What Abortion Is Not

 

The current hateful yelling...on both sides of the abortion issue...grieves me. I'm pretty sure no minds have been changed or hearts moved as a result of chanting slogans or screaming insults. I am convinced that very few convictions have been modified from reading a "discussion" thread on Twitter or Facebook.

And yet, here I am, wanting to make a particular point that seems to be getting missed.

It concerns me that folks seem to be labeling the argument against abortion as a religious stance...that the main reason to be against abortion is "because God says so."

Let me be perfectly clear.

Abortion is not a religious issue.

Really...it's not.

We need to set aside all the stereotypes of Bible-thumpers and Planned Parenthood money-makers and calmly consider the basics of whether the pre-born entity is human. That's the only question that needs to be answered because if it's human, then killing it is murder. If it's not human, then treat it like a malignant tumor, I suppose.

Now, I clearly have a researched answer to that question. And if you want to read more about all that, let me direct you to my inspirational blog, Truth Is..., and its several posts about abortion. (Click those links.)

But THIS particular post is about this one particular point: Don't brush off the life-and-death issue of abortion as being a matter of religious opinion. The things that matter in the discussion are scientific facts.

That being said, we must avoid living up to the stereotype of caring only about the pre-born entity. The fathers and mothers and children must be treated with compassion, empathy, and respect, or all our "pro-life" rhetoric rings untrue.

For the record, that's why I so appreciate the work done by Amnion Pregnancy Center, which cares for EVERYONE affected by an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy.

No yelling. No Bible-thumping. No slogan chanting. (Hmm...that would look good on a banner being marched down a sidewalk. Just kidding!)

Books I Read in 2022, Vol. X

 

JIMMY STEWART: The Truth Behind the Legend
Michael Munn

Many stars of the silver screen in twentieth-century Hollywood became national icons, larger-than-life figures held up as paragons of American virtues. However, the private lives of actors such as John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Errol Flynn rarely lived up to the idealistic roles they portrayed. James Stewart was known as the underdog fighter in many of his films and in real life. He was highly decorated for his bravery as a bomber pilot during World War II and was adored for his earnest and kindly persona. But there was much more to the man. In this New York Times bestseller, the many sides of Stewart are revealed: his explosive temper, his complex love affairs and his longstanding marriage, his service as an [unofficial] FBI agent, his innate shyness, and his passionate patriotism. Munn’s personal touch shines through his writing, as he was a friend of Stewart and his wife, Gloria, and interviewed them as well as their colleagues and friends.

I truly enjoyed this book as it described one of my favorite old-time actors. There was plenty between these covers that I had never heard before and it's all backed up with words from Stewart himself. In his earlier movies, it often seemed like Mr. Stewart was just portraying a version of himself, even though he worked very hard to appear so nonchalant. Still, the author tells the story of an incident that happened at a party that totally seemed like a scene from some romantic comedy that had perfectly cast Stewart as the leading man:

"One night a guy tried to punch Jimmy because his girl had dumped him for Jim. The guy was squaring up to him, and Jimmy just stood there, all innocent, saying, 'Look, I didn't mean to steal your girl. Look, here she is. If she wants to go with you, that's fine. But if she decides she wants to stay with me, what can I do about it?' And this guy tried to land a right punch, but Jimmy just side-stepped to the left, kept his right foot where it was, and tripped the guy up. Then Jimmy helped him up with, 'Golly, are you all right? Didn't hurt yourself, did ya?' And he seemed like he hadn't done a thing, and everyone felt it was the other guy who deserved what he got. And Jimmy got the girl."

First line: "It's kinda hard to believe, but when I was a baby I was a good round shape," James Stewart once told me.

Page 56, Line 5: Around that time, Jim managed to get himself an audition for the key role of Sergeant O'Hara in Sidney Howard's Yellow Jack, the story of how soldiers were used as guinea pigs to test the origins of yellow fever.

Last line: Jimmy Stewart gave us all a whole lot of little pieces of time.

Books I Read in 2022, Vol. IX

 

THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON
Henri J. M. Nouwen

In seizing the inspiration that came to him through Rembrandt's depiction of the powerful Gospel story "The Return of the Prodigal Son," Henri Nouwen probes several movements of the parable: the younger son's return, the elder son's vengefulness, and the father's compassion. In his reflection on Rembrandt in light of his own life's journey, Nouwen evokes a powerful drama of the parable in a rich, captivating way that is sure to reverberate in the hearts of seekers from all walks of life. The themes of homecoming, affirmation, and reconciliation will be newly discovered by all who have known loneliness, dejection, jealousy, or anger.

I'm pretty sure I've read one other work by Nouwen, though I can't remember what, but he has a great reputation and when I saw this book while browsing the library shelves it almost jumped into my hands. A testimony to its effect on my thought process is the fact that not one, but two Truth Is... posts have been born from it. Give this one a chance to seep into you a bit and it just might make the world a better place.

First line: A seemingly insignificant encounter with a poster presenting a detail of Rembrandt's Return of the Prodigal Son set in motion a long spiritual adventure that brought me to a new understanding of my vocation and offered me new strength to live it.

Page 56/ Line 5: And so he says to himself: "How many of my father's hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger!"

Final line: As I look at my own aging hands, I know that they have been given to me to stretch out toward all who suffer, to rest upon the shoulders of all who come, and to offer the blessing that emerges from the immensity of God's love.