Help! Would You Consider Recommending an Abortion?

Case #1: A preacher and his wife are extremely poor. They already have 14 children. Now she is pregnant again. Considering their poverty and the excessive world population, would you consider recommending she get an abortion?

Case #2: The father is sick with a cold, the mother has tuberculosis. They have 4 children. One is blind, another is dead, the third one is deaf, and the fourth one had tuberculosis. Now she is pregnant again. Given the extreme situation, would you consider recommending abortion?

Case #3: A white man raped a 13-year-old black girl and she got pregnant. If you were her parents, would you consider recommending abortion?

Case #4: A teenage girl is pregnant. She’s not married. Her fiancé is not the father of the baby, and he’s very upset. Would you consider abortion?

In the first case, if you recommended abortion, you have killed John Wesley, one of the greatest evangelists and hymns writers in the 19^th century. In the second case, you would have killed Beethoven. In the third case, you would have killed Ethel Waters, the great black gospel singer. If you said yes to the fourth case, you would have declared the murder of Jesus Christ.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Let Jesus Be Jesus (Reflection on Mark 6:14-16)

“Now King Herod heard about all this, because Jesus’ reputation had spread everywhere. Some people were saying, ‘John the Baptist has come back to life! That is why he has this power to perform miracles.’ Others, however, said, ‘He is Elijah.’ Others said, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’ When Herod heard it, he said, ‘He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life!’” (Mark 6:14-16, GNB).

After Jesus sends out the twelves disciples (read Mark 6:6-13) for mission around Nazareth nearby villages, “Jesus’ reputation had spread everywhere.” Because of this, there are many speculations about who he really is. Some thought he was Elijah, the great prophet of the Old Testament. It is commonly expected that Elijah would return to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah (However, John the Baptist fulfilled this expectation in preparing the way for Jesus). Others, however, thought that he simply one of the prophets sent by God to Israel. Jesus spoke with authority like no other and probably he was because there had been silent in Israel for three centuries since prophet Malachi.

Most people, like Herod, thought that Jesus was John the Baptist. Of course, both of them preached the message of the Kingdom of God and called people to repentance. Some suggest because Jesus and John were cousins, they might have looked alike. Interesting. But the fact was – John is death. Herod out of his guilty and bad memory said, “I had [John] head cut off, but he has come back to life!” Guilty breed superstition.

I’m surprise, people even today won’t allow Jesus to be Jesus. We like to compare him with other great men of the world. But he is the One and only. None like him. Even though Jesus said “among those born of women there is no one greater than John” (Luke 7:28), John said that Jesus “is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (John 1:27). Jesus is greater, incomparable One. Michael Green in his book Navigating the Multi-Faith Maze, writes: “Jesus is unique among religious leaders in claiming to bring God to our world in His own person and making good that claim by such powerful evidences.” When I read the Gospel stories and think of history of today, no other spiritual leader or teacher but Jesus of Nazareth ever claimed to bring God to man, dealt radically with our wickedness, broke the final barrier of death and to offers to ‘live inside’ his followers.

C.S. Lewis, my favourite author, said that when it comes to the categorical claims of Jesus Christ regarding his Divinity, “There is no half-way house, and there is no parallel in other religions. If you had gone to Buddha and asked him, ‘Are you the son of Brahah?’ he would have said, ‘My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.’ If you had gone to Socrates and asked, ‘Are you Zeus?’ he would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Muhammad and asked, ‘Are you Allah?’ he would first have rent his clothes and then cut off your head.” When the high priest asked Jesus, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:63-64, NLT). No denial. Directly answered. Jesus, are you the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God? Yes, you say that I am.

Do you want to know Jesus? Let him be as he is. Let he tells you His Story through God’s Word, the Bible, especially the gospel stories. Don’t be afraid. There is no spell or magical charm about the Bible. The Bible is just a book, an ordinary book. The greatness about the Bible is the Person behind the book. This is why the Bible, on the other hand, is extraordinary. Your religious teachers may advice you to stay away from the book, but don’t be afraid. Let Jesus be Jesus. Another way is through Prayer. Pray like this: “Jesus, I don’t know if you’re for real or not. I want to know you more. Amen.” Be open to any guidance in your life. See that if you really looking for the truth, God will show you the way. Let Jesus be Jesus. Another way or as compliment to the Bible and prayer is to join God’s People Worshiping Together. There is something unique about Christians coming together. Don’t be afraid. Just enter in, dress appropriately, people won’t chase you away. Your present in the ‘live’ worship may just a stepping stone for Jesus to speak to you. The people won’t convert you, the presence of the Holy Spirit will. No force. Jesus want to be known, that’s all. Let Jesus be Jesus.

[Let continue Mark 6:17-29 on another article]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Say No to Abortion: Bring Back the Child

Below is an excerpted text from Mother Teresa’s speech at National Prayer Breakfast Speech, Washington, D.C. (5^th February 1994). I find that it is both inspiring and challenging speech on abortion that we have to address to the world or at least in our community today:

“… I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us so, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child. The father of that child, whoever he is, must also give until it hurts.

....By abortion, the mother does not learn to love, but kills even her own child to solve her problems. And, by abortion, the father is told that he does not have to take any responsibility at all for the child he has brought into the world. That father is likely to put other women into the same trouble. So abortion just leads to more abortion. Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want. This is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.

....Many people are very, very concerned with the children of India and with the children of Africa where quite a few die of hunger, and so on. Many people are also concerned about all the violence in this great country of the United States. These concerns are very good. But often these same people are not concerned with the millions who are being killed by the deliberate decision of their own mothers. And this is what is the greatest destroyer of peace today – abortion which brings people to such blindness.

....And for this I appeal in India and I appeal everywhere – ‘Let us bring the child back’ the child is God’s gift to the family. Each child is created in the special image and likeness of God for greater things – to love and to be loved.”

Do you love life?

Do you love God?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

An Essay on "Abortion... Silent Holocaust in Malaysia"

I wrote this essay on September 2012 as a respond to abortion cases in Malaysia – especially to my Christian readers, so that they may know that abortion is not God’s will and it is against His command to do so. And yet – there’s a room for repentance and forgiveness. [P.s: Someone had checked my English – thanks to my editor for making this writing readable].

Abortion: the Silent Holocaust in Malaysia

Abortion on demand is not available in Malaysia. But abortion is legal if it is performed for medical reasons that involve risk to the life of the woman, to preserve physical health and to preserve mental health as provided in Section 312 of the Penal Code and it has to be certified by at least two doctors [1]. Even though Abortion Policy had been established since 1989, underground illegal abortions are on the rise slowly but constantly. The Star newspaper published on May 26, 2009 [2] reported that the rate of illegal abortions is 0.1% or 500 per 500,000 live births yearly; 38 out of every 1,000 women aged between 15 and 49 years old had gone for an abortion. A random survey by several private clinics stunningly revealed that there is 1 abortion for every 5 pregnancies in this country. These are unofficial statistics, but surely it reveals an underground, dark shadow of mass murder of the unborn in Malaysia. This is the silent holocaust.

What is Abortion?

Concise Medical Dictionary defines abortion as ‘the expulsion or removal of an embryo or fetus from the uterus at a stage of pregnancy when it is incapable of independent survival (i.e. at any time between conception and the 24^thweek of pregnancy)’ [3]. From the 2^nd to 8^th week of gestation, the developing organism is called an embryo, as is any animal at this early stage of primitive tissue and organ development. From then until birth, it is called a fetus, which simply means ‘young unborn’. There are two types of abortion in the medical terminology [4] – first, spontaneous abortion; abortion can occur spontaneously because for some reason the embryo was non-viable. This accidental occurrence is also known as ‘miscarriage’. Second, medically induced termination of pregnancy; abortion that involves a normal viable embryo or fetus.

In this short essay, I shall limit my discussion to the second type of abortion involving a normal viable embryo or fetus, which if left to the natural process would be delivered as a full-term baby. In other words, I’m referring to cases where the mother intentionally seeks help to remove a growing embryo or fetus in her womb [5].

When Does Life Begin?

Many people including Christians wonder about the ethics of abortion. The command, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) is sometimes literally translated by many as any form of killing in general is prohibited by God. Thus, it is intolerable, unquestionable that abortion is a wickedly evil act against God in the view of some radical pro-life groups. The Roman Catholic Church especially views abortion as a grave moral wrong. The Church says that human life begins when the woman’s egg is fertilized by a male sperm. A fetus is a person, a human being at the moment of its conception. From that moment a unique life begins, independent of the life of the mother and father. The features that distinguish us from our parents –the color of our eyes, the shape of our face – are all laid down in the genetic code that comes into existence then. The Church argues that each new life that begins at this point is not a potential human being but a human being with potential [6]. From conception, all human life is sacred because they are made in God’s image right from the start (Genesis 9:6).

Lewis B. Smedes in his book Mere Morality gives four ways to answer the question of when a person comes into existence – 1) A fetus is a person at the moment of conception, 2) The fetus becomes a person after it receives the one property essential to personhood (namely, the human soul), 3) The fetus becomes a person when it is born, or, 4) The fetus develops into a person gradually, with no fixed turning point [7]. Lewis, if I understood him clearly chooses the 4^th view, but for me, I choose the 1^st view. I believe that indeed life begins in the womb, that the fetus (‘young unborn’ or ‘little one’ in Latin) is a human being subjected to God’s law concerning humanity.

Abortion and the Scripture

I believe that ‘a fetus is a person at the moment of conception’. The Bible establishes that God recognizes a person even before he or she is born. “Before I was born the Lord called me” (Isaiah 49:1). Exodus 21:22-23 describes a situation in which two men are fighting, and the struggle injures and/or hits a pregnant woman (who perhaps intervenes in an attempt to stop the dispute) and causes her to give birth prematurely. If there is “no serious injury”, the man is required to pay a fine (compensation), but if there is “serious injury”, either to the mother or the young unborn, then the man is guilty of murder and subjected to the penalty of death, “take life for a life”. This command, in itself, places the young unborn on a level equal to that of the adult male who caused the miscarriage.

In referring to Exodus 21, Wayne Jackson, writer and editor for the Christian Courier website, writes,

“What, then, is the passage teaching? Simply this: If two fighting men injure a pregnant woman, causing her to give premature birth, yet no harm follows – to either mother or child – a fine will be levied as a penalty for such carelessness. However, if any harm followed, to mother or babe, justice was to be meted out commensurate with degree of damage. Both the mother and unborn child had equal protection under the law [8].”

Alan Cole comments on Exodus 21,

“It has sometimes been claimed by those in favor of abortion that the unborn child is not really considered as an individual here: but that is not the point of this passage . . .The destruction of the unborn child was regarded by the Hebrews as an instance of the most barbarous cruelty, calling down God’s judgment (2 Kings 15:16) [9]”

Elsewhere, Professor John Hannah also observes:

“. . . the unborn fetus is viewed in this passage as just as much a human being as its mother; the abortion of a fetus was considered murder [10]"

Scripture support abounds for the humanity of the young unborn. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well… your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:13-14, 16). John Stott in New Issues Facing Christians Today concluded that Psalm 139 pinpoints images of creation, continuity, and communion that gives us the perspective that the fetus is already a human life, though not yet mature, and has the potential of growing into the fullness of humanity [11].

The Scripture, in fact, uses the same Greek word ‘bref'-os’ [Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries defines as, ‘of uncertain affinity; an infant (properly unborn) literally or figuratively: -babe, (young) child, infant’] to describe the unborn John the Baptist (Luke 1:41,44), the newborn baby Jesus (Luke 2:12,16), and the young children who were brought to Jesus for his blessing (Luke 18:15). Thus, this shows that the unborn (fetus) and the new born (child) are in fact a human being. They are created in the image of God (imago dei) because God blew his breath or nephesh into them. This implies that a fetus bears the image of God – worthy of honor and respect; not to be murdered.

Abortion, its Complexity and Possible Actions

The Scripture, I’m convinced, does indeed establish that the young unborn is just as much a human being in God’s eyes as we ourselves are. But I don’t want to go as far as saying that abortion is strictly prohibited. We are no doubt dealing with a complex issue. “Christians must remember that behind the dilemmas are real people facing unwanted pregnancies, bringing up handicapped children, or coping with the long-term result of rape and incest. The need to offer genuine assistance… should be part of the Christian response regardless of our own attitude towards abortion [12].”

So how the Christian communities or the church as a whole can deal with this ‘silent holocaust’? How can the church make a stand against the evil of abortion and at the same time be ready to assist those to whom abortion seems to be the only solution to their complex problem? The answers may not be easy and clear-cut but the church shouldn’t be silent on this issue. [These are just my suggestions] The church may offer sex education where people will be taught about pregnancy prevention. Counseling, love and compassion should also be offered to those who are seeking abortion or have had an abortion. Adoption for unwanted babies is perhaps the most obvious service the church can accommodate. We must provide room or a place for a mother while she gives her baby up for adoption. The church must understand that a woman should never have to make the choice between her baby and herself.

Conclusion

Abortion is always a tragedy not only in Malaysia but also throughout the world. Mass murder of the young unborn, the silent holocaust shows how lightly our society views the human life. The Scripture admittedly does not give us specific instructions about abortion. However, it is indeed proven that life begins in the womb, that the fetus is a human being subjected to God’s law concerning humanity. Therefore, the fetus that bears the image of God is worthy of honor and respect – not to be murdered.

The church should be clear and must stand firm against abortion. Yes, the church is in the business of bringing God’s grace and forgiveness, but that requires recognition of evil and a strong affirmation to not compromise when it comes to the defense of the weak and defenseless. Dr. Alex Tang writes, ‘The weak and defenseless fetuses need advocates who will stand up for their rights as human persons and their right to life’. [13]

 THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

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References:

1. Malaysia Abortion Policy. Source: Population Policy Data Bank maintained by the Population Division of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat; available from www.un.org/esa/population/publications/abortion/doc/malaysia.doc, accessed 11th September 2012.
2. The Star, 26 May 2009.
3. Oxford: Concise Medical Dictionary (Oxford University Press, 1998) p.2
4. The British Medical Association Illustrated Medical Dictionary (Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2002) p. 5
5. n(n). Since the topic of ‘Abortion’ is wide, I will only discussion to the second type of abortion involving a normal viable embryo or fetus.
6. BBC on The Church of England and Roman Catholic Church views on abortion; available from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/christianecthics/abortion 1.shtml; internet; accessed 5 September 2012.
7. Lewis B. Smedes, More Morality: What God Expects from Ordinary People (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1983) p. 127-134
8. Wayne Jackson, ‘Does Exodus 21 Sanction Abortion?’ in Christian Courier; available from http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/786-does-exodus-21-sanction-abortion; internet; accessed 9 September 2012.
9. Alan Cole, Exodus: Tyndale Old Testament Commentary (Inter-Varsity, 1985) p.169
10. John Hannah, Exodus: The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985) p. 141
11. John Stott, New Issues Facing Christians Today (Marshall Pickering, 1999) Ch. 15
12. David J. Atkinson & David H. Field (eds), New Dictionary of Christian Ethics and Pastoral Theology (InterVarsity Press, 1995) p. 133
13. Dr. Alex Tang, Live and Let Live (Kairos Research Centre Sdn. Bhd., 2006) p.34