Had some interesting conversations about the abortion issue lately, and none specifically about the politics of it. I’ve been a life begins at conception kind of guy for as long as I remember and don’t really believe abortion should ever happen with the possible exception of saving the mother’s life.
Yet I have good Christian friends who disagree with me. Some who think abortion should at least always be legal and others who find it morally acceptable until the egg implants in the uterus. I also have friends whose ideas fall in other places within the debate.
I have been left in a fog after these conversations. I’m confused about my beliefs: where are the source of my beliefs, why do I feel so passionately about them, and do I have any room for change? I’m confused about what role the church should play in these discussions: do we demand a certain belief in practice, do we leave room for honest discussion on the issues, and can we agree to disagree on such a difficult issue? I’m confused about why we even have the discussion: Are we trying to make something morally acceptable that is truly not just because it makes our lives easier by being able to control our ability to reproduce in such a direct way.
Do I try to speak prophetically against abortion from conception even though I know I will be speaking to people who honestly disagree with me? Or do I invite discussion on the issue knowing full well that through the discussion many people may take the opposing viewpoint from mine.
Abortion is such a difficult issue. It is so complex. For many it is so personal. I wish I knew how to handle it.
1 comment:
I've been thinking about abortion lately also. My line of thought has been more on what a Christian's response to it should be. Should we vote for a candidate that has no other views as us because he is pro-life? I've been going to meetings with some other people on campus in a girl's apartment and what she said struck me. The Church can not just stand against something, we have to stand for something also. So if we truly believe abortion is wrong and are telling young mothers not to abort we should be backing up our words by adopting these children. I have really been challenged to see what I as a college student can do in this issue.
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