There are protesters who have been standing outside of a pediatrician’s office almost daily since at least the summer. Why? Someone else in that same tiny complex is offering abortions. A woman who has taken her special needs daughter to that pediatrician’s office for more than 20 years was recently told by her minister’s wife that she needed to switch pediatricians. Abortion is “murder,” of course, so going anywhere near the “scene of the crime” must make her a co-conspirator.
On the opposite side of town is a Catholic organization made up of young people who were praying the rosary daily in hopes of a veto on the law that required Catholic employers to provide health care that included birth control coverage. Furthering their attack on small families are two Republican candidates for president. Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney seem to want to reverse the bill that legalized the sale of contraception.
Yes, the Bible says “Be fruitful.” The Bible also says to take care of children. Statistics from UNICEF report that in 2009 roughly 2.1 million children are currently orphaned in America. Who is taking care of them? Should anyone be so adamantly against birth control when they’re also clearly unwilling to help take care of the result from a lack of birth control?
Before abortion was legalized, women were forced to take to back alleys in order to end unwanted pregnancies. Those terminations consisted of the use of things like scalding water or hangers. Many women contracted infections from those unsterile and unsafe methods. Too many women died from those infections. Why wasn’t anyone looking out for them?
Many of the comments we’ve received at CityBeat in response to coverage of these issues have focused on the sinfulness of abortion and birth control (and, of course, homosexuality). Why are they overlooking all the other “sins” the bible suggests?
Click the jump for a list of all the crazy things the Old Testament says are also sins. —-
Here’s a list of things the Old Testament says are also sins:
• Turning away from foreigners (Leviticus 19:33)
• Tattoos (Leviticus 19:28)
• Working on “The Sabbath” (Leviticus 19:3)
• Slander/Gossip (Leviticus 19:16)
• Having sex with your wife while she’s on her cycle (Leviticus 18:19)
• Cursing your mother or father (Leviticus 20:9)
• Wizardry (Sorry, Potter.) (Leviticus 20:27)
• Harvesting the corners of your field (Leviticus 19:19)
• Waiting to pay the lawn guy until tomorrow (Leviticus 19:13)
• Wearing linen-wool blends (Leviticus 19:19)
• Cross-breeding animals (Your puggle is going to Hell!) (Leviticus 19:19)
• Trimming your beard (Leviticus 19: 27)
• Eating meat that’s still bloody (Leviticus 19:26)
• Lying about your weight (Leviticus 19: 35-36)
There’s an obvious rebuttal for all of these.
“So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many.” (Hebrews 9:28)
Seems legit.
Christ’s sacrifice should solve all the problems. Except, it doesn’t. People are still being chastised for their “sins.” Why? The Bible doesn’t say, “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of Christians.” Nor does is say, “Christ was sacrifice once to take away the sins of many … except the gays and the whores.”
The bible does say, however, that none of us are sin-free and to “Let he without sin cast the first stone,” (John 8:7). Splitting hairs over the equality of sins is pointless. If you’re a Christian, you believe that we are all sinners. The big picture is that God tells you to stop condemning your fellow brother, sister and human being and look at yourself, instead. It’s commanded right here:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3-5)
You think birth control is a sin? That’s cool. But it’s not your job to keep people from sinning. Your job is to keep yourself from sinning. God gave us free will for a reason: He wants humans to each decide whether they want to follow him or not. By not allowing people to make their own choices, you’re nullifying the very essence of that free will.
Remember this: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:7)
