I posted an article yesterday on Facebook about the abortion video made by Emily Letts. I believe that this video displays the disgusting, despicable, and demented culture of death that is spreading throughout our country. One of my former youth group members responded negatively to my post and my views and here is my response to him. I am calling him "Bob" in this post. I would love to receive anyone's comments on this.
Hey Bob,
Here's my response in full to your comment on the article I posted yesterday. I can accept it if you don't agree with me, but be patient and hear me out as I try to address each of the concerns you've raised.
The government does have the right to make you do something even if you don’t like it or don’t want to (a prime example would be the Obamacare legislation). The government seems to have a lot more rights than it should, but that is not where the argument is. A government can make legal something that is wrong or immoral, but that does not make it right and moral just because the government says it’s okay for you to do now. Our government isn't Christian (although it was formed and based on Christian principles by a group of men who were predominantly Christian with the others being believers in Deism. On some level they all believed that God created us and gives us inalienable rights life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness), so sadly I can't expect them to make the right decision on this. However, my issues are not with the government initially on this topic.
First off, people are either pro-abortion or pro-life. There is no such thing as pro-choice. You either support the act of abortion or you do not; there is no middle ground here. Saying pro-choice is just a way of not feeling guilty about murdering a human being because it was inconvenient to be experiencing the consequences of having sex. I know that there is the argument about rape, but no matter how a life has come into existence, it still has value and meaning because it is a life created by God. Also, since it is a human being just as much as you or I am, it too has an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that's something it cannot achieve if it is murdered! My heart aches for anyone who goes through the trauma and violence of being raped, but if pregnancy results from it, that life is of just as much value and meaning as the life of a child conceived by loving parents who want their child. Rape is terrible, despicable, and wrong. No arguments there! The rape victim's right to liberty and happiness have been thwarted by the selfishness of the person who raped them. However, this disgusting act does not give the rape victim the right to then take away the rights of the child conceived in rape because they don't want a reminder of being raped. No matter what they do, it will always be something that happened to them. You can't change the past, but you sure can make sure the future is brighter for yourself and for your child!
I am saddened when Christians, or anyone for that matter, are more concerned with the guilty feelings of a woman who had an abortion than for the purposeful murder of a human being, a completely innocent and defenseless human being at that!
You may have missed it, and I don't blame you at all if you did, but Stephanie and I had a miscarriage with our second baby two days before Christmas. I had the opportunity to hold my baby son (we named him Caleb) in my hands at only 13 weeks old (1st trimester if you didn't know). He was a perfect little baby boy, and let me tell you, we were devastated to be holding him then and not in July when he was supposed to be due. We were devastated because our baby boy died in the womb before we got to hear his little sweet voice, watch him learn to do things, engage with us, or even play with his big brother Isaac.
The argument that pro-abortion people use to make themselves feel better about abortion is that they will tell you that they do not believe that Caleb was alive simply because he hadn't been born yet! However, I can tell you that Caleb was very much alive. I saw him on the sonogram video waving his arms and kicking his legs. I saw his heart beating. How is this not considered alive? When a person is lying in a bed connected to a respirator, a dialysis machine, and feeding tubes, but has no cognitive brain activity, it is considered murder to end their life. Why? Because they are alive! Their heart is beating. Caleb was very much alive and very much human, just the same as you and me.
Let me assure you, I have great compassion for anyone who is dealing with the guilt and other consequences of their sinful actions. I myself have dealt with great amounts of guilt, shame, and depression because of my own sinful actions. I spoke about that at one of the retreats I attended while at your church, but I’m not sure if it was at the one that you were at while I was there or the one after you graduated. Anyways, I talked about some of my own bad choices and how the guilt, shame, and depression I experienced after I made my sinful choices led me to the brink of suicide while I was in high school. I understand that feeling guilt or shame or depression as a result of my own bad choices sucks. It does suck! No way around that. I feel terrible for anyone going through that, but just because someone feels ashamed or guilty because of a bad choice they made doesn't mean that their choice was not wrong. However, there is a remedy to that shame and guilt!
At times, I still feel regret for what I did in my past, but I can tell you that does not have to be the case. When we give our lives to Jesus, not only does he forgive our sins and take the guilt of our sins away, he also provides healing from all of the shame and guilt we feel because of our sinful choices. It may take time after we believe, but the healing does come! I know from personal experience. Belief in Jesus Christ provides us with new life. If a person gives their life to Christ, then they are given the chance to release their shame and guilt onto him because he tells us that we should! With Christ, we have the ability to no longer be or feel guilty for our sins because he has paid the penalty for our sins on the cross.
Yes! That does give me happiness and purpose in my life. It gives me exceedingly great joy for living. It gives me joy because I do not have to feel or be guilty for my sins any more. I am freed from sin and given new life without shame or regret. That is how we can show compassion towards women who have had abortions. We show compassion towards them by telling them about how Jesus has freed us from our sins and from the shame and guilt that our sins have caused us! They need to experience Christ’s love for them, Christ’s forgiveness of their sins, and Christ’s redemption of their shame and guilt.
Bob, I have great compassion for the women who have made the wrong and sinful choice to murder their babies because they were inconvenient or because they fell for the lies that the abortion industry has propagated over the past four decades. However, I have an even greater compassion for the millions of lives snuffed out before they have had a chance to grow up, live their lives, and make their own decisions. I praise God that I have my son Isaac and that I got to hold my second son Caleb in my hands. I praise God because you and I were not murdered before we ever had a chance to live either! As followers of Christ, we are called to advocate for those in society who are defenseless, like the widows, the orphans, the aliens, single moms, the elderly, and children at all ages, born or unborn.
God bless you Bob. It was great to hear from you and I hope that all is well with you and your family!
In Christian Love,
Dan <><
Comments
Post a Comment