CHOOSE LIFE
YOUR MOTHER DID
This is why I hate bumper stickers: they try to boil complex issues down to pithy, overly emotional sound bites, and invariably fail. In this case, the first thing that came to my mind was this retort:
"Well, you idiot, if she hadn't I wouldn't be around to worry about it, now would I?"
This is also true, but like the sticker itself, it doesn't come close to depicting the complicated reality of abortion. I imagine this particular fight will continue until the sun goes supernova (at which point none of us will worry about it ever again). Still, on the basis of the condescending, punishing attitude of most pro-lifers, I find it very hard to align myself to their side, no matter how religious they claim to be.
In fact, the more religious an anti-abortionist is, frankly, the less regard s/he has in my eyes, because of this simple fact: You have no right to force your religious views about life and the unborn on people who do not share your beliefs. I've said this before, but let me reiterate: It is none of my frakking business what another woman does with her body.
If anyone wants to ask me if I would have an abortion, the answer will be: it depends. If I became pregnant as a result of rape, the answer will probably be yes. (I say "probably" because this is one of those situations where you can't say for sure unless it actually happens.) Nevertheless, even if the answer was "no," the answer would be irrelevant. Why? Because my opinion does not and should not have the force of law.
This is where so-called Christians completely miss the boat. As I've said before, one of the worst things someone who professes to believe in Christ can do is get involved in politics. The two are diametrically opposed, and inevitably, each one will wreck the other. If you truly believe, why can't you trust God to solve these problems?
Besides that, do these people actually think through the implications of their own rhetoric? Do they really want to reduce women to the status of slaves, chained to their own bodies? I thought slavery was outlawed in this country; do we want to start it up again, this time encompassing 51% of the population?
(Of course, that wouldn't actually happen, because wealthy white women would still be able to get as many illegal abortions as they want.)
Make no mistake, banning abortion is another way of saying: We want to enslave women. We want to force women to give birth, because God knows the uterus and the embryo are the two most important things in the universe.
Now I'm getting snarky, but I'm not going to apologize. It disgusts me that these pseudo-Christians can't keep their beliefs (no matter how sincerely held) out of other people's lives. This, it seems to me, is completely ignoring the apostle Paul's advice.
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 New International Version)
Trying to force their beliefs on other people, through a political process Christians shouldn't be involved with in the first place, will win the respect of no one.
YOUR MOTHER DID
This is why I hate bumper stickers: they try to boil complex issues down to pithy, overly emotional sound bites, and invariably fail. In this case, the first thing that came to my mind was this retort:
"Well, you idiot, if she hadn't I wouldn't be around to worry about it, now would I?"
This is also true, but like the sticker itself, it doesn't come close to depicting the complicated reality of abortion. I imagine this particular fight will continue until the sun goes supernova (at which point none of us will worry about it ever again). Still, on the basis of the condescending, punishing attitude of most pro-lifers, I find it very hard to align myself to their side, no matter how religious they claim to be.
In fact, the more religious an anti-abortionist is, frankly, the less regard s/he has in my eyes, because of this simple fact: You have no right to force your religious views about life and the unborn on people who do not share your beliefs. I've said this before, but let me reiterate: It is none of my frakking business what another woman does with her body.
If anyone wants to ask me if I would have an abortion, the answer will be: it depends. If I became pregnant as a result of rape, the answer will probably be yes. (I say "probably" because this is one of those situations where you can't say for sure unless it actually happens.) Nevertheless, even if the answer was "no," the answer would be irrelevant. Why? Because my opinion does not and should not have the force of law.
This is where so-called Christians completely miss the boat. As I've said before, one of the worst things someone who professes to believe in Christ can do is get involved in politics. The two are diametrically opposed, and inevitably, each one will wreck the other. If you truly believe, why can't you trust God to solve these problems?
Besides that, do these people actually think through the implications of their own rhetoric? Do they really want to reduce women to the status of slaves, chained to their own bodies? I thought slavery was outlawed in this country; do we want to start it up again, this time encompassing 51% of the population?
(Of course, that wouldn't actually happen, because wealthy white women would still be able to get as many illegal abortions as they want.)
Make no mistake, banning abortion is another way of saying: We want to enslave women. We want to force women to give birth, because God knows the uterus and the embryo are the two most important things in the universe.
Now I'm getting snarky, but I'm not going to apologize. It disgusts me that these pseudo-Christians can't keep their beliefs (no matter how sincerely held) out of other people's lives. This, it seems to me, is completely ignoring the apostle Paul's advice.
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." (1 Thessalonians 4:11,12 New International Version)
Trying to force their beliefs on other people, through a political process Christians shouldn't be involved with in the first place, will win the respect of no one.
7 comments:
I agree 100%. The fact that so many pro-lifers seem attached to a feel-good, fairytale idea of what 'life' is and are completely and willfully ignorant to reality, makes me embarassed whenever they claim to be the 'moral high ground' on this issue.
Do you realize how obvious you're being about your bitter frustration with your life? You're showing yourself to be extremely frightened and weak, lashing out with attempted sarcasm and reveling in your imaginary success in "zinging" the people you don't agree with. The tags on your blogs reveal the true childish workings of your mind, throwing around middle-school terms like "jerkwad" and jumping on any opportunity you can find to call someone "sexist".
I suggest you watch the video on Youtube of a feminist trying to take a shit on Joe Rogan. It will be easy for you to see the striking similarities between her desperate attempts at domination and your own vain attempts at the same. You are pathetic -- and yet I feel no pity for someone who tries to deal with their suffering in life by being negative and hateful towards other people.
You should try forgiveness. True forgiveness, the kind real Christians are supposed to practice. Not the fake kind where you have to get the last word in before you can let something go. Otherwise you will always feel that desperate frustration and pain inside yourself that you try so hard to mask with words.
I know it will be impossible to accept this at first, but don't be afraid to give it some consideration as time goes on. It takes time to kick bad habits, and I'm confident that there is hope for you yet.
Holy moly guacamole! I am a Christian feminist too. I was quite sure that if I looked long enough and hard enough I would find a Christian feminist blogger, and here you are. I'll be back.
Andrew:
Ha ha, you're funny.
I should forgive someone for being sexist? I don't think so.
Now if they stopped doing it, that would be something entirely different.
Your disjointed, incomprehensible comment ("bitter frustration"? "extrememly frightened and weak"? talk about strawmen)only proves one thing: you're bent on chastising me for some imaginary provocation, while completely ignoring the things I've said in this post.
Way to go, big guy.
...So was he basically saying that ranting on a blog is unChristian? His post was pretty incoherent.
Naw, I think he's more of a Men's Rights type. Hostile to feminism, for sure.
It's always hilarious how every one of these jackasses magically has the power of telepathy, so they know exactly what you're thinking and feeling.
You often seem to tack on a "so-called" or a "pseudo-" before the word Christian when discussing those with whom you are in disagreement. This seems to me to be a very tacky and intellectually lazy thing to do and mars your good writing. I think it would be best to leave that sort of polemical tactic to the Right.
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