Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: fibercom!lab@uunet.uu.net (Lance Beckner) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: A Scary thought, but I bet I get flamed anyway...! Message-ID: Date: 15 Jul 89 08:06:19 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: FiberCom, Inc., Roanoke, VA Lines: 138 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [This one is getting sort of marginal. I really don't intend to allow a discussion about the merits of abortion. --clh] In article , agt@sun.com (Alan Troup) writes: > But that's not the scary thought I was referring to in the subject. > > It's so tough to call oneself a "Christian" these days. So many > religous groups and "religious" people do so many stupid things. (Oral > Roberts, Jim Bakkar, Jimmy Swaggart, etc..) And now (cough) "pro-lifers". You say that these pro-lifers are doing "stupid things". I assume that you are referring to their attempts to make abortion illegal. You may be surprised to find out that I partially agree with you. I think that abortions should be illegal. But we also need to look at the consequences of such a law. The Missouri laws (upheld by the Supreme Court), prevent any hospital or doctor that receives public funds from performing an abortion unless the life of the mother is at stake. Women who can afford to go to a private doctor/hospital/clinic can still receive an abortion. This law will initially affect those on low incomes. The end result of this will probably be an increase in the number of live births by low income, possibly very young, women. This will result in an increase of individuals and families requiring state and federal aid. These people will probably be living in "bad" parts of town where drugs, crime and violence are a way of life. This is not a pretty picture. The child that we spared from the horror of abortion grows up as an unwanted child. He probably is being raised only by his mother, and will likely end up as a member of a gang. I realize that I am being really negative here. Not all cases will be this bad, but some will be worse. I don't think anyone would disagree that there will be a substantial increase in the population of welfare recipients. What should a Christian "pro-lifer" do? 1) We need to see the problem. We need to realize that abortion is not THE problem. Many Christians think that abortion is THE problem today. In fact, I think that the problem is the same today as it always has been. People need the Lord. I realize that not everyone who hears the Gospel will respond to it. But how many of the Christians who stand all day on the front steps of the Supreme Court would be willing to go door to door throughout Washington D.C. and share Christ with complete strangers? We stand out in public and scream about the judgement of God and the wrath of God coming on this nation for its deeds. But how often do we sit down and quietly tell someone about the love of God? Someone who has come to Christ should want to live for Him. This should mean abstaining from a promiscuous lifestyle. This would result in fewer unwanted pregnancies. God would also give them the strength they need in dealing with a crisis pregnancy if one did occur. 2) We need to *BE* the solution. Scenario: We make abortion illegal. A young teenage girl (17 or 18 years) gets pregnant. Her parents throw her out of the house. What do we tell her? "You made your bed, now lie in it?", "You reap what you sow?" What about the baby? Is he condemned to a life of poverty and resentment because his mother made mistake? We Christians that are so "concerned" about the well being of the unborn baby, need to also be concerned once the baby is born. We have excellent opportunities to put our faith to work and show God's love through our actions. If we care so much about these poor babies, then we need be willing to do whatever it takes to help the babies (and their mothers) when in these crisis situations. How can we be content knowing that we "saved" a baby's life, only to sentence him to a life of misery and despair? How many people that are willing to be arrested as they lie limply in front of abortion clinics would also be willing to adopt a minority child and raise him/her as their own? How many would be willing to take pregnant teenager into their home, skip summer vacation and use the money on pre-natal care instead? How about free child care for babies whose mothers are trying to complete their education so they can better provide for their baby? I am not implying that those who protest would not be willing to sacrifice in these ways. In fact, I don't personally know any of the people involved in these protests. But for every protestor, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of Christians supporting their efforts. All Christians should be willing to do something to help. So I don't think trying to illegalize abortion is "stupid". However, I do think it is stupid to assume that it will solve more problems than it creates. So where can I go to volunteer my services? Most cities have a "Crisis Pregnancy Center" or similar organization that offers women help, support, medical care, etc. Call the one nearest you and get involved. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Religion plays such an important part in our lives, no matter what > religion we are (or even if we're atheists). I think that the Bible is > too important to be used as a tool so that certain people (or groups of > people) can get what they want. Which is what is happening, All too often, Christians start following the "Christian agenda" rather than following Christ. Needless to say this is a mistake. > which leads us to the scary thought. > > With all this nonsense going on in the name of "Christianity", pretty > soon the flow of the tide will reverse, and "anti-Christianity" will > be the theme of the Age. I don't look forward to living in those times. > > But if you think about it, it's already starting. Yes, it has already started. And some of it is justified. Jesus didn't tell us to go and tell all the nations how to live their lives. He told us to proclaim the Gospel to all the nations. God does tell us (Christians) how to live our lives. But this comes AFTER knowing God. You really can't expect someone to live a Christian life without Christ. Some people take the Bible and (their view of) politics, pour them into a pot, and stir up the "concoction". What comes out is, in my opinion, a little hard to swallow. It is my opinion, for example that the guilt or innocence of Oliver North has nothing to do with the Good News of God's saving grace. Maybe we need to take another look at "Biblical" Christianity and stop trying to mold ourselves into our "cultural" Christianity. In Christian friendship, Lance -- Lance A. Beckner INTERNET: lab@fibercom.com FiberCom, Inc. UUCP: ...!uunet!fibercom!lab P.O. Box 11966 FAX: (703) 342-5961 Roanoke, VA 24022-1966 PHONE: (703) 342-6700