And first of all, before you read anything else, I will just say three things straight out: 1) I am pro-life, in every situation possible. 2) With reason, some people will not like the first thing I just stated, and that is okay- bc truth be told, I have NOT been in every situation possible. However, 3) when I'm all finished with this post, the main objective of it really has nothing to do with abortion. But I wanted to preface the post by letting you know I am all in pro-life, so you can either stop reading now...or keep reading...or skip to the end where I try to tie my point into this post. Because as you read, there will be times I perhaps sound like I am on a side I am not, so I want it to be clear from the get go, if there are sides, the one I am on.
I grew up knowing of James Lankford, the Senator speaking in the video, from somewhat of a distance. As a senior in high school, I actually got to know him because he was our interim youth pastor. He is a wonderful, wonderful man, and if I could've voted for him, I would have.
So this video, which I saw being circulated all over FB, prompted a discussion between BDawg and I at the lunch table on our snow day on Thursday. Thankfully we had that snow day, not just for this conversation, but for the fact we'd basically been in the hospital for the entire week before and I was so glad to be home (thanks to a big crying meltdown I had, the doctor had compassion on my blithering self and let Ridge come home). ANYWAY, when the video finished playing, BDawg said, "that was a really good speech."
I didn't exactly know what to say. I mean, hands down, IMO, it WAS/IS a great speech, bc I am of like opinion as this Senator. But for the sake of discussion, BDawg and I sometimes play the devil's advocate and try to talk things out. So, I started out with my first thought, which gets me sad a lot of times when we get into discussions similar to this one...As Christians...we expect the world, and the USA specifically, to become a nation under God again. And while the urging and pleading and evangelizing should never cease, I get sad because the Bible makes it pretty clear that as Christ's return approaches, our world will veer further and further from the Truth. And then, I said something about how in my mind, regardless of the circumstance, I can't imagine terminating a pregnancy. We talked about rape cases. We talked about cases where the baby would be born with something wrong with him/her (um...hello, if you haven't figured out what we'd choose in this situation you've never read our blog!). We talked about cases where a mother finds out she has cancer or something terminal during her pregnancy. We tried to cover a lot of these "extra" type cases....and then I got to thinking about some of the people I know who are pro-choice. People I like. People I have taught in school. People who have taught me many things. People who proclaim to be Christians. And we got to talking about how some Christians think about the pro-choice side of things as being pro-abortion....which, in my opinion, it is not. Anyone who would say they are pro-abortion....um....WHAT? That, I believe, is just asinine. I think what stirs people up on the pro-choice end of things is that they find it infuriating that anyone would take away a woman's right to choose to do whatever. And I get that-- don't get me wrong- I think abortion at any and all stages of pregnancy, regardless of how the pregnancy occurred, is not not not okay. But I understand getting spit fire mad about taking away a right to choose- not necessarily the right to choose abortion. Change it to something else. The right to choose...(whatever). So i GET that side of it. However....because I believe abortion is wrong wrong wrong. If life is defined at conception, which I believe it is...and if abortion is illegalized....we aren't taking away a right to choose, are we? A woman could still CHOOSE to have that done (albeit somewhere else, or illegally in the U.S.) just as a woman or man can still CHOOSE to do any number of illegal -- or even legal!- things. Making abortion illegal doesn't strip someone of their right to choose. Making drugs illegal hasn't removed anyone's right to choose to do drugs. And I know, all the pro life people might be nodding their heads right now and all the pro choice readers might be shaking their fists (or something else). I'm just spilling my thoughts- it is okay with me if you don't agree with them or dislike them...I don't feel like I'm attacking anyone here, and I hope that I don't sound as if I am. Because most certainly I have never been in a position to have to make this decision, but I can tell you that if I were, even as hard as the decision might be to proceed with a pregnancy in illness, or a pregnancy I didn't ask for bc I was raped, etc etc. I do know the decision I would make. I know this, because as Brandon and I talked this out/argued with each other for the sake of just trying to see both sides, although we are on the same side, and although I think it is sad that there even ARE sides...and while I wrestled with what I KNOW I believe and with understanding some of the "other side's" views....This question was posed at our kitchen table that snow day...."Well...we can see it however we want, but as Christians, what is our responsibility? To do what we think is right? No. To do what God says is right."
Now. I already knew where I stood. And I understand some of the points on the side on which I do not stand. But here's the thing....about abortion, or ANYTHING-- drugs, abuse, rape, stealing, underage drinking, things more or less severe in human eyes than anything I've listed...here is the thing...EVEN AS CHRISTIANS, in today's world, so many of us do things, make decisions, that we think God will be okay with. "I'm okay with this, because I feel in my heart it is the right thing to do." "this is a decision I can live with." "I think God will be all right with me making this decision." WHAT? Where do we get this line of thinking? Am I NEVER guilty of this? I'm sure I am guilty of this sometimes. But the truth is, THIS IS WRONG. Who are we to say, "it's okay bc I'm okay with it, so God's okay with it." What. The. Heck. No. IIIIIIIIII can be okay with something because God is okay with it. It does not work the other way around. I can adjust MY life because God has requested something of me. I should not expect God to conform to my belief system. God IS my belief system. His Word, even the parts I don't always like, ARE my belief system. It is ridiculous to think I can pick and choose certain parts of the Bible to be applicable and certain parts to not be. Now...some nitpickers out there will say, "well does that mean you can't....." and smack down something Old Testament style that really no one practices anymore. I'm not here to smack people around- I don't know all the answers. I know if you read the context of things, and if you know when things are written and why they are written, and know that a lot of those laws in the OT are just that- the law then, the "right" way to do things...BEFORE Jesus came to abolish the law and set us free....well then while those writings are valid for what they are, and true for what they are, and insightful for what they are, I am not slave to that law, bc I am set free by Jesus Christ.
And because I am set free by Jesus Christ, the Lord is my God. I am not His god. I do not get to make His word fit MY life, even if I want to, even if that is easier. As Christians, we need to rise above what is becoming social Christianity and become more, become what God intends for us to become. If you call yourself Christian, you call yourself "little Christ." You can't proclaim that and mean it if you aren't doing what Christ says. If you want to believe whatever you want to believe, that is completely and totally your choice, but it is entirely inaccurate to profess a belief system to be Christianity if it is not even following what God says is true/right!
So the real question is-- "What does God say about that?"
And so there is the point of this post. I'm sorry it had very little to do with Ridge, bc I know that is why some of you read here. I'm sorry if I have offended anyone, although I know that is to be expected, because my intention was just to share something I have not been able to shake. And just to wrap up the abortion spill, from my end of things, here's one thing I think God says about life at conception, if not before:
To Jeremiah, he writes:
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Why would I assume if he knew Jeremiah prior to conception that He did not also know me prior to conception? And for that matter, all unborn babies? AND FOR THAT MATTER, what about the girl/woman faced with this horrendous decision of what to do in such an unexpected situation....God knew her before she ever existed. He knew the situation she would be in. And while He can do whatever He chooses, I do not believe God necessarily causes bad things to happen-- but He does KNOW they are going to happen, and He allows us to go through horrendous experiences because if we belong to Christ, God causes ALL things to work together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28).
And...Psalm 139, beginning in vs 13:
For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
Before one of them came to be!
All the days of my life, of your life, of her life, of his life, were known, before one of them even came to be.
So. What does God say about {whatever it is you are facing/doing/deciding/needing}?
8 comments:
VERY well said. I so miss talking to you about the little and the big things in life. You are inspiring others and I am so glad that you are not ashamed! :)
Amy
WOW! Fascinating blog post. I think considering your beliefs then no one can really get angry over your position. You're beliefs seem to be in line with your ideology. Keep in mind I'm atheist AND I'm pro-life (although not to the extent that you are).
I'm curious about your thoughts concerning the old testament though. I realize the old and new testaments are differing "agreements" with mankind. Yet, from a christian perspective, both old and new can be used to give some idea as to the nature of God.
God condoned the killing of many people in the OT, so many in fact that we can likely assume that some were pregnant. We know that many were very young as well as female. Does this indicate that abortion might not be against God moral reference point?
I'm interested in your thoughts.
Well, by no means am I any expert on much of anything, but I welcome your comments and questions! I do feel inadequate at answers, though, which for my personality is very frustrating!
Twin Daddy, I figure you are correct that in the destruction of many sinful cities/communities/virtually the entire world during the flood/etc, most likely children, infants, expectant mothers, etc were destroyed..that is a pretty much guarantee, so it is a logical assumption....But I don't liken it to abortion...A couple of things I think here-- when it comes to an unborn child, the person carrying that child is choosing (or being forced to choose)to terminate the pregnancy. The child (because I do believe it is a child/a life, even at conception) has zero say in it, and truthfully, God has zero say in it-- God is not using these doctors as vigilantes of retribution for some sin-- the unborn child needs no judgement taken out on him/her, bc what has that child done thus far to be judged of? Maybe I am misunderstanding your question/thought? Another thought,from my personal belief system, is that the phrase "God's moral reference point" is kind of irrelevant here- only in the sense that because I believe in God as THE Way/Truth/Life, I don't think HE has a moral reference point in the sense we do. I mean, who would He glean it from? God doesn't have a God. What He says, goes. And because I think in the Old Testament, although through His servants He did destroy many many sinful nations, even when He destroyed the entire population, He did not destroy the righteous-- not the ones willing to listen and join Noah on the Ark. So God does judge- and that judgement can end in death and destruction...but an unborn child has nothing to be judged of. So his/her death is completely unwarranted and I believe is something that grieves the heart of God. Whew. I don't think I probably did much good at answering, but I tried my best!!! Thank you for your comment/inquiry- I hope you see my reply, as my blog is not set up to automatically show a reply to a given comment.
I think it's a reasonable reply Alisha. The question is complex.
I will assume for the sake of argument that the god of the bible is real (I don't think he is, but I know lots of people do!).
When I say "moral reference point", I would have to agree, God wouldn't get that from anyone. He would be the moral reference point for his followers though. Those fetuses in their mothers wombs are completely innocent. Killing of anyone I don't think can be justified because of "being sinful", I mean the bible teaches that all are sinful, Noah certainly would have to fall under that grouping I think.
I'm pro-life (in most cases) because I don't think anyone knows when life begins. From a biblical point of view, when I was a christian, I considered it to be when the heart begins to beat. The bible says the life is in the blood, so when the heart beats would be when the blood circulates (Completely my own thoughts though).
I also think that people make a choice to have sex and that sometimes has after affects (babys). There are too many people out there that want a child for them just to be thrown away.
Anyway, I think the question and answer are both pretty complex. I appreciate your reply, thanks for taking the time.
no prob. glad you checked back!
you are right in that all are sinful, and the Bible is very clear about that. I think perhaps I wasn't as clear as I wanted to be there-- at 1 AM :) Even Noah sinned, as is clearly clearly documented in the Bible but I think what is notable is that for whatever reason, God chose him to save (physically) whoever would listen and believe. God knew he had sinned, but just as God chooses to use regular every day people, who are all sinners, to do His work, He chose Noah to save some of humanity (physically). Noah listened to, and believed God, and obeyed Him, and pretty much all of the world thought he was a quack. Because God had already made the decision to destroy the earth (population wise) with the flood, because of the wickedness of the people, those who did not listen to Noah and believe what God had told him could not be saved, bc they weren't on the ark, so they obviously drowned. So while those who did heed Noah's warning (God's warning) were definitely sinners, bc you are right in that we all are, they were saved because of their belief in God and their obedience on that belief. I probably didn't clear myself up any there :)
And of course, I am stating all of this as true because I believe it is-
Thanks again for taking time to see if I responded. Perhaps one day I will have a blog with some automatic reply button, that would be so great!
Thanks for the reply Alisha. I've been following your blog since last year. I find it very interesting. You have a beautiful family and I think you're an excellent mother. I have two children that spend some time in the NICU when they were born, but survived it fairly unscathed (except for a heart issue). I suspect the NICU ultimately led to my wife and I both rejecting christianity but then again, belief is a very complex issue as well. Most people leave for complex reasons.
As far as abortion goes. I'm always a little conflicted. I'm pro-choice, but I'm also pro-life. I would like for abortions never to happen, sadly, I don't think that will ever be the case. Hopefully we can have legislation someday that makes sense.
Thank you for sharing some of your story. We can be reached at a_b_cary@yahoo.com if you'd like to continue this discussion or ask any more questions about whatever. And of course, you can always leave comments here, I just thought in the future that would be a way that might be easier to check back and forth than scrolling comments here! Thanks again for the conversation and comments.
Alisha, I hope that you and Brandon realize how many lives that you touch daily. I to am pro-life but have a few very very close people in my life that have chose abortion. I do not understand it, but also feel like it is not for me to understand. I just feel like I should love them. I have never been put in that situation, but I feel very stongly that I know what I would do if I were. I am not great at explaining my thoughts and views so I tend to sit back and listen during discussions such as these. I feel like you are very well spoken and I am fascinated to her your views on such things!
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