I oppose elective abortion. I even get a bit emotional about it.
That's entirely based on my personal morality, science, and secular humanism.
I also realize that many Christians base their morality on humanism. I am glad that so many Christians don't base their morality on the codes and beliefs of ancient people.
I am mainly talking to the Christians who do consider their moral code and worldview "Bible Based".
I am also talking to 1st world westerners, the challenges faced by people in other places are dramatically different.
That all said.
Why do modern Christians care so much about abortion?
There's nothing in Scripture particularly opposing feticide. I expect that the authors wouldn't particularly have a problem with it. This is for several reasons.
For one, it didn't happen much. Children were an economically valuable gift. Especially boys, and they had no way to know the gender of a child before birth. You could put a child to work before they much past toddling, and nobody expected the parents to provide healthcare or education or anything. Children weren't the burden that they are in the modern world.
Abortion wasn't safe and secret. Most techniques were almost as dangerous to the mother as to the child.
Children weren't considered people. Neither were women really. By the primitive understanding of the day, adult male members of the tribe were people. They planted a seed in a (female) vessel. That seed remained their property, or chattel, until he became a person or she was sold or married off.
Also, by the primitive understanding of the Bible authors, fetuses weren't alive. Alive meant "draws breath". Until a fetal human drew his/her first breath, s/he wasn't alive by the standards of the day. So even the Commandment "Don't Murder" wouldn't apply, even if there were a law making feticide murder. Which there wasn't.
We certainly don't have one now, in the USA.
The bottom line is this:
Abortion is not a moral issue according to Scripture. It just isn't. Abortion, feticide, isn't mentioned and the authors of Scripture wouldn't have had a problem with it. Based on their understanding and worldview.
So why do modern Bible based Christians?
Tom
That's entirely based on my personal morality, science, and secular humanism.
I also realize that many Christians base their morality on humanism. I am glad that so many Christians don't base their morality on the codes and beliefs of ancient people.
I am mainly talking to the Christians who do consider their moral code and worldview "Bible Based".
I am also talking to 1st world westerners, the challenges faced by people in other places are dramatically different.
That all said.
Why do modern Christians care so much about abortion?
There's nothing in Scripture particularly opposing feticide. I expect that the authors wouldn't particularly have a problem with it. This is for several reasons.
For one, it didn't happen much. Children were an economically valuable gift. Especially boys, and they had no way to know the gender of a child before birth. You could put a child to work before they much past toddling, and nobody expected the parents to provide healthcare or education or anything. Children weren't the burden that they are in the modern world.
Abortion wasn't safe and secret. Most techniques were almost as dangerous to the mother as to the child.
Children weren't considered people. Neither were women really. By the primitive understanding of the day, adult male members of the tribe were people. They planted a seed in a (female) vessel. That seed remained their property, or chattel, until he became a person or she was sold or married off.
Also, by the primitive understanding of the Bible authors, fetuses weren't alive. Alive meant "draws breath". Until a fetal human drew his/her first breath, s/he wasn't alive by the standards of the day. So even the Commandment "Don't Murder" wouldn't apply, even if there were a law making feticide murder. Which there wasn't.
We certainly don't have one now, in the USA.
The bottom line is this:
Abortion is not a moral issue according to Scripture. It just isn't. Abortion, feticide, isn't mentioned and the authors of Scripture wouldn't have had a problem with it. Based on their understanding and worldview.
So why do modern Bible based Christians?
Tom