And once again I am amazed at the logic some people use to justify their actions. I hadn't heard this one before. The Bible says that life begins with the first breath, therefore its' alright to abort children anytime before that happens. The logic there being, you are not alive while you kick and wiggle in the womb! Nope, not alive, the Bible says so. That comes from Exodus and it was also pointed out that if a man causes harm to a woman and she loses her baby, the punishment is not the same as killing someone. That's in Exodus too. I admit to not being overly familiar with those Bible passages. I did go and read them following that discussion. Yes, that is what it says, no doubt about it. The question is, is that what it means?
I don't pretend to be a Biblical scholar or theologian. I do give much thought to such thighs, more so the older I get. I tend to view the old testament as a history book more than a guideline for living. You do have to know the history. But God established a new covenant with man, the new testament. That doesn't mean the old testament was invalidated, just that it is the foundation. You could call the new testament an update I suppose. And so I went into the new testament to see what it has to say about life. I read where John said: " It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. " So let's apply the same logic used in the first case. Well, life doesn't begin until you have the spirit. How do you get this spirit? More importantly, when do you get this spirit? Does this mean that if it is determined that you don't have the spirit, you are not alive? And then I read where Mathew said: Now the birth of Jesus was as follows, when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the holy spirit. Is this the spirit that gives life? It sounds logical enough to me. It naturally follows that the spirit gives life to everyone, therefore you are alive from conception! That's how I read that anyway.
I went through this process to investigate and try to understand how anyone could justify abortion using the Bible. The person I was talking too assured me he was a good Christian and believed his place in heaven was assured. The Bible says life begins with the first breath! I was astonished as I hadn't heard this theory before and I've had a few discussion on the subject. Apparently this argument has been around a while as there are numerous essays, blogs and opinions on it posted to the internet. I have always applied logic and reason to the question. The Bible is a book that either you believe or you don't. You can't really substantiate your beliefs based solely on that. If the other person doesn't believe those words, or assigns a different meaning to the words, you have no common ground to stand upon. Knowing that, I apply logic.
When I plant a seed is that not with the belief the plant will grow? Of course it is, otherwise why bother. So logically I would say life begins then. I can't see where it is any different with a human embryo. Once fertilized, life begins. As to whether that life contains a spirit, that is a question unanswered for me. I harbor no doubt that it is life however. So what are we really talking about? Biology is what we call that. It's a basic biological fact proven by science. Does science say a fertilized egg isn't alive? But the question is, can we just kill that life? That is where the discussion begins.
We are talking about a human life here though, not a plant. Does anyone have a right to terminate a life? I could refer to the Bible where it is specifically stated, Thou shalt not kill. That's what it says, in the old testament, there in the history. But you say you don't believe the Bible. Okay, what about Jefferson or Monroe or any number of the signers of the declaration of independence? They wrote, " We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" They applied logic and reason to state, every man has a right to life. It is self evident! They say that life is endowed by their creator. Endowed means given. Who is the creator?
I don't believe it is possible to use the bible as justification to kill the unborn. Life begins with the first breath? Alright that is what is written but what does it mean? The baby is fed and receives all nourishment through the umbilical cord. That includes the oxygen necessary to sustain life. So, is not the child breathing? Does the method of receiving that life sustaining oxygen make a difference? Using logic I would have to say, no, no it doesn't.
I don't pretend to be a Biblical scholar or theologian. I do give much thought to such thighs, more so the older I get. I tend to view the old testament as a history book more than a guideline for living. You do have to know the history. But God established a new covenant with man, the new testament. That doesn't mean the old testament was invalidated, just that it is the foundation. You could call the new testament an update I suppose. And so I went into the new testament to see what it has to say about life. I read where John said: " It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. " So let's apply the same logic used in the first case. Well, life doesn't begin until you have the spirit. How do you get this spirit? More importantly, when do you get this spirit? Does this mean that if it is determined that you don't have the spirit, you are not alive? And then I read where Mathew said: Now the birth of Jesus was as follows, when his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the holy spirit. Is this the spirit that gives life? It sounds logical enough to me. It naturally follows that the spirit gives life to everyone, therefore you are alive from conception! That's how I read that anyway.
I went through this process to investigate and try to understand how anyone could justify abortion using the Bible. The person I was talking too assured me he was a good Christian and believed his place in heaven was assured. The Bible says life begins with the first breath! I was astonished as I hadn't heard this theory before and I've had a few discussion on the subject. Apparently this argument has been around a while as there are numerous essays, blogs and opinions on it posted to the internet. I have always applied logic and reason to the question. The Bible is a book that either you believe or you don't. You can't really substantiate your beliefs based solely on that. If the other person doesn't believe those words, or assigns a different meaning to the words, you have no common ground to stand upon. Knowing that, I apply logic.
When I plant a seed is that not with the belief the plant will grow? Of course it is, otherwise why bother. So logically I would say life begins then. I can't see where it is any different with a human embryo. Once fertilized, life begins. As to whether that life contains a spirit, that is a question unanswered for me. I harbor no doubt that it is life however. So what are we really talking about? Biology is what we call that. It's a basic biological fact proven by science. Does science say a fertilized egg isn't alive? But the question is, can we just kill that life? That is where the discussion begins.
We are talking about a human life here though, not a plant. Does anyone have a right to terminate a life? I could refer to the Bible where it is specifically stated, Thou shalt not kill. That's what it says, in the old testament, there in the history. But you say you don't believe the Bible. Okay, what about Jefferson or Monroe or any number of the signers of the declaration of independence? They wrote, " We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" They applied logic and reason to state, every man has a right to life. It is self evident! They say that life is endowed by their creator. Endowed means given. Who is the creator?
I don't believe it is possible to use the bible as justification to kill the unborn. Life begins with the first breath? Alright that is what is written but what does it mean? The baby is fed and receives all nourishment through the umbilical cord. That includes the oxygen necessary to sustain life. So, is not the child breathing? Does the method of receiving that life sustaining oxygen make a difference? Using logic I would have to say, no, no it doesn't.
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