The one about abortion

In Western culture, abortion was generally permitted within the first 40-90 days of pregnancy until the christian cult came to dominate and abortion was pretty much outlawed based on the christian belief that inception is when a human soul is bestowed upon the fetus. Hence, any deliberate termination of the fetus is technically murder according to this doctrine. Of course, there were times and places of leniency with this rule, but it has remained doctrine since the earliest days of the christ cult whether or not is has always been enforced to the letter.  

The doctrine does not hinge specifically on the bible, though throughout the centuries, christians have used biblical passages and stories as backdrop to the doctrine. Notably these are the pregnancy of John the Baptist's mother, Elizabeth, the pregnancy of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and certain poetic passages from the Hebrew scriptures which mention gestation in the womb.

The fact that the bible is completely silent on the matter of abortion is of little account when it comes to the position of the Roman church on this subject. The church has always maintained the position that God reveals truths in many ways, not just in the scriptures, so it isn't surprising that God has revealed that abortion is always wrong but never said so in the bible. But what about the protestant heterodoxy? That whole movement came into being under the banner that the bible was the sole source of faith and practice, yet they, too, claim abortion is wrong even though the scriptures neither confirm nor deny it. Therein lies something difficult for the protestants to answer. The best you're going to get from them is a long and winding trip through philosophical Disneyland where there are several allusions to the bible, but nothing concrete from its pages. However, even if the bible had mentioned abortion, it would only be valid if the bible were a legitimate source of information about the world and the nature of life.

The christians' first unsubstantiated statement is the linchpin to their whole belief system about abortion: humans have souls. But there is no proof of that; it's just a belief. It's in the bible, but as I say, there is nothing that validates the bible as a legitimate source of knowledge or counsel. The authority of the bible is itself simply a chosen belief. But don't get me wrong. I do not care in the least whether you accept the bible or not. Believe the bible to your heart's content! Enjoy the poetry and revel in the exciting stories! Find your inspiration for life in its pages! It doesn't bother me one bit.  You are as free to believe as I am free not to.

The current mania of the christians to strong-arm their abortion philosophy on all of us is based on three beliefs that have absolutely no foundation. The first is, of course, people have souls.  The second is that God invests a soul on the zygote at inception, and the third is that the bible is true or at least mostly true.  Not a single one of these ideas can be corroborated by facts or observations.  If you want to force your religion, or even part of your religion, on others who don't believe in it, you'd better have a little more going for you than wild-eyed claims about ethereal elements and literary fiction. People have been killed at the hands of christians because of these unvalidated propositions. Now they are on the brink of wresting power unto themselves to enforce their cockeyed fantasies as law.

Abortion is obviously an issue, and it's a serious matter, but it is not a black and white debate where opinions fall neatly on one of two sides. When the church, both the evangelicals and the traditional church, create the false impression that there are only two sides of the abortion debate, they are simply doing that to lend the appearance of credibility to their unfounded assumptions. Creating a false dilemma is an old trick, but it only works on people who have abandoned logical and reasoned thinking. There are many facets to the question of abortion, not just two. Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying, which is a sin, but apparently not a bad enough sin to avoid.

Nobody is saying the christians have no right to their opinion on abortion. What I'm saying is that christians have no right to claim that all other opinions must be exterminated because they don't accept the idea that humans have souls and the bible is true. If you believe that humans have souls, that God imparts souls at inception, and that the bible is true, so be it. I can't make you see reason. But as soon as you cross over the line and attempt to compel others by force to adopt your unjustified philosophy, then don't be surprised at the opposition you encounter.   Free people do not willingly surrender their freedom to tyrants.  And don't be surprised if some of the opposition comes from those who actually believe the same as you do about abortion, but will not support your attempts to subvert American liberty under the influence of religious fervor.  If freedom isn't for all, then it's for none.