** I just find bias and disinformation and extremism on this topic here and sometimes weigh in. If you can’t dig it, move on.
Limerick **
Bias, perhaps. Since it’s human nature to always be biased toward some belief.
But disinformation, and extremism? You’re finding that here from Catholics? Guess I’ll have to go back through the abortion threads and find it. By disinformation do you mean the truth about human life beginning at conception, and thus having the right to life at that point? And have you observed Catholics here advocating extremism in the pro-life battle?
I guess what I’ve learned about you, L, is that you are against abortion, mostly because of the negative impact it leaves on a woman, and to some smaller degree because you believe the act itself to be senseless and harmful. On the other hand, you seem to express a belief that a growing baby in the womb does not have the right to life if a mother chooses to terminate it for any reason. You seem to hold to this view because of a) your belief on when life actually begins, b) the legality of abortion, and of course, c) the gift of free will. You may not have seen my recent question about this, but I’ll ask again…If you became convinced that abortion was murder in all cases, whether or not civil law agreed with that fact, would you advocate, as you do now, that a woman must be left alone in her decision to abort?
You subscribe to moral relativism, which in and of itself is troubling because it is so far from the truth regarding morals. You stress that each person can follow their own moral code and should be left alone in all cases of their decisions, but don’t really say whether or not you would get involved if those decisions include actions that are in violation of civil law (i.e. murder). I guess another question to you would be…if you witnessed a murder, would you tell the police? If so, why…when it is your position to “live and let live”? Does that “live and let live” stance cease to exist when someone breaks the law? If so, are you upset that some Catholics publicly advocate against abortion because abortion is legal? In other words, it’s OK to intervene if an action violates civil law? But it’s NOT OK to intervene if an action violates God’s law?
This is the Catholic position, and why we intervene. Just as you would presumably try to stop someone from killing a family member, we would want to stop a mother from killing her unborn child. They’re both cases of murder. I presume you don’t believe that, since you seem to believe that even though an unborn child can be classified as human and alive, the mother “owns” it as part of her body, and therefore can have it removed and terminated at will. I’m not sure why you see it this way, and I wonder if your opinion on this would change if the law someday made abortion illegal in all cases.
One thing’s for sure…you are “pro-free will”, whatever that means. I don’t really know anyone who is anti-free will. Free will is not something to be for or against. It simply IS. As you agree, it’s a gift from God. But arguing from the standpoint that everyone has this gift, and therefore no one should be challenged on their actions, is a bit off-base. God created us as social beings, not isolated individuals who are to be left alone to do our own things with our free will. We are supposed to build one another up, love each other, and exhort one another in faith. The Catholic pro-life movement embodies this purpose for humanity, and seeks to do so with love and charity, and never violence. Sometimes this involvement is direct (advocating for legal changes or public rosaries outside a clinic), and often it is indirect (private prayer).
Not that you want my advice, but I would nevertheless suggest that you reflect deeply about what morality is, and whether or not it is subjective or objective. Then I would revisit your belief that intervention and persuasion are always inappropriate responses to immoral acts, especially in the case of murder.
In any event, thanks for expressing your opinions on these threads.
