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| The Barque of Dante by Eugéne Delacroix |
This is a
brief comment on abortion, hormonal contraceptives and Christendom.
The Bible
is quite explicit about several rules of conduct, but it speaks not of abortion. So, is abortion a religious matter? I don’t
think it is. Abortion is
an ethical matter. Ethics basically discusses concepts of right and wrong
behaviour and it includes the notion of consequentialism.
I am
against abortion; notwithstanding, I refuse to impose my ethical position on
others for two reasons: a) I believe in personal choice; b) I believe in
reaction to one’s actions; therefore I believe in Karma. This being said, I
believe that killing a human life (and there’s no point in sugar-coating it:
abortion equals to taking a life which) will bring consequences – both physical
and spiritual – despite the reasons why a female undergoes such procedures.
But then
society can be faced with other ethical questions (that may explain why the
Holy Book speaks not of abortion): if a woman is raped by her husband/a man and
wishes not to bring a fruit of rape into this world (that may turn out to be a
monster like the father), what good will she do to society in adding one more
evil to it? Or if a woman is raped by a man/husband, gets pregnant and brings a
child who reminds her of the act every day, thus starting to hate the child,
transforming him/her into a perturbed, or even a psychopath who will hurt
others; how ethical was on the part of this woman to bring this child into the
world? Poverty and teen age are not ethical justifications to abort a foetus.
Physical deformations aren’t either but the parents/mother may not be strong
enough to deal with it and, thus, prefer to face the consequences of an
abortion.
Hormonal
Contraceptives
The bible speaks not of contraceptives either; therefore it constitutes not a religious matter but one of personal choice (and its consequences). I take issue with hormonal contraceptives because they are sheer poison that ruins one’s body (no matter how doctors and feminists try to convince me of otherwise, the side-effects of pills can be extremely nefarious). But if people decide to take them they are free to do so (and face the personal and social consequences of that same choice).
Christendom
I see Christendom battling against the above subjects as if there weren’t more pressing issues to tend to: there are still Christians being persecuted and murdered around the world; there are Christians being Islamised in Africa; there is an increasing number of atheists in western societies; the youth needs more and more guidance and, I don’t see Christian Institution using the media to press governments to help those Christians and to fight against the mass Islamisation of Christians in Africa; but I do see them giving more reasons for people to seek atheism and for the youth to turn its back to religion.
Quo Vadis, Ecclesia?
Comments
Post a Comment
Dissecting Society™ welcomes all sorts of comments, as we are strong advocates of freedom of speech; however, we reserve the right to delete Troll Activity; libellous and offensive comments (e.g. racist and anti-Semitic) plus those with excessive foul language. This blog does not view vulgarity as being protected by the right to free speech. Cheers
Max, I am not sure that abortion is solely an ethical issue because God's first mitzvah to creation was to "be fruitful and multiply", therefore aborting a child and taking measures not to conceive go against God's commandment making it thus a religious matter as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Ana :D!
Delete"Max, I am not sure that abortion is solely an ethical issue because God's first mitzvah to creation was to "be fruitful and multiply", therefore aborting a child and taking measures not to conceive go against God's commandment making it thus a religious matter as well."
Indeed, that was God's commandment and, I would say that humanity has obeyed it quite well. However, He was not specific about abortion in the Torah, was He? Does it have anything to do with Free Will, with Karma...?
This topic can offer a wonderful debate, no doubt.
Ana, thank you ever so much for your comment. Always a pleasure :D.
Cheers
Quite a challenge there!
ReplyDeleteThe atheists have been indoctrinating regarding Islam for at least half a century through the government schools. When I was in school, all they taught us about Christianity was the Inquisition, the Dark Ages, the Flat Earth, and Slavery. Islam was all about Peace, Love, Harmony with nature, Science and Charity. That is what I learned from my teachers while growing up in the Bible Belt in the 1960's. It is more extreme today. The news media here says nothing of forced Islamisation, nor would people even believe it was happening if told, given our atheist education system.
Hi Looney :D!
Delete"Quite a challenge there!"
You know? :)
"The atheists have been indoctrinating regarding Islam for at least half a century through the government schools."
Atheists, who on earth gave them so much power?
"When I was in school, all they taught us about Christianity was the Inquisition, the Dark Ages, the Flat Earth, and Slavery. Islam was all about Peace, Love, Harmony with nature, Science and Charity. That is what I learned from my teachers while growing up in the Bible Belt in the 1960's."
Really? Allow me to share that in school they taught us, here in Portugal, the same things (on Christianity); but about Islam, they taught us that they were the invaders (although we were further taught about Arab Poets and their legacy to the Portuguese culture) and that Christians kicked them out.
"It is more extreme today."
I can imagine and now that you spoke of it, I must investigate what kids are being taught about the Arab invasion of Europe, in the present context - I must check if the socialists didn't remove this part of our history from the educational programme for fear of hurting Muslim susceptabilities.
"The news media here says nothing of forced Islamisation, nor would people even believe it was happening if told, given our atheist education system."
That is too bad. They should speak about what is going on down there in Africa (in Nigeria, things are getting worse, for example; Boko Haram wants to kill all Christians [and they make sure they do it during Christian holidays] in the South and implement their version of Sharia Law by force) but they prefer to engage in the latest African religious-free-debate-yet-vicious-trend: Kony.
Looney, thank you so so much for your super comment :D. Loved it.
Cheers
Abortion and contraceptives are a right: women have the right to do whatever they want with their body. If they don't wanna carry a pregnancy till the end they have that right and if they don't wanna get pregnant it's also their right. It's a myth that the pill has any serious side effect. The catholic church should not interfere with this matters and if africans are being islamised is because they want to and there is nothing christians can do about it. Free Palestine!
ReplyDeleteHi Celia :D!
Delete"Abortion and contraceptives are a right: women have the right to do whatever they want with their body."
I don't think it is a right but rather a choice. And women won the right to make that choice without being legally punished, that's all. We could question whether their body is really theirs or not, to begin with; but I am sure you are not interesting in theist philosophy.
"It's a myth that the pill has any serious side effect."
What is your personal definition of a myth? I am asking because I have personally seen the effects of the pill on several women: many gain weight (to never lose it again), others lose their hair; many get cellulite; others have fertility problems after quitting the pill to conceive etc - these are cases I have witnessed myself. But there are studies suggesting that the pill causes cancer, although pharmaceutical companies and doctors being paid by them will dismiss them. And then there are others, indeed, who have been deceived by the concept of the pill and got pregnant anyway despite religiously taking them...
"(...) if africans are being islamised is because they want to and there is nothing christians can do about it."
I would agree with you if all Africans had access to education and information, to be able to make that choice. I would even agree with you if all Africans had the right to make a choice. But they don't. And yes there is a lot Christians can still do (as they once did, before the decolonisations)
"Free Palestine!"
If by Palestine you mean Gaza; then definitely: Free Palestine of Hamas!
Celia, thank you ever so much for having shared your opinion :D. Know that you are always welcome here at the MAX Experience.
Cheers
Celia, what about the rights of the child? Moreover, what about the rights of the child's father, grandparents or any relative that wishes to keep the baby? Women have the right to be responsible for their actions, period (assuming the baby is not fruit of rape). I would agree that the pill doesn't cause any major side effects if it hadn't caused jaundice in me and trust me, it is a huge side effect.
DeleteHi Isabel :D!
DeleteI am so sorry about what happened to you: what did your doctor say?
Thanks for asking pertinent questions and for your much appreciated contribution :D.
Cheers
I think abortion is wrong- you should never actively try to remove your genes from the next generation- but since it doesn't harm anyone but the parents (though a separate person, the baby doesn't count) it shouldn't be made illegal. I do, however, think that both parents should have a say in abortion; that is, if either parent wants the kid, abortion shouldn't be allowed (of course, this would be waived in case of rape).
ReplyDeleteHey Vid :D!
Delete"I think abortion is wrong- you should never actively try to remove your genes from the next generation- but since it doesn't harm anyone but the parents (though a separate person, the baby doesn't count) it shouldn't be made illegal."
All right and I agree with you that this subject pertains to personal conscience and not to the law. So, to you a baby doesn't count?
"I do, however, think that both parents should have a say in abortion; that is, if either parent wants the kid, abortion shouldn't be allowed (of course, this would be waived in case of rape)."
Agreed.
Vid, thank you ever so much for your most valuable input :D. I appreciate it.
Cheers
It is better to take the pill than to abort a human life. The church has been distracted with abortion, pills, condoms (which are vital in the battle against HIV and other STDs - celibacy is a dream, people! Stop meddling with people's sexual life!) instead of fighting for its religious leadership.
ReplyDeleteHi Joe :D!
Delete"It is better to take the pill than to abort a human life."
I am inclined to agree with you.
"The church has been distracted with abortion, pills, condoms (which are vital in the battle against HIV and other STDs - celibacy is a dream, people! Stop meddling with people's sexual life!) instead of fighting for its religious leadership."
Do you think the church is too focused on people's sexual life?
Joe, thank you ever so much for your incredible input :D. Your contribution is appreciated.
Cheers
Olá Max,
ReplyDeleteYou and I are on the same page when it comes to abortion, but I would like to add one thing: many women in Africa who have been raped (in countries like Liberia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Rwuanda, etc) raise their babies, fruit of the evil act. They give them love and praise God for them and hope that their love for their children will wash away the seed of evil left by the monsters who raped them. This being said, it could be questioned if rape is an ethical reason to abort.
As a lover of natural medicine I am against the pill (nature offers all sorts of solution) and all sorts of prescription drugs.
As for Christendom: sometimes I wonder if Christians are forgetting what it means to be a Christian. Sometimes I think that Christianity is not a religion but a political party. Sometimes I think Islam knows that Christians care little about their Black African "brothers" and feed them with this knowledge and gain some more sheeps for their Islamist flock. Christendom is neglecting its duty.
Controversy should be your middle name. Excellent article!
Tchau
Olá Celeste :D!
Delete"(...) many women in Africa who have been raped (in countries like Liberia, Congo, Ivory Coast, Rwuanda, etc) raise their babies, fruit of the evil act. They give them love and praise God for them and hope that their love for their children will wash away the seed of evil left by the monsters who raped them. This being said, it could be questioned if rape is an ethical reason to abort."
Thank you for mentioning those brave women! Yes, you are right: they are a very good example of how wrong we may be and how right some religious groups may be. Sometimes even our ethical issues can be challenged and proved wrong.
"As a lover of natural medicine I am against the pill (nature offers all sorts of solution) and all sorts of prescription drugs."
Hear, hear! You and I are definitely on the same page, here.
"Sometimes I think that Christianity is not a religion but a political party."
Very well put.
"Sometimes I think Islam knows that Christians care little about their Black African "brothers" and feed them with this knowledge and gain some more sheeps for their Islamist flock. Christendom is neglecting its duty."
You may be on to something there...
"Controversy should be your middle name. Excellent article!"
lol well, I have been more controversial in the past...now, I am getting old ;). Thank you, I am glad you liked it *bowing*.
Celeste, thank you ever so much for your outstanding input (loved your African example) :D.
Cheers
Hi Max,
ReplyDeleteWe are on the same page.....so, what else is new.
Hi Mel :D!
Delete"We are on the same page.....so, what else is new."
Cheers, mate! Well, we have disagreed in some issues but yeah, generally speaking, we see eye to eye in most matters.
Mel, thank you so much for your comment :D. Loved having you here.
Cheers
Pregnancy can have serious side effects too. Do you have more than anecdotal information about the side effects of the pill?
ReplyDeleteCheerful Monk, I don't know your history (I hope the tone of your comment doesn't reflect a painful reality) but I can tell you that the side effects of the pill can be huge, specially because the pill is not for everyone: people with history of cancer in their family cannot take it; people with high blood pressure cannot take it; people who tend to clot cannot take it; people with diabetes cannot take it; people who have/had liver issues cannot take them etc...and yet many of these people take the pill at the same and suffer from side effects (I was one of them: I had hepatitis, I told my doctor about it and yet she said it was ok to take the pill; result: I had jaundice). Does this sound anedoctal to you?
DeleteHi Jean :D!
Delete"Pregnancy can have serious side effects too."
True: diabetes, preclampsia...but I am told the joy of bearing life surpasses all those side effects. Whereas, (from what I have witnessed and read about) the side effects of taking drugs do not bring joy at all.
Do you have more than anecdotal information about the side effects of the pill?
Well scientists say that the pill is not for everybody and they do put out enough information about its side effects. Pill leaflets often indicate the side effects of taking the pill (I am sure this is not new to you) which many women disregard (or choose to disregard). Finally, experience with several women who took/take the pill also gave me plenty of evidence of the hazards of the pill.
But there are women who take it and suffer nothing. Then you have those who take it and still get pregnant.
Every woman is an individual case and I criticise the way some doctors and feminists make it seem like the pill is a miraculous thing that suits (and saves) all women.
Jean, thank you so much for your input :D. Always a pleasure.
Cheers
Oops, I apologise for the mistake: I meant to say pre-eclampsia.
DeleteHi Max,
ReplyDeleteI don't believe abortion is a religious or governmental issue, however I know it has become one. The Catholic church especially would rather say, "no abortions" that address the issue of priests abusing young boys. What if young girls worked in the church and were abused, then we would see just how hypocritical the church would be. I just think the church should not impose it's choice on women and rob them of their choice or their karma to carry a fetus or abort it.
This is an endless debate that cuts across all social strata and no matter how we cut it, it is ultimately up to the woman.
Another great debate my friend. Keep up the thought-provoking work.
Thought-provoking Cheers!
Hi Lady A :D!
Delete"I don't believe abortion is a religious or governmental issue, however I know it has become one."
Agreed.
"The Catholic church especially would rather say, "no abortions" that address the issue of priests abusing young boys. What if young girls worked in the church and were abused, then we would see just how hypocritical the church would be."
You raise a very interesting question.
"I just think the church should not impose it's choice on women and rob them of their choice or their karma to carry a fetus or abort it."
I hear you.
"This is an endless debate that cuts across all social strata and no matter how we cut it, it is ultimately up to the woman."
But should it?
"Another great debate my friend. Keep up the thought-provoking work."
Thanks *bowing*. I will try, my darling ;).
Lady A, outstanding comment for which I thank you a million times :D.
Thought-provoking Cheers
Can't agree more with your thoughts. Even I'm against the very idea of abortion although yes I do agree, it should be left to individual and personal choices. I also subscribe to the point that taking a life is not a fair idea, just like Euthanasia and honour killing, and those, who practice abortion should also be brought to law just like any other criminal and be judged on whether there were substantial grounds for doing the act, and if not, then the couple should be punished just like any other criminal should have been.
ReplyDeleteAnd indeed contraceptives is yet another poison to the body. The pharmaceutical companies may advertise them for their own gains, but it is another thing that the more you keep away, the better. I believe in the name of creating a safety net, they are just luring more and more innocents into the game, who don't realize the consequences of the other side.
Hi Kalyan :D!
Delete"Even I'm against the very idea of abortion although yes I do agree, it should be left to individual and personal choices."
Right?
"I also subscribe to the point that taking a life is not a fair idea, just like Euthanasia and honour killing, and those, who practice abortion should also be brought to law just like any other criminal and be judged on whether there were substantial grounds for doing the act, and if not, then the couple should be punished just like any other criminal should have been."
That's what used to happened in Portugal. Women, until recently (before socialists decriminalised abortion), if caught would go to jail for having done an abortion. But then the law changed.
My personal view on that: I think that women are punished enough (physical and psychologically) without the governed judging and convicting them for the act. I do agree, though, that taking a life may not be a fair idea (at first glance).
"And indeed contraceptives is yet another poison to the body. The pharmaceutical companies may advertise them for their own gains, but it is another thing that the more you keep away, the better.I believe in the name of creating a safety net, they are just luring more and more innocents into the game, who don't realize the consequences of the other side."
Absolutely!
Kalyan, thank you ever so much for your outstanding comment :D.
Cheers