Tuning in to C-Span this morning, I heard the story that the Republican National Committee (RNC) is taking steps to modify the health insurance coverage they carry for their employees. The RNC will no longer offer a policy that pays for “elective” abortions.
Combining this breaking news with the announcement that the guest scheduled for the next 40 minutes of Washington Journal would not be able to appear opened the floodgates for a plethora of Anti-Choice callers who, one after the other, proudly proclaimed both their Christian-ness as well as their blind hatred of abortion. One caller extolled the virtues of having his state’s Christian governor outlaw 85% of abortions and recommended it as a viable tactic for negating a woman’s right to choose certain surgical procedures she and her doctor agree are necessary.
Every time I hear someone exclaim that their Christianity moves them to be against abortion, I cringe. This kind of hiding behind the shield of some human’s interpretation and probable mistranslation of the words and teachings of Jesus Christ is no different than the religion hijacking that was responsible for the Spanish Inquisition, the burning of “witches,” and slavery. It’s no different than the obfuscation, accompanied by the misquotation of the Bible (Mark 14:7) verse, “the poor will be with you always,” by opponents to the war on poverty in the United States. They just conveniently left out the rest of the sentence, “and you can help them any time you want.”
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:12-17)
The Jesus Christ I grew up learning about in years of Sunday School and Confirmation Class and sermons and Bible study and choir practice valued all life. But he didn’t advocate the subjugation of women. He did campaign for loving your neighbor as yourself. He did not encourage killing people who don’t agree with you. The Jesus I know talked more about tolerance and love than sin. According to Him, the path to heaven is paved with kindness and good works, not some ill-conceived virtue born of the adherence to doctrine and dogma.
“In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8:5-8)
Anti-Choice factions have a field day co-opting bits and pieces of quotations from the Bible to shore up their spurious, hate-filled opinions. They wave their “Christian” flags and chant their “Christian” chants and spit their “Christian” spit at women trying to go into clinics. They sing songs about how righteous they are and how amazingly superior to me being a “Christian” makes them.
And when I hear these things, I die a little bit inside.
I am a Pro-Choice Christian. The Jesus I talk with was gentle. He did not believe in theocracy as a viable form of government. He was a rabbi of uncanny knowledge and skill. He was a man of compassion. He encouraged his followers, and through them us, to have the curiosity to think, discover and know more about the world.
Like the Pharisees with stones in their hands, we have the freedom to choose.
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We know the same Jesus, and I believe he weeps at the ignorance of those Christians who mischaracterize His teachings as reason to deny women fundamental and God given rights. ~R~
US "Christians" are so Bible Clueless it would defy description if not for your mentions of Inquisitions, etc ... so there is much precedence.
However, the tenets you, and all, hopefully embrace are and always have been those of the Ecumenical who have caretaken the Love, even when sacked by Crusade, for 1700 years.
Bartholomew, Archbishop of New Rome, is to me the ONLY major modern religious leader taking the Sermon on the Mount as seriously today as in the 4th Century.
IMUA BARTHOLOMEW
Thank you for stopping by, surfer. Study of history is helpful.
Thanks for this post.
I choose to draw a distinction between Christians, followers of the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and Christianists, devotees of a political movement founded on a fundamentalist perversion of his teachings, one is an -ism and the other is a faith, and the sad (and dangerous) thing is that the Christianists, like their violent jihadist brothers, don't understand the difference
Fundementalist extremism is a significant problem, not peculiar to
Christains.
Great research and moving text.
When I was growing up and as I became a member of the United Church of Christ I was constantly reminded that compassion and love, tolerance if you will, for each other on this planet are the most important and most difficult parts of being a follower of Jesus Christ. I am heartily tired of having the word "Christian" used like a cudgel to destroy.
Genesis 5:4 "And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, and after his image; and called his name Seth"
Begat always means conceived.
I agree with you that Jesus’ gospel was about love, tolerance, forgiveness, and mercy. The same Jesus that was to have said “Moses let you Divorce because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not meant to be so from the beginning. I say to you this; whoever looks at a woman with lust has committed Adultery in his heart.” It’s against God’s will to Divorce…example that Love can be demanding sometimes.
The earliest part of the New Testament were the letters from Paul in 53-55 AD, followed by the gospel of Mark in 63 AD with others between 63-80 AD and as you may know were written some 30 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. No one who had first person knowledge of Jesus wrote them. So they in themselves serve well as reflections of what the earliest Christians believed about Jesus and his message. But I digress. No place in the Bible does it mention anything about Abortion or for that matter stem cell research or Jesus abhorring a theocracy. The Church’s arguments against Abortion arise from the four things; Natural Law, (see Aristotle, Augustine and Thomas Aquinas as foundations/explanations), the bible taken has a whole, (especially the New Testament), the Magestarium (holy tradition) and prayer (As you might recall from your confirmation class; that we come to know God through Prayer, the Bible; OT-Gods relationship with our ancestors/NT Jesus’ gospel, Son of God message, life, and our Holy Tradition). Space and time prohibit me from outing the specifics of the Church’s argument against Abortion at this time but I can continue further with that at later time if you so desire.
The point being is that if you disagree with the Pro Life position, don’t stump down to the same level which you state is so bad and attack the character or motives of your advisories. Find out what exactly are their intellectual, rational arguments against Abortion. It’s my guess that most Pro Life people (as well as Pro Choice) can’t articulate why they believe what they believe. Why? Most who call themselves Christians are only vaguely aware of what/why they believe what they believe. It’s so much more than just believing that life starts at the moment of conception. (Mentioned above)
People, who spit at, act superior, disrespect others, are not Christians. Just because they call themselves Christians doesn’t make it so. Choose to become more knowledgeable and less antagonistic. Peace
Rated hearitly.
Two of many verses in the Bible. Interpret as you like. Read the book, "A Case for Christ". It has nothing to do with abortion, but has much to do with the writing of the four Gospels and the contradictions that many people question and the undisputed facts that what is written is what it is. Christianity is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As a Christian, I believe that abortion is killing a child. When the Bible says many many times, "a child is conceived", I don't think that is a misinterpretation. Let me tell you another reason I am pro-life. Simply, because I believe that Jesus Christ would not give anyone the OK to abort a child. To me it is as simple as that. I will say one more time. Everyone has a right to believe what they like.
Scripture isn't the only answer. That is idolatry of the worst kind. When scripture of any kind is more important than anything else, we have hatred and fear. And if most people knew how the scriptures were written and decided on, with all of the forgeries and purposeful mistranslations done by a church intent on control, we'd be a lot less eager to embrace them as truth.
As a Christian, I respect your opinion and your views.
Well said. I absouletly agree with you in your stance about abortion.
If however, you speak of fundamentalism, well there's just no case for that.
Coyote,
Then we are agreed. Your interpretation is not better then anyone else's either. I'm just saying it's easy to slip into harsh rhetoric when your passionte about something. That's something we all need to avoid.
Good point on idolatry. But to say forgeries and purposeful mistranslations done by a church intent on control is just not true. You subscribe malice motivation and intent because you disagree. Not a good argument.
Personally I do not support abortion except in instances of rape, incest and protecting the health of the mother. That is a very traditional view, and when one holds it he or she had better be willing to stand behind providing options for caring for the mother and the child that may come from adopting that position.
Having said that I am adamantly pro-Choice, subscribe Planned Parenthood emails and support pro-Choice positions whenever I can. You do not have to "believe in" abortion to be pro-Choice.
What you have to believe in is that a woman has a right, hopefully - but not necessarily - in consultation with her family and her doctor, to decide what to do with her own life and body. The government should stay out of that very intimate decision. And the anti-abortion folk should stay out of it as well.
That, ironically, is a very conservative position: keep the government out of our bedrooms, our private decisions and our lives. But only liberals support it when it comes to issues like abortion and gay and lesbian rights. Odd, isn't it?
The very rabid anti-abortionists not only want their own freedom to not have abortions but want government to impose their decisions on the rest of the country.
Being anti-abortion with a few exceptions and actively pro-Choice confused a lot of people when I was a pastor. But the government has no right to tell a woman, or a man, what to do about their private decisions.
Good post.
Monte
There are always bad things when people are involved including religion, as you’ve given examples of. Stop hating and learn your history.
Recently an acquaintance said to me "you're Christian aren't you?" I hear that a lot because I quote Jesus, and his gentle teachings often. Sadly I had to say, No I'm not a Christian, I don't like that label because I don't want people to think I support hate or retaliation. I'm just trying to be more like Christ.
So I'm technically your opposite, I'm not a Christian and I'm pro-life. But it seems we feel the same love from Jesus and heard the message of how to spread it. I pray someday there will be no need to choose. Those I've known who've thought about "choosing" did it because of some fear, whether financial, abandonment, career loss or something else. That is our national sin, both financial and moral.
I know what Jesus would tell me, I hear him in my heart. He would remind me I'm not a body with a soul, I'm a soul with a body. He would tell me that aborted babies, and ones who died from lack of medical care, starvation, or bombs would all be safe and loved with Him.
All life is precious, it's a truth I must speak. What kind of nation have we provided for pregnant women? One where a woman feels safe in having a baby instead of vulnerable, or a young girl feels loved instead of having sex to get affection, or a couple doesn't choose to end a pregnancy because they can't provide the child a future? No we have a nation where a woman who can't earn enough to care for a child is hated for being a mooch who is ruining the U.S. for all "decent hard-working people."
How could I hate or add to the pain of a woman, or a couple, who has to make a horrible choice? I cannot protest any abortion until the world is safe for all babies, children, women and men. All I can do is work towards that, pray for it, and thank Jesus that until then he forgives us.
Slightly tangential, Coyote, but I think this is why so many people are celebrating the "downfall" of Ms Prejean. We dont really care what she does on her own time, or what she believes, but the fact that there is now "public" knowledge of her sins ~ which are a great deal like the ones she condemns in others ~ it destroys her argument for hatred. And in this way, the internet, and the ability to share information is a lot like Jesus writing the sins of others in the sand.
Jesus didnt condemn the Pharisees for their "righteous indignation" at the woman, he just reminded them of the God who said "Vengence is Mine, I will repay, sayeth the Lord" as well as "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
My reading of the bible doesn't lead me to think God is in need of our help in punishing anything. But I think it wouldn't break his (her, their) heart if we could show a little more of the love part.
You write about Jesus, “He did not believe in theocracy as a viable form of government.”
That Jesus did not recognize value in organized religion is perhaps the most important point that most Christians miss. It is always heartening to see someone who claims to be a “Christian” pointing out this contradictory issue.
The problem of interpretation is precisely the problem that makes religious dogma useless to humanity.
The “Pro-Life” moniker is totally absurd; there is the pro-choice group and the anti-choice group.
RATED
Abortion is a trigger issue for so many people. That's why having the ability to make a personal choice is so important.
Walking in the others shoes, I forgive the sins of each and every woman who ever had to make such a brutal decision. Limiting her choice is a form of power and control, not an example of faith.
Referencing Nicea, a scramble of ideas brokered by the "13th" Apostle in a time of prevelent abortion practices is a quite a subjective view of historical events and accurate reflective data.
AUWE