I was driving down the road a couple of weeks ago, listening to a local conservative Christian talk show. I don't know why I do this, as it almost always ends with me yelling at the radio. Anyhow, this Christian show is what you would expect it to be. They bestow all the virtues of the right, while railing against any liberal views and those who hold them. I don't really have a problem with that, except it's a Christian radio station -- The Word FM. Its name, I assume, is a reference to the Bible, but since this Rush Limbaugh, Jr. is followed by Dr. Laura, who is a professing Jew, I'm just not sure. Again, no problems with that, but the issue I have is when conservative political views are equated with Christianity. But I digress.
As I was listening to this radio host talk about Barack Obama, referring to him as the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever, I was getting angry that, once again, a conservative was acting as though abortion was the only issue in the campaign. Unfortunately, I know all too well that this plays to the emotions of the religious right, who are often a one-issue group. Is the candidate pro-life? He gets my vote. Is the candidate pro-choice? Let's endanger our church's tax-exempt status by demonizing him.
Let me say upfront that I am pro-life, but I don't believe most people that carry that label are faithful to its true meaning. By saying I am pro-life, of course I mean that I am against abortion. 1.5 million aborted babies a year is not just a tragedy, its an epidemic. But when I say I'm pro-life, it doesn't end at abortion. I'm also anti-war. I do believe that we have every right as a nation to defend ourselves, but the instances should be rare. 90,000+ casualties from a war that was entered on false premises is a tragedy, too. The teachings of Jesus (you know, that Guy from whom Christianity was born) are clear - love your enemies, strive to live at peace with all people, et al.
When I say I'm pro-life, I also mean I'm against the death penalty. For all the arguments about it being a deterrent, or it being it being for the safety of society, I can't help but think that capital punishment boils down to human vengeance. "'An eye for an eye . . .'" someone will no doubt say. Never mind that that is an ancient Babylonian code intended for a society without laws. Never mind that Jesus offered the alternative -- to "turn the other cheek", likely a rebuttal to the old law. As a society, we want vengeance. Something in us longs to even the score, but there is a better way -- forgiveness grants the freedom and peace that retribution never will.
Bear in mind that for eight years, we have had a president who is stridently anti-abortion. Yet the number of abortions has shown no sign of slowing. Whatever its approach has been thus far, the "pro-life" movement is having no affect. Abortion is still a legal procedure, and women are still having them. What we need is a collaborative effort between the left and right to work toward a realistic goal of reducing the number of abortions. There are many angles from which this can be approached -- sex education, education about the potential health and psychological dangers of abortions, adoption reform (more charity organizations like Shaohannah's Hope, which seeks "to care for orphans by engaging the church and helping Christian families reduce the financial barrier to adoption" would be a great thing), etc. Also, a major contributor to a woman's choice to have an abortion is her socioeconomic status. So being pro-life is also an economic issue. Obedience to Christ's mandate to take care of the poor, were the church doing its part, could reduce the number of abortions. Ironically, electing a pro-choice candidate who was committed to caring for the poor could potentially reduce the number of abortions more than voting for his pro-life counterpart. Regardless, the divisive rhetoric of the past has done nothing to serve either side of the argument, and has only driven a greater wedge between genuine people who desire fewer abortions and a better world.
