How would Jesus handle a conversation with someone about abortion? Saying, "the Bible permits us to kill animals" isn't convincing. The Bible permits killing the unborn, slavery and the subjugation of women, too. Genesis 38:24. Tamar's pregnancy was discovered three months after conception. This was proof that she was sexually active. Because she was a widow, without a husband, she was assumed to be a prostitute. Her father-in-law, Judah, ordered that she be burned alive for her crime. If Tamar's fetuses had any value whatsoever, her execution would have been delayed until after their birth. There was no condemnation on Judah for deciding to take this action. Exodus 21:22-24. If two men are fighting and one injures a pregnant woman and the fetus is killed, he shall repay her according to the degree of injury inflicted upon her, and not the fetus. Born-again author Brian McKinley comments: "Thus we can see that if the baby is lost, it does not require a death sentence-it is not considered murder. But if the woman is lost, it is considered murder and is punished by death." This is grounded in Exodus 21:22. That biblical passage outlines the Mosaic Law in a case where a man is responsible for causing a woman's miscarriage, which kills the fetus. If the woman survives, then the perpetrator has to pay a fine to the woman's husband. If the woman is killed, the perpetrator is also killed. This indicates that the fetus has value, but does not have the status of a person. Pro-life apologists argue the unborn has some value in Exodus 21, if not actual personhood, but the New Testament is more permissive than the Old! Paul not only claims Mosaic Law has been abolished and refers to his previous adherence to the law as "so much garbage", but claims the risen Jesus said to him three times, "...my grace is sufficient for thee..." (II Corinthians 12:8-9). Some Christians misinterpret this verse to mean they're free to do as they please -- ignoring the rest of the moral instructions Paul gives throughout his epistles! If their view prevails, what basis do pro-life Christians have for opposing abortion? Doesn't "three times..." justify choice?
Somehow I never saw this comment until today. Sorry about that. I interviewed my friend Scott Klusendorf a few years ago on questions like the ones you're asking. I think this might be helpful: http://prolifepodcast.net/2012/05/143/
Thanks. "loving, truthful people are always more persuasive" Though I'm not a Christian, I interpret "love/charity seeketh not her own" to mean that love is its own reward. Everyone wants rewards -- that one in particular if they sense its existence -- so if people meet a person who seems to be getting that reward, they will think, "Whatever his ideas are, they must be working for him."
Genesis 38:24. Tamar's pregnancy was discovered three months after conception. This was proof that she was sexually active. Because she was a widow, without a husband, she was assumed to be a prostitute. Her father-in-law, Judah, ordered that she be burned alive for her crime. If Tamar's fetuses had any value whatsoever, her execution would have been delayed until after their birth. There was no condemnation on Judah for deciding to take this action.
Exodus 21:22-24. If two men are fighting and one injures a pregnant woman and the fetus is killed, he shall repay her according to the degree of injury inflicted upon her, and not the fetus. Born-again author Brian McKinley comments: "Thus we can see that if the baby is lost, it does not require a death sentence-it is not considered murder. But if the woman is lost, it is considered murder and is punished by death."
This is grounded in Exodus 21:22. That biblical passage outlines the Mosaic Law in a case where a man is responsible for causing a woman's miscarriage, which kills the fetus. If the woman survives, then the perpetrator has to pay a fine to the woman's husband. If the woman is killed, the perpetrator is also killed. This indicates that the fetus has value, but does not have the status of a person.
Pro-life apologists argue the unborn has some value in Exodus 21, if not actual personhood, but the New Testament is more permissive than the Old! Paul not only claims Mosaic Law has been abolished and refers to his previous adherence to the law as "so much garbage", but claims the risen Jesus said to him three times, "...my grace is sufficient for thee..." (II Corinthians 12:8-9).
Some Christians misinterpret this verse to mean they're free to do as they please -- ignoring the rest of the moral instructions Paul gives throughout his epistles! If their view prevails, what basis do pro-life Christians have for opposing abortion? Doesn't "three times..." justify choice?
"loving, truthful people are always more persuasive"
Though I'm not a Christian, I interpret "love/charity seeketh not her own" to mean that love is its own reward. Everyone wants rewards -- that one in particular if they sense its existence -- so if people meet a person who seems to be getting that reward, they will think, "Whatever his ideas are, they must be working for him."