The pro-life movement would have a lot more success in the secular community

[Forkfoot]

…if they stopped being all frothy and aggressive about the whole thing and instead focused on calmly distributing objective, unbiased information about exactly what abortion is and what it entails.

Howdy y’all, happy Easter. I’m an unapologetically apolitical mostly-lapsed Catholic who tries to hold as few opinions and beliefs as possible. I did have a thought dawn on me this morning though, and I’d like to solicit your feedback on the matter:

My friends are mostly liberal and pro-choice, and there seems to be a very prevalent cartoonish caricature among that circle of pro-lifers being super frothy, aggressive, screaming-in-your-face, Bible-thumping lunatics, which makes it a lot easier to dismiss their position. And you can’t really say that portrayal is entirely inaccurate; we’ve all encountered such types, and it’s a natural human tendency to want to say “Ew, why should I want to see things your way? So I can be like that?”

But this morning I read a facebook comment by one such friend who said she did a little research on what abortion is out of curiosity and it completely changed her hardline liberal pro-choice position on the matter. So that got me thinking: what if all pro-lifers ever did to push their agenda was calmly and politely circulate information? There’s really nothing to fight or push back against with such an action; all you’re doing is sharing objective information. The whole backlash against the entire movement would really have nothing to work with, but at the same time it would be changing people’s minds and hearts.

So there’s my loosely-held opinion; what do y’all think? What if the Church continued to clearly state its position on the matter of abortion, but within the secular community it was a simple matter of circulating lots and lots of information? Do you agree that that (along with the obvious prayer and voting and whatnot in one’s own private life) would probably be a lot more effective?

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

…this morning I read a facebook comment by one such friend who said she did a little research on what abortion is out of curiosity and it completely changed her hardline liberal pro-choice position on the matter. So that got me thinking: what if all pro-lifers ever did to push their agenda was calmly and politely circulate information?..

It appears that the fact that one of your liberal friends decided to, out of curiosity, to investigate what the big deal is about abortion, that the methodology current in place is working. If pro-lifers ‘ease up’ as they say and merely presented the information in a polite manner, perhaps your formerly hard-liner in this matter never would have moved her to see what all the hub-bub was about regarding the abortion issue.

As St. Paul writes, each has differing gifts from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps some are called to present pro-life information in the manner you suggest - politely circulate information. However, perhaps others ought to be more aggressive about pursuit of proclaiming the Gospel regarding this issue.

 

[Forkfoot]

It appears that the fact that one of your liberal friends decided to, out of curiosity, to investigate what the big deal is about abortion, that the methodology current in place is working. If pro-lifers ‘ease up’ as they say and merely presented the information in a polite manner, perhaps your formerly hard-liner in this matter never would have moved her to see what all the hub-bub was about regarding the abortion issue.

She actually decided to the research independently, not because anyone was in her face about it but because she’s an earnest and introspective person by nature. I’m thinking maybe she woulda been scared away from that research had someone been trying to shove it down her throat.

 

[Forkfoot]

I mean, you could just add easily make the argument that the fact that abortion persists means the current approach is NOT working.

 

[LightFromLight]

…if they stopped being all frothy and aggressive about the whole thing and instead focused on calmly distributing objective, unbiased information about exactly what abortion is and what it entails.

Howdy y’all, happy Easter. I’m an unapologetically apolitical mostly-lapsed Catholic who tries to hold as few opinions and beliefs as possible. I did have a thought dawn on me this morning though, and I’d like to solicit your feedback on the matter:

My friends are mostly liberal and pro-choice, and there seems to be a very prevalent cartoonish caricature among that circle of pro-lifers being super frothy, aggressive, screaming-in-your-face, Bible-thumping lunatics, which makes it a lot easier to dismiss their position. And you can’t really say that portrayal is entirely inaccurate; we’ve all encountered such types, and it’s a natural human tendency to want to say “Ew, why should I want to see things your way? So I can be like that?”

But this morning I read a facebook comment by one such friend who said she did a little research on what abortion is out of curiosity and it completely changed her hardline liberal pro-choice position on the matter. So that got me thinking: what if all pro-lifers ever did to push their agenda was calmly and politely circulate information? There’s really nothing to fight or push back against with such an action; all you’re doing is sharing objective information. The whole backlash against the entire movement would really have nothing to work with, but at the same time it would be changing people’s minds and hearts.

So there’s my loosely-held opinion; what do y’all think? What if the Church continued to clearly state its position on the matter of abortion, but within the secular community it was a simple matter of circulating lots and lots of information? Do you agree that that (along with the obvious prayer and voting and whatnot in one’s own private life) would probably be a lot more effective?

Our defense of our pro-life attitude should of course be based in science as it is a logical view point. It does bother me that false information has circulated in the Church.

 

[lucymeadhbh]

…if they stopped being all frothy and aggressive about the whole thing and instead focused on calmly distributing objective, unbiased information about exactly what abortion is and what it entails.

Howdy y’all, happy Easter. I’m an unapologetically apolitical mostly-lapsed Catholic who tries to hold as few opinions and beliefs as possible. I did have a thought dawn on me this morning though, and I’d like to solicit your feedback on the matter:

My friends are mostly liberal and pro-choice, and there seems to be a very prevalent cartoonish caricature among that circle of pro-lifers being super frothy, aggressive, screaming-in-your-face, Bible-thumping lunatics, which makes it a lot easier to dismiss their position. And you can’t really say that portrayal is entirely inaccurate; we’ve all encountered such types, and it’s a natural human tendency to want to say “Ew, why should I want to see things your way? So I can be like that?”

But this morning I read a facebook comment by one such friend who said she did a little research on what abortion is out of curiosity and it completely changed her hardline liberal pro-choice position on the matter. So that got me thinking: what if all pro-lifers ever did to push their agenda was calmly and politely circulate information? There’s really nothing to fight or push back against with such an action; all you’re doing is sharing objective information. The whole backlash against the entire movement would really have nothing to work with, but at the same time it would be changing people’s minds and hearts.

So there’s my loosely-held opinion; what do y’all think? What if the Church continued to clearly state its position on the matter of abortion, but within the secular community it was a simple matter of circulating lots and lots of information? Do you agree that that (along with the obvious prayer and voting and whatnot in one’s own private life) would probably be a lot more effective?

Speak for yourself. I’m from Ireland and here the extremists are all on the pro-choice side, probably because of the pain that women have experienced at the hand of the state/church run institutions for decades. I’m not ashamed to call myself, pro-life, catholic AND liberal though, simply because I do not believe that the “right” to an abortion is anymore a right than the right to kill your rapist, for example.

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

Our defense of our pro-life attitude should of course be based in science as it is a logical view point. It does bother me that false information has circulated in the Church.

What “false information” would that be?

 

[Stylteralmaldo]

She actually decided to the research independently, not because anyone was in her face about it but because she’s an earnest and introspective person by nature. I’m thinking maybe she woulda been scared away from that research had someone been trying to shove it down her throat.

What made her research the issue independently in the first place? If she’s as independent as you say she is, I don’t think any browbeating by anyone would have made a difference in her mind. But you know her better than myself so it’s hard to say.

 

[gh4]

In my opinion, we Christians have calmly and gently allowed everyone in the world to trample on our beliefs and our rights to where there is no prayer in schools and where there are no crosses anywhere because they offend people who don’t believe in God, and on and on and so forth and so forth.
I think it’s time for Christians be be a little louder and a bit more strident about our RIGHTS and what offends us and demand that people stop offending us. It’s easy to ignore people who are trying to not offend anyone and trying to be calm and sweet and it sure hasn’t gotten us very far has it?

 

[SonSearcher]

Mr Forkman sir -

Look at 40 days for life.

40daysforlife.com/

This is the organization you seek. It already exists. The “frothy, aggressive” campaigns of old are not indicative of the Catholic action on the matter of abortion.

We show up, and pray. Rosaries…Divine Mercy Chaplets… Stations of the cross…Novenas… you name it… but it is wholly Catholic inspired "peaceful, prayerful protest.

Now we can’t keep other folks from coming out and joining us outside these horrible places of death…and sometimes you get as you say some very “frothy” people…but these mostly are mainline protestants or Baptists in my neck of the woods, and once we get that Rosary crankin’ they stand far away…lest God strike us down and them in near proximity. You know the types, they say things like “Baby killer!” and they have those awful pictures of aborted fetuses (which represent the reality of abortion accurately)…so we can’t completely discount their effectiveness…

But remember we are dealing with life and sometimes things get heated quick. So sometimes when people see horrible things go on they can’t stop themselves from trying to stop it, they can’t help but to get “frothy.” Remember Jesus got pretty “frothy” in the temple.

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

…if they stopped being all frothy and aggressive about the whole thing and instead focused on calmly distributing objective, unbiased information about exactly what abortion is and what it entails.

Howdy y’all, happy Easter. I’m an unapologetically apolitical mostly-lapsed Catholic who tries to hold as few opinions and beliefs as possible. I did have a thought dawn on me this morning though, and I’d like to solicit your feedback on the matter:

My friends are mostly liberal and pro-choice, and there seems to be a very prevalent cartoonish caricature among that circle of pro-lifers being super frothy, aggressive, screaming-in-your-face, Bible-thumping lunatics, which makes it a lot easier to dismiss their position. And you can’t really say that portrayal is entirely inaccurate; we’ve all encountered such types, and it’s a natural human tendency to want to say “Ew, why should I want to see things your way? So I can be like that?”

But this morning I read a facebook comment by one such friend who said she did a little research on what abortion is out of curiosity and it completely changed her hardline liberal pro-choice position on the matter. So that got me thinking: what if all pro-lifers ever did to push their agenda was calmly and politely circulate information? There’s really nothing to fight or push back against with such an action; all you’re doing is sharing objective information. The whole backlash against the entire movement would really have nothing to work with, but at the same time it would be changing people’s minds and hearts.

So there’s my loosely-held opinion; what do y’all think? What if the Church continued to clearly state its position on the matter of abortion, but within the secular community it was a simple matter of circulating lots and lots of information? Do you agree that that (along with the obvious prayer and voting and whatnot in one’s own private life) would probably be a lot more effective?

What happens to be most effective, is offering women free pregnancy tests from a bus that is also equipped with a 4-D ultrasound (thank you Knights of Columbus!), and parked right outside the PP location (many crisis pregnancy centers are not within walking distance of a PP). When the moms can see that BABY inside their womb, they change their minds (almost all of them). It’s not cheap, but it works. It works like crazy. And babies are saved. For every woman who has heard PP LIE that it’s “just a bit of tissue,” and then goes and sees her BABY in full color and real-time, she tells her friends and relatives the TRUTH too. And the truth will set us all free.

 

[Frank_Drebin]

Speak for yourself. I’m from Ireland and here the extremists are all on the pro-choice side, probably because of the pain that women have experienced at the hand of the state/church run institutions for decades. I’m not ashamed to call myself, pro-life, catholic AND liberal though, simply because I do not believe that the “right” to an abortion is anymore a right than the right to kill your rapist, for example.

I have never met any frothy, crazy pro-lifers. We pray at clinics, been on the March for Life numerous times, and sidewalk counseled, and it has always been respectful, prayerful,and rife with information of both a scientific and spiritual nature.

The over the top antics at nearly every march of pro-life gathering is from the Code Pinks of the world. The ones that throw condoms, spit, use profanity, and tear down posters.

Do a quick google search on “crazy pro-choice protestor” and “crazy pro-life protestor” and see the difference in video hits you get.

I agree aggressive one on one is not always affective, but I disagree that this is actually happening to any degree that makes it worth worrying about.

If we want to find out why this belief persist, so be it, the same way we do ourselves a service by finding out why they believe Catholics are hateful bigots for defending the Church’s teaching on same-sex marriage. It is generally ignorance and misinformation from the side who is more than willing to believe the false belief because it makes them feel more justified in their own beliefs.

 

[Jeremiah_29_11]

I have never met any frothy, crazy pro-lifers. We pray at clinics, been on the March for Life numerous times, and sidewalk counseled, and it has always been respectful, prayerful,and rife with information of both a scientific and spiritual nature.

**The over the top antics at nearly every march of pro-life gathering is from the Code Pinks of the world. The ones that throw condoms, spit, use profanity, and tear down posters. **

Do a quick google search on “crazy pro-choice protestor” and “crazy pro-life protestor” and see the difference in video hits you get.

I agree aggressive one on one is not always affective, but I disagree that this is actually happening to any degree that makes it worth worrying about.

If we want to find out why this belief persist, so be it, the same way we do ourselves a service by finding out why they believe Catholics are hateful bigots for defending the Church’s teaching on same-sex marriage. It is generally ignorance and misinformation from the side who is more than willing to believe the false belief because it makes them feel more justified in their own beliefs.

This is very true - the pro-abortion side DOES go in for nasty behavior, and they are also not above pretending to be a pro-life supporter in order to paint us in a negative light. I have heard of this happening in 40 Days for Life locations and it is meant to provoke a negative reaction. But it rarely if ever works.

By “frothy” I assume the OP meant “foaming at the mouth.” “Frothy” actually means a substance or a person that is light in texture and has a bit of a head on it, like a beer. Wrong word choice.