Infrequency in discussing abortion in Mainline Protestantism

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JohnStrachan

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Despite the fact that I left the RC church in 2010, one thing that i continue to admire is their devotion to life and protection of the unborn.

A persistent critique I have of mainstream Protestantism is how sin tends to be defined in social terms (we) and opposed to personal terms (me). Why is that?

Non-Catholic friends who are Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, why do our churches so rarely speak out against the horror and injustice of abortion?
 
1ke said:
The denominations you listed do not teach that abortion is immoral.
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Teaching is only as effective as following…while many Protestant denominations do not teach all abortion is immoral, the Catholic Church does, but statistics show that the number of Catholic women who have elective abortions has been as high as 25% of all abortions.
 
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1ke said:
The teaching of the Church is objectively true, whether one person, all people, some people, or no people follow the teaching.
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Objectively true, for sure…effective? Not so much if it is not followed.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody is there to hear it, did it really make a noise?
 
What I do observe in my own Anglican church is a very deliberate effort to respond to matters of injustice and inequity in society. Indirectly, these might contribute to a decreased “choice” for abortion. Arguing for income security, universal daycare, housing securing and racial harmony, etc. respond to what I call the Matt 25 imperative - or as RC’s would call it, the corporal works of mercy. I firmly believe that that if we can create a culture where individuals feel they have the social support, then the choice of abortion become a little harder to make.

I know there will be many here who disagree with what I have just said, but I believe that changing the culture does have an impact on the choices we make. It’s all well and good to say “such and such” is immoral behavior, but if a person feels trapped by a bad decision then they are more likely to take the easy way out if they feel there is no support for them.
 
JohnStrachan said:
I know there will be many here who disagree with what I have just said, but I believe that changing the culture does have an impact on the choices we make.
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I’m not sure why anyone would disagree. I don’t think the approaches are mutually exclusive. If something is immoral, and it’s widespread, we need to change the culture to make it less widespread. It’s like an infectious disease, for a salient analogy. It is helpful to say that coronavirus is potentially dangerous and is a pandemic, so we have to take steps to contain its spread. We have to create a culture of not spreading germs. Just the same with abortion, we should say that it is immoral, but we can’t only do that. And I don’t think most people who are serious about the pro-life cause are just saying it’s immoral. There are many organizations that work to support women in the kinds of circumstances that are particularly vulnerable to choosing abortion, to try to take that option off the table for them.

I don’t think we’ll ever legislate it out of existence. But what we can do is try to change circumstances and the culture to be one that makes abortion unthinkable.

-Fr ACEGC
 
edward_george1 said:
And I don’t think most people who are serious about the pro-life cause are just saying it’s immoral.
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I want to thank you for this. What I frequently encounter on Pro-Life discussion sites and blogs is a moral triumphalism that says all life deserves to be born but I am under no obligation to care for it afterwards. I’m not denying responsibility for our actions, but often pro-life proponents seem to ignore James 2:16 and believe that we have no role to play in one another’s well being.
 
JohnStrachan said:
Despite the fact that I left the RC church in 2010, one thing that i continue to admire is their devotion to life and protection of the unborn.

A persistent critique I have of mainstream Protestantism is how sin tends to be defined in social terms (we) and opposed to personal terms (me). Why is that?

Non-Catholic friends who are Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, why do our churches so rarely speak out against the horror and injustice of abortion?
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The LCMS does. Here is a link that might help.

https://blogs.lcms.org/2019/council-of-presidents-signs-harrisons-abortion-statement/

And Lutherans For Life
 
Wow. Can you post some evidence for this statement? I’m in several pro-life groups with Catholics and non-Catholics, and have never once heard someone say “I am pro-life but under no obligation to care for people once they are born.” Please provide evidence. I would point you to such sites as that of Abby Johnson, with all sorts of people working to help others, born and unborn.
 
JonNC said:
The LCMS does. Here is a link that might help.
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They speak out, but not a full throated as Mother Church. LCMS sees no moral issue for abortion to save the live of the mother.

QUESTION: What is the Missouri Synod’s view of abortion?

ANSWER: The LCMS believes that abortion is contrary to God’s Word and “is not a moral option, except as a tragically unavoidable byproduct of medical procedures necessary to prevent the death of another human being, viz., the mother” (1979 Res. 3-02A).

Official synodical resolutions and other materials on this topic are available from the Synod’s Commission on Theology and Church Relations (CTCR).

Return to Life Issues FAQs | Return to main menu
 
JohnStrachan said:
Despite the fact that I left the RC church in 2010
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Sorry to hear that.
JohnStrachan said:
one thing that i continue to admire is their devotion to life and protection of the unborn.
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Than why did you leave>
JohnStrachan said:
A persistent critique I have of mainstream Protestantism is how sin tends to be defined in social terms (we) and opposed to personal terms (me). Why is that?
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Sin can be societal (check the Old Testament) but it can be every bit as personal
JohnStrachan said:
Non-Catholic friends who are Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, why do our churches so rarely speak out against the horror and injustice of abortion?
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I am none of those, but in the US at least, the majority of mainline Protestant churches overwhelmingly support abortion. A few of the Protestant denominations that I know that do not are the Anglican Church in North America (I have a friend that is ACNA, so I checked what they believe), the Southern Baptist convention (though, they make so many exceptions, as to make that statement kind of arbitrary. I am pretty sure the Lutheran church Missouri Synod has a pro-life stance, the ELCA, however, does not.
 
adamhovey1988 said:
he majority of mainline Protestant churches overwhelmingly support abortion
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I would say this is a stretch. It’s one thing to be ambivalent, but to actually put it to paper and say this is our official teaching is another thing. I’d like to see some sources to support this statement.
 
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JohnStrachan said:
Non-Catholic friends who are Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, why do our churches so rarely speak out against the horror and injustice of abortion?
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I think it depends on whether you are coming from a liberal mainline denomination or a conservative mainline denomination. The difference between the two is the centrality of scripture as the norm for proclaiming law and gospel in the conservative branches, and the influence of non-Christian ideologies upon the theology of liberal denominations that reject scripture as the norm for theology and doctrine. So for example, the ELCA (liberal Lutheran denomination) rejects the principle of sola scriptura saying that scripture contains the word of God, rather than is the word of God. This allows them to pick and choose what doctrines they accept and reject. When you do so this creates a void that allows for unbiblical ideologies and influences such as modern culture, social justice theories, and other things to define your theology. The LCMS and WELS denominations, conservative and holding to the principle of sola scriptura and that believe scripture is the word of God, maintain an orthodox view of sanctity of life in abortion issues.
 
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JohnStrachan said:
But the RC church does not hold to sola scriptura.
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I would agree, but most do hold it as authoritative, to a greater degree than Protestant denominations who reject sola scriptura. However, I do think this is starting to have consequences in the RC Church as you are beginning to see priests and even bishops breaking ranks on issues such as sexuality. This can only have impact down the line on issues regarding the sanctity of life. Liberalization on sex and sexuality always manifests later in liberalization on sanctity of life issues.
 
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dscath said:
They speak out, but not a full throated as Mother Church. LCMS sees no moral issue for abortion to save the live of the mother.

QUESTION: What is the Missouri Synod’s view of abortion?

ANSWER: The LCMS believes that abortion is contrary to God’s Word and “is not a moral option, except as a tragically unavoidable byproduct of medical procedures necessary to prevent the death of another human being, viz., the mother” (1979 Res. 3-02A).
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I think all attempts to save the life of the mother is morally equal to that of the child. To suggest otherwise places the life of the mother as expendable.
So, the LCMS is equally full throated in its position as a tradition within One Holy Church as the position of Rome.
 
JonNC said:
I think all attempts to save the life of the mother is morally equal to that of the child. To suggest otherwise places the life of the mother as expendable.
So, the LCMS is equally full throated in its position as a tradition within One Holy Church as the position of Rome.
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I think you are mistaken…while both lives share equal value in the eyes of God, the Church as clearly affirmed that abortion, even to save the life of the mother, is intrinsically evil…not so much in the LCMS and other Protestant Churches.
 
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