Tag Archives: Abortion

Point: A Christian Can Vote Pro-Choice

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This is it, the controversial subject that I’ve mentioned for weeks. Sorry for all the suspense. It’s not an easy thing to talk about so I didn’t want to treat it superficially. I’d love to hear comments, but I ask that you be civil and respectful, as you always are.

Other point/counterpoint discussions can be found here, and my original post about these series can be found here. Tune in tomorrow for the counterpoint view.

Point: A practicing Christian can, and sometimes should, vote for a pro-choice candidate.

There are several reasons why Christians should not be so quick to condemn pro-choice candidates for local, state, and national offices. The issue of stopping abortion has been so associated with Christianity in recent times that it can be hard to seperate the faith from the issue, but it is necessary to do so.

First of all, Christians limit their potential impact on an election if they simply choose a pro-life candidate for that reason exclusively, regardless of the other issues. This is further compounded when they exclusively vote along party lines. Neither political party corresponds directly to Christian values as laid out in the Bible.

A major point to consider is that while Christians should not be pro-abortion, they must realize that God judges morality, not the state. We shouldn’t expect or want a government body that regulates morality. This means that the Christian should not be willing to have an abortion herself but should allow others to stand before God for their choices rather than judge them here on earth. It is a matter of personal choice, but that does not mean that choosing to have an abortion and choosing not to have an abortion carry the same moral value before God.

This means that rather than focusing so much time on issues like abortion and gay marriage, Christians should fight for other issues that are also thoroughly biblical like justice and helping the poor. In these things they can be like the one they claim to follow, Jesus Christ. If Christians spend too much time fighting against abortions and changes to the understanding of marriage, they will neglect the serious issues that Jesus attended to.

For these reasons, a Christian should judge a candidate not exclusively on the issue of abortion, but take the candidate as a whole. There can and will be times where the pro-choice candidate will be the proper and more Christian choice.

The counterpoint and second post on this subject can be found here.

Men and Women of Whom the World Is Not Worthy

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Sunday’s sermon was out of the end of Hebrews 11. Certainly not a fluffy message, but neither is the gospel.

“Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.” – Hebrews 11:35-40, NASU

Though this was written over 1900 years ago, these things are still happening to Christians throughout the world today. Can I be frank enough to admit my first thought was to condemn liberals as hypocrites? They fight for the “rights” to homosexual marriage, abortion, and equal treatment of animals, yet they aren’t fighting for the rights of these people to live and practice their faith without persecution.

Then God gently reminded me that I’m a hypocrite too. What do I do on behalf of these people?
Honestly, the persecuted church isn’t something I think about very much. Who wants to be reminded of the horrors done to others when they can live their comfortable life in ignorance?

There’s not a lot that I can do to these people that suffer. Oh, but the most important thing: pray. I need to pray for those that are put through torture, imprisonment, and more. I can pray that God will provide them with the strength and perseverence that they most desperately need to live, and may their lives be a witness to the truthfulness of their message.

Most of all, Lord, come quickly.

I’m Proud to be a One-Issue Voter

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**You may or may not agree with what I’m about to say. I respect that, and truly do not mean to offend anyone. I don’t take the issue lightly, but feel I must as a friend and neighbor share what I believe to be the truth.**
I’ve heard various political commentators rail against what they call “one-issue” voters. I’m here to say that I’m one of them, and proud of it.
The term “one-issue voter” is slightly misleading, however. It’s not that I value one issue to the detriment of others, but that one is much more important to me. Also, Neal Boortz who rants about one-issue voters terms people like me “abortocentrists.” This also is misleading, because I’m not obsessed with abortion, but with the value of human life. Yes, ending abortion (with the one exception: continuing the pregnancy will prove fatal to the mother) is one part of it, but so are other things like outlawing embryonic stem cell research, having strict penalties for those that violate human life through murder, rape, and abuse; and making certain euthanasia and infanticide stay illegal.
The reason why I’m proudly a one-issue voter is that I think that the one issue at hand is more important any other in politics. Man alone among creatures has been made in the image of God. This does not begin at birth (after all, what’s the difference between a baby the moment before he is born and his first moment outside his mother’s womb?), but from the moment the baby is a unique life (at conception). A person bears God’s image regardless of their mental, physical, or social capabilities.
I have opinions on all sorts of other political discussions. I’m sure that I’ll never find a candidate that matches each and every one of my beliefs, but I absolutely will not support a candidate who does not value human life. It’s that simple.
I know that most won’t agree with my position, and that’s okay. I respect your right to think as you wish. Please respect mine.
As always, I’m still fine-tuning my position and how I state it. It’s not important to me as much to be right, as it is to believe and speak the truth. I’d love any civil feedback that you might have, positive or negative. I’m also willing to answer any questions you may have, as I tried to keep this entry simple and straight forward. Thank you for considering what I have to say.

I Like Mike

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I don’t normally go out on a limb and post my political beliefs since very few people read this and I’m sure those who do probably don’t care, but I feel I need to get the word out to anyone who in fact might read this and care about it. I’m one of those people that enjoys talking politics as long as it is civil and sticks to the issues. As a Christian, I find it is important that I vote in a manner that honors the Lord.

After researching the major candidates, I believe Mike Huckabee is the best candidate for president in 2008. While I would love you to join me in supporting him, I would much prefer you to research yourself and come to that conclusion than to simply take my word for it.

Just a few reasons why I like Mike:

He has a strong view of the sanctity of life.

He supports reform of health care that does not involve the government simply taking it over and making a bigger mess of it.

He supports convental marriage.

He has a strong desire to protect our citizens, both internationally and domestically.

He has the leadership experience, more than any other candidate.

I encourage you to check out Mike and the other political candidates. Make an informed decision and don’t rely on someone else to do all the thinking for you. Even if you come to a different conclusion than I did about the right person to lead this country, at least you will have the reasons to back up your opinion.

Veto

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Two posts in one day? Actually, I wanted to write the earlier one on Monday, and this one yesterday, but I have just now gotten to it.

I’m glad that President Bush used his veto to keep the federal government for paying for embryonic stem cell research. There is no reason why the government should be paying for it. There is also no good reason to believe it will actually be benefitial. Michael Fumento has written a good article on this, “Science’s Stem Cell Scam”.

I’m glad that Bush is standing up for his beliefs, and mine. Using humans in life-ending research, certainly without consent, is wrong. Human life is not something to be treated as a science experiment. The government has no business getting involved in this (or many other things, but that’s another topic).

I listened to some local talk radio personalities talk about this issue, and they were upset that Bush vetoed the bill. One said something to the affect of, “Who made Bush the commander of chief of medicine?” Bush was entirely within his power as president to veto. It’s called checks and balances.

I hope that this made sense. I know that my argument is not rock solid, but I can’t see it any other way.