Christians feel that life is a gift from God. Psalm 139:13 says, “You created every part of me; you put me together in my mothers womb.” Although Christians are divided in their views about abortion they all take the subject very seriously. Jeremiah 1:5 and Luke 1:43-4 will both influence a Christian when thinking about caring for the unborn.
Responsibility for life continues. Christians want justice for all. They feel they are responsible for all members of Gods family. Some Bible passages which may emphasize this include Galatians 3:28, Matthew 25:31-46 and Acts 4:32-37.
At death a Christian may look forward to yet another life with Christ – eternal life. Christians carry out hospice work for those nearing death. Christians also believe the elderly deserve respect and volunteer to help them. John 11:17-44 shows that Jesus had compassion for those who were ill.
Christians may interpret the Bible in different ways and have different ideas about certain issues like abortion or euthanasia, even though they believe that the Bible is the word of God. Different denominations have different opinions. Some people are conservative, liberal and literal.
An abortion is the termination of a pregnancy before birth, either by natural or artificial means. It has been legal since 1967 and has proved to be a fairly controversial issue. All the churches have different opinions about abortion. Protestants think it is OK to a greater evil. For example abortion is all right if a girl has been raped. Christians for Free Choice think if it feels right then you should go ahead and do it. Roman Catholics feel it is strictly wrong and are entirely against it. They may argue against it for many reasons. The unborn child is alive from the moment of conception and has the right to live. If abortions are easily obtained they may be used as another form of contraception. Many couples would welcome the chance to adopt an unwanted baby. Furthermore, there are physical and mental risks for a woman who has an abortion. Psalm 139:13-16 and Luke 1:44 both back up the Roman Catholic opinion by saying that life begins in the womb. Many people argue in favour of abortion, however, saying that a woman has the right to choose what happens to her body.
Some Christians may follow in Jesus’ footsteps and be compassionate to those who suffer. These people might accept abortion. Others may seek to protect the vulnerable and might want to prevent a helpless unborn baby being aborted.
Euthanasia is a gentle and easy death, the bringing about of this especially in cases of incurable and painful disease. It is illegal in Britain but there have been attempts to make it legal.
A Christian may feel Euthanasia is right as they accept life comes from God, but there is nothing in the Bible which states that a person must be kept alive at all costs. Also, God wants people to have quality of life. If somebody has no quality of life Euthanasia may be acceptable. Furthermore, it is much more compassionate to care for the dying than to speed up death.
On the other hand Christians may be against Euthanasia as God gives life and Christians are accountable to God. Helping the sick, old and disabled reaches compassion. Some Christians may argue that life is sacred and Euthanasia destroys life so it must be wrong. What's more God may have plans for people even when it appears that their life has finished. Euthanasia ultimately goes against the commandment in Exodus 20:1-17 “Thou shalt not kill.”
Some Christians think it is right to influence others for many reasons. Firstly, Christians stand up for someone who wants justice. Therefore if a Christian feels that someone does not have justice they may act to right the wrong. Secondly Christians believe that God lives in our bodies and is present as the Holy Spirit. We should stop abortion because the woman’s body does not belong to her. It belongs to God. Also, Christians believe humans are special so have a reason to influence others. God created all of us, every individual. Christians feel that human life belongs to God so it is not our life to take away or end. God has mapped out our lives and decided our destiny. It is not up to us to end it. We are a special gift from God that should be valued and appreciated. Christians should always fight for justice and should feel responsible towards it.
Other Christians are against influencing others as everyone is entitled to their own opinion as long as no one gets hurt or offended. We do not have the right to impose our view on others. Secondly, God with Free Will created human beings. This means we have the freedom to act right and obey rules or act wrong and disobey them. Another reason is that Jesus taught and encouraged people to think more about their actions. He did not write out a list of instructions so we should not force other Christians to do things. Lastly many things in their lives guide Christians. For example the Bible teaches about other Christians and the Church. However, Christians also have an individual relationship and conscience with God. This means a Christian can make their own decisions about issues like euthanasia and abortion. Also Christians will respect the decisions of non-Christians.
In conclusion I think that all Christians are different and have different opinions. We should respect anyone’s point of view so I do think it is wrong for Christians to influence others. No one should be forced to think anything, as we are all individuals.
