Originally Posted July 13,2007
Abortion is certainly one of the greatest evils of our time. It should be obvious to any informed and conscientious person that abortion is murder. However there is much propaganda put out by the left. The latest craze is to use deconstruction to twist the scripture into supporting abortion. Both the Bible and reason condemn abortion. This article is about stating both the Biblical and philosophical case against abortion.
Each human individual created in God’s Image.
The Bible affirms that both human nature and each individual human being is created in the image of God. This means that man has dignity and worth not found in the rest of creation.
Genesis 1:26-27 KJV And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. (27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 9:5-6 KJV And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. (6) Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
The Biblical teaching that mankind is created in the image is the foundation upon which Samuel Rutherford wrote Lex Rex which was a Biblical defense of liberty and inalienable rights. The ideas found in Lex Rex and other writings that proclaim that God’s Law is the basis of liberty influenced John Locke who presented these ideas in a secular format to a wider audience. It was Locke’s ideas which influenced the Founding Fathers and produced these words in the Declaration of Independence
We hold these truths to be self-evident:that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights,among these are the right to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Woven together in the Womb.
Psalm 139 describes the formation of the pre-born child in the womb. v13 read that “thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.” The Hebrew word can mean either cover, as in defense or , to weave or knit together. Given that the context of this Psalm concerns God’s mighty acts of creation of the life of the individual the words is better translated woven or knit. The LITV in fact translates this way “You wove me in the womb of my mother.”
Psalms 139:13-16 KJV For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me[1] in my mother’s womb. (14) I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. (15) My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought[2] in the lowest parts of the earth[3]. (16) Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect[4]; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
Psalms 139:13-16 LITV For You have possessed my inward parts; You wove[5] me in the womb of my mother. (14) I will thank You, for with awesome ways I am distinguished; Your works are marvelous, and my soul knows it very well. (15) My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret; when I was woven[6] in the depths of the earth[7]. (16) Your eyes saw my embryo[8]; and in Your book all my members were written the days they were formed, and not one was yet among them.
Verse 16 says that we were woven (Hebrew literally means embroidered) This is a reference to the process of conception when DNA from the father becomes woven with the DNA from the mother to form the DNA of the developing baby. God sees an individual being formed together.the Psalmist is in a state of wonderment that God sees his unique identity from the moment of conception
At the moment God sees “my embryo” and ordains (by His book) the times and the process of the formation of the complete body before the body is completed. God ordains that the embryo come to complete development in the womb. Natural miscarriages are those whom God ordained to take home to Him early and as such are not a disruption or rebellion to God’s ordinance. Abortion, however disrupts His ordinance. Abortion on a pre-born child who would otherwise come to birth is rebellion to God’s command.
Punishment distinguished between inducing abortion and premature labor.
Exodus 21 describes the penalties of what happens if a pregnant woman is struck and her child leaves her body. Most modern English translations read the bias of the translators into this text.. Pro-life translators render the text to mean premature labor and so-called “pro-choice” translators render the text to mean miscarriage or abortion. The Hebrew text allows for both possibilities. The Hebrew word “yaw-tsaw[9]” simply means to leave the body.
The text presets two kinds of situations involving assault on a pregnant woman that results in the offspring leaving her body. One situation is one in which there is no harm or injury of an kind. In these cases the person who struck her must pay a fine. If there is injury the law requires that the person who struck the pregnant woman suffer whatever injury he or she inflicted,”life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,”So what does Ex 21 require if a pregnant woman is struck and the assault produces the deliver of a dead body. He must give his life for the life of the unborn offspring. God views the unborn offspring as a child.The unborn child actually has more protection than others. An accidental killing of most people under Mosaic law required that the killer flee to a City of Refuge [10], However in the case of the unborn child accidental killing merits death
Exodus 21:22-25 LITV And when men fight, and they strike a pregnant woman, and her child goes forth[11], and there is no injury, being fined he shall be fined. As much as the husband of the woman shall put on him, even he shall give through the judges. (23) But if injury occurs, you shall give life for life, (24) eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) branding for branding, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
Exodus 21:22-25 KJV If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow[12]: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. (23) And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, (24) Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, (25) Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
A Philosophical Defense of the Sanctity of Human Life.
The basic premise of Biblical teaching on the sanctity of hman life is that humanity is equal to personhood.The attributes that are commonly associated with personhood-conscious rationality, imagination, and free will are possible because the way that the brain is hardwired. The information that controls how the brain became hardwired is embedded in the DNA. Human DNA contains the essence of personhood and therefore the dignity and rights but how and why?
The law of non-contradiction tells us that it is impossible for two contadictories to both be true because the truth of one means that the other is false. This means that cannot both be of the same substance because that would mean both would be true. If two contradictories cannot be the same substance then it is impossible to derive an positive substance from it’s contradictory. This means that the essence of personhood cannot be evolved from impersonal atoms and molecules.
If Impersonal atoms and molecules cannot evolve into a personal human being, how did personality develop. That information was embedded into the various processes of molecular creation or evolution and controlled the formation of the human brain architecture. Because this information cannot be dreived from it’s opposite the origin of this must be something eternally existent (therefore self existent).This information has as it’s origin an eternally self existent Person-God.
The Infinite-Personal God has created a copy- digital image of Himself and embedded that image into human DNA. This image creates another copy every time a new individual is conceived through the union of genetic material from father and mother. While all such images have the same basic function each copy has a unique identity because of minor changes in the DNA. Both the human race and human individuals have the image of God embedded within at the moment of conception.
When a picture of someone is destroyed or burned in effigy it is a symbolic attack on them. Attacking the image is morally (although not physically) equivalent to attacking the person. In the same way harm done to the image of God in humanity is morally equivalent to attacking God. Human life has a finite measure of the infinite sanctity, dignity and honor that is due to God. While we are not to worship humanity as we would God we are to accord certain dignities to man. These dignities can be thought of as certain “inalienable rights”[13] that have been put into man by God. These rights include the “right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…”[14] These rights are given to man by God at the moment of conception.
The slippery slope of Roe vs Wade.
The Philosophical Defense of the Sanctity of Human Life I have just given is commonly called the Natural Law Theory of Rights. My philosophical defense is closely tied to m theological understanding of man as having been created in the image of God according to Genesis 1:26-27;9:6. The Natural Law Theory was understood in Biblical and extra-Biblical terms.
The Natural Law Theory was the dominant legal and political philosophy in America during the Revolutionary War period. Both Evangelical Christians and Deists believed that God had created man in the state of nature with certain unalienable rights. Deists and other students of the enlightenment on Great Britain and America dialogued with Christians, with some individuals, particularly John Locke, enjoying credibility in both circles. Thus theology deriving form the Biblical teaching that man is created in God’s image influenced the enlightenment’s contribution to liberty[18] The Founding Fathers of America were unanimous in their agreement with one version or another of the Natural Law Theory of liberty.
Roe vs Wade is a rejection of the Natural Law Theory. In Roe vs Wade the Supreme Court says essentially that human life is not entitled to an legal protection. The text reads that “We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins.”Why would it not be necessary to resolve the simple question of when human life begins? Because the Court does not believe that human life is entitled to an protection under the law
Texas urges that, apart from the Fourteenth Amendment, life begins at conception and is present throughout pregnancy, and that, therefore, the State has a compelling interest in protecting that life from and after conception. We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.[15]
In Roe vs Wade person hood is an artificial legal construct. The gist of Roe is that a human being is a person if and only if the society or the state recognizes them as such. This kind of logic could be used to justify the atrocities of the Nazis. The Nazis did not think of Jews as persons but as monkeys and pigs. Throughout history various groups of people have been demonized to the point where the larger society did not think of them as persons but as property, animals or even devils Jews, Christians, gypsies, enslaved Africans, Armenians, and many other religious, ethnic, and counter-cultural minorities have at various times in history been regarded as sub-human and as such legitimate targets or persecution, sexual abuse, and even genocide.
The doctrine of Roe vs Wade provides Totalitarian dictators and would be dictators a justification for persecuting political enemies-portray them as subhuman and the instantly become acceptable targets for persecution and genocide.
Roe vs Wade has implications far beyond abortion. This evil decision is an enemy of humanity and liberty. It is the enemy of God who gave each human being certain unalienable rights. The same God who gave these rights. The same love that God has for his image in man that resulted in Him giving man rights also motivated Him to save many individuals from the consequences of rebellion against
Notes:
1,5 H5526 sa?kak s?a?kak saw-kak’, saw-kak’A primitive root; properly to entwine as a screen; by implication to fence in, cover over, (figuratively) protect: – cover, defence, defend, hedge in, join together, set, shut up.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
2,6 H7551 ra?qam raw-kam’ A primitive root; to variegate color, that is, embroider; by implication to fabricate: – embroiderer, needlework, curiously work.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
3,7 H776 ‘erets eh’-rets From an unused root probably meaning to be firm; the earth (at large, or partitively a land): – X common, country, earth, field, ground, land, X nations, way, + wilderness, world.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
4,8 H1564 go?lem go’-lem From H1563; a wrapped (and unformed mass, that is, as the embryo): – substance yet being unperfect.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
9,11,12 H3318 ya?tsa?’ yaw-tsaw’ A primitive root; to go (causatively bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proximate: – X after, appear, X assuredly, bear out, X begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), + be condemned, depart (-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, X scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, X still, X surely, take forth (out), at any time, X to [and fro], utter.
Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries
10 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers35:11-24
&version=50
13,14 ” We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…”
From the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776
http://www.law.indiana.edu/uslawdocs/declaration.html
15 From Text of Majority Opinion of SCOTUS (The Supreme Court of The United States) in Roe vs Wade
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/ getcase.pl?navby=CASE
&court=US&vol=410&page=113