Tag: abortion

Abortion and the Failure of the Church

Abortion and the Failure of the Church

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I read a telling tale of a young girl who grew up in a Christian home, went to a Christian school, and attended church on a regular basis and yet when she had to face the most fearful time in her life, everyone failed her.  Yes she made a huge mistake, at the age of 16 she was pregnant, and then again at 17.  However; that would not be the worst of what she would have to deal with.  She was in great fear.  We really cannot blame her.  Grown adults, even those who have good finances, and secure lifestyles who have planned for a pregnancy get fearful.  Question swell up inside.  What will my friends think?  How will the father react?  How will I care for the child?  At her young age these questions are magnified by the prospect of addressing her parents, and friends.  What will happen with her schooling, college, and church life?  What about all of the stares, and whispers?  How could she ever care for a baby?  So many unknowns.  Advice is far from accessible because of the fear of shame and rejection.

With all of the Christian influences and church people around her she felt that they failed her.  “At the time, my church, my pastor, my school, and community never told me there were resources out there to help me—with adoption, abstinence, finances, or help caring for a child.” (Anonimous) The only ones who would be available to give her advice was Planned Parenthood.  What was the advice she received?  You can probably guess it.  She was advised that she did not have to keep the “embryo”.  No one asked if she wanted to talk about alternatives to abortion.  No other focus was given except to proceed with the abortion.

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She paid $300.00 for the abortion.  She described the event as horrible, and painful.  She and other ladies that were awaiting the procedure shared how sad they were at the need for the procedure and regretted their decisions.  She learned quick to harden her heart and to lie to herself and her family and everyone else she knew.  She became depressed and withdrawn, driven by more guilt and shame.  She abuse alcohol and herself.  Eventually the Lord led her to a group called Embrace.  Embrace helps people with abortion and abortion alternatives.  She became active in their prayer groups and ministry.  Eventually she began sharing her story. Telling the truth is the only way to rid the shame.  Her message? “Abortion is NOT freedom! Abortion is making “peace” with death and that is an absolute lie and brings so much destruction to a person’s live that goes beyond the mother.”

Her Christian community around her had failed her.  They failed her in educating her on the importance of abstinence and the holiness of the temple of God, her body.  The environment that she grew up in was more concerned with condemning her sin then helping her to recover from her sin.  In fact they did not help her to recover at all.  So how can we change that so that others do not have to go through this shameful behavior from the church?  We are to educate, listen, remind, and assist; oh then repeat seven times seven.

It starts from the top down.  Pastors, Deacons, Teachers, and other elders of the church need to educate at all levels on the sanctity of marriage, abstinence, and how important each life is to God. (Psalm 139:1-24; Jeremiah 1:5; Psalm 127:3; Galatians 1:15; Psalm 22:9-10; Isaiah 48:1)  However; we cannot stop there, we need a culture of love and truth in the church.  Peter tells us, “And above all things have fervent charity (love) among yourselves:  for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)  To many times when a brother or sister falls into sin, we are quick to condemn and not forgive.  We should condemn the sin, however; we do not need to continue with the same failed anti-abortion rantings that drive the repentant away. We are commanded to forgive one another.  Specifically, we are called to confess, repent, and forgive; in that order.  (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13) So then this is the first part in combating fear and shame and allows the truth to be shared.  Confidence given to the brother or sister who sins, that if they confess, they will be forgiven and will receive love and acceptance.

We must also educate our staff and members on a routine basis on alternatives to abortion, should the pregnancy be unavoidable.  Having a list of alternative pregnancy and women’s health clinics that support the woman’s choice to both live and the child to live.  Planned Parenthood spent allot of money making themselves the only voice on women’s health available.  This is not the truth, there are plenty of other alternatives to Planned Parenthood.  There are plenty of alternatives to abortion.  They may include adoption, guardianship of another family member, and single mother housing assistance or missions.  The church can use volunteers that can serve as a daycare for needy mothers so that the mother can continue in school, collage, and work.  Volunteers from the church can be incorporated into a babysitter program.  The church can even host an abortion survivors group.  Time, equipment, furniture, clothes, food, can all be donated by members of the church.  Professional skills can be donated that may include carpentry, mechanical, legal, financial, and even medical can be donated to the church for use in these programs.  Heck someone can even help clean the home, do laundry, mentor child raising, and cut the grass.

If your church does not have this kind of thing going on, then start it.  The Lord can use you to start this group.  In the church I attend a young lady felt a burden for the community after a school shooting, and started a community wide service that the members of the community , churches, and civil authorities could meet under to build up the community and get people in contact with the resources they need.  All it took one person saying, “here I am” to the Lord.

Get informed of local ministries that assist in pro-life assistance to expecting mothers and fathers.  We must always, as much as possible include the other silent victims, the fathers.  There are a many number of men who have these same feelings of guilt and shame, feelings of failure and inadequacy because of abortion.  Sadly, many men who would have rather taken the child into their own homes are not consulted by the mother prior to the abortion.  The biggest thing we can do that is included in all of these suggestions is to talk about it.  We need to bring the truth to the front.  People sin, if we didn’t we wouldn’t have needed a savior.

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Now that we do have a savior, Jesus Christ, who has already paid the price for our sin, and has forgiven us, we should forgive one another of sin.  We need to bring the truth the front.  Abortion is murder of an innocent life.  Murder is a sin, and a violation of the law of the land.  There should be no reason to accept the selfish taking of another life.  Murder of an innocent can never be justified by man. There are alternatives to abortion, even if the mother does not want the child.  The people affected by the sins of sexual immorality and abortion are people that we love.  We need to unashamedly reach out to and assist these victims (mother, father, and child) to find alternatives that will not destroy their lives and will encourage them to return to the Lord Jesus Christ who loves them and desires their love.  We cannot abandon our loved ones, nor allow them to abandon their loved ones out of fear and mis-education.

 

Bibliography

Anonimous. abort73.com. 31 Jan 2020. Loxafamosity Ministries Inc . Internet. 10 Mar 2020. <https://www.abort73.com/testimony/2674/&gt;.

 

Abortion: God Forgive Us All

What I relay to you is a true story of a young couple.  It was told as a matter or confession, not to a priest, but to any who would listen.  I don’t feel the necessity to identify the couple, as this could be any couple in modern society.

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This young man was seeing a young lady, and their attractions grew to one another as often young people do.  They were both working and soon decided that it would be best to move in with one another and therefore save on some of the costs of living.  This would make things financially better for the both of them, plus there would be other “fringe benefits”. 

The young man admitted he was self-centered and was concerned more about having freed up money to have a good time and to have the benefit of sexual pleasures at will.  He wasn’t concerned about taking precautions to avoid pregnancy; that was her problem, not his.  He remember how great it was to be living with her indulging one another’s fantasies without regard to God or anyone else.  Until she got pregnant.

The pregnancy alarm “slapped him in the face”, as he put it.  They were both shocked and caught off guard. Suddenly life stopped for them.  All of their future plans, their relationship, and collage would all have to change.  He remembered thinking that his whole life was suddenly snatched from him with the realization of this permanent change.  He regretted his foolish arrogance and disregard for not avoiding this predicament by listening to his parents warnings.  He was scared.  She asked what to do.  He lined up the options: marriage, bail on her, abortion, or just ignore it. 

She wanted marriage and to keep the baby, but he wasn’t ready, so he just pushed her away ignoring the issue.  She moved in with another friend but still sought his advice. He wouldn’t return her calls.  In fear and desperation she scheduled an abortion. 

When he found out his heart was sickened.  Guilt flooded over his whole mental and emotional state.  He was shamed that he had failed her and the baby.  He wanted to tell her not to go through with it.  But his cowardice had left him unable to move, he had forsook his responsibilities and left the burden to his girlfriend.  Eventually he mustered up the strength to accompany his girlfriend to the clinic. 

When he walked in there were others like him waiting with their family members.  He could feel their eyes on him. He knew that they knew that he was the father of the baby that was being aborted.  He was murdering his own child.  He was sacrificing his own baby for what he perceived would be a better lifestyle for himself.  He knew that his girlfriend was struggling. She want to keep the baby, but was afraid that without his support it would not be possible.  She thought that he loved her.  She realizes now, too late, that he loved himself more.

The abortion was quick.  After the abortion she left with other friends who had come to support her.  He left all alone.  They never spoke again.  The guild and shame of the murderous act had destroyed their relationship.  Decades later this time period of his life would still haunt him.  Wondering what his child would have been like.  Wondering what his marriage with this young lady could have been.  How many memories did he forsake for his selfish act? 

Later he married a Christian lady.  He started going to church.  He would here the pastor teach on how God said that children are an heritage of the Lord (Psalms 127:3-5).  He read how scriptures like John 16:21 remarked on what a joy it is that a man can be born.  He heard in Provers 17:6 where it said that Children’s children are the crown of old men; and they glory of children are their fathers.  He felt such sorrow and remorse.  He had missed out on those blessings.  The blessings of seeing the birth of his baby.  He missed out on the joys of running with a kite with his baby.  He missed the times of teachings, like riding a bike, or driving a car.  More than that he missed out on the joy of having his grandbabies sit on his lap.  Unable to keep his façade up any longer. He spent hours confessing to his wife. 

He confessed his selfishness to her.  He relayed the shame of his cowardice avoidance of his responsibilities to his girlfriend and to his baby, and to God.  In tears he poured out his regrets and a lifetime of torment that he has lived with all of those years.  His wife took him in her arms and for two hours she told of the forgiveness available from God in Jesus Christ.  He eventually pleaded his cas before God, and poured out his sorrows to him.  He repented of his selfishness and lack of courage in doing what he knew was wrong.  He confessed the murder of his own child. 

He received forgiveness.  He has reached out with the support of his wife and his church to the once young lady, who he had failed before.  She too had spent a life time of dealing with the guilt and anguish that comes from the shameful act of murder we call abortion. She too has been redeemed by Jesus Christ. 

It is a terrible thing when society and governments condone the murder of innocent babies.  It is a terrible testimony to the state of a nation that prefers mothers to kill their babies for profits to be fed to special interest corporations.  Surely they will be held accountable before Christ in the final judgement.  So will the Christians who stop silently and watched this atrocity unfold before their eyes.  Especially those who live in countries where they have the right to vote on such matters of conscience.  It is not just those who need forgiveness. God forgive us all.