The Right to Choose

The Right to Choose

I was watching a comedy the other day—"Bruce Almighty"—and was intrigued by something the character Morgan Freeman played said. A bit of background. This movie is about a disgruntled TV journalist, played by Jim Carrey, who blames God for all his problems. God, played by Morgan Freeman, decides to give Bruce a taste of his problems. He give Bruce the power of God over the city of Buffalo, New York. He can do anything he pleases, except, God says "Don't mess with free will!"

Don't mess with free will. God, in reality, not just in the movies, gave mankind FREE WILL. God gave humans the right to choose. That is what free will is, choice. We humans can choose to follow Gods way or our own way. We can choose to be good or bad, a sinner or not, a believer or not. Choice is the very first RIGHT God gave to mankind!

Today, one of the most controversial subjects is abortion.

Abortion is wrong!

Terminating a pregnancy is taking away a life and this is a sin. God gave to Moses his ten commandments and one is "You shall not kill!" Of course, in one respect, this is an ideal. Humans cannot survive without killing (although, some say the commandment is "You shall not murder!" referring to the taking of a human life.) Everything we eat has been killed, whether it is animal or plant. All life is sustained by the death of other lives. Nevertheless, killing is wrong and humans should strive to take no life or, at least, the absolute minimum about of life consistent with maintaining our own.

There seem to be two sides to this question, one calling itself 'Pro-life' and the other 'Pro-choice' ¹ . The pro-lifers try to suggest that those who are pro-choice are not pro-life. They want you to believe that these positions are at the opposite end of a single continuum. They are not! Pro-choice is the Christian way. Obeying God's will and allowing all humans the right to choose their own way. Pro-life is human and also Christian. Obeying God's comandment against killing. How can you be both, easy. I will use my every power of persuasion and argument to convince a woman to carry her child to term. I will educate the youth of our world to understand God's path and follow God's light. Those that do, will automatically recognize that each and every child is a gift from God (although not necessarily a gift to the biological mother and father). They will not even, for a moment, consider terminating a pregnancy. However, I will always respect the choice they make and pour my every ability to help them live with that choice.

Getting back, terminating a pregnancy is wrong!

However, equally wrong is to take away a persons right to choose!

Should a woman end a pregnancy, no.

Should we use our every power of persuasion to convince her to carry the child to term, yes!

Should we attempt to use force to stop her, No!!! A very emphatic no! The right to choose is our most basic right and to try to stop a person from choosing is an effort to take away this God given right!

Is abortion murder?

mur·der

Pronunciation (mûrdr)

(Law)

1. The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.

2. Slang Something that is very uncomfortable, difficult, or hazardous: The rush hour traffic is murder.

3. A flock of crows.

v. mur·dered, mur·der·ing, mur·ders

v.tr.

1. To kill (another human) unlawfully.

2. To kill brutally or inhumanly.

3. To put an end to; destroy: murdered their chances.

4. To spoil by ineptness; mutilate: a speech that murdered the English language.

5. Slang To defeat decisively; trounce.

[Middle English murther, from Old English morthor; see mer- in Indo-European roots.]

Murder is the unlawful taking of a human life. This is a secular definition. The Bible talks of killing not murder.

Is abortion murder?

Sorry, but it is not. The law, which is separate and distinct from religion, must base it decisions of science and not faith. I have faith that ever single human fetus will, in fact, become a human being. However, I can not prove it! Nobody can prove it. Consequently, the law cannot operate under the assumption that a human fetus, and unborn child, is, in fact, a human being. Abortion cannot be murder. Unless, we decide to eliminate the Freedom of Religion clause from the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Since to define abortion as murder we would require the law to accept on faith that the unborn fetus is human. Faith is religion!

Do you want to do away with Freedom of Religion?

I certainly don't. Let us try to keep law and sin two distinct things, the way they should be.

In law, we set intensity. Robbery is more serious and deserves a harsher sentence than burglary. Losing control of your car or accidentally discharging a firearm and killing someone is not as serious as planning and carrying out the murder of another human.

All sins are equally bad in the eyes of God. God is perfect and look for us to be perfect. Any sin destroys that perfection! So all sins are equally bad and deserve the same punishment.

At law, torts are acts that injure, physically, financially, or both, another person (or persons). Crimes are torts that hurt society as a whole. Robbing a person certainly hurts another person financially. It also hurts them emotionally, which is part of the physical self (as opposed to the spiritual self—emotions come from the body). But the act of robbery also can hurt society. If we allowed robbery, who would work for anything, knowing that some stronger or more clever person will simply take it away from them. Killing another person takes from society all the good that person might have done.

Sins are acts against God. Killing another person is killing one of God's children. Stealing, lying, coveting, etc. all cause injury to one of God's children. Gluttony and licentiousness hurts the one committing these acts, which is hurting one of God's children. (think about it, mostly when we punish a child it is because they are doing something that will hurt themselves.)

Trying to turn sins into laws is not possible.

How can you even measure dishonoring ones parents?

How can you know when a person is coveting his neighbor's property or spouse?

How can you know when someone does not love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his spirit?

What punishment do you give to a man who takes the Lords name in vain?

What punishment do you give a man who fails to keep the Sabbath and make it holy?

What sins should we make into laws and what sins should we ignore? Maybe we should just make laws that protect society and let God handle sin. We can judge damage to society, how do we judge damage to the soul? Let us keep law and sin properly in their separate realms. Let the police, attorneys, judges, and juries deal with the law, and leave sin to God and his chosen shepards.

Remember, judge not, lest ye yourself be judged!

By the way, always remember, Christ Jesus suffered and died at the hands of the Romans as atonement for ALL sins. We are all forgiven our sins, past, present, and future, because of Christ Jesus' sacrifice. If God has it within himself to forgive us, let us all forgive ourselves and others.

Amen

¹ Unfortunately, I have noted that many persons who claim to be pro-life are not. They care nothing for the mother, only the unborn child. They call themselves pro-life because it sounds better and more noble than anti-abortion.