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Can you be a Christian, and support Roe vs. Wade?
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| No | 34% | 276 votes | Total: 821 votes | |
| Yes | 66% | 545 votes |
No
by Carol Jo Campbell
Created on: July 25, 2009 Last Updated: July 26, 2009
It is not possible to be a Christian and support Roe vs. Wade. The latter is a man-made law which at no time can surpass God's law. God is the giver of life not man. He is both Creator and Law-giver.
Why is Roe vs. Wade in opposition to God? It takes upon itself the right to determine what life is and isn't. This is a huge presumption by any human being under any circumstance. Those circumstances include rape, birth defects and poverty or matters of convenience.
Roe vs. Wade, from my perspective, came into effect for three reasons:
1. The determination of humans to ignore God's laws against fornication: Sex outside of marriage.
2. The encouragement in the world societies of loose conduct which includes rape by suggesting and promoting sexual acts as recreation and a personal "right" without responsibility. This has been done through television, music, movies and now the Internet and video games.
3. The worldwide degradation of females and an attempt, though perverted, of giving women control of their lives. God holds women in very high esteem. They are His creation. The huge misunderstanding of women's roles and God's view of women is caused by man ignoring God's laws. In the instances of "rape" in the Bible, most adherents of women's rights fail to recognize that the penalty for rape was death. Rape is not condoned in Bible. In those instances where the rape of a woman appears to have been accepted, the instances are taken out of context. When reviewed in context, those instances relate to the "loose conduct" of a People towards God. God looked at their infidelity in worship to Him as fornication and therefore punishable by death.
A true Christian reflects God's view of life. Life is precious in God's eyes. If a man in ancient Israel harmed a pregnant woman and either she or the baby died, the punishment was death; the man was considered a murderer. (Exodus 21:22-23)
Roe vs. Wade as well as the stigma attached to the child born out of wedlock and the issue of convenience or birth from rape, or possible birth defects are all part of the same package. Society is out of control because even though many profess to be Christians, they have long left the source of true Christianity and gone their own way. Most have no knowledge of the Bible and even those who profess to have read the Bible decide what they will or won't believe. They simply don't believe and adhere to the reality of the Bible that it is the Word of God and that God in all these generations, has not changed. Christians today want a "convenience belief." They want the Bible to be convenient for them and what they want to do. They fail to see that the commandments of God are not burdensome - in fact these commandments, requirements and reminders found in the Bible are life-giving and life-saving and they bring both contentment and peace of mind. (1 John 5:2-3; Isaiah 48:17)
The bottom line and the simple truth is that there is no hope for the unborn child except that the parent comes to know the truth about God and his beloved son Jesus Christ. There is no hope for mankind except the Kingdom God has promised through his Son. Our world is being destroyed daily because we as humans have leaned to our own understanding rather than turn to God who only provides what is good and merciful. Instead, daily, mankind throws in its lot with the one who is misleading the earth into every form of self-destruction. (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19)
Although one of the alleged purposes of Roe vs. Wade was to prevent the horrors of back alley abortions and all that entailed, it multiplied the heartache of terminated abortions millions of time. The momentary relief of terminating an abortion is just that "momentary." There is a perpetual heartache for the mother that last a life time sometimes turning into serious medical and emotional problems. The love of God is totally different. It sustains uplifts and provides a guidance that doesn't end in heartache.
Also, the mark of a true Christian is love. (John 13:34-35). . . I am giving YOU a new commandment, that YOU love one another; just as I have loved YOU, that YOU also love one another. 35 By this all will know that YOU are my disciples, if YOU have love among yourselves."
What is the true mark of Roe vs. Wade?
Learn more about this author, Carol Jo Campbell.
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Yes
by C. Elizabeth Evans
Created on: November 12, 2009
Roe vs. Wade has become the center of the embittered debate about a woman's right to abortion. In summary, this landmark decision expressed the United States Supreme Court's judgment that a woman has the right to privacy in matters of pregnancy and abortion and that the final decision is between the woman and the doctor, not the State.
This decision did not make a statement on the moral rightness or wrongness of abortion. Instead, it explained that as a medical procedure, the jurisdiction belongs to the medical field and not the government.
What does this decision mean for Christians, then? Can a Christian support Roe vs. Wade?
It is vital to note that when people refer to themselves as Christians they may mean a variety of different things. They might mean that they grew up going to a Christian church and that they themselves go once in a while. They might mean that they celebrate Christmas instead of some other religious holiday. They might mean they have personally embraced the moral and ethical teachings in the New Testament. They might mean that they try to follow every rule in the Bible. Or they might mean that they embrace a personal relationship with the God of Scripture. The possibilities vary as widely as the Christian denominations. Under that explanation, it is certainly possible that someone occasionally attends a Christian Church, calls themselves Christian, and supports Roe vs. Wade. The two concepts have little to do with one another.
For the rest of this article I will focus on the final category of Christianity: those who believe a Christian is one who personally has chosen to follow the teachings of Jesus and who call him brother, friend, and God. Even among these, more conservative, Christians, it is possible to support Roe vs. Wade.
First, there are some Christians who believe it is not their place to be involved in politics. While rare, these are the people who quote Serve God and honor the King to support their reasons for pursuing religion while accepting the political status quo. In their minds, while abortion is wrong and no Christian should support it personally, it is still the business of the government to rule and not their place to question.
Second, there are some Christians who believe abortion, while tragic, is not wrong under all circumstances. They see it as a moral choice that is between God and the mother and not the place of others to dictate morality. These Christians are still forgiven individuals who want to serve God. I personally cannot accept that it would ever be morally right to choose abortion, but the foundation of Christianity is the forgiveness of God through Christ, not the correct moral choices of the individuals. So while I disagree with these people, I do not believe their perspective somehow disqualifies them from God's redeeming grace.
Finally, there are those Christian who believe that, while abortion is morally wrong, woman will obtain abortions whether legal or not. Prior to Roe vs. Wade, woman often obtained illegal, black market abortions without medical supervision. In those circumstances, death of the woman was much more common as a consequence of the procedure than it is now. By legalizing abortion, the Court made it possible for doctors to openly perform abortions in more sanitary conditions, protecting women who might otherwise have died.
Clearly, there are reasons why a Christian might support Roe vs. Wade: because they support government without asking questions, because they believe the moral issue is a personal one, or because they believe protecting the woman is important when it is not possible to prevent the abortion. Many Christians do not support Roe vs. Wade, but supporting it does not automatically exclude someone from the Christian faith, which may express itself in a variety of different ways.
Learn more about this author, C. Elizabeth Evans.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.
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