personhood

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In session one of this class one of the things that was discussed in our reading material in "The Bedford Guide for College Readers" was writing an opening. The Bedford Guide suggests to "Begin with a story" it advises that "Often a simple anecdote can capture your readers’ interest and thus serve as a good beginning" (2011 pg 429). The story of Aaron is very powerful; as a parent it tugs on my heartstrings and immediately drew me into the rest of the story.
The subject of this essay is, at what point do we stop being meaningless cells and become an actual living person. My personal opinion on this subject, is that we have always been people; at every point from beginning to end. The Bible tells us in Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (ESV). God is specifically talking about Jeremiah in this verse, but I firmly believe it applies to all of us. God knew us before we were ever born, how could he have known us if we weren't alive and in fact people.
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.

Smietana cites many people of many different mindsets in the essay. The first of course being Susan Barg she seemed to be of the mindset that God knew what he was doing from the start. At the very least I would say she would agree (though not specifically stated) that life begins at conception.
Robert D. Orr, director of et...

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...beliefs represented in his quotations. I do not feel that he ever really counter argued anything due to the fact that it was never clearly stated where he stood on the subject. I feel that the quotations used supporting life starting at conception did a good job of refuting the stance that it begun at any point after but I don't think he himself ever argued anything in the essay.
I don't feel that this essay broadens or complicates anything in regards to my views because my views remain the same after reading it. God knew us before he ever created us. Since God is the creator who gives us the ability to be people we have been with him since the very beginning.
Reading through the essay I felt that Bob Smietana the author was speaking as a reporter. Rather than offering his own opinion he throughout the essay presented opinions from both sides of the arguement.

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