Abortion - The Dispute that is Undermining our Democracy

Politicians have harvested the votes of folks opposed to the Roe v. Wade decision for three decades. Their resulting ability to name very conservative justices to the Supreme Court has led to the very wealthy gaining ever more power to ignore the fundamental precepts of democracy. Anonymous corporations can now pour millions of dollars into advertising to elect the candidates of their choice, even as those candidates work at making it harder for regular folks to vote. The rich get richer while regular folks often can't afford to buy a house.

(I ask my friends and relatives with whom I have agreed to disagree in the past to read and consider the following)

Please decide whether you think the following statements are true or false:

Is giving the Government the power to force women to bear children consistent with our values?  Where does an individual’s right to pursue “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” stop and governments control of a citizen’s life begin?

If we force a women to carry through a pregnancy don’t we owe some duty to that child to insure it has an opportunity for a good life?

Our form of government is in essence an agreement that we will each be free except to the extent our activities impact other persons.

The Ten Commandments say “thou shalt not..”   They do not say “Thou shalt not allow others to…” The 10 Commandments are God’s instructions to each of us on what we must do be meet God’s standards.  

God is the judge of whether we meet his standards, he did not delegate authority to judge sins to us.  Rather like when you leave the house and tell your kids to stay out of the cookie jar, you are telling them each as individuals the conduct you expect from them, you are not deputizing them to prevent their siblings from raiding the cookie jar - because that would surely lead to a fight.

After Moses came down with the 10 Commandments Moses people started coming to Moses with complaints about other people’s behavior and suggesting punishments.  Thus began Leviticus, an incredible collection of laws imposed, not as an agreement between the governed, but as laws of God to be enforced by man.

What made Jesus a revolutionary threat in the eyes of the Temple leaders was he rejected that notion that man was deputized to enforce God’s laws. But Jesus could directly repudiate Leviticus because the religious leaders in his time did not want their power threatened and would quickly convict him of heresy and execute him if they had enough evidence.

So Jesus did not directly repudiate Leviticus.  Instead he preached what God does want us to do - love your neighbor and live by the Golden rule.  His message was focus on your own relationship with God and stop judging others.  But occasionally Jesus couldn’t resist pointing out the silliness of all the rules that grew out of the notion in Leviticus  that God authorized man to judge what is a sins against God.  In the Sermon on the Mount, far from the Temple he let himself go a little and ridiculed a lot of the minor rules that grew out of the Leviticus notion men could determine what God wanted.

When Jesus later arrived in Jerusalem (John Chapter 8) the Temple leaders took a woman who had been found committing adultery to Jesus. They said to Jesus Leviticus says this women should be stoned to death, what do you say we should do?  Jesus realized they were trying to get him to directly repudiate Leviticus so they could imprison him. So at first he just said nothing.   They kept insisting, demanding an answer.  So Jesus gave them an answer that instead of rejecting Leviticus told them why Leviticus was wrong.  Let the person who is without sin cast the first stone.

Quite simply, Jesus's fundamental message was the laws of God are to be judged by God, not us.  Our job is to focus on our own behavior.

God has no problem with us creating laws among ourselves to create a harmonious society where people are free to pursue their life without interference from others.  God gave us a brain, he gave us the ability to be happy and enjoy life.  But those laws are rooted in protecting our ability to live the life we choose, not in judging and punishing others for their life choices.

Sometimes our laws overlap with Gods.  We have laws against conduct  - like murder, or theft - that has a negative impact on other people because when one person commits such an act against another person it creates anger and leads to a like response. And it interferes with the victims right to live their life. But we must guard against doing exactly what Jesus advised against - assuming the right to judge sin.

If a women in your community has an abortion it has no negative consequences on any other person in the community - it does not generally raise the possibility of someone lashing out in anger or seeking revenge.   It may be a sin but it is God who will judge that sin.

You may be concerned about the life of the fetus. You think it is somehow your duty to save the fetus. Here are some questions about that view.

1. Is not God all powerful? Does he need your help to deal with an abortion in his own way?

2. Does a fetus have a soul? If you believe the answer is yes ask yourself :
Does the soul of an aborted fetus go to heaven, or to hell?
How can a fetus commit a sin?
If it can't commit a sin do you believe God will condemn the fetus for the sins of the mother?

If an aborted fetus is going to heaven - what are you saving it for?
The chance to live life with a mother than doesn't want it so it can commit some sin and go to hell?

b. If the fetus does not have a soul until, as Genesis suggests, God breathes in the breath of life, it is the mother's soul who is at risk, and you are choosing to stand in judgment and take away the mother's right to make choices in life.

Compare to the issue of control A gun is a tool whose only real purpose is to take life.  Tens of thousands of children and adults lose their life each year to gun violence.  Regulating guns is a legitimate subject for law because it impacts living souls.

When you focus your efforts using the power of government to force a change in the behavior of women whom you judge are about to commit a sin, you reject Jesus in the same way the Temple establishment rejected Jesus.  You are focusing on forcing people not to sin instead of focusing on the Golden Rule and treating others as you would like to be treated.  

A Chance Enounter

I ran into Jesus the other day.  He was sitting on a bench on a bluff overlooking the Ocean in Carmel looking at the Sunset.  With his beard and rough looking cloak he looked like just another of the homeless guys I had seen around town, but the yellow glow around his head gave him away.

I just stood there for a minute, trying to figure out what to do.  I wanted to talk to him but he seemed to be enjoying his solitude, and I couldn't think of what to say.  The thought I could ask for his autograph popped into my head, but I was immediately embarrassed to have had the thought, so just sat down quietly on the other end of the bench.

"You should be embarrassed" he said, gently.  "But you don't need a reason to talk to me."

"Umm, how are..."  I stopped mid sentence, it was so banal.  What do you say to Jesus?

"I'm fine, thank you," he said.  "You say whatever you like.  Next you are going to wonder what I am doing here.  I am just having a little time to reflect.  I am retired you know."

"Retired?"  The word popped out of my mouth before I could stop it.

"Well, yeah.  My job ended 2000 years ago.  I just drop in from time to time to see how I did."    He paused for a minute then continued.  "It's a little frustrating, so sometimes I want to just chill."

I looked around, a little confused about what he would be doing in Carmel.

"It's very nice here, and I like to watch people play golf," he said.   "It takes my mind off the frustration.  You know Golf is one of the most frustrating games in the world.  I find it comforting to see how other people deal with the frustration."

"Next you are going to ask what I am frustrated about," he said, anticipating my question before it had fully formed in my head.  "God gave me the job of teaching the Jews to stop focusing on the sins of other people and reach into their heart to get to know God.  2000 years later instead of abolishing the power of those who wrap themselves in God to tell other people what to do my words have been used to set up hundreds of new organizations claiming to speak for God."

He sounded a little...worked up about this. 

"I suppose I am," he said.  "It wasn't easy you know.  Trying to tell people that the Temple bigwigs claiming to speak for God were not the path to God without getting thrown in jail was really hard.  That time the Pharisee's brought that poor women to me wanting me to order her to be stoned, that was close.  I'm not that glib you know."

"I talked all over Galilee to tell people all God wants from us is to accept our imperfections and love and support others, but all these people keep wrapping themselves in God to drum up support to use the government to lean on gay people, or stop people from having abortions, or drop bombs on some bad country." 

We sat in silence for a minute.  I was too surprised to even form a question in my head that he could mind-read.  But he continued after a moment.

"When God gave Moses the 10 Commandments to tell people how to please God he should have been more careful in his language.  He said "Thou shalt not... and ever since people have been adding the phrase "...or allow others to".  

"A few months ago the newspapers were full of stories about all these guys trying to pass laws to stop women from having abortions."  He shook his head.  "God told them in Genesis that the breath of life is imparted at birth, but they are all obsessed with creating definitions that will allow them to force women to bear children.  It is like they think God can't handle his own business."

"I've talked to God about making a clearer statement," he mused.  "Lots of times actually.  He is always kind and patient but basically tells me to butt out.  One time he told me the ones that figure out he wants people who chose him, not sheep he can herd, were the keepers."

He looked at me then smiled and slowly stood up.  "It's been nice talking with you," he said.  "But long walks are also good for dealing with frustration, and its time for my walk."

Before I could say anything I heard a noise behind me and looked back.  When I turned back toward him he was gone.  But there was a slip of paper on the bench.

"Good spot to be tomorrow evening," it said.  "Really great sunset scheduled."

IDP - Questions to those who support Government control over abortions

1.  Genesis 2:7 - states that God formed man and breathed in the breath of life and the man became a living soul.  Is there another bible verse that touches on when the soul is imparted?

2.  What words of Jesus support the idea we are delegated to enforce and punish God's law?

Questions to people who support banning abortion

I am soliciting responses, but I ask that you read all the questions and think about them a bit before you respond.

1.  Is your goal to reduce abortions?

If so, how do you explain the fact abortions have fallen consistently in the United States ever since Roe v. Wade made abortions legal in 1973?

How do you explain the fact the United Nations study from a couple years ago that looked at abortion in scores of different countries found a consistent correlation between tolerant abortion laws and low abortion levels, and tough abortion laws and high levels of abortion?

2.  Why would a women want to abort her fetus that will grow into a child?  Could it be because her fear outweighs love?

Could it be economic fear - that she won't be able to support the child?

Could it be relationshipship fear - that she doesn't have people in her life she can rely on to help her raise the child?

Could it be lifestyle fear - fear that a child will force her to change their lifestyle?

How does passing laws forcing her to have the child address any of these fears?

Could it be that a society that is tolerant and loving alleviates fear better than a society that is strict and demanding?

3.  Does cutting the budget for social programs that help people in need alleviate or aggravate fear of pregnancy?

4.  If you are Christian and build your life around the teachings of Jesus, what do his teachings tell you about whether you should chose loving guidance or strict laws enforced by authorities?