A different view on how to pray at abortion clinics.. What do you think?

[AnneElizabeth]

Everyone has their opinions & since everyone is an individual, different things make for differring reactions. To me, turning away would send the message that we don’t think the ones entering are worth a look, like someone else said, rejecting them. Judging them, so to speak.

Looking into ones eyes with compassion also sends a great message, a look of disgust does not. I’m probably not expressing myself the best as I am getting over the flu but I hope my thought is somewhat clear.

Thanks katmtogo,
I never really saw it that way, but you are right it could be taken that way as well (praying away a sign of disgust or rejection). I do still feel God placed it on my heart to suggest it. I will have to take it to Him in prayer again.

 

[AnneElizabeth]

“video” there are a number of you tube videos at the bottom of the page

Oh, thanks I missed that. I watched the one with the pro-lifers experiences.

 

[Julia_Mae]

Fair enough.

I guess I just wanted to try it a different way and see it in a different light than you do as you do from me. I’m also following a another thread here on CAF on abortion- and in it someone basically said that people react to different things. Sometimes it takes confrontation, tough love, and sometimes it takes a softer approach. I guess it depends on the person.

I like your idea very much because all this staring the women down sometimes causes unknown anguish. Not every woman walking into Planned Parenthood is getting an abortion, and some of those abortions are huge tragedies for the women.

I was at the RI PP when a woman came in whose child had died in the womb in her 6th month. They had to remove this dead fetus or risk sepsis of course. So, this woman who was grieving terribly for her dead child, had to run the gamut of the particularly horrible, insulting “pro-life” protesters so common at that location. The escorts got her in but she was hysterical with guilt and grief. Of course, you think when your baby dies it must somehow be your fault. But of course it was just a tragic medical problem. She came to Planned Parenthood because she had no insurance and she was charged based on income.

There are certainly callus and thoughtless women on their 4th abortion because they won’t use birth control or… I don’t know. But no one outside knows why that woman is walking inside. Maybe there could be a compromise position. I think instead of a dead baby picture, a large poster of the Divine Mercy should be held up where those entering can see it and that Chaplet said unceasingly as long as the abortion clinic is going on. That way, everyone can be facing perpendicular to the building.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

I guess Highwayhound, that is what I don’t understand… or question, that is. Why does eye contact work? Does it? I mean, when i went, I did that. I prayed and looked at them with the compassion I had for them in my heart… but it never seemed to do anything. They didn’t look at me at all.

I’m saying if it were me entering that building and I saw you looking at me, and I was scared already, I think I’d dash quicker into getting it done rather than listen.

If I saw a whole bunch of people kneeling, maybe even crying there, looking to the heavens, I’d question y’all and maybe come up and ask “What’s wrong?” For what reason are you crying/praying here?" Then I might have a conversation with you. But that’s just me- and I"m kind of daft like that anyway. If I learned you were crying on my behalf and that you really believed I was about to murder my child, I would listen, I would take in what you say because I’d see the concern on your face. I now realize its isn’t as simple as that and that maybe most ladies going in know what they are doing. Yet, I still think maybe 25% of the women going in there would be as daft as me. It could work. (Not saying anyone should pretend cry. We are to be genuine)

Please understand I’m not questioning your years of experience… perhaps I’m questioning “does that really work?” because of what I said above.

I also worry that looking towards the clinic seems like an attack. We aren’t there to attack them- especially the pregnant women. We are there to confront the evil that goes on there by making a stand, but we are also there to want to save souls with compassion!

What we do in a group is say the rosary. No one cries, no one looks up to heaven. We just stand together and recite the rosary. Other than that, sometimes the Protestants will come and do their kinds of prayers, with their pastor. If people want to get together in groups of 2 or 3, and say the rosary, we do that.

I just don’t know what you are seeing, it seems almost like an image you have of some kind of drama playing out. It’s quite ordinary most of the time, no theatrics at all. In fact, if people show up who are more confrontational, I personally try to talk them into leaving. The drama does NOT help and does chase the clients into the clinic more quickly. No one wants to be yelled at. But praying facing the clinic does not cause confrontations. And I cannot see how anyone could think that is an attack - we’re not praying AT them, we’re praying FOR them!

Oh, and BTW, you never know what kind of effect you might have had on any one person. It’s not like they are going to necessarily come out of the clinic and walk straight up to you, and say, “Because you prayed, I’ve decided not to have an abortion.” But you never know, that might be the kindest glance that mom has had since she got pregnant and found herself in such a terrible dilemma.

 

[AnneElizabeth]

What we do in a group is say the rosary. No one cries, no one looks up to heaven. We just stand together and recite the rosary. Other than that, sometimes the Protestants will come and do their kinds of prayers, with their pastor. If people want to get together in groups of 2 or 3, and say the rosary, we do that.

I just don’t know what you are seeing, it seems almost like an image you have of some kind of drama playing out. It’s quite ordinary most of the time, no theatrics at all. In fact, if people show up who are more confrontational, I personally try to talk them into leaving. The drama does NOT help and does chase the clients into the clinic more quickly. No one wants to be yelled at. But praying facing the clinic does not cause confrontations. And I cannot see how anyone could think that is an attack - we’re not praying AT them, we’re praying FOR them!

Oh, and BTW, you never know what kind of effect you might have had on any one person. It’s not like they are going to necessarily come out of the clinic and walk straight up to you, and say, “Because you prayed, I’ve decided not to have an abortion.” But you never know, that might be the kindest glance that mom has had since she got pregnant and found herself in such a terrible dilemma.

chuckles I don’t’ know why RealJuliane, but it always seems we cause each other some sort of friction between our posts. I guess its personality differences. All in all, I respect your faith filled posts.

I’m not expecting drama, no. But I think you are onto something when you say that… I’m sensitive,and I’m also an artist. I don’t like creating drama in real life, but its sort of my job to enhance what is going on deep within a scene on paper as an illustrator to communicate, so I guess that is where it comes from?

I do know what goes on there when people pray in front of abortion clinics. I’ve been there and did that too. I don’t want any theatrics either… that is what I meant by* if *someone cries it should be genuine as I see theatrics as false. I don’t want to see any sort of drama either, but I do want what we do to be effective and communicate as effectively and Christlike as possible and also communicate the sorrow for what goes on in there I’m sure is in most if not all pro-lifer’s hearts( - hence the looking up to heaven and the crying). As I said, the notion of turning away and praying towards heaven or any direction other than facing the clinic (what I stated in the original post) came to my heart when I was taking part of pro-life work.

True you never really know what effect you have on that person. In a way, that is sort of what my post is about. I’m trying to say that I still could see how they could be thinking of our presence there as an attack- I’m not saying its an attack, I know its not. But this concern of mine just comes from, perhaps failed missions of mine in trying to speak with others about Christ. There are so many battles going on in this one place its hard to know how to approach. I’d like to win them all. I tend to take the ‘tried and true’, but I get ideas along the way.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

chuckles I don’t’ know why RealJuliane, but it always seems we cause each other some sort of friction between our posts. I guess its personality differences. All in all, I respect your faith filled posts.

I’m not expecting drama, no. But I think you are onto something when you say that… I’m sensitive,and I’m also an artist. I don’t like creating drama in real life, but its sort of my job to enhance what is going on deep within a scene on paper as an illustrator to communicate, so I guess that is where it comes from?

I do know what goes on there when people pray in front of abortion clinics. I’ve been there and did that too. I don’t want any theatrics either… that is what I meant by* if *someone cries it should be genuine as I see theatrics as false. I don’t want to see any sort of drama either, but I do want what we do to be effective and communicate as effectively and Christlike as possible and also communicate the sorrow for what goes on in there I’m sure is in most if not all pro-lifer’s hearts( - hence the looking up to heaven and the crying). As I said, the notion of turning away and praying towards heaven or any direction other than facing the clinic (what I stated in the original post) came to my heart when I was taking part of pro-life work.

True you never really know what effect you have on that person. In a way, that is sort of what my post is about. I’m trying to say that I still could see how they could be thinking of our presence there as an attack- I’m not saying its an attack, I know its not. But this concern of mine just comes from, perhaps failed missions of mine in trying to speak with others about Christ. There are so many battles going on in this one place its hard to know how to approach. I’d like to win them all. I tend to take the ‘tried and true’, but I get ideas along the way.

You know, I have to tell you, as I was reading through your OP and your responses, I got the distinct impression of a painting, with different figures doing things like praying, a few angrily yelling, a few standing just observing, in front of an abortion clinic. That was before you wrote that you are an artist.

 

[AnneElizabeth]

You know, I have to tell you, as I was reading through your OP and your responses, I got the distinct impression of a painting, with different figures doing things like praying, a few angrily yelling, a few standing just observing, in front of an abortion clinic. That was before you wrote that you are an artist.

chuckles Oh dear! I hope that at least this means I do my day job well.