Pro-Choice AND Christian? Yes!
December 18, 2009
There are so many Christians condemning abortion, it’s getting to be laughable. Chuck Norris, ex-action hero/ conservative/ Christian/ pro-lifer, recently wrote an article entitled “What if Mother Mary Had Obamacare?“ I’m not kidding, and you should read it! I promise it won’t let you down. My favorite line from it: “In short, while President Obama was accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, the Democrats in Congress drove a sword through the womb of the unborn.” Whose womb? Eh forget it, it doesn’t matter…
Anyway, being a Christian here in America seems, at first glance, to be synonymous with being anti-abortion. But, lo! I come to deliver good news! It’s not! I came across an article this morning by 20-year-old Lindsay Toler. It’s called “My Life as a Pro-Choice Christian,” and I love her recounting of an epiphany she had while being cross-examined by her youth minister:
My youth minister asked me during the 2004 presidential elections why I supported a Democratic candidate on the issue of abortion. “Honestly, Lindsay,” he began, “how can you stand in this church right now believing what you believe?” Before I had time to register how shocked and offended I was, I heard myself say it:
“My God is the God of free will.”
There it was—the answer I had been looking for!
“Jesus told us to love others, not fix them,” I said. “Just because you and I have made the choice that abortion is wrong for us doesn’t mean that we should force that belief on everyone. God gave us free will, and who are you to limit that in me or anyone else?”
Speechless, he stared at me for a moment before excusing himself to another table. We have not discussed the issue since.
That’s great, yes?
Spring
December 18, 2009 at 11:23 am
Wow, what a great way of putting it. Faith and free will= choice, not moral conscription.
I have to say that for me, calling myself pro-choice came out of the 2008 election cycle- where-in I got in a massive Facebook arguement with a bunch of my old friends from Claremore. Wherein, I ended up argueing that we have to let women make the choice about abortion for themselves, rather than giving them no other options. And sometimes that may mean that they may make a choice that I, personally, wouldn’t make myself, but that’s their choice.
It’s kind of like forcible conversion, really. If my only choice is to become a *insert religion of the land here* or face death, then I’ll probably become that, but it won’t be an authentic conversion. Likewise, if my only choice is full term pregnancy or (potential) death via back alley abortion, then i’ll probably carry to term, but I won’t necessarily be an attentive mother…
Anyway, I totes agree with Toler- if authentic Christian faith calls for people to make individual, intentional choice to become a follower of Christ (rather than just ‘I got to church on Sunday because that’s how I was raised’ Christians), then we must allow that others have that same free will- to make decisions about what they believe and how they live.
December 18, 2009 at 11:45 am
VMT- You are EXACTLY who I had in mind when I read this article! You probably figured that, though
. Anyway, I just want to take this time to say that you are one of the most genuine Christ-followers (borrowing your savvy term) I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. And, I think you make Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the whole entire world a better place! A very Merry Christmas to you!
December 18, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Aww *blush blush* thank you. That means a lot.
December 18, 2009 at 7:36 pm
great anecdote from toler!
February 15, 2010 at 12:15 am
the grounding that pro-choice is justifed is very simple. Why do they think so hard?
Gospel testifies that “we have been released from the law of moses with righteousness of faith”
so “righteous men no longer live according to law but according to faith ”
That means, God gaves us every freedom to choose in christ as WE BELIVE IS BEST CHOICE FOR OUR PROFIT.
ABORTION IS ABSOLUTELY MATTER OF WOMEN’S FAITH .
THE REASSON WHY THEY KEEP ARGUING ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE THEY CAN’T EAT MEAT AND THEY ARE BOUND BY LAW.
GOOD BYE