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abortion

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Icystwolf

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Lets think about this for a second... what is life?

Do we know what life really is? Howabout a spirit? Is a spirit some liquidy gasic being that can think, or a being that is held in a construct in time?....in essence we don't know.

Just because God gave life, doesn't mean God can't take it away...

I believe the Bible does give hints that abortion is not to be accepted, but it's not something I could dwell upon. When the prophets spoke of neighbouring races, it talks about troops opening the wombs and throwing unborn babies onto rocks...or somethign as horrible as that....

It's not clear, but the impression seems to be some sort of double murder...

On the whole, I don't think I'll support either the anti-abortions or prochoice....both have their points...as usual, I trust God ways!
 
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ufonium2

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It's probably safe to say that there is no Protestant church which is "pro-abortion," meaning one that supports abortion in every situation and over other alternatives. However, there are denominations, among them several of the major ones, whose stance on abortion allows it to take place. If you read the stance of say, the United Methodist Church (I'm using it because I used to be a member) it basically says abortion is not to be used as birth control or as gender selection, but is ok in some other situations. That's a far cry from the "abortion is murder" stance of the RCC, the Orthodox, and the more Fundamentalist Protestant denominations.

So, nobody is slamming Protestants when we say there is no general concensus within Protestantism regarding abortion. A Pentecostal person can say "I'm Protestant and we believe abortion is murder" while a Presbyterian can say "I'm Protestant and we believe it's a personal decision" and both are telling the truth.
 
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Phoebe

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I believe abortion is wrong.

I also recognize that not all people are Christians, or that they have any religious upbringing at all. It is realistic to not expect everyone to feel as I do.

I would not want to ever have to be put in the situation that I felt that I had to make that choice. I feel sad for any woman that does.



I use Isaiah 49:5 and Jeremiah 1:5 for a reference.
 
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racer said:
What do you mean "they allow it?" What's the church supposed to do, give 'em the boot and lock the door behind them? There's a difference between allowing something and condoning something . . . . . :rolleyes:
I wanted to know if PCUSA allowed abortion among its members. Lotar made a statement that among those who hold the creeds and the 3 solas, there would be none that allowed abortion. I thought that PCUSA held to the 3 solas and the creeds. Is this not true?

Lotar said:
Well, if you define Protestantism as anything not Catholic or Orthodox then your presumption is correct, but if you are speaking of those who hold the 3 solas and the creeds, then there are none who allow it.


The OP asked the question if protestants thought that abortion was murder and evil, or is it a choice that can be made. Lotar seemed to agree that it was evil and murder by saying that it would not be allowed. His words, not mine.

Therefore the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) encourages an atmosphere of open debate and mutual respect for a variety of opinions concerning the issues related to problem pregnancies and abortion.

The church ought to be able to maintain within its fellowship those who, on the basis of a study of Scripture and prayerful decision, come to diverse conclusions and actions.

Practically speaking, we believe that abortion should only be a last resort when other reasonable options have been exhausted.

Instead of judging others, I should work to eliminate social problems that would put a woman in the unfortunate position where she would even need to contemplate this difficult choice.
This quote from the PCUSA would seem to say to me that they are pro-choice. They do not believe that abortion is murder and evil in all cases. The simple question, which you have not answered with the rolling eyes, of this thread is what do protestants think of abortion. Is it evil and murder, or is it a choice that can be made? I believe that it is a simple question that has little to do whether you condone it or not.
 
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lucaspa

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Can I ask the anti-abortionists something? How many of you have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted but that pro-life literature convinced the woman not to? How many of you have contributed to any organization that takes care of these babies? Is there any Christian organization that contributes to the raising of children that would have been aborted and provides financial and other support to these children until they are self-supporting adults?
 
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lucaspa said:
Can I ask the anti-abortionists something? How many of you have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted but that pro-life literature convinced the woman not to? How many of you have contributed to any organization that takes care of these babies? Is there any Christian organization that contributes to the raising of children that would have been aborted and provides financial and other support to these children until they are self-supporting adults?
The Catholic church is staunchly pro-life and does do all of those things. If you want to talk about it, come over to OBOB and ask your question. :)
 
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Andre

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5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."

Isaiah 49

1 Listen to Me, O islands,
And pay attention, you peoples from afar.
The LORD called Me from the womb;
From the body of My mother He named Me.

5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,
To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him
(For I am honored in the sight of the LORD,
And My God is My strength),
Luke 1
15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb.



I guess that sums it up for me, if you din't want to get pregnant you should have taken messures to avoid it (even though I don't agree with sex before marriage), now after conception I don't think it's a choice a mother can make. Sin brings consequences.
 
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ufonium2

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lucaspa said:
Can I ask the anti-abortionists something? How many of you have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted but that pro-life literature convinced the woman not to? How many of you have contributed to any organization that takes care of these babies? Is there any Christian organization that contributes to the raising of children that would have been aborted and provides financial and other support to these children until they are self-supporting adults?

I don't know about where you live, but here the Mormon church constantly advertises to let women know that they will find homes for unwanted children. I know several other churches do the same, that's just the one most prevailant here. Ther are also countless Christian group homes around, and I know of a couple in my area whose church gave them over $10,000 to help pay for adoption and childcare costs. So yes, there are churches that do exactly what you are talking about.

Secondly, your argument isn't a valid one anyway. What if I decide my grandparents have become a burden to me, and I'd rather kill them than deal with it? Since you don't take in every unwanted elderly person in America, you have no right to say I'm wrong. Sure, if I abandoned them they could still get low cost gov't housing and medical care and could continue to live, but I'd rather just kill them than go through all the hassle.

It works the same way with babies. Unwanted babies don't get thrown out in the street, at least not in America, whether the church intervenes or not. They are cared for, often adopted, and generally make it to adulthood. Furthermore, if you decide to keep a child, and are truly unable to financially support it, the government will help.

People in America don't chose abortion because nobody is willing to care for the child. That might be a valid argument in a third-world country, but it's not here.
 
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RhetorTheo

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Whether abortion is murder is a legal question. I usually say "moral equivalent of murder" to make that clear. Furthermore, there is Biblical support for the belief that God believes the unborn are of less value than a born person.

One Mosaic law about miscarriage specifically contradicts the claim that the bible is antiabortion, clearly stating that miscarriage does not involve the death of a human being. If a woman has a miscarriage as the result of a fight, the man who caused it should be fined. If the woman dies, however, the culprit must be killed:

Exodus 21
22Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. 23But if she is seriously injured, the payment will be life for life, 24eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25burn for burn, cut for cut, and bruise for bruise. --Ex. 21:22-25

Thus, the Bible orders the death penalty for murder of a human being (life for life), but merely a fine for the life of a fetus, even in the ninth month of pregnancy.
 
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RhetorTheo

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lucaspa said:
Can I ask the anti-abortionists something? How many of you have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted but that pro-life literature convinced the woman not to? How many of you have contributed to any organization that takes care of these babies? Is there any Christian organization that contributes to the raising of children that would have been aborted and provides financial and other support to these children until they are self-supporting adults?

Can I ask the anti-theft people something? How many of you have given money to the poor so that they don't need to steal? How many of you donate to charities that give job training and other support to the poor so that they can become self-supporting adults? If you haven't, doesn't that make you a hypocrite to support laws against theft?
 
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free4life

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I think it is kind of weak to use Exodus 21:22-23 to say that the unborn are not as valuable as the born. Overall, these verses cannot be used as support for modern day abortion because they are not the same case scenarios. In the Bible, it is not clear if the man intentionally harmed the woman or not. Even if he did intentionally harm her, he is still punished.

God obviously cared about the unborn child, because he had strict rules about how one who inflicted harm on the unborn should be punished.

I really think that the more one spends time with the Lord and gets to know Him, the more he/she will begin to see His character. I think that that is what will determine how he/she sees the world.

I really like this verse a lot:
John 7:24:
"Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."
 
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RhetorTheo

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free4life said:
I think it is kind of weak to use Exodus 21:22-23 to say that the unborn are not as valuable as the born.

Why?

Overall, these verses cannot be used as support for modern day abortion because they are not the same case scenarios. In the Bible, it is not clear if the man intentionally harmed the woman or not. Even if he did intentionally harm her, he is still punished.

It was accidental, but it doesn't matter whether it was intentional or not. You have two men fighting, and one man accidentally hits a woman and causes a miscarriage. Thus, you have two that were accidentally hit: a woman and a fetus. The woman's life is protected "eye for eye," whereas the fetus gets only a fine payment. The father sets the size of the fine, so presumably he could set it at $0. That speaks to the value of each. If the fetus were a person, it would be "eye for an eye" for killing the fetus.

God obviously cared about the unborn child, because he had strict rules about how one who inflicted harm on the unborn should be punished.

I disagree. God might have cared about the unborn child, but if he did he gave far lesser value to it than he gave the mother. And it's not clear that it was God giving any value to the fetus at all - more likely, the parents' feelings are the only compensable injury, and that's why the size of the fine is set by the father. If the father didn't want the child, he can charge a very small fine or no fine at all. But if his wife were injured, it's "eye for an eye" no matter what the husband thinks.
 
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La Bonita Zorilla

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Bayhawks83 said:
La Bonita Zorilla said:
IMO many of the socially conservative religious bodies have significant disregard for women and are therefore in favor of abortion restrictions.
QUOTE]

my response was to that statement. I should of ignored the flame bait.
I stand by the statement. Didn't catch your response.
 
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free4life

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RoleTroll:

I don't want to argue with you, as that goes against my conscience. I see your point of view, but respectfully disagree with you.

I stand by my original response. If the Lord places less value (almost no value it seems by the way abortion is performed today) on the unborn, as I am honestly seeking only His truth, then I am certain He will let me know if I am mistaken. And as you desire His leading, I am sure He will let you know if you are mistaken. Either way, it will only be to His glory and His glory alone that we seek and come to His greater understanding on this matter.

God Bless You,
Love in Christ,
Amber
 
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lucaspa

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ufonium2 said:
I don't know about where you live, but here the Mormon church constantly advertises to let women know that they will find homes for unwanted children. I know several other churches do the same,

That isn't what I asked. I asked how many of you (plural) personally have adopted such a baby. My problem is that, yes, I see the counseling. But I have never seen any information on whether individual pro-lifers actually adopt such children.

So, everyone, please answer on a personal leve. How many of you pro-lifers have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted? How many know personally of pro-lifers who have done so?

Ther are also countless Christian group homes around, and I know of a couple in my area whose church gave them over $10,000 to help pay for adoption and childcare costs.
That's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of raising a kid. I believe the total cost is over $100,000 now. It must be more than that since college alone today is about $40,000 even for state schools. So, how long does the church provide this support? Was this a one-time thing for the adoption? Or did they provide a yearly stipend?

Also, that is one baby. How many abortions are there in the US per year? If all those were stopped, do the pro-lifers plan on contributing enough for each child throughout his childhood?

Secondly, your argument isn't a valid one anyway. What if I decide my grandparents have become a burden to me, and I'd rather kill them than deal with it?
We provide programs to support our elderly. We all kick in in the form of taxes for Medicare and Social Security. Are you prepared to kick in additional taxes to provide for all the kids that will be born if you succeed in eliminatintg abortion? IOW, are you willing to put your money where you mouth is?

Sure, if I abandoned them they could still get low cost gov't housing and medical care and could continue to live,
BINGO! Yes, we have all taken on the responsibility to care for people. I'm just wondering if you are willing to take on the responsibility for all those babies and provide financially for them during childhood.

It works the same way with babies. Unwanted babies don't get thrown out in the street, at least not in America, whether the church intervenes or not. They are cared for, often adopted, and generally make it to adulthood.
Ah! But you don't have to pay for it. You can foist that responsibility off on 1) the parent, 2) charitable organizations that you don't have to give to.


Furthermore, if you decide to keep a child, and are truly unable to financially support it, the government will help.
Yes, but how about you? You are saying this child is valuable. You are saying this child must be born. Yet getting a child born is the least amount of effort required to raise a child. What you are doing, it seems to me, is washing your hands of that child and putting the hard work off on everyone else. I question your real committment to the child's welfare. It seems to me that you don't really care about the child at all. As soon as it is born, you don't care what happens to it, with the possible exception of building prisons to house the adult in case all those others didn't raise it properly and the child turns criminal. What is your stance on prisons? Should we spend our tax dollars to build more?

People in America don't chose abortion because nobody is willing to care for the child.
They choose abortion because they are not able to financially raise a child. IOW, they don't have the resources to raise a child. "Caring for the child" as in warehousing them is totally different than raising a child.
 
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Andre

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lucaspa said:
That isn't what I asked. I asked how many of you (plural) personally have adopted such a baby. My problem is that, yes, I see the counseling. But I have never seen any information on whether individual pro-lifers actually adopt such children.

So, everyone, please answer on a personal leve. How many of you pro-lifers have adopted a baby that was going to be aborted? How many know personally of pro-lifers who have done so?


That's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of raising a kid. I believe the total cost is over $100,000 now. It must be more than that since college alone today is about $40,000 even for state schools. So, how long does the church provide this support? Was this a one-time thing for the adoption? Or did they provide a yearly stipend?

Also, that is one baby. How many abortions are there in the US per year? If all those were stopped, do the pro-lifers plan on contributing enough for each child throughout his childhood?


We provide programs to support our elderly. We all kick in in the form of taxes for Medicare and Social Security. Are you prepared to kick in additional taxes to provide for all the kids that will be born if you succeed in eliminatintg abortion? IOW, are you willing to put your money where you mouth is?


BINGO! Yes, we have all taken on the responsibility to care for people. I'm just wondering if you are willing to take on the responsibility for all those babies and provide financially for them during childhood.


Ah! But you don't have to pay for it. You can foist that responsibility off on 1) the parent, 2) charitable organizations that you don't have to give to.



Yes, but how about you? You are saying this child is valuable. You are saying this child must be born. Yet getting a child born is the least amount of effort required to raise a child. What you are doing, it seems to me, is washing your hands of that child and putting the hard work off on everyone else. I question your real committment to the child's welfare. It seems to me that you don't really care about the child at all. As soon as it is born, you don't care what happens to it, with the possible exception of building prisons to house the adult in case all those others didn't raise it properly and the child turns criminal. What is your stance on prisons? Should we spend our tax dollars to build more?


They choose abortion because they are not able to financially raise a child. IOW, they don't have the resources to raise a child. "Caring for the child" as in warehousing them is totally different than raising a child.
All those issues should have been adresses before pregnancy, people make bad choices, it's their responsability to deal with the consequencies
 
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