Abortion and the death penalty

We all have our preferences and that's cool. But don't confuse preferences and facts. I heard another person defend a reason for abortion by claiming it was no less immoral than the death penalty. What a sad topic, but I'd rather comment than be silent. Let's be clear:

• Abortion is a choice to end the life of an innocent person, which is the definition of murder, regardless of circumstance, therefore is categorically (always) immoral.
• Capital punishment (also known as the death penalty) is a choice to end the life of a person convicted guilty of a capital crime, so is not necessarily murder, therefore is not categorically immoral.

The difference is based on God's unchanging word.

• Our loving God, in order to promote justice and preserve societal stability and safety, commanded the death penalty (not just for a specific case but as a standard) over a dozen times in the first five books of the Bible alone (from Noah to Moses) (link). It cannot be categorically immoral then because God decides morals, not man. If we administer capital punishment for a reason God did not specify, or worse, for punishing someone for obeying one of God's commands, (or possibly worst, because they have a different political ideology than us) then our choices and behaviors are immoral. If you oppose capital punishment then oppose it because you don't trust those who'd carry it out, don't claim it's categorically immoral. Capital punishment can be morally earned, and at no point is anything God commanded (including the death penalty) categorically wrong.
• Our loving God, in order to promote justice and preserve societal stability and safety, commanded we not intentionally shed innocent blood over a dozen times in the Bible (link). Human blood is never more innocent than while in the mother's womb, regardless of how the baby got there. In the rare scenario where there's a life-threatening pregnancy complication then the baby can be removed with the intent to preserve both lives. No one can earn an abortion. It is categorically wrong to do what God commands us not to do.

If you believe in God, especially the God of the Bible, then please don't dishonor Him by bastardizing His commands by comparing abortion and the death penalty.

Just because capital crime is not categorically immoral doesn't mean we should be looking for ways to legally kill each other. I'm advocating that we take God's word seriously, and what God commanded is important. Even if Jesus paid the penalty for all our sins, then what God declared a capital crime is by definition a sin, and Jesus never excused our sin (John 8:11). Rather He raised the bar (Matthew 5:21-22). For more on this theme, here's another blog I wrote. For a Biblical perspective on abortion, here's an article I wrote.

With this, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.

I was recently reminded of a paradigm shift. As a recent example, Mr. Biden said the following about 90% through his State of the Union Address last night:

“There’s one reason why we’re able to do all of these things: our democracy itself. It’s the most fundamental thing of all. With democracy, everything is possible. Without it, nothing is.” Source

As much as I appreciate democracy, it doesn't deserve what Biden just said about it. To say that was a distraction from what does deserve the credit. Up until a short time ago, I would've argued that capitalism (and the free market) might be a related theme. I've agreed countless times that capitalism has done more to bring more people out of poverty than any other alternative economic system. But recently I remembered that's only partially true. It is true, but it's missing a more important detail. The apostle Paul made the point almost two millennia ago when he wrote:

“where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17b NIV

Democracy without Christians in charge will be unrecognizable compared to democracy with them. The founders knew this. Just two examples are:

“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
-Patrick Henry, 1776

“Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God?”
-Thomas Jefferson, 1785

Capitalism without Christians is also unrecognizable to what it once was. For while God is both omnipotent and omnipresent, He has a tendency to correlate His involvement with our willingness to give Him credit for what He does (Romans 1:20-32). What Biden, or any Catholic, or any Christian, should have said was:

“There’s one reason why we’re able to do all of these things: our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He's the most fundamental thing of all. With God, everything is possible. Without Him, nothing is.”

Though of course, God doesn't care much for lip service (Isaiah 29:13). We need to believe it if we bother to say it. I pray that when I get the chance, I practice what I just preached.

By the way, substituting pride in our nation for pride in our God is not a new trap. The religious leaders of Jesus's day had fallen for that trick, as recorded in John 11:48. Paul gave relevant advice in 2 Timothy 2:25-26. National pride is not inherently bad, I'm no globalist. But it does tip from good to bad when it replaces or otherwise exceeds our pride in [accurately] knowing our Creator (Jeremiah 9:23-24).