Heart-wrenching
I finished Carrie Lukas' book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism, today after trying to get through it since the beginning of the year. I'm usually much quicker at reading books but this one honestly bored me.
There were many facts and figures which were astounding, but overall, I disliked the book. It just seemed too mushy to me, for lack of a better term. There was no punch. I'm still not sure what the purpose of the book was. Don't you hate it when that happens? You expect resolution and never seem to find it. However, I'd recommend this book to anyone who calls themself a feminist, wants to be a feminist, thinks they might be a feminist, or is interested in feminism. Just don't be expecting any out-of-this-world conclusions because you won't find them there.
What you will find is facts - startling facts, facts I've never heard before, facts I grimaced at. For instance, I was reading last night and had to stop and re-read to make sure my eyes weren't playing ticks on me:
And yet, the evidence backs it up. Every other woman or every third woman you walk by has had or will have an abortion. Isn't that staggering? Doesn't that bring you to your knees to plead with God for mercy upon our nation? Doesn't that break your heart to think of all of these innocent lives being brutally murdered by no choice of their own?
It stirred up all kinds of emotions in me. Sorrow for these children and these mothers who are making these choices. Wonderment that someone could actually feel it was "in their best interest" to knowingly take the life of their own child.
My husband just sent me an article on this topic which again broke my heart:
When you read these kinds of things, how does it make you feel? How should we, as Christians, respond? Any thoughts?
There were many facts and figures which were astounding, but overall, I disliked the book. It just seemed too mushy to me, for lack of a better term. There was no punch. I'm still not sure what the purpose of the book was. Don't you hate it when that happens? You expect resolution and never seem to find it. However, I'd recommend this book to anyone who calls themself a feminist, wants to be a feminist, thinks they might be a feminist, or is interested in feminism. Just don't be expecting any out-of-this-world conclusions because you won't find them there.
What you will find is facts - startling facts, facts I've never heard before, facts I grimaced at. For instance, I was reading last night and had to stop and re-read to make sure my eyes weren't playing ticks on me:
Researchers estimate that between one-third and half of all U.S. women will have an abortion by the time they are forty-five.What? No, that has to be wrong.
-The Politically Incorrect Guide to Women, Sex, and Feminism, pg. 129
And yet, the evidence backs it up. Every other woman or every third woman you walk by has had or will have an abortion. Isn't that staggering? Doesn't that bring you to your knees to plead with God for mercy upon our nation? Doesn't that break your heart to think of all of these innocent lives being brutally murdered by no choice of their own?
It stirred up all kinds of emotions in me. Sorrow for these children and these mothers who are making these choices. Wonderment that someone could actually feel it was "in their best interest" to knowingly take the life of their own child.
My husband just sent me an article on this topic which again broke my heart:
FROM BRIETBART.COM: At a pivotal time in the abortion debate, Ms. magazine is releasing its fall issue next week with a cover story titled "We Had Abortions," accompanied by the names of thousands of women nationwide who signed a petition making that declaration.One particular story in this article stood out to me:
Tyffine Jones, 27, of Jackson, Miss., said she had no hesitation about signing although she lives in a state where restrictions on abortion are tough and all but one abortion clinic has been closed.Jones said she got an abortion 10 years ago, enduring harassment from protesters when she entered the clinic, in order to finish high school. She went on to become the first member of her family to graduate from college, and hopes at some point to attend law school.
"I wanted to do something bigger with myself, I didn't want to be stopped by anything," she said in a telephone interview.
Something bigger? What could be bigger than caring for, nurturing, and raising the future generation? Sure, it would be hard to be a teen mom and you should have never gotten pregnant out-of-wedlock in the first place, but was killing your child the only answer you had? Do you even realize what abortion is?
When you read these kinds of things, how does it make you feel? How should we, as Christians, respond? Any thoughts?
posted by Crystal Paine at 4:03 PM
27 Comments:
I read a statistic that the *average* Russian woman has between 3 and 5 abortions over her lifetime, which means more than 50% of pregnancies are ended in abortion. Statistics like that are just SO hard to believe, but apparently they're accurate.
(http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion)
I can't believe that any woman would actually be proud to admit that she had an abortion. It reminds me of what Paul said to the Corinthians -- church members were involved in sin that even the pagans wouldn't do, and yet they were *proud* of it. It's so much like our world today. If you look at the countries where abortion is extremely rare, it's the pagan countries! And the so-called Christian nations lead the way.
As to how this makes me feel... kind of shell-shocked, honestly. I wish I knew what to do, but all I can think of right now is to pray.
I believe the stastics-which is sad in itself!!25 years ago I had 2 roommates- each had abortions I didn't know it at the time as to why these young ladies had problems in life until I learned about Post Traumatic Stress from having had abortions.I then volunteered for years at a local crisis pregnancyy center,one could say in 'memory"of Cheryl and Diane's babies.
The ongoing slaughter of babies makes me want to weep. I cannot comprehend murdering a defenseless baby.
I am looking over at my dear daughter right now. Her dimpled arms and pudgy legs are so squishy soft. Her downy curly golden hair smells sweet and heavenly. Her bright blue eyes are full of joy and playfulness. Her giggle is contagious and her tiny fingers are patting my leg. Her sweet voice is saying "Mamma, mamma!" She makes my heart melt.
Being a mother is the most wonderful blessing. Nothing in my life - not college, not my prior career, not mission work, not 'success' - even comes close to the utter joy and delight that my precious gift from God has brought to me. I feel like everything in my life before her was a waste of time, meaningless, silly, vain.
I am so very sad for this women (mentioned in your post). She threw away life's greatest gift for a piece of paper that will never hug her back. Her baby could have brought her so much love, joy, fulfillment, delight, meaning and purpose.
It is up to us Christian mothers to show the world the joy and beauty of motherhood. We need to let the world see our beautiful and much loved blessings. We need to guard our lips and be certain that we only speak of children with terms of utmost respect and thankfulness. We need to proclaim the honor and privilege of being a woman, wife and mother.
If we don't let our motherly lights shine - how will these women ever know that they have something beautiful to look forward to? How will they know that babies are precious if we don't tell them? The world certainly isn't. The world only tells them that babies are an inconvenience, a burden, a liability, a drag.
Women who kill their babies for inconvenience are no better than the heathen women who sacrificed their children to false gods. Men are to blame, too. More men are pro-choice than women. Don't see too many women abortion doctors. That would be odd to see an abortion doctor who was pregnant. Killing children, whether in utero or not is a horrible sin and should be exposed.
I put that book down in the abortion chapter (as did I with "Godless"). It is so depressing to me to think of the innocent dying like this.
I have a friend who before she became a Christian had four abortions. She has married and has had a heart for children...but sadly, her decisions from her younger years has left her childless. The doctor said she will not be able to have children. The results of these actions run very deep in these women! My friend said that many nights she wakes up because she thinks she hears babies crying! It is all very sad!
All I can say is.. God have mercy on us!
I wanted to add that I heard a well-known lady speak on this recently. She wasn't a Christian when she made the decision to have an abortion, but she mentioned something that has stuck with me ever since. As she was telling the story of her abortion and how she felt about it at the time (she was in college when she did it), she talked about her experiences at the abortion clinic.
Whenever they were trying to coax/encourage her to have the abortion, she said that she heard the Lie of Satan that will forever haunt the lives of millions of women all over the globe: "You'll never think about it again."
Boy, is that a lie! So many women have bought it time and time again, but let us defend the lives of these innocent children and not let the lies of the enemy win!
"When you read these kinds of things, how does it make you feel?"
-It makes me feel very blessed and grateful to be alive as I was born after Roe v. Wade.
I survived Roe v. Wade - wow. Chilling thought.
It's revolting.
Right now, I think about those families in the Amish town that have lost their children because of someone who had psychological problems...they'd probably give about anything to have those girls back. And here are other women, flat out murdering their own babies and are PROUD of it.
UGH
Here is a really thoughtful, short essay on how to talk to a friend who has had an abortion (in PDF)
www.prolife.org.ph/filemanager/ download/17/howtotalktofriend.pdf.
It has helped me to address this shocking news in friends' lives... hopefully, with the grace and the love that they needed.
Most significantly, a woman who has had an abortion should be encouraged by her friends to confess it- to her pastor- then to go through a period of grieving and repentance, and also counselling. She should be reminded constantly of God's unconcditional forgiveness and love.
Although we as Christian women find it hard to believe that women would be proudly signing such a petition, we must remember that these women are in darkness and ignorant of God's standards for righteous living. In other words, they are LOST. They don't know that they've done something horrific...all they know is that they've done something that is legal. Even if they hear that quiet voice inside that tells them what they are doing is wrong, they drown that voice out with other voices that say what they want to hear.
It is a tragedy of our fallen world. I think I heard once that this country's women have aborted a number of babies that equals the entire population of Canada. We must keep speaking up and say this is wrong, we must keep praying that Roe v. Wade is overturned and we must keep trying to win the lost to our Saviour.
I think the best thing we can do is pray.
Pray for women who are pregnant right now to see God's light and a path for their life that includes raising their unborn child.
Pray for these women to find hope and alternatives rather than feel that they have no other choice but to abort.
Pray that these women find support systems and the means to care for their children.
And then after we pray, we should get up, look around, and figure out if there is a way we can be part of this support system. Maybe financially support (if it is within your means) and institution that provides shelter, food, and education for young unwed moms. If you don't, maybe you can volunteer or if you don't have time encourage someone who does to do so. If you know someone in this situation, talk to them with compassion, help them understand and make the right decision.
Most importantly, we need to teach our children. I'm teaching my son that he should wait until marriage, of course, and why. But, he also needs to know that if he does error, we are still here for him. I would teach my daughter that too. Parents who throw their children out on the street for getting pregnant often put them in situations where they feel there is no alternative but abortion. Even if I'm upset at the decision my children (speaking hypothetically here as I only have one right now) make, I don't think I could turn my back on them completely, nor would God want me to.
Crystal, I wholeheartedly agree with you! A human life is not a choice, it is a spiritual creation made by God. Our society treats pregnancy and children as an inconvenience instead of a normal part of life. There are so many support programs for pregnant teens and unwed mothers. If God feeds the birds, he will take care of a baby!
I was a statistic. I got pregnant at 17 and my mother insisted I get an abortion because it was right , and it couldn't be so wrong because she had done it herself.Not only was I scared but now I had found out my mother had willingly taken the life of my sibling. I was horrified. My life is now amazing with my 5 children and my beautiful 13 year old daughter who my mother told me to abort. She is an amazing gift and I never even considered taking her life. My mother is now a drug addict and when I got pregnant with my 5th child she again asked me if I was going to abort him. I am no longer in contact with her due to her drug usage but we all should pray for her and people like her that just think it is an easy out. There is so much more to the story of course and it saddens me that this goes on. There is a way we can help. There is a website called lifedonor.net that is commited to saving unborn babies lives. Please go check it out!
I think you summed it up with the words "heart-wrenching". We need to continue to Press On with the Truth, in love.
Kathy, HigherGroundToday.blogspot.com
It breaks my heart.
I started to comment, but it ended up being too long. I'll blog on it later when I've taken 2 steps back and cooled off a bit. The fall out from this in the church is huge and for the most part, we don't even realize it.
God forgive us and grant us mercy. May the church wake up and reach out to the hurting women, hidden in the congregation, who are broken and sorry for what they have done, yet are finding little forgiveness and healing in Christ. Lord Jesus may it not be so...
I am really troubled by some of the comments that were made. They are very harsh. I in no way condone abortion and think that Roe v. Wade definitely needs to be overturned, but wasn't it our Lord and Savior who took our sin not only from the act but to the heart of the issue too. Mat 5:21-22 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever, shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.
I don't know about you, but I am not without sin myself and I cannot throw the first stone. These girls/ladies definately need our prayer and support, but I'm not sure we want to be the ones who turn them away from our Savior with our remarks.
i was so angry when i read that article this morning. my blood boils at the thoughts of some of these women. how cold and callous they are and what's sad is to see the church following right behind.
Anonymous,
My comment does sound harsh, but I do believe that my comparison is accurate. That being said, I pray for this country and these people who think it is OK. I remember taking care of a woman in the hospital who wouldn't stop bleeding after she had an elected abortion. It was so hard for me to exercise forgiveness.
I don't think I get angry, but very depressed, especially that I have my own and heard their heartbeat at only a few weeks.
The Church does need to reach out to desperate young women and show them the alternatives and the beauty of motherhood and family.
The Catholic church in town was able to raise enough money to purchase a sonogram for the crisis pregnancy center in town. I was disturbed that our protestant church was not involved with this. I can't help but think that maybe it is related to their view of birth control and family.
I do get angry at the people who try to squash our efforts of giving young girls different options. How many times have I heard of a pregnancy center that wnats to set up near an abortion clinic so that the girls may go in to get a sonogram and see what is inside them and the abortion clinic makes a big stink. Aborting babies is nothing but a business now and PP doesn't want to lose their customers. They know that most women will not abort after seeing their baby so they want to keep the ignorance. THAT makes my blood boil!
I saw this priest on TV who was arrested and did jail time for saying the rosary infront of an abortion clinic. Good grief.
Anonymous, you hit it right on the nose. Yes, we have a right to be angry that SOCIETY condones this, but not to be angry at the individual who makes this choice. Sin is sin, regardless of what it is, and it is all equal in the Lord's eyes. Reaching out to each other, realizing we are all sinners, and lifting each other up in Christ, along with prayer, is all that God asks of us.
Anger at the system is one thing; its a righteous anger. Anger at the individual, however "cold" or "callous" they may seem, is another.
The statistics are heartwrenching. I ministered regularly outside of an abortion mill where I live until it closed down (hopefully, for good!!!) a couple of months ago. I also do online pre/post abortion counseling...so this issue is very near and dear to me. The women are so terribly callous. And the majority of them don't express remorse, and do it over again. Of course we need to pray for them, and try and reach out to them...but they must recognize that what they're doing/have done is murder. The Bible says in Proverbs that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and they need to be warned of the wrath to come if they don't repent. So, while we shouldn't treat them badly, we certainly shouldn't sugar coat the truth. Unrepentant people are just stacking up more and more of God's wrath for the day of judgement! And, I truly do not believe all sins are equal...even in the Bible, there are different punishments for different sins, and if we can heap up God's wrath for a worse judgment, then they can't possibly all be equal. That's because some are worse than others. Certainly, shedding the blood of your own child is one of the worst things a person could do. May God have mercy on the women who do this by granting them repentance, and on our nation that sanctions it! And may He have mercy on us for not doing everything we can to reach people with the gospel, and try and bring an end to the slaughter.
That would be the Average Russian non-christian. Most of the Russian christians I know are not only pro-life, but anti-birth control and no family planning at all. (I am married to a Russian) One reason too it is so common is because they use it as birth control, even though I do not like BC, I would rather they used some ot the methods rather than an abortion.
I feel so sad for these women. I have some friends and a relative that has had abortions. My relative is now a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center after 2 abortions. Prayer can help to bring these ones to be at work in others!
It is so heart breaking to hear these abortion statitics and to see almost daily where children are victims of violent crimes such as recent school shootings. But as daughters of the King we know that God is still on His throne and that these horrible times can only be an indication that God's clock is ticking. The Scriptures are very clear that the times would get worse and worse. All I can say is Come quickly Lord Jesus. Share Jesus with all you can, because who knows how long we've got left?
It broke my heart to read the quote by the woman who wanted to do something "bigger" with her life. Doesn't she realize that being a mother to a child is the biggest, greatest mission that women are called to do? And what about her child? It will never graduate high school or go on to college like she did. It will never have the chance to do something "big" with it's life, because it's life has been taken away. And why? Because it's mother cared more about herself than her own baby. The baby was conceived because of her own sin and irresponsibility, and now she has placed the consequences for her actions on her innocent child. This woman may have avoided the consequences for her sin in this life, but she will face her punishment and her Lord one day.
Crystal
It is really good to hear all of these reactions. It shows that there are people that really do care.
The first thing I think about when I hear about an abortion related issue is the bumper sticker on a lady's car, the lady of whom had 5 children all 6 years and under, and it said, "Abortion does not make you unpregnant, it makes you a mother of a dead baby".
I think that when I was a teen, in the 70's, there wasn't much information about abortion and that we (I) generally just thought of abortion as making a person unpregnant. We (I) did not really put much thought into it or think that it was killing a human life. I believe that because there has gradually been much philisophical and scientific discussion among ourselves, especially as to when does life really begin, that it has become a very personal issue. We each make up our own minds as to when life really begins. When someone tells me that this microscopic creature, living in someone's uterus created from the sperm of a man and egg of a woman is not human, I ask myself and maybe that person, if this life form is not human then what will it develope into, a plant, a frog?
I definitely believe that a baby fetus has the right to grow and develope; we should not mess with God's creation, but it is difficult to tell this to someone who does not believe in God without inducing defensiveness. It is not easy but I think that if we have the opportunity to help a potential mother make a decision regarding abortion that we should and at the same time let her know that she is not only destroying a new human life, but she is destroying part of herself.
Someone, maybe you, Crystal, needs to prayerfully write a book about abortion for our generation in the spirit of UNCLE TOM'S CABIN:] We need to change the minds of our generation regarding abortion, just like Harriet Beecher Stowe did in her day about slavery. (I first heard this idea from S.M. Davis, a pastor in Indiana of solvefamilyproblems.) Also, we as Christian mothers must be involved in teaching our daughters that a whore is a shame to all women. There are other alternatives to abortion (if modesty has already been forsaken), like the many women who would love to adopt a baby. Prayer is something that we all can do. Pray for our American daughters who are inundated with the feminist garbage of our day. If you still have children at home, then you may want to homeschool or send them to Christian school. God will forgive you if you have had an abortion. Just ask Him to forgive you. Thank God that the blood of Jesus was shed for the forgiveness of all sin, even the sin of murdering an unborn baby by abortion.
I had an abortion at the age of 19. Somebody posted, "these women are lost." True, I was lost and lived a very dark past but do you realize how many women are still hurting IN our churches?
These women are not lost (some raised in churches) but they are broken, putting on a beautiful facade while weekly attending the church of "I'm fine." These women live in silence refusing to release the truth in order to begin healing, feeling alone, vulnerable and judged. I might guess a thought that just passed through your mind, "I bet she wasn't thinking about the baby," or maybe "she deserves to feel alone and vulnerable because of the horrific crime she's commited."
Do you realize how many women having abortions belive in God but still have abortions because of how they perceive God's forgiveness? Why is this?
On the flip side, how many of us have taken a walk on the "wild side?" What I mean is, how many of you have stood on the sidewalk of an abortion clinic? Not behaving radically, just stood and prayed for every woman walking past you. Look into thier eyes. Too wild for you? Then how many have served or regulary served at a pregnancy center?
You want to know how these women can "do it?" Sit with them, listen to them, and cousel them. You will be surprised how much you can learn in a very short time. Dig in deep and prepare to get dirty because it's ugly, and suit up in the Armor of God because it's a battle.
A warrior sits before you now, and I will fight to my death in the name of Christ Jesus, protecting the innocent and embracing the murderers, in God's love.
Mary jo was correct when she wrote, "have mercy on us for not doing everything we can to reach people with the gospel, and try and bring an end to the slaughter."
I have run into several sisters in the Lord who live in regret over their abortion. I at a time of feeling overwhelmed with a newborn, (my forth child) had a birth control shot. This I regret as if it were an abortion because you see I have not been able to have another child. And just prior to getting that shot The Lord did a work in my heart to trust Him for the size of my family. We were contemplating doing something more radicle to prevent pregnancy. I fully believe that our family was not finished.
I share this only in hope of preventing others from making the same mistake. Any type of birth control can have very devastating effects. I had hemoragging type periods following that shot. I just recommend women really do their homework in these areas.
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