It’s an election year, and passions and opinions about the abortion debate are at an all-time high. People are extremely vocal about their views on protecting the unborn. In fact, it seems to be, for many, the single-most important factor in deciding who to vote for.
I am pro-life, and I think all this conviction is great. But I wonder what it will look like on November 5th? Will we be as “pro-life” once the vote is cast? Where will all this energy go? Once the pro-life political email forwards and youtube videos slow down, how do we take this enthusiasm and translate it into action?
- How would this affect how we spend our time?
- How can we mobilize our local church to care for birthmoms?
- How we will care for pregnant teens in our own community?
How would we assist with the orphan problem worldwide? - How will we respond to the 115,407 children in foster care who are waiting for a family?
- How will we aid children suffering from malnutrition in impoverished countries?
- How will we demand that our government protect the lives of innocent civilian children living in countries that we attack?
- How will we respond to the children in US cities who live on the streets or in shelters or transient motels?
- How will we educate teenagers so that they have the information they need to avoid unwanted pregnancies?
- How will we keep our local hospitals accountable for their policies on late-term abortions and infant care?
I’m not asking these questions hypothetically. Shocking, I know, but I am not being sarcastic. I am absolutely sincere here, and I hope we can all think about these questions, and how we can respond, so that our pro-life talk becomes more than rhetoric.
I’ve heard a whole lot of conversation about how people don’t want the government choosing how to spend our money, or mandating that our taxes be given to the needy. “The church should respond to the needy, not the government”, some say.
So? How are we responding???
It’s time to show the world that we are SERIOUS about defending the life of children, both the unborn and the born. We can’t leave this up to the government. Our vote, or our president, will not solve the problems facing children and birthmothers in need. We must help. There are too many lives at stake to be passionate with our vote and then forget about this issue until the next election.
So, WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?
While we are on the opposite side in terms of pro live vs. pro choice, I have to say that I couldn’t agree more.
I know that for so me it is hard to digest the hypocrisy within the pro life movement, while not all are guilty, it is certainly a commonality that many who state a value in life only do so if that life is unborn.
It is easy to value the life of an unborn baby, in fact to not value it, makes you to many a horrible and immoral person. Who wouldn’t want to protect a baby, someone with literally no voice. But one has to ask themselves why this same value is not placed on the lives that are already here. There are so many others with “no voice”. What about the lives of those suffering from addiction, the poor, the homeless. For some reason it is easy to overlook them, to tell ourselves that their problems are self inflicted and therefore “their own problem”. It is easy to overlook the thousands of innocent lives lost in the name of a questionable war by telling ourselves we are protecting ourselves.
It is easy to offer up the solution of adoption, in fact there are couples waiting for years to do just that. But it is not as easy to find someone who is willing to help and/or mentor that young mom when she chooses to parent her child. The she is left on her own.
To say we value life must be evident in not just our words but our actions as well.
Thank you for voicing my thoughts….
I actually think it’s much easier to be passionate about a certain issue or policy than to actually get your hands dirty and individually affect change. Passion for politics often affords people a sense of self-righteousness. I’ve seen this time and again in the church…If I VOTE pro-life, then that’s all I have to do.
So, more to the point…what can I do? Well, I’m thinking about our church’s home for unwed mothers and I’m thinking about all the kids in the inner city of Seattle without medical insurance…..the wheels are turning….
I also believe that the “church” is busy setting up funds and institutions and relying on government to be Jesus to birth moms and widows and orphans … heaven forbid that WE WE WE actually do something … Jesus was not so much about programs and initiatives as he was about meeting hurting, lost, broken people right where they are and loving them — and I PRAY that I am doing something that looks more like Jesus than like the world today…
I am totally disenfranchised and tired of politics, government and “the church” — talk is cheap and all politics, govt and the church are anymore are talkers.
I am praying for less talk and more action.
ok, i know this is lame, but i deleted my comment. i think it sounded like i am proud of what i do. The truth is, it is not enough and your words have challenged me.
i appreciate your thoughts here, and it drives me crazy when christians insist that abortion is the only issue when truly promoting a culture of life encompasses so much more–questions of war, poverty, healthcare, education, how we spend our money and time…i would love to see the Church be really pro-Life instead of merely anti-abortion.