Christianity and Abortion The Christian belief in the sanctity of life is based on the teachings of famous Christians and on what they read in the bible, the teachings of Jesus. A quote from the bible which seems to support the view that abortion is wrong is from Psalm 139:13, verses 15-16, “You created every part of me; You put me together in my mother’s womb… When my bones were being formed, Carefully put me together in my mother’s womb. When I was growing there in secret, You knew that I was there – You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me Had all been recorded in your book, Before any of them ever began.” This seems to be saying that god has already begun to have an influence on the life of a person before they are even born. The life of a person is already unique and god has already given them their own identity before they are born. If this is true, and the quote seems to be saying that it is, then abortion would have to be seen as a crime on the same level as murder. There are no good grounds for murder, one of the Ten Commandments says, “Do not commit murder.” So, if we were to consider only this quote then we would have to see abortion as fundamentally wrong, any justification for abortion would become a justification for murder, and we can see no justification for murder, the ultimate sin. Another quote from the bible would seem to strengthen this view, Jeremiah 1:4-5 The Lord said to me, ‘I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.” This seems to suggest, as did the last quote, that God decides the fate of the child before it is born, abortion would prevent the child from
would be yes. When that same person is asked if abortion is murder, the answer
The Christian view, that we are created in the image of God, formed by Him in the womb making us human upon conception, makes abortion wrong. It shows what abortion truly is, murder. Murder that is the sacrifice of a human life to the ‘god’ of convenience. While abortion may seem to solve immediate problems for some, this act is wrong and has consequences much worse than the consequences, joys, of having and raising a
Also, mothers carry the baby in their womb for so long, and getting rid of it is wrong on so many levels. In the mainstream Christianity, abortions are not considered in the bible, but it is not viewed as something good. However, the Catholic and Orthodox Church oppose late-term abortion in almost every situation. Hinduism has many varied views towards it, but the original and traditional text condemns elective abortions. In the Islamic faith, late-term abortion is not permissible because it is over four months of pregnancy.
that matters is that of the woman the rule "life for a life, burn for
Christian Responses to Abortion and Euthanasia Different Christians have different viewpoints on the issues of Abortion and Euthanasia. The Church of England states that life is god given and is to be; ‘Nurtured, supported and protected. ’ It views ending a human life at the beginning or end as; ‘A great moral evil.’ Also they have stated a case for ‘The rights of humans to be valued.’
The relentless support of abortion is always contradicting the moral and good teachings of the Church. Through passed laws, pro-choice supporters have made it possible for many women to have abortions. In some countries, including the United States, there does not have to be a reason for a woman to have an abortion early in the pregnancy. The Supreme Court in the United States ruled that the fetus’s ability to live was between about twenty four weeks to twenty-six weeks (Glendon 22). These laws show that supporters of abortion do not believe that life begins at conception. This is contrary to the teachings of the Church. “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). God knew us before we were conceived. He made us accord...
...evil. To treat pregnancy as a disease that can be “cured” with methods of contraception and abortion is morally wrong. All people are specially made in the image and likeness of God from the moment of conception. The arguments defending pro-choice all describe how there are certain circumstances when an abortion must occur. However, unless the mother’s life is absolutely threatened, abortion is a sin that ends the life of a child of God.
The Divine command theory states that morally right actions are those commanded by God, and any action going against it is morally wrong. People that accept this theory can only consider an act to be right or wrong if God commanded it to be so. Therefore, supporters of this theory have a moral obligation to do and obey whatever God considered to be right without questioning his judgment. Those in favor of this theory should fulfill his will without any hesitation, regardless of its consequences to society. So if God had claimed abortion to be morally right, everyone supporting this theory were to happily accept it. Moreover, this theory suggests that those who act on a moral sense God desires will be rewarded at the end, perhaps in the afterlife;
Although the Bible ; the old testament used by Jewish believers; both the new and old testaments used by Christian believers, does not specifically deal with abortion it does place validity on life before birth. Exodus 21:22-23 says: If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise (Quest NIV pg.235). Though this does not directly say abortion is wrong it does say that the loss of the fetus, "giving birth prematurely", should be punished. Whether by a fine or by taking that man's life as well. This shows that God considers the fetus to be alive and the unnatural death to be murder. The words that emphasize the value of fetus life are "take life for life" meaning the fetus is alive. Other verses that show the validity of life before birth are Psalms 139:13-17: 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. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them (Quest NIV pg.678)! These explain that God has a plan for each personÕs life before they are even formed. They say how He cares so much for each one of us that He watches over us while we are still in the womb.
Is abortion murder? Murder is defined as "illegal killing with malice aforethought." Abortion fails this definition for two reasons. First, abortion is not illegal, and second, there is no evidence to suggest that expecting mothers feel malice towards their own flesh and blood.
In examining religious opinions on abortion, one must find common ground on which to form a foundation of comparison. With most of the religions to date, that common ground lies on the argument of whether or not a fetus is an actual person. Some religions protest by saying a fetus isn't a conscious being -- therefore there is no loss in doing away with it. But for those religions that do believe there is a life -- or any spiritual being -- in a fetus, it is clearly a crime to have an abortion.
“…we do believe that how we bring up out children has a most profound effect upon how our society is behaving and how we deal with each other as human beings.”
abortion claim that it is the murder of a helpless baby who has not yet had
The essay brings up several complex points, there is no definitive proof of personhood, and many different people have many different beliefs on when it actually begins and ends. Does it begin once you are born? Is it something you have to have a specific level of capability to obtain? Is it something you could lose if you dropped below that capability.
As stated multiple times; Psalm 139:13-16, speaks of God’s active role in or creation and formation in the womb, therefore this states God makes all fetus/ people for a certain reason and this means God does not want abortion otherwise why would he make them. Exodus 21:22-25, prescribes the same penalty, death, for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as for someone who commits murder, this clearly indicates that God then considers a fetus/ baby in the womb as to be the same as a full-grown adult, this then means God indicates abortion is wrong. Christian’s beliefs of abortion is it not a matter of a woman’s right to choose, it is a matter of the life or death of a human being made in God’s image, Genesis 1:26-27, 9:6. The first argument that fights against the Christian stance on abortion is “What about cases of rape and/or incest?” two wrongs do not make a right. The child who is born of rape/incest could be given in adoption to a loving family and are unable to have children on their own. The baby is innocent therefore should not be punished for the acts of its father. The Roman Catholic Church says abortion is a grave moral wrong. As based on the written word of God and natural law, as they prohibit abortion under any circumstances, "You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the new born to perish". As