Will Hollywood abandon Georgia over abortion? That was going to be the title of this article. It’s an interesting question. Also a web news headline. The question came up because of Georgia’s proposed legislation about making abortions illegal if a heartbeat is detected in the fetus / unborn baby / unborn person. But as I was writing, it occurred to me that a better title is “Will Christians abandon God over abortion”?
Here’s a quote from Disney chairman and CEO, Robert Igers:
“I rather doubt we will” stay in the Peach State, where such Disney subsidiaries as Marvel Studios have taken advantage of the most generous, uncapped production incentives in the nation to counterbalance the costs of such nine-figure superhero spectaculars as “Avengers: Endgame” and “Black Panther.”
“I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully.”
“If this highly restrictive legislation goes into effect, we will reevaluate our activity in Georgia. Similar bills – some even more restrictive – have passed in multiple states and have been challenged. This is likely to be a long and complicated fight and we are watching it all very closely.”
It’s interesting. Blaming the move on their employees. In case you missed that part, he said, I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard.
Sure thing. Big companies all over the country, even the world, are heeding their employees’ wishes. Right. And the Brooklyn Bridge is for sale too.
Is it really a “company” that decided to move because of abortion?
If big companies listened to their employees, they wouldn’t be laying off so many of them. And they’d pay a living wage. And I’m sure that Disney’s going to pay for every one of their employees, contractors, and part-time people to move out of Georgia to wherever Disney decides to relocate. Let’s get real here. That’s not gonna happen!
Sure, the big stars will go wherever the $20 million dollars per movies is. Everyone else will be left unemployed. Forgotten. Ignored. They’ll be dumped in the trash heap of people left behind by too many big companies.
And so will many of the babies that are born if abortion is illegal.
Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not in favor of abortion. Only in very rare circumstances, for instance rape.
But I do question, for all those who want to force a poor single Mother to have a baby she can’t afford to feed, who’s going to help her? For the families that are going to have a child because who you want them to have him / her – who’s going to provide healthcare, food, education, Etc. to that child? Because the poor parents won’t be able to.
Sure – it’s easy to say the woman shouldn’t have become pregnant. But that’s irrelevant to the baby. The baby’s coming. And will need care. Further, if the child doesn’t have the proper upbringing, they’ll often end up poor and uneducated. While it’s nice and convenient to blame that on the mother, isn’t part of the problem because anti-abortionists often, or usually, want to prevent the abortion but do little if anything to help after the baby is born?
And that doesn’t even get to the issue of a baby who’s going to need expensive medical care. Even middle-class and some upper-class families can’t afford that. What makes anyone think a poor person can cope with it? Aren’t they most likely to end up on the street? Even then, how often will the baby grow up to be an adult, let alone self-sufficient adult? Which of the anti-abortion people is going to stand up and help with that?
By the way, I’m including Bob Iger and other corporate leaders in there when I say “people”. Companies don’t make decisions like the one Iger is considering for Disney. People make those decisions. Then they try to hide behind them, saying it’s a corporate decision – or it’s because of our employees. No. It’s because that’s what the corporate leaders want.
Christians and Abortion
There’s someone else I address this to. Christians. Especially Christians supporting anti-abortion political candidates.
Why don’t you force them to include care for the babies and families that are seeking out abortion because they can’t deal with having the baby? Maybe it’s money problems, like because they got laid off by a big company that left them behind when the leaders went after greener pastures, or went to machines with no needs instead of people who have needs?
And why don’t you force them to provide counseling and other mental health care for those who need it, whether because of things that happened before the pregnancy or will happen afterwards?
Why don’t you remember the Parable of the Good Samaritan? Oh yeah – and live it out as well?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
10:25-28 pp — Mt 22:34-40; Mk 12:28-31
Lk 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
Lk 10:27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’”
Lk 10:28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Lk 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Lk 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Lk 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Lk 10:37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
Does the parable of the good Samaritan have anything to do with Christians and abortion?
Do you realize, if you’re Christian and you support extreme abortion laws, but provide no assistance for the people who will need it as a result of having the baby, that you are in this parable? Actually, you’re in it twice.
The first time a Christian who supports extreme abortion laws is in the parable is here – he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. Yes, you’re one of the robbers. For those people who, for various reasons, are forced to have a baby they cannot care for, you’re involved in robbing that family. Having the baby takes money they may not have. It takes emotional stability they may not have. You’re involved in getting that law passed. And then you walk away, leaving some of the affected people half dead.
The second time is this – saw him, passed by on the other side. Now, you won’t see all of the people affected. But it’s hard to imagine you never see any of them. When you do see a mother struggling to care for her child / children, do you ever wonder if it’s because of an abortion law that left them half dead? Do you ever reach out to help them? I don’t mean throw a couple dollars at them. I mean help – as in the Good Samaritan.
In the parable, the Samaritan helps someone he doesn’t know. Someone who’s in a very bad condition. And the Samaritan had nothing to do with the person being robbed, beaten and left half dead. If you’re the Christian who supported that extreme abortion law, you are partly responsible for some of those mothers who can’t care for their child. Isn’t it that much more of a responsibility to help? If not at the same time as passing the law, certainly after the impact has been seen?
By now, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, but what about the dead babies who were aborted. They might have been great people – good leaders, doctors, someone who cures cancer. True enough. Unlikely in the cases I’m talking about. But possible.
However, and again this is for the Christian who’s anti-abortion, is that not a shortsighted view?
For a Christian, what are the sin(s) from abortion?
Yes, abortion is a sin. I get that and I agree with it.
However, isn’t even wanting to have an abortion a sin?
Murder
Mt 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”
Even the act of wanting to abort the baby seems to be against God’s will. Seems like Jesus is calling even the thoughts the mother has about the unborn baby just as sinful as actually aborting it.
Don’t believe it? Consider this:
Adultery
Mt 5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.”
See it now? The things we want to do are seen by God to be equal to the things we actually do.
Tell me – how will you prevent someone to think about having an abortion? Will you make it illegal to think about having an abortion? That won’t work. But the problem is that unless you can prevent the thoughts, you have not stopped the mother from sinning. You have not prevented the mother from committing murder in God’s eye. That’s why you, the Christian, claim to be anti-abortion – preventing the sin – isn’t it? So this should be something you’re equally concerned about, shouldn’t it? If you haven’t prevented the mother from wanting an abortion – exactly what have you accomplished by getting that anti-abortion law passed?
Have you also insisted that counseling be provided before an abortion? Have you, as a Christian who’s anti-abortion, offered to help? Or have you provided time and / or money to aid that mother who needs help to give the same care to her child as you give to yours? If not, what have you accomplished by getting that anti-abortion law passed?
Is there a role for Christians after an abortion?
Having said all that, even if help is offered, provided and accepted, some will still have an abortion. What then? Are you insistent that Christian based post-abortion help be provided? You know, mental health issues. Support so the mother / parents can actually afford to have a baby? Or does your law drive them to an underground clinic where no one even knows it happens?
Tell me, what about the souls of those mothers? Whether the abortion happens or not, as we saw, even wanting an abortion is murder. As a Christian who is against abortion, are you there to support them? Are you there to let them know that God forgives them? Because, you know, God does forgive the mothers. Maybe you don’t want to. Maybe you don’t, plain and simple. But God does. The question is – will He forgive you, if you refuse to forgive them?
Remember The Lord’s Prayer? Near the end? Something about forgiveness? And do you realize that part of what Jesus said, when He told us how to pray, isn’t in The Lord’s Prayer? Here’s the who passage about forgiveness and temptation.
Mt 6:12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
That last part’s not in the prayer. And no, it’s not good. Probably something we’d rather forget. Kind of like forgetting about what really happens when a mother even considers an abortion. Or forgetting about mother and child after the idea of abortion has been dropped and the baby is born, but then what?
Yes, I realize that But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins applies to all our sins. For much more on that topic, please see, Forgive us … as we forgive …. But right now, I’m writing about the anti-abortion Christian.
Do we all realize that the mother who has an abortion doesn’t sin against us? They sin against God. And if God’s willing to forgive them, why aren’t we?
The Great Commission for Christians and Abortion?
Worse yet, do we realize that Jesus, with the Great Commission, directs us to be His representatives in this life to reach all people? Including the woman who has an abortion. Including the woman who decided not to have an abortion, but still sinned against God by considering it? And including the baby who was born when the abortion didn’t take place?
All of them are victims of an abortion, whether it happened or not. And when we, as a society but maybe especially as Christians, make the abortion war so political and so polarized, are we not making that victimization even worse? Shouldn’t we be out there trying to prevent the abortions, in a loving way?
Providing assistance, both before and after? Acting like Jesus, in love? Isn’t that better than being like Satan, being the accuser, not only to God but very much in the face of the mothers, turning them away from God instead of towards Him?
As a Christian against abortion, wouldn’t we be fulfilling our role as Jesus’ representatives on earth if we acted like He did?
Conclusion – Will Christians abandon God over abortion?
I dare say, some Christians already have abandoned God over abortion. Maybe even a lot of Christians.
We have to ask ourselves some questions.
Is it more important for us to prevent abortions than to provide Christian assistance to the mother, whether the abortion occurred or not?
If there was an abortion, are we willing to help both the mother and the child afterwards?
Do we care about the conditions that led to considering an abortion in the first place?
Sometimes it about mental health. Other times it’s about lack of a job / money / healthcare. Do we care about those issues?
Other times, yes, it’s about convenience. Having the baby is considered by the mother as just plain inconvenient. Do we care about that? Like, does it concern us that one human being has so little respect for the life of another, especially when that other human being is growing in them? Are we willing to do something about that?
And yes, there are all sorts of reasons in between those two extremes. And yes, there’s rape, which is just plain awful and outside the bounds of either extreme – an extreme to itself.
But no matter the reasons, are there any that we’re willing to put our time and / or money into, rather than the abortion / anti-abortion war that sets people against each other, rather than trying to bring us together?
There’s all sort of other questions I could ask, but I think you get the point. The bottom line is who is our God?
Have we abandoned the God of the Bible?
Or is our God the god of far-right politics? Is our God the god who wants to demonize anyone who considers abortion and send them straight to Hell? Or is our God the god of money, because we’re making a living on this abortion war? Maybe our God is the god of self-esteem because we figure we’re doing a good thing just by being anti-abortion and the heck with the collateral damage that comes with our stand? I’m sure I’ve left out some other “gods”, but again, you get my point.
Or is our God the God of the Bible? James wrote something that I often use when I write about teaching. I also point out that all of us are actually teachers. Even if it’s only because people are watching us, we teach people things. Christians in the middle of this abortion war are also teachers, regardless of which side we’re on. Here’s what James wrote:
Listening and Doing
Jas 1:19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
Jas 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.
Jas 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
We, as Christians, should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. That includes on this abortion debate.
We, as Christians, are also to look after orphans and widows in their distress. A number of those babies who are born after an abortion is decided against are likely to end up as orphans. Some will even end up abandoned and will die. Some of the mothers, because of the way aid is handled, will live like widows rather than get married – because they get more assistance as single mothers.
We, as Christians, need to remember those things as well.
Just one more thought. Remember when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment. And He actually responded with two of them?
The Greatest Commandment
22:34-40 pp — Mk 12:28-31
Mt 22:34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Mt 22:37 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Jesus said to Love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And in the same way, Love your neighbor as yourself.
Tell me, if you were in the position of a poor pregnant woman at the end of her rope, and you – a Christian – were considering an abortion, what would you do? Would you look in the mirror and tell yourself that you’re an awful person and just deserve to go to Hell? Would you tell yourself that you just need to have that baby and if both of you live a terrible life, just deal with it? Maybe you’d tell yourself, this is all your fault and you deserve whatever comes with the baby? Or how about, tell yourself that you don’t care what happens, just have that baby.
I doubt it. You’d probably do something very different.
If you’re a Christian, that pregnant woman is our neighbor. And we’re supposed to love her just the way we love ourselves. We’re also supposed to love God. And lest we forget, that woman was created by God. As was the unborn baby. Do we love the woman and the baby as we love ourselves?
Or are we just out to prevent the abortion – because we think that’s all God cares about?
I don’t believe God cares only about whether the abortion happens or not.
God already knows whether the baby will be aborted. And He can handle it. He’ll be ready to welcome that unborn baby into Heaven.
And He’s prepared to forgive the mother, if she asks. But will she ask? Or does she need a Christian to talk with after the abortion, one of us, to help her get to the point where she’s able to ask? Maybe even you, the reader?
For another thought provoking look into abortion, please see If you stop abortion – so what?
Image by congerdesign from Pixabay
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