On a spiritual or theological level discussions of the issue of abortion lead to the issue of ensoulment: when does the soul enter the body?
So, when does ensoulment take place?
Let us offer a personal opinion as to when the soul enters the body.
It is this author’s belief that…
Well, we should perhaps qualify our response by stating that, as referenced above, we are stating our opinion with direct relation to the issue of abortion.
Our personal opinion as to when the soul enters the body is…
Perhaps we should state that we have no particular qualification in this area—does anyone?
Our personal opinion as to when the soul enters the body is…
Just to make it clear, we will offer our opinion based on having mused on the subject and having studied some theology and a little bit of embryology.
Our personal opinion as to when the soul enters the body is…
What we mean is that we have been around the block a few times and have had various discussions with people on various sides of the issues and have also been involved in polemics for some time.
Our personal opinion as to when the soul enters the body is as follows: WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How is this the least bit relevant? The issue is not when the soul enters the body; the issue is that abortion is ridding oneself of taking responsibility and ridding oneself of a human being who is viewed as problematic.
In his 1908 AD book Orthodoxy (Chapter V: The Flag of The World) G. K. Chesterton wrote the following deep and dark words (purchase the book here or listen to it here):
Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin. It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life. The man who kills a man, kills a man. The man who kills himself, kills all men.
As far as he is concerned he wipes out the world.
But what does suicide have to do with abortion? Abortion is about committing murder and not suicide.
The issue is that this killing of all men is conceptual killing (murder, really). This is the concept behind the murder which is abortion yet, abortion is no mere concept but a real life is taken; and brutally so. Just as the suicide causes a man to kill all men, an abortion causes a woman to kill someone whom she does not want to exist. That is the issue and not the soul.
Some argue for earlier and earlier abortions and yet, the issue is the same at any age: ridding ourselves of a human being whom we see as nothing but an inconvenience. This dehumanization is the true evil of abortion.
Dehumanize the baby and the next thing you know you do not call them babies but “zygotes,” “embryos,” “conceptus,” “byproduct of conception,” “unwanted pregnancy,” “clump of cells,” “tissue,” “accident,” etc. Dehumanize the baby and the next thing you know you approve of the inhuman, subhuman, inhumane, brutal, dismembering murder of beautiful, healthy, innocent and defenseless human babies.
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BOOKS:
Bernard Nathanson, The Hand of God: A Journey from Death to Life by the Abortion Doctor Who Changed His Mind
Randy C. Alcorn, Why Pro-Life?: Caring for the Unborn and Their Mothers
Randy C. Alcorn, Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments Expanded & Updated
Scott Klusendorf, Pro-Life 101: A Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Case Persuasively
ESSAYS:
“Sacred Abortion”
Richard Dawkins – On Abortion, Tadpoles, Rape, Cows, Murder and Sheep
The Exorcist’s Abortion and the Satanist’s Repentance
George Tiller, Abortionist Murders, and the Richard Dawkins Correlation
Is pro-life and pro-death penalty a contradiction?
Dan
Barker – His Views On Human Dignity
The
Abortion Money Machine Rolls Out the Ads in the UK
Pro-abortionists target pro-lifers
Greg Koukl on pro-abortion “logic”
Abortion and the Intolerance of the Pseudo-Tolerant