tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post5814121081535047393..comments2024-01-12T12:39:47.241-08:00Comments on The Christian Monist: Foot-n-Mouth At Church . . . Once AgainUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-1401593392022668032010-01-28T14:37:21.708-08:002010-01-28T14:37:21.708-08:00Yes, while many of us are pro-life, the whole ques...<i>Yes, while many of us are pro-life, the whole question and issue seems to have been (erroneously) separated from the flow of human sin, as a “special sin”...</i><br /><br />There are actually three Litmus Tests on the Official Christian Hate List:<br />1) Abortion<br />2) Evolution<br />3) Homosexuality<br />Any time anything suggesting one of these three comes up, the Celebrity Deathmatch begins.<br />To. The. Death.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-79629836985836551742010-01-19T15:50:32.321-08:002010-01-19T15:50:32.321-08:00Teresa,
I don’t know if there is much to add from...Teresa,<br /><br />I don’t know if there is much to add from what you’ve said. Yes, while many of us are pro-life, the whole question and issue seems to have been (erroneously) separated from the flow of human sin, as a “special sin” . . . a political hot potato and litmus test of a degenerate society (along with gay marriage etc.) To support that paradigm (of how awful the sin is) the Evangelicals have often promoted it as the, psychologically-unpardonable sin. <br /><br />They tell stories of women who had abortions in college, but now, 40 years later, grieve ever time they see a baby.<br /><br />But sin is sin. If the blood of Christ can’t wash away the act of abortion . . . completely . . . then it can’t wash away the white lie I told in kindergarten, nor the ones I tell every day even now. If these women continue beating themselves up over and over, and having ownership of “permanent psychological damage” (and some in the prolife side celebrate this permanent damage because it proves their point that it is a hideous sin) then something is wrong here.<br /><br />The church well-versed (pun intended) in using guilt manipulation to get people to do certain things . . . attend more church often, vote a certain way, give more money. Maybe guilt manipulation is the real unpardonable sin. There is something about a millstone around the neck. Just a thought.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09240462070445948163noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-878914472051909043.post-64497691674974837642010-01-19T09:19:01.829-08:002010-01-19T09:19:01.829-08:00ah, blame. i totally agree with your comment, but ...ah, blame. i totally agree with your comment, but my blood runs cold when i imagine saying it aloud. in church, i mean. of course that kind of honesty is a GOOD thing, but i'm a bit of a coward. do you mind if i use your forum to vent? <br /><br />this past sunday was our annual "sanctity of life" service. i'd forgotten, so i went. every year i swear "i'll remember next time", and every year, i forget. <br /><br />having it on the calendar ensures that we will be intentional about addressing the sin of abortion, in case we may have neglected to make the church's position clear during the rest of the year. (i've never felt we were in any danger there.) the message always focuses on what an abomination it is, and on the selfishness of those who engage in it, and then ends with a reminder that God loves the sinner, and even those who have killed babies can find redemption. fine. but i often wonder about those who HAVE found redemption, who yet have to suffer this same beating year after year. i also think it's interesting that we always hear from broken women still struggling with decisions they'd made years earlier, and these testimonies are always "anonymous"...either a letter found online or in a magazine, or a video produced by a "pro-life" group. i don't know of anyone in our congregation (of about 800) who has ever acknowledged being party to an abortion. and why should they? i'm sure we'd love to hear about it, so we can mourn together, and feel good about ourselves for being so accepting. but do we actually want people to move on? or are we going to continue to judge them whenever we suspect they're drinking too much of joy, and not enough of shame? <br /><br />anyway, this week's sermon proposed that we are as guilty as the israelites were when they made child sacrifices to molech and other canaanite gods. aborted children today are also given over to idols - the idols of convenience, reputation and money. our pastor (and i like him) lambasted mothers who are too concerned about what others think to welcome the gifts God has provided. ha. is that the attitude we take? he neglected to point out that it is primarily RELIGIOUS people who attach such a stigma to single parenthood. we all bear a measure of guilt.teresahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08623153137389581313noreply@blogger.com