Saturday, August 26, 2017

Reflection - What does the Bible say about abortion (Warning: Shocking Action)

Source Website: https://www.gotquestions.org/abortion-Bible.html
By Got Questions Ministries


Jasha Lottin
PHOTO: Jasha Lottin is a woman from Oregon who decided one day it would be a fun activity to cut open a horse and climb inside. Naked. And take sexy pictures. She reportedly wanted to feel "at one" with the horse.
Jasha later pointed out that she was inspired by the scene in Empire Strikes Back where Han Solo cuts open the tauntaun and has Luke climb inside for warmth. The story attracted some attention in the mainstream media, fanning the flames of outrage.  If you are shocked and felt outrage, what about the following news.

More shocking, from Worldometers: According to WHO, every year in the world there are an estimated 40-50 million human baby abortions. This corresponds to approximately 125,000 abortions per day. Abortions worldwide this year from 01 January 2017 at 00:00 up to now (26 August 2017) is 27.3 million. [3]
Picture posted by Shock Sites on 28 April 2013, at 02:22
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht0k2twjz8hCqS4gqIrH7LSACs68-EWKwpuCMm71W2Ahw8NghxHTc2_na83mJGAqQAYR_KSUA7kZGMjkNpdAF4rpX6VbJ6BW9Lmbt5OyFzoetiNtvxYhTYshPZXSX6oVGUm8jFj2SxqDg/s1600/JashaDatAss.jpg
https://images.encyclopediadramatica.rs/8/83/JashaDatAss.jpg
https://encyclopediadramatica.rs/Jasha_Lottin


Abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose
The Bible never specifically addresses the issue of abortion. However, there are numerous teachings in Scripture that make it abundantly clear what God’s view of abortion is. Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that God knows us before He forms us in the womb. Psalm 139:13-16 speaks of God’s active role in our creation and formation in the womb. Exodus 21:22-25 prescribes the same penalty—death—for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder. This clearly indicates that God considers a baby in the womb to be as human as a full-grown adult. For the Christian, abortion is not a matter of a woman’s right to choose. It is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6).


World Life
PHOTO: World Life reveals the “fearfully and wonderfully made” humanity of the pre-born child, exposes the indescribable injustice of abortion, and shares the lifesaving Gospel of Jesus Christ. [4]
Picture posted by World Life Organization
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGAcLzY1YFwgzu2ZXwaAz-xE1TCmiYQqQjHV1UMb2I1CQtDtb-H4NvR7xA5CYbw61XkklhBOsQkmtYBl7nB7ZXERnHm79EQ8pgiWwtq4TMveK1yBAIr5F-xjW0PGYw003wMT8SSo0a_s/s1600/12small-550x533.jpg
http://www.worldlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/12small-550x533.jpg
http://www.worldlife.com/portfolio_page/late-term/


Cases of rape and/or incest
The first argument that always arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” As horrible as it would be to become pregnant as a result of rape and/or incest, is the murder of a baby the answer? Two wrongs do not make a right. The child who is a result of rape/incest could be given in adoption to a loving family unable to have children on their own, or the child could be raised by its mother. Again, the baby is completely innocent and should not be punished for the evil acts of its father.

Cases of life of the mother is at risk
The second argument that usually arises against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about when the life of the mother is at risk?” Honestly, this is the most difficult question to answer on the issue of abortion. First, let’s remember that this situation is the reason behind less than one-tenth of one percent of the abortions done in the world today. Far more women have an abortion for convenience than women who have an abortion to save their own lives. Second, let’s remember that God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life of a mother and a child despite all the medical odds being against it. Ultimately, though, this question can only be decided between a husband, wife, and God. Any couple facing this extremely difficult situation should pray to the Lord for wisdom (James 1:5) as to what He would have them to do.

95 percent of the abortions involve women who simply do not want to have a baby
Over 95 percent of the abortions performed today involve women who simply do not want to have a baby. Less than 5 percent of abortions are for the reasons of rape, incest, or the mother's health at risk. Even in the more difficult 5 percent of instances, abortion should never be the first option. The life of a human being in the womb is worth every effort to allow the child to be born.

To kill babies in the womb in an attempt to avoid suffering is to try to dodge God’s purposes for suffering [2]
The Bible is clear that in this fallen world, God ordains suffering for His wise and good purposes (Romans 8:28). Sometimes we suffer as the consequences for our own sin (Hebrews 12:3-11), which can include the hardships associated with having a baby out of wedlock. (Sometimes it may be wise for an unwed mother to give up her baby for adoption, but even that is a painful consequence of sin.) Sometimes we suffer on account of other people’s evil intentions/sins (Genesis 50:20). This would include the hardship of having a baby conceived through rape or incest. Sometimes we don’t know the reason that God permits suffering, except that He wants to display His grace and power through our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

To abort because having a child would cause emotional or economic duress is always wrong.
To argue that it is better to kill a deformed child in the womb than to allow him to live is an affront (offence) to the thousands of people born with severe handicaps, but who live meaningful and productive lives. It is an affront to the many families that love and care for such children. On rare occasions, there may be the difficult dilemma of performing an abortion to spare the mother’s life. But even then, the goal should be to preserve the lives of both the mother and the child, if possible. There is mounting evidence that many women who choose abortion suffer severe long-term emotional and physical problems.

Thomas Alva Edison and his incandescent light bulb
PHOTO: Thomas Alva Edison and his incandescent light bulb
Picture saved by Granny Pat to Thomas Alva Edison from artstation.com
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNw2eEo4TiuDqrcN13oBWow00DHvPHRkv4_hveT60pFtuazb9qnnAcR7bQp7pZvQ4rB6bDw121V_J29uTQA5wifyVxD7EF-nz1xXBgkKIeDzs1wXMWZ1Xi0R2QDqyRFW07QUPkVVnWkow/s1600/d891f6b6247f24ee0b6e0d65976a66ff--quotes-on-hard-work-thomas-edison-quotes.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d8/91/f6/d891f6b6247f24ee0b6e0d65976a66ff--quotes-on-hard-work-thomas-edison-quotes.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/74942781280521381/
https://www.pinterest.com/grannypat72548/thomas-alva-edison/?lp=true
 

Thomas Alva Edison had disabilities. He was hyperactive and had a learning disability. At age 14 he contracted scarlet fever, which caused the loss of hearing. In his 84 years, Edison acquired 1,093 patents  (singly or jointly) and was the driving force behind such innovations as the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb and one of the earliest motion picture cameras. [5], [6] He also created the world's first industrial research laboratory. It would be a great lost to the world if he was aborted.

What is legal is not necessarily moral [2]
Forty-four years ago, on January 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the infamous Roe v. Morality is not determined by popular or judicial opinion, but by what the Bible says. Abortion is human atrocity (an extremely wicked or cruel act). The Bible gives us God’s absolute moral standards that apply to every culture and every age. Furthermore, the Bible warns that God will judge every person based on His righteous standards (Acts 17:31; Revelation 20:11-15). We cannot plead ignorance as an excuse for disobedience or apathy (Proverbs 24:11-12). God holds us accountable to the standards of His Word, whether we know those standards or not. We dare not be uninformed! There is an irony about legal law. One of the main purposes for law is to protect the innocent and the weak. Are babies, born or unborn, not innocent and weak? Yet the law cannot protect them because the law legalized abortion.

Abortion is killing human life [2]
Human baby is a new human life. At the moment of conception, there is a new life, possessing 46 chromosomes, distinct from both the mother and the father. Genetically, the baby is not the mother’s body! By 21 days, the first heartbeats have begun. At 45 days, brain waves can be detected. By the ninth and tenth weeks, the thyroid and adrenal glands are functioning. By 12 or 13 weeks, he has fingernails, sucks his thumb, recoils from pain, and has his own unique fingerprints. The only things that developing life needs to become what we are, are time and nurture.

Abortion buried us under a mountain of suppressed regret (but is forgivable)
For those who have had an abortion, remember that the sin of abortion is no less forgivable than any other sin. Through faith in Christ, all sins can be forgiven (John 3:16; Romans 8:1; Colossians 1:14). A woman who has had an abortion, a man who has encouraged an abortion, or even a doctor who has performed one—can all be forgiven by faith in Jesus Christ. No matter how great your guilt, if you will turn from your sin and trust Jesus Christ as the one who bore your sin on the cross, God will pardon all of your sin and credit the righteousness of Jesus to your account (Romans 4:4-5).

It is tightly bound by guilt and denial, buried under a mountain of suppressed regret.
PHOTO: It is tightly bound by guilt and denial, buried under a mountain of suppressed regret. The medicine we need will require naked exposure to the searing pain of accepting the reality that weakness, selfishness, fear, and doubt drove you to kill your own son or daughter. That you, as the mother of a defenseless child clinging to you for their very life, abandoned them, poisoned them, slaughtered them. - by Cultureshift on 03 May 2016 [7]
Post-abortion sculpture by Slovakian artist Martin Hudacek
Picture posted by 4Life4Family.org
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyHcoPF5tUZSMsCt5AUfspYT0VFizOBgA7QGjdCxAzbKh1DO3Q2fcGRKxv8FyffrjQ765lAF0XmbrJyD9-9uOncb73cNInY3jM3YrL4H5VTu9RJCrZ7JLakDhovJGbN_SYQcLWiwcsLZs/s1600/Sculpture_1.jpg
https://s3.amazonaws.com/lifesite/Sculpture_1.jpg
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/latin-american-bishops-launch-year-of-mercy-pro-life-campaign
 
By Got Questions Ministries



Reference
[1] Got Questions Ministries, What does the Bible say about abortion?, https://www.gotquestions.org/abortion-Bible.html

[2] Steven J. Cole, pastor,  What the Bible Says About Abortion, posted on 25 January 2004, https://bible.org/article/what-bible-says-about-abortion

[3] Worldometers, Abortions worldwide this year, http://www.worldometers.info/abortions/

[4] World Life Organization, abortion pictures, http://www.worldlife.com/portfolio_page/late-term/
World Life is on the front lines of abortion abolitionism and evangelism. World Life is fighting to create a culture in which abortion is unthinkable and working to lead people to the Truth in Jesus Christ. We desire to bring healing to women and men, who have been wounded by abortion, and to motivate and support people to effectively defend the pre-born. Through innovative resources and creative activism, World Life reveals the “fearfully and wonderfully made” humanity of the pre-born child, exposes the indescribable injustice of abortion, and shares the lifesaving Gospel of Jesus Christ.

[5] Library of Congress, Featured Profile: Thomas Edison (Feb. 11, 1847 – Oct. 18, 1931), https://www.loc.gov/disabilityawareness/profiles/edison.html

[6] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, Thomas Edison, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

[7] Cultureshift, An Open Letter to All Mothers Who Have Killed Their Preborn Sons and Daughters, posted on 03 May 2016, https://cultureshiftforlife.com/2016/05/03/how-to-end-abortion/

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2 Corinthians 12:7-10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+12%3A7-10&version=NIV

Acts 17:31 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A31&version=NIV

Colossians 1:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+1%3A14&version=NIV

Exodus 21:22-25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+21%3A22-25+&version=NIV

Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A26-27%3B+9%3A6&version=NIV

Genesis 50:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+50%3A20&version=NIV

Hebrews 12:3-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A3-11&version=NIV

James 1:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+1%3A5&version=NIV

Jeremiah 1:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+1%3A5&version=NIV

John 3:16 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3%3A16&version=NIV

Proverbs 24:11-12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Prov.+24%3A11-12&version=NIV

Psalm 139:13-16 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+139%3A13-16&version=NIV

Revelation 20:11-15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+20%3A11-15&version=NIV

Romans 4:4-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Rom.+4%3A4-5&version=NIV

Romans 8:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A1&version=NIV

Romans 8:28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A28&version=NIV
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