limits of state regulations that is intended to terminate a suspected or known ongoing intrauterine pregnancy and that does not result in a live birth. Most states and reporting areas that collect abortion data now report if an abortion was medical or surgical. Medical abortions are legal procedures that use medications instead of surgery,” The CDC reports that in 2016 alone “623,471 legal induced abortions were reported to CDC from 48 reporting areas.” I am not convinced by any means that every one of these abortions were life- saving choices for the woman, but rather certain there were many that were done for sheer convenience (CDC, 2019).
If Christians do not stand up against this immoral judgement our world has deemed appropriate and acceptable , and guide our youth toward better ways of thinking and wiser choices in life, with better views on valuing life, then Christians are failing their faith and commitment to honor the bible and God’s word and commandments.
According to author William Saunders,” The Roman Catholic Church has consistently condemned abortion-the direct and purposeful taking of the life of the unborn child.” (Rev William Saunders)
“The Roman Catholic belief is one that is shared with Christian belief in the sanctity of the life of the unborn child, not just because of the scriptures of the Old Testament but because of the mystery of the incarnation” (Rev William Saunders).
Christians need to share these scriptures regarding the beauty and sacredness of life with their young and any young person seeking guidance and truth through Jesus. Choosing to take a life for the convenience of yours is not justifiable and should not be legal, but it remains a legal acceptance in our world and because of that we need to make this choice , not one that comes easy but one that is deeply considered and thought out based on our morals and values and through our guidance from the Lord. In society today our young women believe they are taking a stand for themselves as strong independent women and protecting their right to choose what is right for their body and their life, but in the midst of this they lose the factual part of all of this , which is that they are not just deciding for their life and their body but they are deciding for that unborn child’s life and its body as well. Deciding to take an innocent life does not make you a strong woman, it in no way proves women powerful or increases a woman’s level of dignity, it merely gives woman the ability to choose to end an innocent life simply because you are not ready to be responsible for this life you created and the Lord blessed you with. This unborn child didn’t choose for you to have intercourse or aid in the choices you made prior to or during this act and certainly had no choice in coming into this world and yet you would punish the child for your decisions or mishaps from your decision?
Christians need to teach our young to make wise decisions and responsible ones and to own up to your choices and be responsible for the life you created , if not in raising this child yourself , then at least giving this child the right to be brought into this world and raised by someone who will be ready to care for them and love them and provide them a beautiful life.
The good Lord doesn’t bless you with such a beautiful miracle, to only watch you choose to destroy it for your own purpose. “The Church teaches, “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being” (Donum vitae, 5) (Rev William Saunders).
It goes without saying that our world and Christians need to raise our men to be responsible as well and to own up to their responsibilities as well. Many of these choices made by women are brought on through fear of raising a child on their own and knowing that the father in this circumstance is unwilling to be a part of this new miracle’s life. The moral to all of this, is to be prepared for what may come from your actions, if you believe you are adult enough to participate in the act of a sexual encounter then be adult enough to be responsible for the life you may create.
King James Bible.Copyrighted 1974, Exodus 20:13,Psalm 127 3-4
Mohler, Albert, Tabletalkmagazine.com, 2017 " The Real Story of Christianity and Abortion"
www.cdc.gov, 2019 "abortion surveillance 2016"
Rev. William Saunders, "Church has always condemned abortion" Arlington Catholic Herald(www.catholicnewsagency.com/)
babies are...for real
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