Having to defend mankind again...it is said by some atheists that as Adam was a living being when he breathed, abortion is not murder.The child must take a breath. And in fact, laws pertaining to unborn vs born are often different.
http://www.ncsl.org/research/health/fetal-homicide-state-laws.aspx Most of these laws were changed to include the fetus in an attack or murder of the mother, as in American law generally speaking the unborn were not given separate status.Notice that many states have different penalties for a child who has "quickened" or shows movement...this is just about the time where they might be saved if prematurely born. Changing laws reflect changes in medicine as well as culture. In the not too distant past, there wasn't even a pregnancy test, except for injecting a rabbit with a woman's blood. if it showed changes due to hormones she was pregnant. ( the rabbit died was a joke often repeated when I was a child) We could not see a child's growth measure its vitals until it had a strong heartbeat;or assume it would live if it was premature. http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-beginning-of-life-in-judaism/ Judaic law has evolved over the millennia too. The child born must in some cases have been breathing for thirty days.Without modern medicine, many newborns DID die so this seems reasonable. But for Christians to ignore the very clear Word of God on the entire issue and " go along with he crowd, abortion is not a sin" crowd would be a horrid turning away from the will of God. how about a more grown up daughter? Did God accept human sacrifice? Judges 11:30-40 (KJV)
God had nothing to do with it.It was the pride and hubris of man.He made a vain vow, and planned to sacrifice...someone. One could say God's answer was to have the daughter greet him. the depth of his sin was thus revealed. And what was the penalty for causing the loss of a child? Exodus 21:22-25 22If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, 24Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. If the woman lived, the perpetrator lived. if she did not, he gave up his life. according to our beliefs, does God consider the unborn human? Jeremiah 1:4-5 4Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. God says HE formed Jeremiah in the womb; he also sanctified him to be a prophet unto the nations. That means everyone not just Israel,. God has no problem with insisting everyone on earth obey his commandments, and had no problem with an unborn baby being a prophet (so was John the Baptist, who kicked in his mother's womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came through the door of the house.) And as Jeremiah was one to point out spiritual sin, ordained by God himself... including the evil of child sacrifice, we can assume that denigrating the gift of a human life is in fact sin. Now to the issue of Adam and the breath of life. After describing the acts of creation, Genesis switches to an in depth look at the creation of man.Animals and plants were born capable of creating new life. Adam was alone.He only had God for companionship. Genesis 2:7 7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Yes, Adam was created in an entirely different way . He was formed from the "dust of the earth" that is; the physical makeup of this planet.God breathed life into him and he became a living soul. Now to the obvious. There was no mother or father for Adam. He was not a baby taking its first breath. He was not born of water (amniotic fluid) as every human would be after the creation of Eve.He was a new creation.(yes this probably does mean he could not have had a belly button) He had to be adult enough to feed himself, as God explained all the herbs ( plants) of the garden were food for him.He could talk..and did so, daily, with God. And old enough to marry ( be fertile, have sexual relations etc.) To further set apart the special relationships in the human family and their relationship to God, God then put Adam to sleep, and using a rib ( his flesh his DNA..men are XY remember so yes there was an X to duplicate and make a woman) and then presented Adam with his new wife, his "helpmeet." He does not repeat the breathing life into Eve, or it is not recorded. Being of Adam's flesh and bones, perhaps she did not need life breathed into her,as she already had that from Adam. Knowing what we now know about DNA, it would seem Adam and Eve literally WERE one flesh. Formed of the same DNA. that status of closeness is meant to be achieved by every married couple. Human law..even Jewish law, allows us to sever those close relationship and biology ties. How dreadfully sad. God personally took a hand in growth of his new creation..until the day that Eve sinned and brought down Adam with her. ( it was more than sex or love..she was a part of him. how could he be separated from her? ) As far as we know, no children were born until after expulsion from the garden.Perhaps God was waiting for their decision.Perhaps one pair, doing their part in ruling Eden, was enough. I do not know. But I do know that the creation of Adam is not the same as the rest of us; that the breath of life from God is not the same thing as a baby taking its first breath. As far as I know, every premature baby who survives is a human being and has a soul. This puts in question ANY human law definition of life. God has said he knows us.That He knows us even when we are hidden in our mother's wombs. Psalm 139:13-16 13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. |
Faith and ReasonA grandma's perspective on a few things.. Archives
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