There
have been some unspeakably wicked things done in the name of God over
the centuries. In my lifetime I can't think of a more insidious act
done in the name of the Christian God than the nefarious campaign to
teach Americans that God opposes abortion.
In
Frank
Schaeffer's autobiographical book - “Crazy
For God” - Frank reveals that his father, Francis
Schaeffer (the defacto father of the pro-life movement) came to
regret his participation in the politics that would spawn the
pro-life movement within the Republican party. In Frank's new book -
“Sex, Mom
and God” - Frank illuminates further the corrupt politics that
brought regret to his father's last days. Both of these books are
excellent resources for anyone interested in the strange history of
the heretical anti-abortion doctrine being taught in American
churches today, in part, for the purpose of garnering political
support.
As
a professing Christian I wrestled for years with the abortion
arguments. Only in the last few years have I come to fully understand
the deeply flawed nature of the anti-choice argument.
Safe
modern medical abortion is a relatively new phenomenon in the world.
When this procedure was unexpectedly legalized in 1972 many struggled
to understand it. There were no centuries old church decrees
concerning abortion that were widely known in lay circles in
existence. The responsibility therefore fell on all believers to
decide for themselves what the "will of God" might be
concerning abortion. Although abortion was first widely embraced as a
godsend by many respected Christians thinkers, including Southern
Baptist theologians, opposing forces soon emerged intent on shaping
the broader layperson's understanding. Certain Christian activists
and authors like John
Rushdoony and Francis
Schaeffer began teaching that abortion is an unprecedented form
of last days evil and those who practice it commit murder.
With
doctrinal uncertainty now brewing in Evangelical America, some in the
Republican party saw the perfect opportunity to win a larger segment
of the Evangelical voting block away from the Democratic Party. Frank
Shaeffer and his father were commissioned to create several films
designed to teach American Evangelicals that God strongly opposes
abortion – that abortion is nothing short of murder. These films
were then aggressively shown in churches throughout America –
courtesy of the Schaeffer's politically connected benefactors.
Dudley
begins his Huffington Post article with a dash of understatement:
“Evangelical anti-abortion advocacy rests on a surprisingly
flimsy foundation. And exposing that fact makes establishment
evangelical leaders nervous.” Nervous indeed. But I think not
near so nervous as the establishment elite Republicans guarding their
gates and counting the sheep at Republican Party headquarters these
days – those who desperately depend upon the pro-life single issue
voter to faithfully pilgrimage to the polls each election cycle to
cast their vote for the Republican pro-life candidate. To save
America from God's wrath. To save the unborn. Even a moderate shift
in Evangelical thinking on the issue of abortion would be
catastrophic for an already seriously wounded Republican Party in
America.
Of
all the special interest groups licking their wounds after the 2012
presidential election, I can't imagine there's a more disappointed
group than America's pro-life advocates – the true believers in
their cause. If there ever was an election where the fate
of the pro-life cause hung in the balance, this was it.
But it was not to be. In the end, God did not deliver the
votes necessary to advance the pro-life world view further in
America. Senate candidate Todd Akin in Missouri was
beaten by 15 points while Romney won by 10. Richard
Murdoch lost in Indiana by 6 while Romney won by 23. But
Romney was rejected as well. It seems God has spoken once again
concerning his will and abortion in America. And
loudly.
But rest assured many in the pro-life movement
will remain steadfastly incapable of hearing God's message.
This is because the God of the pro-life movement does not share the
same values as the God worshiped by most people of faith in
America. The God of the majority of Americans is both a
God of love and a God of common sense. And the pro-life
worldview can clearly be shown to lack both common sense as well as a
foundation in core elements of traditional Christian
spirituality.
The
vast majority of Christian laypersons in America (including
Catholics) reject, or do not follow Papal decrees concerning
contraception due to the "irrational" nature of these
decrees. But the success of the Papacy in advancing a similar
"irrational" argument for an abortion prohibition has been
much more successful in America, primarily because the Evangelical
community - while mostly getting it right on contraception - has
failed miserably to grasp the catastrophic irrationality of the
anti-abortion argument - which, if embraced, becomes blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit. The unpardonable sin.
So
what's wrong with the pro-life world view - from a traditional Christian perspective?
If
it is in fact true that what God values in human life comes into
existence at conception and if that thing of value is actually
destroyed when an abortion takes place - and if it is also true
that it is inherently the will of God that all conception (including
conception from rape, incest or fornication) result in live birth,
then the pro-life position remains perfectly logical – it has
“common sense”. But if one believes – as Jesus
taught – that the human body is the “container” for what God
values in human life - the soul - and the creation of a soul is a
"process" and not all conception is necessarily the will of
God, then the pro-life position becomes not only illogical but highly
counterproductive.
The common sense of the pro-life
world view begins its trajectory off the rails by denying that the
creation of human life is an "extended process" initiated -
not by God - but by the actions of human beings. Pro-life
believers stray further from common sense by insisting that what is
of value to God (and man) in human life comes fully formed into
existence as an instantaneous "God willed" event occurring
at the moment of conception. But the fatal damage to the
pro-life argument occurs when one assumes it is somehow “logical”
that God's universal will and desire is that all human conceptions
result in live birth and therefore the human creation process should
never be halted or interfered with by mankind. What could
possibly be the evidence for such a belief - in scripture or anywhere
else?
At best this view of reality not only puts man in a box
but it puts God in that same box. God is not free to use the
hand of man to ever stop gestation once conception begins – by the
decree of man. That God would desire all conceptions to come
to term simply because man has managed to start the ball rolling is
highly presumptuous thinking at best. It lacks that quality
called "common sense" - or any respect for the presumed
autonomy of God for that matter. How can one just “assume” that
all conception, (which in all instances occurs by an act initiated by
man) be the will of God? In our distant past successful conception
might have been considered an act of God but scientists today can
produce conception at will in the lab, simply by mixing the correct
ingredients. Man is who calls forth conception from the void.
Not God.
The
illogical nature of the belief that conception is a miraculous event
tied to the will of God is why pregnancy resulting from rape or
incest often gives even the most staunch pro-life advocate an
unsettled feeling from time to time. It is why Senate candidate
Richard Murdoch had such a pained tone in his voice as he professed
on camera that he felt required to believe that even conception from
rape is the will of God.
The
pro-life believer feels confident that rape can not be the will of
God – because rape is a bad thing. But despite the other obvious
soon-to-be “bad things” staring them in the face, a woman
required to bear a rapist's child against her will and a child
growing up with a rapist father, they still steadfastly refuse to
consider the possibility that God might actually prefer to terminate
a conception. They want instead to trust God desires all conceptions
come to term. And this belief is primarily held in place by another
completely unfounded belief – that a soul will be lost if a fetus
is destroyed. Clearly, not all things are possible with the pro-life
God. And all by the decree of the pro-life believer.
The
pro-life worldview is promoted in our Evangelical churches almost
entirely by means of a very powerful appeal to ones' empathetic
emotions, along with a preference for some scripture over others and
a complete denial or perversion of yet others. All to try to make a
case for “human soul life” beginning at conception. A particular
type of soul life mind you – of the type that can somehow be
destroyed by the act of abortion.
The
closer one examines the pro-life worldview the more one discovers it
defies almost all traditional Christian concepts and principles. And
since the pro-life worldview declares the “soul” exists at
conception, one must then wonder what a soul even is - if this is
true. I think most all Christian theologians would agree that the
elemental essence of a human soul is a person's “consciousness”
or “self-awareness”, the “observer within” – that part of
human life that Christians hope survives after death. That thing
Jesus said no man could destroy (Matthew 10:28) and yet it is somehow
in grave peril from the threat of abortion – having not yet even
manifested itself in the world. Perplexing. Christians would perhaps
be wise to settle all the “unprovable” theological arguments
concerning the birth of the soul with the only passage of scripture
describing such a birth. Genesis 2:17 (KJV) “And the LORD God
formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Clearly a
process. Not an instantaneous event at conception.
The
teaching of the pro-life heresy in America's churches (along with
other blatant heresies all stemming from the belief in an inerrant
Bible, made to say whatever one pleases) imperils the very survival
of Christianity in America. Because these teachings not only subvert
and pervert traditional Christian understanding but also impede our
evolution to greater understanding of ourselves and our world. These
teachings lead to the denial of science, but science is a secure path
to understanding God: “God's invisible qualities--his eternal power
and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what
has been made” (Romans 1:20 NIV).
So
what can be understood about the nature of God by observing how human
beings are made – if one adopts a view that a human soul is what is
of preeminent importance to God, rather than the body, as Jesus
taught?
Scientists
now understand, in part, why nature often aborts through miscarriage
- to ensure that only healthy bodies become the future containers for
human souls. Chromosome damage is now regularly discovered in
the autopsies of miscarried fetuses. Chromosome damage leads to
DNA replication errors, which causes birth defects.
Evidently the God of nature is much more concerned about ensuring a
healthy body for a potential human soul than the destruction of a
fetus through miscarriage, because nature is the most prolific
abortionist of all. Researchers currently estimate well over
half of all human conceptions end in spontaneous abortion.
Some conceptions do not manage to implant in the uterus while others
detach after an extended period of gestation. Why is the
pro-life movement not outraged at nature for such murderous
behavior?
Our
evolving understanding of miscarriage reveals nature is at work using
her brand of wisdom to ensure not all conceptions result in live
birth, one could argue for the sake of a potential soul. But we
also know that nature sometimes fails in her tasks and so we seek to
perfect or purge those failings, as we evolve in our own
understanding and dominion over nature, to advance humanity's well
being. These facts about our "reality" should profoundly
influence our understanding of God's will and abortion.
Perhaps
the most fundamental teaching of Jesus recorded in scripture
concerning the "nature of God" is that God must always be
understood as "good" and “only good” when attempting to
understand God's will. This is the vital understanding necessary to
discern the will of God and abortion. For Christians seeking to know
the will of God, in any matter, this core teaching of traditional
Christianity – that God must always be defined as “good” - is
the essential tool needed to discern not only God's will concerning
abortion but God's will for man's future. It will be the only
reliable compass able to steer Christians safely through the dark
waters of human affairs in our coming hyper-technological ages.
Most
people of faith understand at some level that a “good” God
can not possibly desire children be born with unhealthy bodies or
into environments that would be toxic to the awakening human soul.
Yet the unhealthy fear of God bred by the pro-life world view keeps
many from accepting the cold hard fact that humans must be the ones
to implement God's will in this world. Humans will be required to
bring God's Kingdom to the earth. Rather than adopting a
“body centric” view of human reproduction that foolishly mourns
the loss of a fetal body after miscarriage or abortion, a bit of
common sense, along with an understanding of what constitutes a
“good” God, will lead one to God's will and abortion. Just
like nature, people should choose to allow a conception to proceed if
a healthy body is understood as likely and the external environment
is favorable for nurturing an emerging soul. Choice is
simply another of God's tools promoting our evolution toward
perfection.
But it is clear the God of the pro-life movement
values the survival of the fetal body over the well-being of any
potential human soul.
A hallmark of any Christian
heresy is this: any belief or doctrine that, in practice,
envisions God as “less than wholly good”.
The pro-life God
is the vision of those who do not understand or do not accept certain
aspects of reality and prefer to reject common sense in order to
uphold their emotionally charged belief that there is never a good
reason to destroy a fetus. And if there ever were good reasons
to destroy a fetus man could not and should not deduce those
reasons. This vision of God makes man a pawn of his own
ignorance to be judged by a lessor God of his own making.
God trusts nature to use her wisdom at times to destroy a fetus
to ensure the best "body environment" for the potential
soul. Humanity must follow nature's example by judging the
"exterior environment" into which the potential soul will
be born. The mental and physical fitness of the mother
and father. The physical resources. Is there severe
damage to the fetal body nature is blind to? Would pregnancy
endanger the life of the mother? Is the conception
against the will of the mother? And perhaps the most
significant of all God's desires for humankind, will the child be
loved? All of these external environmental factors should be
considered and found acceptable in order for one to be able to assert
that "God approves" that another soul come into the
world.
Those
who oppose rationality in favor of a more superstitious worldview
will disregard the reasoning in these arguments and instead focus on
attempts to undermine rationality with spurious sacred text claims or
throw up the fearful cry of eugenics. They will use all manner
of slippery slope argument to suggest that Godly people must never
play God and other such nonsense. If Godly people don't ever
play God then they aren't Godly people. For the record I do
not advocate any form of eugenics. Unless you define eugenics
as the right of every woman to decide with clear conscience in
prayerful council with her God when and if to bring a conception to
term. Let it also be noted that I do not advocate that
conceptions that are discovered to be indicative of severe
disabilities be aborted. I advocate for what I believe
God advocates. That potential parents should rest assured
that God is their loving partner in the creation of life process and
therefore parents alone are free to make whatever decision they might
choose without fear of their God - for the sake of the potential
child. Children born into this world with severe
disabilities should be wholly embraced and nurtured by society.
Because there is no difference in self-aware human life once born.
We all will suffer and we must embrace one another to ease our
suffering.
Ultimately
the greatest sin of the pro-life world view is that it unwittingly
asserts that God often wills that newborn human souls awaken in the
hell of un-wantedness or severe physical deprivation, a place
extremely rare for a person to survive, let alone thrive.
The pro-life worldview becomes a form of blasphemy against the Holy
Spirit in this case since it ascribes a negative quality to the
nature of God by way of wholly irrational argument. It
declares that an independent act of mankind - the instantiation of
conception - that is then sometimes allowed to come to term in a
hostile environment - also by an independent act of mankind - is
always the preferred will of God rather than termination of a
conception. God's will is never actually even considered if one
adopts the pro-life world view. God is simply forced to
conform to the dictates of the pro-life worldview - that all
conception is God's will and all conception coming to term under any
circumstances is God's will.
Tragically,
too many of this world's souls are still being born unwanted or into
environments of violence and deprivation simply out of an irrational
fear of God and misplaced emotions. And unfortunately the children
born into these environments often become the outcasts of society,
predictably the common thieves, the seriously mentally ill, our
death-row inmates -
perhaps
the "Judas" of our times,
of whom Jesus said: "It would have been better for that man had
he not been born".
The
pro-life deception is capable of ensnaring anyone willing to close
their mind to reason in favor of emotionally driven superstitious
fears surrounding human reproduction. If human beings are not
free to decline to participate in God's creation of life process, at
any stage of that creation of life process, then God can no longer be
defined as good and humans are nothing more than machines being
forced to reproduce, even against the best interests of society when
necessary. And if the well being of a potential human soul is
not the preeminent concern of mankind when considering the fate of
any conception then mankind has dismissed its real responsibilities
to the potential child in favor of promoting its own fears and
ignorance concerning the nature of reality.
If one envisions God from a truly traditional perspective then God
has very clearly provided a way for nothing of substantial value to
be lost if and when a fetus is aborted - other than the potential for
human life, along with the value that has been psychologically
projected onto a fetus by the parents and society. That's
reality. The pro-life worldview is irrationality masquerading
as pious concern. It errs on the side of fear of the unknown rather
than
attempting to
envision a world where God is a true loving partner in the creation
of human life process.
