Ok, so it was bound to happen eventually, right? I mean, I do write about a lot of things on this blog that I have strong opinions about, so it was going to happen sooner or later...right?
Anyway, here goes.
Growing up I was a dyed in the wool staunch Republican, complete with the obligatory Rush is Right t-shirt and the khaki pants button down shirt that went with it. I read Limbaugh's entire canon, and thought he was Ronald Reagan reincarnated. (Not really, we Republicans didn't hanker to no "re-in-car-nation.") That meant that I was pro-life, and any no-good, two-bit, lousy politician who didn't vote to get rid of Roe Vs. Wade was just asking to get voted out of office. No, seriously. I really did think that.
Well, going along with my discussion earlier about recognizing the complexity of certain issues, and realizing that there are multiple ways to look at things, I wanted to talk to you all (yes, both of you) about what being pro-life means to me now.
(Stipulation: Almost all of this can be found in the Jim Wallis book, "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong, and the Left Doesn't Get It".)
Being pro-life means much, much more than thinking that the number of abortions committed in this country is a travesty. Being pro-life means attempting to hold on to a consistent ethic of the sanctity of human life--where ever that life may be. This has numerous ramifications, much more then the obvious abortion issue that gets focused on so much.
Being pro-life means that I want to eliminate the causes of, or perceived reasons for abortions in this country; rampant poverty, both generational and situational; a government that practices generous corporate welfare and cringes at the mere mention of government assistance for the poor as "socialism"; sky-rocketing health care costs, and a cultural acceptance of chauvinism and sexism that perpetuates the ideas that women are inferior and subject to the whim and desires of men. (Don't throw the Bible verses about women being subject to men in my face; if you've read those verses, don't stop there--the very next half of the verse talks about husbands serving their wives like Jesus serves the church, in humility, with compassion, and with a perfect and Godly love.) All of these issues combine to form a perfect storm of challenges that face too many families and individuals in this country. We Christians should be ashamed, utterly and totally ashamed that we are spending so much time and energy trying to stop women from getting abortions without paying any attention whatsoever to WHY they feel the need to get one. Instead of picketing Planned Parenthood and the various doctors who offer these painful and costly (both mentally and spiritually) procedures, we should be picketing the senators and congress-people who provide tax benefits to the wealthy but forget about the millions of Americans are working their asses off every day to make ends meet; we should be picketing the insurance companies who make it their goals to deny claims for health care, and exploit those who do not have the adequate resources at their disposal to fend for themselves. Until we focus on the causes of abortions, we should all be ashamed of ourselves.
But, as I was saying, a consistent ethic of the sanctity of human life doesn't stop at birth. Therefore being pro-life, for me, means believing that health care should in fact be a right, not a privilege. America is one of only two countries in the world that doesn't have some form of universal health care provided by the government. And, to the immediate cry of "socialism!" that I will hear, I say this: Either you have a private company, whose only objective is make a profit--NOT to provide the best health care it can, or you have a government, imperfect as it may be, which may slow things down a bit, but that will ensure that everyone, from the least of us, to the greatest of us, will be guaranteed basic and necessary health care. Again, until we as Christians make this a priority, we are not even close to hitting the mark set out for us.
Pro-life for me means that I can not support the death penalty. I do recognize and admit that there are numerous verses in both the Old and New Testaments that can be and often are used to support the idea of capital punishment, but my understanding of Jesus' words are that we are called to love those who hate us, and to forgive those who harm us. Therefore, I can only hope and pray that our nation--and, dare I say our world-- move beyond the idea of punishing someone into being better, and work towards loving people enough that they become better. I know, that is pie in the sky, but what is more "pie in the sky" then a God who loved the world enough...?
Being pro-life means that I am completely and totally against unjust and unrighteous wars. Being pro-life means that I believe in and acknowledge, and respect, and value the life of someone who I have never met, who lives very far away from me, has a different skin color, and who worships--or doesnt!--different than me. The civilian casualities in Iraq and Afghanistan are not "collatoral damage". They are devastating losses of life, no less devastating than that of the unborn child that most American Christian's pray for.
I know that what I've typed here today is going to rub some of you the wrong way. I know that it may indeed anger some of you. I invite your comments, your criticisms, and your questions; I only ask that we keep any conversation civil.
Respectfully, and thankfully...
Tommy
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5 comments:
Amen and Amen!
Amen and Amen!
via www.votenader.org
Found it very interesting - hadn't really looked at him that closely until today.
The government has an important role to play in keeping undermining influences out of the public schools -- among them, commercialism and private school voucher programs. The federal government must not impose an overemphasis on high-stakes standardized tests. Such testing has a negative impact on student learning, curriculum, and teaching, by resulting in excessive time devoted to narrow test participation, de-enrichment of the curriculum, false accountability, equity and cultural bias, and excessive use of financial resources for testing, among other problems. Federal law should be transformed to one that supports teachers and students -- from one that relies primarily on standardized tests and punishment. The government should encourage schools to infuse their curriculum with civic experiences that teaches students both how to connect classroom learning to the outside world and how to practice democracy.
The Nader campaign opposes the over-reliance on high stakes standardized tests included in the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act, commonly known as "No Child Left Behind." High stakes standardized tests have a negative impact on student learning, curriculum, and teaching. Using high frequency test scores to determine funding for a school, retention, and graduation of students, results in numerous unintended consequences.
While I am pro-choice, I think this post is one of the most amazing blog posts I have ever read... and I've read A LOT!
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