Jesus condemns abortion?

[MarkPerz]

Many people who support abortion, particularly those who call themselves Christian, often claim that nowhere in scripture did Jesus condemn abortion. Admittedly, Sacred Scripture does not record Jesus explicitly teaching against it, though we know by extra-biblical writings, i.e. the Didache, that He did.

But, I’d like to throw something out for consideration. It’s a quote from Jesus that even though it addresses a totally different topic, I think its meaning can be applied to abortion.

As a preface, I’m first going to quote the Catechism:

CCC #363: “In Sacred Scripture the term “soul” often refers to human life or the entire human person. But “soul” also refers to the innermost aspect of man, that which is of greatest value in him, that by which he is most especially in God’s image…”

#364: “…it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit.”

#365 “The unity of the soul and body is so profound that one has to consider the soul to be the “form” of the body: i.e., it is because of its spiritual soul that the body becomes a living, human body; spirit and matter, in man, are not two natures united, but their union forms a single nature.” (Emphasis is mine)

From the Bible (again, this is taken completely out of context, I realize, but I think it fits beautifully):

Mark 10: 8-9 RSV (in the text Jesus is speaking about divorce) “…and the two shall become one. So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”

Thoughts and opinions, for good or ill, are welcome.

 

[coralewis]

If Jesus condemns murder and the splitting up of husband and wife, he condemns abortion. I know that’s obvious…Great post, MarkPerz!

Blessed All Souls Day

 

[Dr.Colossus]

Very close to that passage, Christ also says that “the two shall become one flesh”. Although this is usually taken as a referance to sexual union, it has the secondary meaning of procreation, where the child truly is “flesh” of both mother and father.

 

[carolyn_mary]

“thou shall not kill” is all the proof I need that abortion is wrong. What else needs to be said? All this other nonsense about the bible not specifically condeming abortion is just more deceitful babble from the pro-death side. :nope:

In my daily Bible readings I ran across this passage from the Book of Wisdom though that I think comes pretty close to specifically condemning abortion for those who need more back-up.

Chapter 12
2. Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them, and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and believe in you, O Lord!
3. For truly, the ancient inhabitants of your holy land, 4 whom you hated for deeds most odious - works of whitchcraft and impious sacrifices; 5. a cannibal feast of human flesh and of blood, from the midst of …- these merciless murderers of children, 6 and parents who took with their own hands defenseless lives, you willed to dstroy by the hands of our fathers, that the land that is dearest of all to you might receive a worthy colony of God’s children.

Thank God for getting Bush reelected, I was beginning to wonder if Kerry was the anti-Christ mentioned in the Book of Revelations. I think we just witnessed a miracle. After breathing a big sigh of relief and celebrating for a day or two, we need to get back to work praying and doing whatever we can to continue to spread the pro-life message. There is still much to be done over the next four years before the next battle will be fought. We may have won this battle with God’s mercy and grace, but the war is far from over.