Is God a Baby Killer?
A few weeks ago I watched John McCain on The View, where he stated that he believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned. On this, I agree with John McCain. Too bad he has little power to do anything about it. In another interview he publicly stated that, if President, the Justices he’d nominate to the Supreme Court would NOT have to pass a litmus test in regards to their opinions on abortion. In other words… business as usual.
18 hours ago I received an email from a woman who attends the same church I attend. She wrote, “I will be so bold as to say that anyone who calls themself a Christian should not be ABLE to cast a vote for a baby killer.”
She is, of course, referring to Barack Obama, who is Pro-Choice.
Abortion is an important topic in our country, and one on which most people have strong emotions one way or another. My position is clear: I hate abortion. I don’t think a woman should be allowed to kill her unborn baby and not face the same consequences any other murderer faces. And when it boils down to it, that’s exactly what Roe v Wade does: removes the threat of earthly consequences from the Doctors who perform abortions and the women who CHOOSE to have them.
But, dear Christian, does the legality of abortion make it a viable option for you? No? Why not? Could it possibly be because one’s “choice” is actually a condition of the heart? The ONLY way to rid this country of abortion is to change hearts! No law will ever change a person’s heart.
Since he is not a Medical Doctor, I think it’s a safe bet to say that Barack Obama has never performed an abortion.
Unless he’s a freak of nature, I think it’s a safe bet to say that Barack Obama has never personally had an abortion, either.
But if Barack Obama is a “baby killer” because he espouses a belief that a pregnant woman should be allowed to make the decision as to whether or not she’ll terminate her pregnancy, if THAT is the criteria to make one a “baby killer”, then perhaps we should consider this question as well:
Is GOD HIMSELF a baby killer?
After all, God gave each of us free will to make choices in our lives, choices which ultimately lead to death, didn’t He? And millions, perhaps billions, have made those choices, haven’t they? So does allowing choice make God Himself a murderer?
I’d imagine that all who proclaim a belief in God are also convinced that He has the last word. He makes the final judgment. Those who make the decision to murder their children might escape punishment here on earth, but He dishes out eternal consequences.
Senator Obama is not responsible for the choices of pregnant women or the Doctors who perform abortions. With my own ears I’ve heard him state the opinion that he personally detests the thought of abortion, but believes each woman has the right to make such a choice. He may favor giving a “pass” from earthly consequences, but Barack Obama is not a baby killer any more than God is a baby killer. In His infinite power, God could quite easily intercede and stop abortion, or murder, or rape… or any other man made, sin inspired malady. But He doesn’t. He allows us to make our choices, yet wishes us to know that there are consequences for our decisions.
There is also redemption available, isn’t there? There is a cure for the heart condition that leads to a person being capable of ending the life of the innocent. The final payment for our sins is eternal death. We can make payment in person, or we can allow God Himself to pay it for us. The choice is ours. He’s opened an account in our name for the exact amount owed by each and every one of us for the sins we’ve committed… sins that have the exact same result as that of a woman or doctor ending a child’s life: eternal separation from the Creator of the Universe. The payment in that account can be claimed by any person at any time in any place simply by CHOOSING to say, “I’ll take it! Thank you SO MUCH!”.
When God made a personal appearance, in the flesh, right here on this earth He asked those of us who have accepted that payment to become His doctors, offering the cure for this world’s bad heart condition to others. It seems to me that sometimes we don’t see the bigger picture. Some of us would rather scream at the young mother walking into an abortion clinic than to embrace her, tell her about the CURE, and offer to help her take care of the child in her womb. Others might think it’s a better use of our time to accuse a man like Senator Obama of being a baby killer based on his opinion that earthly consequences should be removed for those who make this very bad choice.
It’s much easier for us to sit around and complain about HIS opinion than to get out and make an effort to change hearts, isn’t it? We’d rather sit around talking about who will outlaw what, ignoring more than 3 decades of history that shows no politician is going to do anything to overturn a “flawed decision”, than getting out our doctor bags and making house calls.
I hate that “choice” just as much as anyone. I also despise the idea of capital punishment because I don’t think it’s any man’s place to decide when any other person’s time to choose Eternal Life should run out. My stomach turns at the choice that has lead to the killing of more than 100,000 innocent Iraqi women and children under the guise of “stopping terror.”
I read one of those email forwards going around in which the following was stated: “I’m voting Republican because Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush’s daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him and a bad guy when Bush Junior needed a ‘we can’t find Bin Laden’ diversion.” Although the intent of the original writer is clear, there’s a good point hidden inside that sentence… there is NO innocence in this election… neither candidate running for President is innocent. Barack Obama advocates allowing women to make the choice to end innocent life, yet John McCain supported the decision to ORDER our military personnel to end innocent life.
(that same email also stated, “I’m voting Republican because trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony” but that’s a whole other topic… one can find hypocrisy wherever he looks)
In wrestling with my decision on which of these two men I’ll be casting my vote for I can’t help but think, “If he was a bit younger, I’d write in Billy Graham (who happens to be a lifelong Democrat by the way) as my choice for President.” Under his watch, more than 2.5 million hearts from around the world have been united with the cure for what ails ‘em. But since Reverend Graham is more interested in promoting Christ than politics, I doubt he’d accept the position even if it was offered.
When we make ignorant statements like the one that prompted this post we don’t do God any favors. It’s okay to disagree with Senator Obama in regards to his opinions on abortion. It’s okay to disagree with Senator McCain’s support of a deceptive decision to go to war. But I think it’s divisive to bully others into voting our way by calling candidates “baby killers” (or “terrorists”).
Can we instead maintain civil discussion, vote our conscience, leave the “conscience” of others between them and God, and decide to unite as one body in our efforts to offer the cure to our country’s heart condition? Is that too much to ask?
After all, healed hearts make issues like abortion… moot.
Please take the time to read this article, written by best selling Christian author Donald Miller and published today on his blog.
