In the New Testament we read that when Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth’s baby, John the Baptist, leapt in her womb. For Christians this provides evidence that babies are very much human beings that are capable of responding to God, even while in the womb.
Choose one or two of the following:
abortion; euthanasia; contraception; capital punishment.
Explain how Christians would respond to the issue(s) you have chosen. In your answer you should refer to different attitudes that Christians have to the selected issue(s) as well as to the practical ways Christians might offer support.
There are various times when Christians believe that life begins. Catholics and some Protestants believe life begins at the moment of conception. Other Christians believe life begins at other stages, so they may believe that abortion is acceptable.
Abortion is the killing of a child in the womb. The Catholic Church believes at the time of conception, (when the sperm meets the egg) that a child is alive. They think that because God gave life, only he should take it away, by abortion. This means the child never gets a chance at life. The way abortion is carried out is disgusting. This makes the child suffer. Although the Catholic Church says that it is ok if a woman is pregnant realises she has and needs to have treatment. If the baby dies as a consequence to the treatment it is not direct abortion.
The Protestant church believes that Abortion is in some circumstances, where the child would be born severely handicapped or if the woman got pregnant due to a rape. Pro-life movement believe that everyone has a right to life no matter what. This is also stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are not to be the judge of someone else’s life, whether they are handicapped or not. A child could be born handicapped or of rape but they could still lead happy lives and at the end of the day, God still loves us. There are plenty of alternatives to an abortion, like adoption. There are plenty of people unfortunate enough not being able to have children and would love to have a child of their own. There are lots of support organisations like CURA, LIFE and SPUC, they help and give advice to those in a situation like this.
Some Christians may say, it is a woman’s choice because it is her body that the baby develops in. ‘Pro-choice’ is an organisation that believes an unborn baby is not a human until later stages of the pregnancy therefore they don’t class an abortion as murder. Jesus himself taught that Christianity is about preserving life, not destroying it.
‘What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should not try to make others accept their position.’
Do you agree? Give reasons for your answer, showing that you have considered more than one point of view.
Some People may argue that everyone has the right to his or her own opinion. Christians should accept this and nobody can take this right away from someone. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that we have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. Trying to force your opinion on others is unfair, if you’re trying to force something on someone, they will become resentful and reject the message being portrayed. We, as Christians are supposed to be Christ-like and do as Christ would do, but it is un Christ like to force your opinion on some else. There are many techniques used to force someone’s message across, like brainwashing for example, In a Christians eyes this is unacceptable.
Others would disagree because as Christians have to put our faith into action and we have the right to point out an injustice that offends others. It is an essential part of putting your faith into action, so one could say, ‘I have the duty to be counted in the world, so as a Christian I have the duty to evangelise.’ Christians should stand up for what they believe in. They could be making a positive impact on others. If a Christian felt strongly about an issue, like abortion for example, they could be trying to save lives, which in God’s eyes is good.
In conclusion I would say that I would agree with this statement. I believe everybody has a right to believe what they want and shouldn’t be harassed by extremists of certain religions trying to change their belief systems.
