Tag: Pro Life

The anniversary of Roe v. Wade

by Dan, posted in Culture

I have let this week get by without acknowledging the dark landmark on our culture: the Roe v Wade decision.

It has come around again in intensity because of the exposure of Planned Parenthood and the immoral actions they take in abortion. That has quickly dissipated, however. Something I easily predicted last summer.

Here is the deal: I work from what I call a “pro-life” ethic. And I will NOT allow that term to be hijacked because I am tired of trying to come up with new terminology. When good terminology gets hijacked, there are times we need to yank it back.

This is something in my life that is not “Republican” or “Democrat.” Of course, I don’t have to worry about it being misconstrued by “Democrats” who have already checked out on me because I dared to use that nasty phrase: “PRO-LIFE.”

The pro-life ethic I work from is as close to “womb to tomb” as I can comfortably get it for me. (Which will alienate me from Republicans and Tea Party folks quickly.) And I keep working on pushing it out even further, but there are times when I see evil in this world and I want it truly snuffed out… hard. I’m a work in progress.

On this occasion, though, I do want to remember the horrific decision of this nation to allow the ongoing slaughter of unborn children.

AND, I want to pause in a somber moment to mourn how we just simply treat people in general. There is such a disdain for each other in our culture. In political terms, “pro-abortion” supporters will disdain “pro-life” supporters. And vice versa.

I long for a way to be so PRO-LIFE that young mothers trying to make difficult decisions gain a hunger for LIFE. It’s not a matter of “prosecuting” mothers who decide to have an abortion. It’s being a society that so values life we help people see the high value in key choices they need to make… and they see such value in LIFE they choose to walk bravely with the help of our culture in a life giving direction.

I long for a way to be so PRO-LIFE that we see young families AFTER the birth! We don’t kick the poor to the curb. We don’t just spout off, “Get a job!” to people because we think they are poor without considering what is going on in their lives.

For me, personally, I long for a way to be so PRO-LIFE that I can say one day, “The only person more pro-life than me (meaning womb to tomb) is the Pope!”

May my ethic continually move toward what is life-giving and not death inducing.

 

The numbness of our culture

by Dan, posted in Culture

We are not a culture of life. We are a culture of death.

When we are not outraged by Planned Parenthood and instead work to defend these practices with weak arguments like, “Nothing illegal is done,” or work to discredit the ones who shot the videos… we are dead. We somehow can’t bring ourselves to be outraged by these practices and would rather divert the conversation to the rantings of Donald Trump.

When a society cares so little for the beginning of life and the end of life… we’re in HUGE trouble. Narcissism isn’t just about wealth. It’s about our own wants and desires trumping absolutely everything else. Maybe that’s why we like being obsessed with Donald Trump and want to avoid the tough conversations about harvesting the organs and tissue of unborn babies. Trump represents the narcissism we like to call out in others so we don’t feel so bad about our own personal obsessions. Talking about Planned Parenthood lands us too close to our own selfishness and callousness.

This is not a simple, run of the mill, 1980s pro-life argument I am trying to make. I have worked to develop a total pro-life ethic in my own life, but there isn’t any “side” who wants to “talk” about it because at some point in our political wranglings, each “side” has some semblance of a death policy that can’t stand the conversation of life. It’s not just about the opportunity to be born into this world. It is about being well in this world, and giving that opportunity to all. And then, not cutting that life off at the end simply because “it’s their time to die.”

But we don’t want those conversations. Let’s just talk about Donald Trump’s hair some more.

Lord, how we need an awakening of the soul!

 

Roe

by Dan, posted in Culture, Prayer

Today is the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. A decision that came on the end of over a decade of intense upheaval in our nation as we battled over civil rights, the Vietnam War, and crooked politicians. It has been an ongoing symbol of division that in many ways was a capstone of a deeply divided era. And it has managed to keep us deeply divided.

It is a passionate subject no matter what. To bring it up here is a huge risk for me personally, since I really like to be liked.

But I have a pro-life ethic I am trying to build in my own life, so this is kind of the tap root of what people think of when I use those words “pro-life.” I choose that phrase carefully because I want people to realize what I am trying to develop is something more, but when we hear certain words or phrases, we stop hearing and start yelling. That’s precisely why I chose “pro-life ethic.” Because I want us to STOP doing that. We need to start hearing each other once again. We need to start thinking again. I have high hopes. There are days I think it’s more fantasy than hope, actually.

I still dream. I still hope. I still want to develop a Kingdom ethic that is not driven by political agendas of the day.

So, I remember Roe v. Wade today.

And I pray for those who never got the chance to see life. I pray for those unborn now who risk that possibility.

I pray for those who have been victims.

I pray for better adoption laws.

I pray for better teaching in our schools.

I pray for better care for humanity all the way around.

I pray against the culture of individualism that has given rise to incredibly selfish living and attitudes.

I pray for the Holy Spirit to pour through us in compassion to engage those who are hurting. I pray for those who face incredibly painful decisions concerning pregnancy.

I pray for the Church to be more prophetic and less political. More prophetic and less pathetic. We need the prophetic voice of the Kingdom rising up to cut through the mistake of taking “sides” in political parties and acting in a way that brings LIFE and BLESSING to our culture.

For the selfish, for the confused, for the abused, for the abandoned, I pray for grace and mercy.

Lord, hear my prayer.

Abortion

by Dan, posted in Church Life, Culture

I work hard to stay away from what may seem to be “political” statements on my blog. Facebook is different.

Yet, the whole blow up this week with Planned Parenthood and the Susan G. Komen Foundation has so crushed my spirit, I am going to take that risk.

I repent for not remembering Pro-Life Sunday (as well as MLK Sunday). I have let the politics of this fundamental issue dictate my silence… and I am wrong.

This issue is beyond abortion, in my opinion. It is not about “pro-life” or “pro-abortion.” It is about a bigger god that demands worship and when some small organization with a small amount of money came along to this beast and clipped its hangnail, the beast roared. The small organization then “got back in line” to not offend this raging god.

I can’t serve that god anymore through my silence. I just can’t. Hopefully I will be able to slide this post by without having a lot of angry posts, but if I do, I’m going to deal with it.

I pray to the Lord:

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!