Archive for the ‘Abortion topics’ Category
You are probably aware that Pastor Angel Manuel Rodriguez is the director of the Biblical Research Institute of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. I sent by E-mail the following question to him a few years ago, and I am still waiting for a response. He probably thought that my question was a rhetorical one and felt there was no need to answer it!
Dear Pastor Rodriguez,
In your article entitled “Mixed Marriages” you clarify that Paul’s passage found in 2 Cor. 6:14 is not limited to marriage with unbelievers. Please consider the following scenario: A Seventh-day Adventist law student is planning to join a Southern Baptist as a law partner after graduation. Both are familiar with Paul’s injunction against being “unequally yoked with unbelievers, and both have a struggle with their conscience.” The Adventist because Baptists ignore the Sabbath Commandment of the Decalogue, and the Baptist because Adventists justify abortions even when the pregnant woman’s mental health is affected by her condition, which, according to Southern Baptists is a violation of the Sixth Commandment which forbids “murder” and the shedding of innocent blood. My question is: Who is in this scenario the unbeliever, the Adventist, the Southern Baptist, or both?
If a farmer were to spread the seeds, and then proceeded to pull out the growing wheat, arguing at the same time that he actually enjoyed spreading the seeds but was not interested in the harvest, we would agree that said individual has lost his mind.
If said farmer would at harvest time turn around and buy wheat from his neighbor to feed his family, we would have no doubt that the man needed some psychological treatment in order to bring the individual back to sanity.
This represents what we in the West are doing. We are destroying our own children through abortion, and then we allow both legal and illegal immigrants to fill the demographic void, despite the fact that many of these foreigners come determined to impose their own values on our society. This doesn’t make sense to me!
Human Life is Sacred.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church has officially declared that human life is sacred and that it needs to be protected. Here are some statements taken from the SDA officially approved document entitled Guidelines on Abortion:
1) Prenatal human life is a magnificent gift of God. God’s ideal for human beings affirms the sanctity of human life, in God’s image, and requires respect for prenatal life. [1]
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2) Human life has unique value because human beings, though fallen, are created in the image of God. [1]
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3) God values human life not on the basis of human accomplishments or contributions but because we are God’s creation and the object of His redeeming love. [1]
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5) God calls for the protection of human life and holds humanity accountable for its destruction. [1]
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6) God is especially concerned for the protection of the weak, the defenseless, and the oppressed. [1]
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Dear Brother Wilson,
I was thrilled when I heard you speak about “revival and reformation” in the first sermon you preached as our new president and I realized that we need to pray more fervently than ever before for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon each member of our church and especially upon the new leaders of this great movement the Lord has blest so much in the past.
You made specific reference to a few areas where reformation is needed. One of them is regarding a new emphasis on the most cherished doctrine of the Christian Church, the doctrine of creation. This sacred belief runs like a golden thread from Genesis through the last book of the Bible. If we compromise on this, the most fundamental belief of Christianity, our church will loose its reason for its existence.
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The Question
After a long protracted debate with a young man I greatly admire for his keen intelligence and his unswerving loyalty to the Genesis account of Creation, I wondered: Can the elect become the victims of deception? You may wonder why would such a question pop into my mind when dealing with someone apparently so loyal to the Bible story of origins.
The reason is rather simple. The topic we had debated was not the origin of heaven and earth and life on earth, but rather the origin of human life inside the womb. I hold to the belief that human life is sacred from the moment of its inception, while he defended with deep conviction the notion that until the unborn baby–fetus if you prefer since fetus is the Latin word for baby–develops a cerebral cortex, you actually do not have a human being, but rather nothing that can be morally differentiated from a human appendix.
When pressed for a point in time when taking the life of the unborn would be morally wrong, he pointed to twenty weeks after conception, because that is the time science can verify the development of the human brain cortex, which will eventually distinguish the unborn as a member of the human race. It became a no win-situation, for which reason, since both of us are Seventh-day Adventists Christians who pride to be members of the elect of God, I wondered whether either I or him could be deceived into adopting an erroneous moral position regarding the sanctity of human life.
So the question is: Can Christians who were referred by Jesus as the “elect” be candidates for deception? This question is especially important for Adventists, because we have been claiming to be the “Remnant of God” with the “last message for a perishing world.” Jesus did state that before his Second Coming false prophets will deceive, “if possible” even the elect, but he did not say whether this is feasible or not. [Matthew 24:24]
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Warning!
In the event you have a hard time figuring out the meaning of some of the terms used in this allegory, you might want to read Erv Taylor’s parable listed below first, as well as the lively exchange of comments that it generated from many individuals, before you read this posting. The Internet link for it is listed below.
Reading both allegories and the comments they generated may take some of your time, but you will not regret investing some of your most precious commodity in doing this. There is also a third allegory listed at the end of all the lively and long exchange of views between myself and Dr. Sean Pitman.
THE ROPE PEOPLE OF THE KINGDOM OF THE BLIND
http://sdaforum.com/page181.html
Note: In the event the sda forum links fail, you will need to copy and paste the title of the article onto the search blank space located on the top right-hand-corner of this page.
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I wrote the following article three years ago at the request of Dr. Ervin Taylor, Executive Editor of “Adventist Today.” A shortened, edited version was published in the January/February/2007 issue of said magazine. The publication generated a highly controversial exchange between the author and one of the magazine readers. This unedited exchange is posted below
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The Puzzling SDA Apathy Towards the Plight of the Unborn
The Plight of the Unborn
Never in the history of humankind the lives of the unborn have been at risk on such a mass scale. There is no question but that the womb, the sacred chamber God provided for the protection of the unborn, is today the most dangerous place on earth (1). According to statistics provided by the Alan Guttmacher Institute [Planned Parenthood], the number of abortions performed per year in the U.S. since 1973 averages 1,560,198 (2). The statistics for the entire world is even scarier: Approximately 46 Million (3). This surpasses by far any other cause of death, including wars (4).
If car accidents, smoking, or cancer, were responsible for the deaths of such a large number of human beings, I suspect that SDA’s would be demanding that something be done to put a stop to such a waste of human life. Half of all abortions in the U.S. are performed at or before the eight week of pregnancy (5); which means that approximately 800,000 developing babies are denied the right to life each year at a stage when they look very human, with recognizable arms, legs, head and feet, as revealed by ultrasound pictures (6). This is why when an abortion is performed, the nurse must account for all the parts of the dismembered baby to avoid serious health hazards for the mother.
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Three years ago, I received the visit of Dr.Ervin Taylor, the Executive Editor of “Adventist Today,” a magazine that enjoys a wide readership among Seventh-day Adventists, especially in the United States. He invited me to write an article in defense of my pro-life position on abortion.
Of course, I was more than happy to comply, and said article was included in the January/February/2007 issue of said periodical. It also includes a critical response by Dr. James Walters in defense of the SDA official pro-choice position on said highly controversial issue.
My question is: Is it right for Seventh-day Adventists to generously label ourselves as the “Remnant Church” that keeps God’s Commandments, one of which forbids murder, and proclaiming the “last message of mercy to a perishing world,” while at the same time officially justifying the practice of abortion?
We are concerned as a church about the deaths of innocent human beings in Iraq and Afghanistan and the deaths of American soldiers in said countries currently cursed by internal violent strife. We see and lament the indiscriminate shedding of innocent blood in that faraway land, but we are rather oblivious about the daily genocide of the unborn that is taking place in our own land of the free and the brave.
If you share my concerns and have access to the “Adventist Today” magazine, I invite you to read said article. In the event you don’t, I suggest you access the copy I posted on my “SDA Forum” website.
Article Title: The Puzzling SDA Apathy Towards the Plight of the Unborn
Internet link: http://sdaforum.com/page90.html
Note: In the event the sda forum link fails, you will need to copy and paste the title of the article onto the search blank space located on the top right-hand-corner of this page.
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Introduction
I want to share with you a letter I sent to the publisher of the Pacific Union Recorder [PUR] after a SDA Forum paid advertisement was turned down because this forum represents an independent ministry.
At the same time, the church so far has refused to publish my views on abortion, but has no problem accepting my tithes and offerings! I never imagined that there would come a day when acting in defense of the right to life would be treated as heretical behavior by the Adventist Church.
I am constantly admonished to keep my mouth shut. How can I do this when recently our official “Ministry” magazine revealed that five of our Adventist owned hospitals are offering elective abortions to their patients?
We have invested a fortune in helping smokers extend their life by four or five years, but we won’t move a finger to help extend the life of the unborn by an entire lifetime when the pregnant female decides she doesn’t want the baby.
We have used a ton of ink in defense of the Sabbath, but won’t allow a few lines to be published in defense of the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue which forbids the killing of the innocent. Can you understand this? I can’t. Here is the letter I wrote to the PUR.
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In response to Senator Dianne Feinstein’s newsletter detailing what she is doing to solve the illegal immigration problem and her efforts to secure our borders, I sent to her the following comments by E-mail:
“A. The Immigration Problem:
Thanks for your Newsletter, which I read with interest. I am glad that you are doing something about immigration reform. I believe that, since we have already approximately 12 million illegal immigrants, the first priority should be to secure our borders in order to make sure no additional illegals succeed in entering the country.
Unless we do this, it’s going to be the same enchilada all over. Whatever it takes, securing our borders to illegal entry should be our top priority; and if this requires to put up a fence, so be it. Once we do this, then we can worry about legalizing those who are already here. Any amnesty program should be contingent on closing our borders to illegal entry first. We need to stop blaming the illegals, and begin to blame ourselves for letting them in in the first place.
B. The Iraqi Problem:
It is very painful to see the Iraqis now killing their own after being liberated from the Butcher of Baghdad. If we want them to begin to act rationally, we need to set a good example for them. We are killing our own as well. Since 1973, we have decimated our population by 45 million. Some of those we have deprived of life would be in the prime of their life today. Their absence has created a vacuum which is being filled up by illegal immigrants. This is bad policy and needs to be rectified.
Congress need to assume its God-given responsibility and protect all Americans, born and unborn, from this merciless slaughter, instead of allowing the U.S. Supreme Court to usurp this right by its inaction. Liberal, unelected justices should not be allowed to make new laws. That is the esclusive prerogative granted Congress by the U.S. Constitution. If we as a nation do what is right, we will reap the benefits of God’s protection both during peacetime and in times of war. This is my humble opinion! ”
The Background
On August 20, 1990, The Pacific Union Recorder published an article written by John V. Stevens Sr., the Pacific Union Conference Public Affairs/Religious Liberty Director, titled Abortion Answers and Attitudes, in which he adamantly defended the women’s right to abortion. His arguments were mainly based on human freedom. I will insert here a few quotes to illustrate his position:
The best example is Christ who chose to die in order to restore that freedom lost through sin so that all can choose to mold their own destiny. Christ valued choice over life …
Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to the Creator–individuality, power to think and to do. (Education, page 170) This takes place after birth, when the developing baby becomes a person …
Pregnancy, abortion, birth, life and death, can all be traumatic. Others have no authority over our consciences in regard to our response to life crucial events. The Holy Spirit is the only True Guardian of the conscience. To allow society–or the state–or the church–or even the family– to replace the Holy spirit is to be guided by the spirit of the anti-Christ …
From the perspective of respect for God’s Word, Biblical history, and the fundamental principle of free moral agency, the Adventist church could justify adopting a pro-choice position.
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The Impressive Growth of the Pro-Life Movement.
The American Pro-Life movement is growing by leaps and bounds, and a lot of effort is made by pro-lifers to gain converts. Nevertheless, if you think this carefully through, you will probably agree with me that, given the policies of both pro-lifers and pro-abortionists, the pro-life population is bound to grow even without any efforts to gain converts; while the same is not true about the pro-abortion group.
The survival of the pro-abortion movement is contingent on their ability to proselytize. The reason is so simple that any first grade child should be able to understand this.
The Common Sense Reason for This Phenomenon.
Just think: It has been demonstrated that children tend to inherit the values of their parents. Since, by their stated philosophy and practice, pro-abortionists tend to kill their children, while pro-lifers do not, then it follows that if abortionists stop gaining new converts, they are doomed to a slow extinction. This is the main reason why the pro-life movement is gaining ground.
This means that, if those who defend the practice of abortion were wiser, they would stop killing the future members of their group. They would strive to protect the life of those who would eventually take their place when they are no longer among the living.
The Law of Survival and Extinction.
This is why I believe that both groups should strive to diminish and do away with the practice of abortion, since the survival of their movement is at stake. This is based on the simple law of survival and extinction. If you want your group to survive, then stop killing the future members of your class!
This is also the reason Democrats have been loosing power and influence, because they have embraced the cause of those who are bent on the eventual demise of their own community. Think this way: If two nations are at war, and one of them promotes the extermination of their own citizens, they will be doomed to eventual defeat and extinction.
To Make Man Whole.
Loma Linda University, owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, proudly displays its moto To Make Man Whole in the Loma Linda University Medical Center main lobby and in many of its publications, thus declaring the high ideals of service to humanity, and emphasizing the notion that human health encompasses more than physical health, but rather integrates the physical, psychological, and spiritual aspects of our human personality. Healing the body, while ignoring the other aspects of personality, does not provide a solid foundation for physical, mental, and spiritual health.
For many decades, Loma Linda University has pursued this high ideal of excelence with remarkable success, and it has graduated thousands of highly skilled physician, nurses, and professionals in other medical fields who, following the example of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, have gone to the four corners of the earth carrying with them the lofty ideal of service to a suffering humanity. Its graduates can be found in a large number of countries serving the needs of people with dedication, sacrifice, and Christian love.
How About “To Keep the Baby Whole”?
As I pondered the deep meaning of our Loma Linda University moto To Make Man Whole, I wondered: How about to keep the baby whole? It is true that the university has done a lot, and is providing an outstanding service geared toward those who are waiting to be born; nevertheless, I am rather thinking of what the university, and the church that owns this educational and medical facility, could have done for the unborn in light of the high ideal of service implied in its motto.
What Could the University and the Church Have Done for the Unborn?
You may wonder what I have in mind! Well, I am thinking of what could have been accomplished on behalf of the unborn, had the university and the SDA Church embraced the pro-life philosophical and humanitarian position instead of the pro-choice one. You might be aware that on an average weekend, approximately three thousand innocent unborn babies are either poisoned or dismembered prior to birth by physicians who have been trained in the arts of healing instead of killing. Of course, this is not taking place in our SDA hospitals–I hope–but rather mostly in abortion clinics whose highest aim is profiting from the deaths of these innocent human creatures.
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Some years ago, as I was checking the news coming from the General Conference session, my eye caught the following news item which I thought was significant from my pro-life point of view:
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As I sit in my comfortable delegate’s seat (perhaps becoming a little less so after a week of sitting), millions in London and-as the news updates bounce around the world-countless more are reeling with the shock of another deadly terrorist attack. The story will continue to unfold over the next few hours and days, so any details I might give here would likely be out of date by the time this appears in print. But that these bombings are tragic was quickly realized as beyond question.
And so it was appropriate that, as the morning’s business session was called to order, a statement responding to the London bombings was read, and Pastor Cecil Perry, president of the British Union Conference, prayed for the injured, the families of the victims, his homeland, and our world …
Yet the pause at the beginning of yesterday’s business highlighted the real unity among this diverse group: It’s about people. Our unity of purpose is found in reaching out to hurting people, seeking to connect them with the love of God in practical and spiritual ways. As the statement read to delegates put it, “Seventh-day Adventists are people of peace and compassion.”
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