The Quest To Become God

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Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat Candidate for President. Photo by Gage Skidmore.

“Keep your religion out of my uterus!”

The abortion debate is very simple to me. When does life begin? The science is clear; it begins at conception. Therefore, the unborn have an unalienable right to life and should be protected.

I can defend these two points for hours not uttering a single scripture yet end up mocked for believing in a “flying spaghetti monster in the sky.” Even pro-life atheists, agnostics, pagans, etc. are accused of having a pro-life opinion rooted in a Christian framework. They’ll even twist scriptures for their arguments—not because they believe it—to mock Christians. The only time I bring up religion in the debate is to debunk their absurd claims.

But their hostility is telling.

Abortion arguments don’t stand up to scrutiny. Any standard abortion advocates make up to devalue the fetus (such as sentience and ability to take care of oneself), they don’t want to draw outside of the womb. They’re made up to discriminate against an unborn human being. Why do you think so much of the discussion revolves around euphemisms like “women’s healthcare” and “reproductive rights?” The most effective way to push abortion is to give no moral consideration to the child. Even calling it a “child,” is triggering. You’ll be accused of being emotionally manipulative.

The reason why the pro-choice movement is hostile to Christians is not because they’re against an appeal to authority. They resent the fact you won’t accept their appeal to authority.

Right now, there is a national push by Democratic leadership to protect abortion for up to nine months. Yes, nine months! Democrat Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is trying to codify abortion rights on a federal level. Governor Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan is threatening to sue the state for abortion rights, and Attorney General Dana Nessel outright refuses to defend the laws on the books. Even President Joe Biden, who refers to himself as a Catholic, has not clarified that he is against abortion for up to nine months. Press Secretary Jen Psaki refused to answer. The last Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, said the unborn person has no rights, even hours before their due date. This progression should not come as a shock to anyone paying attention.

Robert “Beto” O’Rourke said on The View you have to trust the woman, and that is the repeated sentiment. “My body, my choice,” isn’t a scientific statement rooted in reality. The entire point of abortion is to kill the human being inside of you and expel them from your body, hence the whole entire point of the argument. “My body, my choice” is the appeal to authority.

You have no rights without the right to life. If you believe a woman has the sole responsibility and authority to decide whether a human being is entitled to that sacred right, then you are rejecting “unalienable rights,” whether you believe a “Creator” endowed them or not. Abortion is a quest to not only reject God but become God.

Look at the level of omniscience pro-choice advocates claim to have. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen received a scathing rebuke by Republican Senator Tim Scott after she justified abortion for financial reasons. “I’ll just simply say that as a guy raised by a black woman in abject poverty, I am thankful to be here as a United States Senator.”

I have been mocked for believing in equal rights for humans, born and unborn. “You seem to be under the impression that all life is valuable. Is that belief based on…religion?”

I do believe that all life is intrinsically valuable. But even if you do not, what gives you the audacity and authority to decide which lives are or aren’t? Kathy Barnette is surging in the Pennsylvania Republican primary polls, competing with two very rich men. She is the poster child for abortion arguments because not only is she a product of rape; her mother conceived her at the age of eleven. Yet, her mother said it wasn’t a choice. It was a life. Barnette did not live a perfect life, but she lives a blessed one. It’s pure narcissism to think we are rightful judges in these matters. Even if Barnette wasn’t a potential US Senator, never clawed her way out of poverty, and lived a life full of suffering, how does one decide how much suffering is a worthy death sentence? And why is potential suffering an acceptable reason to end a life, but proven suffering isn’t? Perhaps it is! Perhaps that’s where we’re headed next in this dystopian fantasy.

I’m often told this topic is too nuance because, “Abortion is a moral issue, and we’ll never agree. Morality is subjective.”

Even if morality was subjective, that’s an even greater reason why we need clear and consistent standards when life should be protected. Throughout history, we’ve seen humanity commit literal genocide and justify it. Adolf Hitler murdered millions of Jews. Slavery was a world-wide practice and still continues today. The captain of the Zong threw slaves overboard because they were deemed as “cargo,” and they believed the insurance company would cover their losses. They lost their case, but no one was held accountable for the lives of those slaves because they were seen as subhuman. You can do anything when you dehumanize an individual, whether you call them rats or parasites.

Here's the truth about what I believe as a Christian. Life is intrinsically valuable. There’s even value and meaning within suffering. Life isn’t linear, and there’s upward mobility. God, the Creator, has a purpose for everyone—even before the womb—and I have no right to interfere and take someone’s life. God can make those judgements, but I am simply a mortal with limited knowledge and power.

Morality isn’t subjective. The law is written on our hearts. We instinctively know what’s right from wrong.

But here’s the kicker: we are not inherently good. Our hearts are deceitful. We can be vain, selfish, and cruel. That’s why it is within everyone’s best interest to protect our equal God-given rights. You shouldn’t be able to enslave me because you want free labor. You shouldn’t be able to steal from me because you want my stuff. You shouldn’t be able to kill me because I’m a burden to you.

I believe responsibility and commitment are vital for the sake of our humanity. I believe it’s important to show love by giving, even if it means self-sacrificing sometimes. By the way, so do most pro-choice people. They believe our society is obligated to pay for and supply social programs. I believe in being charitable and voluntarily offering myself. Folks on the left believe it’s moral to use the force of the government, violating our choice and bodily autonomy (which includes our labor and what we produce with it).

There is no justification for a woman to control all rights of another human being by her whims. I’ve heard women explain absolutely dire circumstances to justify their abortions, ones that were truly heartbreaking and even understandable. I’ve also heard of women having abortions to spite their exes because the man wanted to leave after she was caught cheating. Even if you’re for abortion, do you agree with Beto and believe these women are entitled to the same godlike power?

99% of abortions are due to consensual sex. We’re supposed to respect a woman’s choice but not hold her accountable for her actions? And it’s not about being “punished with a baby,” as former President Barrack Obama would say. I believe children are a blessing. Even if you don’t see them that way, you have no right to kill another human being because they came at an inconvenient time.

Just because I answer to a higher power doesn’t mean my worldview is wrong or unjust. Why do you find “trust the woman” more palatable than “thou shalt not kill?” You don’t grant women absolute trust and power outside of the abortion debate. 87.5% of abortions are from women ages 20-40, so I doubt lack of education is our problem, and it’s certainly not access to birth control. Condoms are cheap and abstinence is free. But 86% of abortions are from unwed women, so perhaps if we were a society that prioritized family building rather than seeing women as vessels of pleasure, we wouldn’t have over 600,000 abortions every year and have one of the highest rates in the world.

Lastly, everyone is a little religious. Abortion is literally child sacrifice on the altar of self. I simply don’t believe you are worthy of that sort of worship. I serve a God who was willing to die for me, who was willing to bear the burden of all our sins—including your abortion. I don’t want women to hold onto their guilt and shame forever. We are all sinners in need of a savior. If you need abortion to feel liberated, you’re bound.

But, hey! That could just be the evangelical in me.