How can a Christian be in favor of abortion?

[High Fidelity]

Have you not read Numbers?

 

[Rubiks]

The Bible is not does not consider a fetus to be a full human being. The punishment for murder is death, but according to Exodus 21:22 assaulting a woman and causing her to have a miscarriage is to be punished by simply paying a fine.

There's also the ordeal of the bitter water in the book of numbers, but whether it refers to abortion is debatable. (or possibly a prolapsed uterus, although the two aren't mutually exclusive)

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

The bible says murder is murder. So abortion is mentioned more or less since your killed a life.

Now I see no reason for an abortion at all. Even if the wifes life is at risk or the baby is a product of rape. In either case it wasn't the baby's choice to be made. Give it up for adoption. Give it its own choice.

 

[BNR32FAN]

I don't think the Bible says anything at all about abortion, one way or the other.

I think thou shalt not kill is relevant to abortion.

 

[BNR32FAN]

The bible says murder is murder. So abortion is mentioned more or less since your killed a life.

Now I see no reason for an abortion at all. Even if the wifes life is at risk or the baby is a product of rape. In either case it wasn't the baby's choice to be made. Give it up for adoption. Give it its own choice.

I believe that taking another life to save your own would be a sin.

 

[HTacianas]

I want to know how a Christian can interpret the Bible in a way that permits abortions. I'm not going to post any arguments against it here; I just want to know how abortion is compatible with Christianity, as some Christians clearly think it is.

Abortion is not compatible with Christianity. It is one of its earliest teachings. Abortion was practiced by society in new testament times, as well as "exposure", the practice of leaving a newborn outside to die rather than care for it.

That some denominations allow for it is merely an example of secularism infiltrating the church.

 

[Ken Rank]

I don't think the Bible says anything at all about abortion, one way or the other.

By the time a woman finds out she is pregnant, the baby either has brain activity and a pumping heart, or is within a week or two of those two things. And, the DNA is written in the baby making it an individual and distinct from the mother. She is the host for a life that is distinct from her own. Therefore, to take it's life is murder. I really don't know how anyone can take it any other way.

 

[Dkh587]

Abortion is murder

 

[chevyontheriver]

There's no consensus in Christian tradition that abortion is murder at all, especially of the drug induced variety.

There actually is a consensus outside of modern Protestantism.

There are some pretty major medieval saints who openly discussed abortifacients--here's a fun one: Pope Promotes Birth Control | HuffPost

What I noted in this story was that no pope could be found to teach that abortion was allowable, nor that contraception was allowable. Only someone who became pope, who wrote something before he became pope. Not quite the same thing. There are other cases of heretics who became pope and then about faced on their heresy.

Christian tradition does have a consensus against abortion. It's only in the past 50 or so years that some Protestant denominations gave up their heritage.

 

[chilehed]

I just want to know how abortion is compatible with Christianity.

It's not, but I bet you've seen some amazing rationalizations by now.

 

[Fidelibus]

The Bible is not does not consider a fetus to be a full human being. The punishment for murder is death, but according to Exodus 21:22 assaulting a woman and causing her to have a miscarriage is to be punished by simply paying a fine.

But you left out vs. 23-24.

23 But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Have you ever heard of the term..."lex talionis?" or "law of retribution" to abortion?

 

[thomasanderson]

There actually is a consensus outside of modern Protestantism.

Protestantism isn’t the problem. There are pro choice liberal Catholics. My Protestant church is vehemently opposed to abortion.

 

[1stcenturylady]

Good point. While the canonicity of Barnabas is a whole other issue, the same idea is also in in the Didache 2:1-2. For those who do not know the Didache is an early church manual. While I do not consider it scripture it does give us twenty centuries later the mind of the early church.

The second commandment of the Teaching is You shall not commit murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not corrupt boys. You shall not commit fornication. You shall not steal. You shall not practice magic. You shall not practice sorcery. You shall not kill an unborn child or murder a newborn infant.

Glimm, F. X. (1947). The Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles. In F. X. Glimm, J. M.-F. Marique, & G. G. Walsh (Trans.), The Apostolic Fathers (Vol. 1, p. 172). Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press.

Thank you for this. I was looking for corroboration to the Epistle of Barnabas in the Didiche not long ago and must have scanned too quickly over that verse, but remembered it from years ago, just coundn't find it.

This just furthers my belief to the canonicity of the Epistle of Barnabas as the Didache is the teachings of the APOSTLES. I like Lightfoot's translation the best. It is interesting that God preserves His Word, even when man discounts it. It being found closer to the end of time is significant, seeing as chapter 15 is a prophecy not for 1700 years ago (the reason, I believe, they didn't want to accept the book), but for now: the days of creation are equated to 6000 years for man, 1000 year millennium, plus the reason why we worship on the first day of the week, and not the old 7th day Sabbath. If this book was in our Bible maybe 60,000,000 babies wouldn't have died, and Sabbath keeping denominations wouldn't have started.

The Epistle of Barnabas (translation J.B. Lightfoot)

 

[1stcenturylady]

Why should a mother having been given opportunity of life be allowed to play God and whereas a person who would otherwise be in the same position of the mother in the future be denied that equal opportinity to live and to experience life?

Blatant selfishness.

 

[Rubiks]

But you left out vs. 23-24.

23 But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

Have you ever heard of the term..."lex talionis?" or "law of retribution" to abortion?

What does lex talionis have to do with abortion?

 

[fat wee robin]

Would you change your mind if this verse was in your Bible?

"Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion, nor again shalt thou kill it when it is born.?

See post #9

It's amazing that some Christians think they can rationalize it. Even rationalize it Biblically.

It turns out that the cardinal who promoted anti abortion at all levels ,even to saying his sister should die in childbirth ,rather than abort ,was a raving pederast with dozens of victims to his name . Funny that .

Women can ,and do die ,in childbirth and are raped, so this is not a simple matter .

 

[fat wee robin]

I wonder how many Christians that argue for abortion do so because they've had one.

Or known someone who was denied one, die, leaving behind small children to be motherless ALL their lives . And see the hypocrisy of so called christians up in arms about this subject ,but could care less about children in general ?

 

[fat wee robin]

I'm severely against abortion so I cannot 100% answer this question but I'll give it a shot.

I think Christians who believe abortions are okay are brainwashed into believing that their baby is better off dead than born into such a corrupt world. I also think that they believe that their babies are guaranteed to join them in heaven instead of the off chance that they reject Christ later in life. These days its more likely that somebody will reject Christ rather than accept him. Its wrong on all levels but in today's screwed up world full of sin it happens.

Abortion is not O.K. but then neither is rape and murder of women and children .

 

[fat wee robin]

The bible says murder is murder. So abortion is mentioned more or less since your killed a life.

Now I see no reason for an abortion at all. Even if the wifes life is at risk or the baby is a product of rape. In either case it wasn't the baby's choice to be made. Give it up for adoption. Give it its own choice.

The bible says murder is murder. So abortion is mentioned more or less since your killed a life.

Now I see no reason for an abortion at all. Even if the wifes life is at risk or the baby is a product of rape. In either case it wasn't the baby's choice to be made. Give it up for adoption. Give it its own choice.

Be careful how you judge ,you wll be judged in the same manner .

 

[fat wee robin]

It turns out that the cardinal who promoted anti abortion at all levels ,even to saying his sister should die in childbirth ,rather than abort ,was a raving pederast with dozens of victims to his name . Funny that .

Women can ,and do die ,in childbirth and are raped, so this is not a simple matter .