Church Hatred from within the Church.
In 2013, I taught a critical thinking class where I used the topic of abortion to explore intellectual bravery and cognitive dissonance. Students were tasked with arguing both extremes of the abortion debate: total opposition to abortion under any circumstances, and complete support for abortion on demand.
One Catholic student, who opposed abortion in all cases, was asked to consider a scenario: if her 8-year-old sister were raped and impregnated by an HIV-positive drug addict, would she support the child carrying the pregnancy? The question visibly distressed her, to the point where I feared she might have a breakdown. This reaction illustrates what happens when deeply held beliefs clash with challenging realities. Often, people either experience emotional turmoil or resist changing their beliefs, even when faced with contradictory facts. Much of our beliefs come from our cultural or political groups or people in our circle, and not on factual evidence and sound bible teaching.
In the U.S., the white church is largely pro-life and Republican, while the black church is mostly pro-choice and Democrat, making them political opponents. Each side garners support from different factions, but this rivalry shifts the Christian focus from faith to political power. Achieving political influence requires winning hearts and minds, yet Jesus said His followers would be hated by all. How can Christians seek worldly approval and still align with The Kingdom of God?
Key question: Is the Christian church’s position on abortion a matter of justice, morality, or is it just political?
Here is the biblical advice:
“Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow’s cause,” (Isaiah 1:17).
“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice.” (Micah 6:8)
Psalm 89:14 ESV: Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne…
If Justice is the foundation of God’s throne, do unborn babies require Justice? Are they the only ones in need of Justice?
Hatred in justice for the child.
The common scriptures used to oppose abortion are Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; and Exodus 20:13.
Those scriptures speak of the sanctity of life and the precious value of human existence. So, we as Christians conclude that this is a gift never to be taken. And I agree.
You see the beauty and magnificence of the birth process in Psalm 139:13-16: “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
Sperm must be deposited and transported to the site of fertilization. Ovulation must occur and the egg must be “picked up” by the tube. [For] Fertilization and embryo development, the sperm and egg must unite to create a zygote. [For all that to transpire], Intercourse must occur around the time of ovulation (UCSF Health).
Then, when we think about development in the womb, the thinking is about “the tiny heartbeat, the gentle kicks, and even the shared rhythm between mother and child. These are reminders of the deep interconnectedness of life” (ChatGPT). It is hard to think about disturbing such beauty and magnificence. Aborting that is a serious action.
Knowing this, does a woman have the prerogative to abort a child just because she wants to, knowing that even some children born out of vile situations such as rape, have turned out to be outstanding and productive people. My cousin once gave a testimony based on him being an indirect product of rape. His mother was the direct product of that rape. However, his mother rose out of that situation to give birth to some beautiful and well-adjusted children. He has climbed the ladder to the ruling class of his homeland. What if his mother was aborted at birth? Think of any reasonable argument for abortion, if you were that baby, would you still encourage your abortion?
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY): Supports the right to abortion without restriction. Do you agree that justice is served if there is no legal or moral restriction on abortion? Do you believe that a mother has the right to have six consecutive abortions? Does a mother have the right to abort a baby who is already kicking in her stomach?
Will a section of the world hate me, if I cry Justice for the unborn child? Yes, they will! But is the baby the only one who requires Justice?
Hatred for Justice beyond the Unborn.
Based on the scripture included in this message, the Roman Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church and the Fundamentalist Protestants firmly oppose abortion in all circumstances. They advocate for strict legal prohibitions. And their stance is based on the same set of scriptures. For example, Jeremiah 1:5: Before you were in the tomb, I knew you.
But realise that God is saying this to Jeremiah as a grown man, not a child. This goes to support the value of human life, and that it is not exclusive to the unborn. God is expressing love for Jeremiah’s entire Journey, starting from before birth. Yet, based on pro-life Christians’ interpretation of the above scripture, these bible verses apply to the unborn only. Can we apply those same biblical passages to the mother?
Psalms 139 says “For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
• Just as the unborn fetus is knit together in the mother’s womb, so too is the mother.
• Just as the child is wonderfully and beautifully made, so too is the mother.
• Just as the fetus is created in the image of God, so too is the mother.
The mother’s life is as valuable as the child’s. Does God value someone in the womb and as the person ages, the value reduces?
Ashley Brandt and her husband, already parents to a 3-year-old, were thrilled in May to learn they were expecting identical twin girls. However, at a 12-week ultrasound, they learned one twin had anencephaly, a fatal condition where the brain and skull don’t develop properly. Texas law barred abortion because the fetus still had basic bodily functions, despite no chance of survival. Ashley had to choose between continuing the pregnancy, risking her [life] and that of the other twin, or seeking care elsewhere. She ultimately went to Colorado for a selective reduction (Mary Tuma).
The reduction procedure means aborting the brain-dead baby to allow the other twin and the mother to survive. The sick baby posed a danger not only to his mother but also to the other baby growing in the womb. Now, in this case, if you follow a comprehensive ban on abortion as some Christians propose, by default, you are aborting the mother and the healthy child. If the sick baby is not aborted, both the healthy baby and the mother will die.
• You cry life for the child, where is the protection for the mother’s life?
• You say mercy for the baby, but where is the mother’s grace?
• You campaign to protect the fetus, where is the safeguard for his mother’s life?
• You cry Justice for the child, but where is the Justice for his mother?
The whole process of protection for early life is to ensure they become fully mature adults, but does the value of a person’s life decrease as she gets older?
There is no way that the world would like the church if it applied justice to the abortion debate as a standard – Equal protection for both mother and child.
If I said that I agreed with abortion, one set of people would dislike me. If I disagreed with abortion, advocates, the pro-life folks would oppose me. Most importantly, when circumstances are at a juncture where between the child and mother, only one life can be saved, who is to make that decision? If you save the child, the mother dies, if you save the mother, the child dies; whose decision is that to make? The president, the state, the prime minister, or is that the sacred choice of the mother? What is justice in those scenarios? The Bible says, “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” Amos 5:24.
Would the church be loved if it preached justice in equal measures for both mother and child?