Thought for the Day:
“Human life is precious from its beginning to it’s natural end.”
Pope John Paul II
Question for the Day:
Are you really pro-life or just pro-birth?
I came across this meme today on Facebook and it inspired me to write this post. If you’ve followed me for awhile, you know that I take great offense to people who use Christianity, Jesus Christ, or their “pro-life stance” as an excuse to disregard, marginalize, or mistreat other people. Don’t Blame Jesus I was even more offended the first time I heard Trump referred to as the “Christian candidate.” I wondered then, and still wonder, what Bible the folks who make this claim are reading. God Don’t Like Ugly: Trump and the Christian Vote
In the Bible I study, Jesus Christ was humble, selfless, compassionate, open, forgiving, gentle, and instructed his followers to always consider the least of these. (Ephesians 4:32) The Bible teaches us that blessed are the humble in spirit and that we should be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. It very plainly asserts that “whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.” (Proverbs 14:21) Jesus warned us about judging and condemning others and mandates that we not look to our own interests but consider the interests of others (Phillippians 2:4). We are told to do nothing from rivalry or conceit but in humility count others as more significant than ourselves. (Phillippians 2:3) The word says that we lie to God when we claim to love him, but hate our neighbor. (1 John 4:20-21) We are commanded to show hospitality to strangers (Hebrews 13:2) and to not become conceited, provoke one another, or envy our fellow man (Galatians 5:26). Though absolutely NONE OF THIS seems to characterize the behavior of Donald Trump, by some completely distorted, biased, and delusional standard, he is still the “Christian candidate.” Why? Because he’s “pro-life.” Okay…
First of all, I have a hard time believing that a man who has been accused of sexual assault by more than 25 women and was caught lying about paying off his porn star mistress, really has an issue with abortion. If you brag about “grabbing women by the p***y,” I really can’t imagine that you have much respect for the female body period, but let’s just say, for the sake of argument, he really is “pro-life.”
Life, by definition, is the state characterized by the ability to get and use energy, reproduce, grow, and adapt to change. However, some pro-lifers seem to consistently forget about everything beyond the reproduction aspect. Too many are hyper-focused on those first nine months, but completely forget about the fact that the responsibility to sustain life extends far beyond birth. As the meme above suggests, how pro-life are you if you resent many of the things less fortunate people need in order to stay alive? Many pro-lifers often call women who’ve had abortions or people who support pro-choice ideology “baby-killers” while praising 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse for killing two protestors in Kenosha, WI. What happens to your respect for life if you’re annoyed when folks protest over the unnecessary deaths of unarmed black people? Breonna Taylor was an innocent essential employee shot in her bed and Ahmaud Arberry was shot while jogging, but many pro-lifers want to see those responsible for their deaths set free. Why? (if you’re “pro-life” and all) Matter of fact, I’ve got plenty more questions, so help me understand.
IF YOU ARE REALLY PRO-LIFE THEN:
-Why would you be opposed to universal healthcare or “Obamacare” as y’all like to call it, if it means those who are less fortunate will have access to healthcare thereby increasing the quality of and/or prolonging their lives?
-Why are you not disturbed by the children of immigrants being separated from their families and held in prison-like cages as if this will not permanently traumatize them and make them less likely to survive physically, emotionally or mentally?
-Why would you complain about your tax dollars going to fund government programs such as food stamps, Medicaid, or housing subsidies which help sustain the lives of lower income families?
-Why are you so opposed to opening our borders to people seeking asylum or employment so they can better provide for their families thereby increasing their chances of survival?
-Why are you so bent on exercising your Second Amendment rights that you would turn a blind eye to the 417 mass shootings that occurred in 2019, the highest number in recorded history?
-Why do you refuse to wear a mask and go along with Trump’s conspiracy theories that seek to minimize the fact that over 180,000 in the US have contracted COVID-19?
-Why do so many of you support the death penalty?
-Why does Black Lives Matter irritate you so much? Why are you always looking to justify why people who commit minor offenses like selling loose cigarettes (Eric Garner), failing to signal when changing lanes (Sandra Bland) or passing a counterfeit $20 bill (George Floyd) deserved to die? Why aren’t you marching in the streets and demanding justice for people like Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, Botham Jean, Sean Bell, Philando Castille, Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, or Ahmaud Arberry who did nothing illegal but still ended up dying unnecessarily? Christians will weep over how our Lord and Savior was killed unjustly, but when it comes to INNOCENT black people, y’all could care less. Blacks With The Blues
For the record, I consider myself pro-life and would likely never choose an abortion for myself. However, I’m also aware that I am not God and don’t get to police other people’s bodies or decisions. Each one of us will have to answer to God for ourselves and ourselves alone. I hope that when I finally see God’s face, I will be able to stand firm in the knowledge that I respected life and all that he created, and not just in the ways that affirmed my own biases. Being pro-life shouldn’t lead to a double life where you’re a good Christian who marches for babies on one hand and a gun-toting, mass shooter supporter on the other. You can’t claim to respect life and then be offended when someone asserts that black lives matter. You can’t claim to accept Jesus’ mandate to willingly give to the poor and then complain about your tax dollars going towards “government handouts” simultaneously. And you absolutely shouldn’t be voting for a president that doesn’t even value American life enough to firmly address the current COVID-19 pandemic even after it’s already claimed almost 140,000 lives. Essentially, you can’t hide behind a concern for babies while ignoring the needs of the full grown human beings all around us that God has called ALL OF US to serve. What good is being pro-life if it’s mission stops in the hospital delivery room? The birth of a child is beautiful, but ensuring it’s continued survival is the work of a true Christian.
“Then Peter began to speak, “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism.”
Acts 10:34
