Since the landmark Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade made abortion legal in 1973, we have seen respect for life erode further and further – especially with gains made by radical liberals in recent years.
Conservative Christians have often borne the responsibility of fighting for the unborn as the liberal anti-life agenda spreads like wildfire. But, sadly, this plague of ideology has even begun to infect our churches and their leaders.
It is especially shocking, then, that any pastor, priest, or church leader would actually adopt anti-life liberal ideology. We depend on our Christian leaders to stand for the innocent and uphold traditional values. But it appears that is not always happening.
LifeNews reported on the alarming stories of two women who were counseled – by trusted members of their clergy — to abort their children after being raped.
Nicole W. Cooley, in her story, A Tale of Two Mothers Who Were Pregnant By Rape, writes: “Unfortunately, the only specific advice came from my pastor. She told me, ‘Let me put your heart at ease. In the eyes of the church, any decision, prayerfully considered, is okay. In your case, I think you should have an abortion. You need to be able to move past this. You should have an abortion.’
“She went on to tell me about her two daughters who had also faced unplanned pregnancies. One had chosen adoption, the other abortion, and both were equally good decisions, she said. She dismissively added, ‘There’s a couple in the church who want to adopt, but, no, you shouldn’t talk to them. You need to have an abortion.’ I remember my heart telling me, ‘Isn’t there something in Psalms about this?’”
Nicole deeply regretted her abortion, and suffered for many years as a result. She says a key component to her healing was her godly husband telling her, “I love you, but what you did was wrong.” Women need to hear the truth.
Our clergy and church leadership are supposed to stand as a bulwark against the rising tide of immorality facing our country. More than anything else, this should mean upholding the Commandments and standing for life.
And Nicole’s story is not the only example of how the liberal agenda is beginning to crumble the foundation of even our churches. Another woman shared a similar story according to LifeNews:
In her testimonial, From Victimhood to Motherhood, I Chose Joy, Paula K. Peyton explains, the morning after the rape, “I spoke to my priest who was very supportive of me as a rape victim. But she actually took me to Walgreens to buy Plan B, which I never took because it wasn’t something I was comfortable with. I already knew Plan B could have the effect of preventing implantation if an embryo was already created.
I’d had discussions with friends in the past about Plan B and we had talked about not knowing if you would have lost a baby or not, and I had already concluded that it would be horrible not knowing.” When she found out she was pregnant, this same priest also advised her to abort. But Paula says, “the Lord had taken one of the worst things in my life — something so dark and damaging — and He had created life.”
Abortion is murder – plain and simple – and a violation of one of the Commandments. It is one of the greatest offenses one can commit against God, who creates each life to fulfill a purpose. How then, can any member of the clergy – or even anyone who claims to be a Christian – advocate that abortion is acceptable?
The Daily Beast once reported on some of the twisted logic and misinterpretations of Scripture that have caused some Christian leaders to make excuses for abortion. It is beyond disturbing that any Christian would be pro-choice, but to think that there are Christian leaders who would actually advise a parishioner to abort a child is reprehensible.
Tom Davis, [in a 2014 interview] is very clear in his perspective on this. Davis is a former chaplain and associate professor of religion at Skidmore College. He said there are texts for some religions that address abortion specifically, such as in ancient Babylonia, but this is not the case in Christianity: “There is no law against abortion in the Bible. There is no law about birth control in the Bible. So when you don’t have a specific guidance on something, you look at what is the most human thing to do in a situation, what is most helpful and sometimes abortion is indicated.”
“There are many reasons why a woman needs an abortion. Sometimes rape, sometimes because she says ‘I can’t be responsible for this child and can’t bring a child into this world I can’t care for.’” He also said from a compassionate standpoint as a Christian if one knows women could face injury and death while trying to obtain illegal abortions, then standing in the way is willfully contributing to tragedy.
And Jon O’Brien, a devout Catholic and president of Catholics for Choice, explained that Catholicism values the expertise of the faith’s great scholars, and that among them, Saint Augustine and Saint Aquinas did not consider a fetus in the earliest stages of pregnancy to be a person. “The Catholic faith is rooted in emphasizing the importance of following one’s conscience, he said, and for some women that will mean choosing to terminate a pregnancy because that is what is best as they see it.”
These are but a few of the shocking personal opinions of so-called Christian leaders, who are using their positions as trusted spiritual advisors to influence vulnerable women into seeking abortions.
Any clergy member, church counselor, or congregational leader should be immediately dismissed from their position for arguing that being pro-choice somehow has a Biblical foundation. Perpetuating the anti-life rhetoric of the left is the last thing any Christian should do – to the contrary, we are called to protect the innocent.
Activist Mommy reported:
Abortion is the willful, intentional destruction of a human being, an image bearer of God, therefore, it is a full assault on the character of our Creator. This is why it is one of the highest offenses against God and why Christians consider it murder.
God commands us not to murder other image bearers for this distinct purpose. He has entrusted His people with His standards of righteousness and those He has called to be in leadership have a responsibility to uphold the Scriptures, submitting themselves in obedience to all they teach.
Anytime church leaders advocate for abortion, they are abandoning their true calling to be salt and light in the world, losing their savor. What good is salt if it can’t do its duty to preserve?
When a frightened and vulnerable parishioner comes to a member of the clergy for guidance, it should be expected that they are basing their advice on Christian doctrine – that all life is valuable and that all unborn children deserve a chance to fulfill God’s purpose, no matter how they were conceived.
While these individuals represent only a small minority of Christian clergy members, the existence of these opinions in anyone who represents the Christian faith is alarming.
What are your thoughts on the shocking views of these members of the clergy? Do you feel they should be allowed to continue to represent Christian churches? Leave us your thoughts.