Gonad the Barbarian
Lifer
- Oct 16, 1999
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Originally posted by: Maetryx
Originally posted by: Gonad the Barbarian
Originally posted by: HeroOfPellinor
Fetuses are babies. But, strangly and disgustingly, that's argueable. What is NOT arguable is that a fetus WILL become a baby unless outside influences hinder that development. Ending that devleopmental process is equivalent to ending the baby's life.
No, ending the process prevents the baby from existing. Hell, another real Christian thing is that life begins with the first breath. That's why you don't see funerals for fetuses.
I've never heard this belief before. I've taken 6 or 7 college level theology classes from a professor that graduated with a Masters of Divinity at Yale. I've been attending Protestant churches for 25 years or so. I don't view the stated position as a "Christian thing". It is difficult to decide when something is alive or not, but I don't think anyone cares whether or not there is proof one way or the other. I doubt anyone would flip flop on the abortion issue based on a 100% agreed upon definition of when life begins.
That's pretty sad, you don't have to get very far into the Bible until it comes up.
Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Believing anybody can be saved is debatable. But believing everyone deserves the chance isn't. And ending their natural life prematurely is depriving them of the chance.Christians believe anybody can be saved, but they don't believe there shouldn't be punishment for your sins. The death penalty isn't a "Christian" thing. Nobody is saying these criminals can't get saved.
Calvinist Christians actually don't believe that anyone can be saved. But generally it is agreed that there should be punishment for sin. As a Christian, I don't believe someone who is destined to be saved can accidentally miss his chance by being "prematurely" executed or aborted or whatever. God wouldn't be omnipotent if buses could go round running over people just before they get saved.
You are assuming that God's omnipotence equates into Him playing an active, controlling role in every event on this planet. I can't bring myself to believe that because that validates the question 'Why does He let bad things happen to good people?' I'm not going to pretend to know the mystery of God's plan here, but the way I see it, God put His plan in motion, man can choose to follow it or not (free will, which is why I don't put much stock in Calvanists), and all the while you have Satan trying to pull you away from it. Satan will lose the war of course, but he'll win some battles along the way. He got Eve to eat the fruit didn't he? Judgement and punishment for sin is in God's hands. Jesus will back me up on this. I'm not saying people don't deserve to punished for breaking the law, but it is MAN's law (even when it coincides with God's), and the punishment for man's law should not be used in ways that upset His plan. One person may have already cheated another out of salvation, are we right to deny the transgressor of that as well? The fact is, we don't know if either is the case, but I am not willing to concede there's no possibility.