Abortion: Let's at least try to talk.

Something To Think About, At least trying to talk about Life:

I don't know about you, but one of the--maybe simply the--frustrating thing(s) about the abortion debate is, it is so often like two people, wearing blindfolds, standing on opposite sides of the street yelling at each other in two different languages.  One side shouts over and over again.  "It's a baby!  Can't you see that?"  The other side yells back,  "It's my body (or her body) you have no right."  Both lines of rhetoric have long ago ceased to have any impact on the other side.  So instead of getting all red in the face, how about if I tell you about two absolutely wonderful young men, and then make an offer.   One of these young men is a passionate musician.  He's not only passionate about his music, but it is his passion to use his music to communicate the message about his savior, Jesus Christ.  He's an artist at heart.  He can do remarkable things with pen and paper, but lately his medium of choice is sod and stone, mulch and plants.  He turns barren places into refuges of beauty. The other young guy is also involved in landscaping, only his impact on his world is often made from the seat of a big zero-turn mower.  He's a young business man, the kind preacher-types, like me, really love.  He is a generous business man.  He wants to use what he has to God's glory.  That includes his talents and abilities.  He's tried his hand at preaching a few times.  He enjoys going to the County Fair and sharing the Good News with those who stop by his booth to receive a yardstick that tells the greatest story ever told. One of these guys is my grandson and the other my nephew.  Both of them could very easily have become one of those little lives that ends before they see the light of day.  Wow! Am I ever glad their moms chose a different route. Part of the reason those two moms felt they were able to choose life for those two little guys was, even though their circumstances were less than ideal, there was someone who said, "I'll help."  When one side stops hurling words like mortar shells, and instead packages them in love. And when the other side shows a willingness to take the hand of help that is offered--well--you end up with somebody outstanding, like my nephew or my grandson. Here is my offer.  I'll do what I can to get the two sides together in a celebration of life rather than a surrender to death. How about we begin here; It's Something To Think About. Over at The View Through My Keyhole, I'm posting some further thoughts and links on this. I don't want the graphics in this article to confuse you.  I am prolife.  I do think we should talk sensibly about the life of the unborn.  I used these graphics to illustrate the polarized positions that have been staked out in the debate.

Remembering God's Image In The Face of Great Barbarity:

Something To Think About, Recognizing the Image of God:

War is a horrible thing.  William Tecumseh Sherman who perpetrated its horrors on a wide swath of the rebellious South said, "War is hell."  One of war's most hellish aspects is the treatment that prisoners of war often receive.  I recently read two books about the treatment of American P.O.W.s under the Japanese in WW2.  My uncle lost a lung and his sight as a result of his imprisonment in Germany.  How a nation treats its enemies when they are helpless to either inflict further harm or do anything to protect themselves, is a powerful indicator of the moral ethos of that people. Recent news about the brutal execution of  Jordanian pilot,  Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh  is a powerful indication of the lack of respect for human life on the part of the ISIS terrorists.  The video showing his death was not leaked.  It was slickly produced and released as a propaganda tool.  Americans, and Jordanians, among others, are rightly outraged. Some realities about life on this planet are made plain: Evil--monstrous evil--is a reality.  Humans are capable of committing unspeakable atrocities. Human life--even when that life is our enemy--bears the image of God.  I believe that some wars are just.  In fact I think there are times when it is wrong to not use force to restrain evil.  But even in times of war the basic reality that all human life is a reflection of our Creator must be kept in mind. The evil that we see exhibited so powerfully by the killing of Lt. Kasasbeh is not something that only resides in our enemy.  All of us are descendants of the original sinner, Adam.  I'm not saying we are just as bad as them.  The reality is, though, that the forces that have restrained evil among civilized people need to be respected and nurtured.  Unfettered evil is horrible beyond imagination. This is just the beginning of a conversation.  I hope it is taking place on the highest level in our nation.  I hope for you it is . . . Something to Think About.