Can you be a Christian and be pro-choice? Scripture please.?

Question

I am a Christian and believe Gods word to be the guiding light to the Christian.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

"We cannot diminish the value of one category of human
life--the unborn--without diminishing the value of all human life."--Ronald Reagan
"The chief purpose of government is to protect life. Abandon that and you have abandoned all."
Thomas Jefferson
Exodus 22-
"If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
Jeremiah 1:5 – “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Many scriptures I like it.
Thanks to all who took the time to answer.

Answer 2

You can be. I don't think you should be, but that's not my place to say.

Answer 3

I would think so. The BuyBull literally says NOTHING about abortion.
http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/abortion.p…

Answer 4

It is just sad that people beieve abortion is nothing more than just another form of Birth control.

Answer 5

I'm not an expert on the bible. Does it mention at what point of fetal development that the soul appears?

Answer 6

I am.

Some people are uneducated and don't know how to spell.

The book is The Bible.

Perhaps they are under the impression that they're witty to call it The Buy Bull. They just look dumb and intolerant.

Answer 7

"Let his days be few; let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children wander about and beg; and let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes. Let the creditor seize all that he has; and let strangers plunder the product of his labor. Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children."
Psalm 109:8-12

Answer 8

That's nice. I follow the teachings of Jesus and see the bible as the polar opposite of Gods word.

Love and blessings Don

Answer 9

No, that is an oxy-moron, it's like saying 'fried ice'

Answer 10

Well, it's Gods will for 20% of pregnancies to result in a miscarriage, which in medical terms is a spontaneous abortion.

Why would it mind if one were to have one on their own then?

Should it exist

Source(s):

http://www.allaboutlifechallenges.org/Mi…

Answer 11

It wouldn't either way because you shouldn't be fooling around with a guy till you're married.

Oh and WHY KILL A BABY? Do you not consider it a baby till its born?

Answer 12

Yes you can. and please hear me out with an open mind.
Scriptures listed but the best argument is the lack of them on this particular issue. Actually abortion is not addressed in the bible. Jews did not recognize anyone as a person until their head emerged from the womb. I would say a Christian should not and could not have an abortion with a clear conscience. But most women having them are not Christian. The very idea of forcing Christian Conscieousness on them is ....not wise in my opinion nor fruitful. Everyone wants to scream Murder and get all hysterical about this but there are very serious and deadly consequences to making it illegal too. Nobody right now wants to really address that.

"Judge not, lest ye be Judged"
"Whom the son sets free is free indeed"
"you are not Justified by the works of the Law"
"Love one another"
"love fullfills the law"
Love your neighbor, as yourself"

Jesus said "go into the world and preach the gospel (good news) cast out demons, lay hands on the sick and they shall recover (Mark 16)

Jesus NEVER said to go around with picket signs harassing people that you think are sinning. People don't have enough faith to cast out demons, and instead of going home and praying they decide to harrass and picket people they decide are in sin. there is NOTHING in the bible that says to do that. Who the son sets free is free indeed. We have no right to go around telling people what to do. It's causing a huge mark to be on the body of Christ that should not be there and it's causing people who are unsaved to see hypocrisy and not listen to us. This Pro Choice or Pro Life talk really has to stop. Just do what God says and pray for all the leaders of the land to make wise decisions, take care of Orphans and widows in their distress which is TRUE RELIGION according to James and keep our mouths shut about Polictics. Anything else is anti biblical !!

Answer 13

... So what you're actually asking others is: Do they consider themselves to be Christian, and yet be pro-choice?

I am Christian. I am not pro-choice.
Abortion is wrong.

"Thou shall not murder."
(If God creates a life, who are we to snuff it out?)

Answer 14

Scripture never addresses abortion, in any way shape or form. So any scripture can be twisted to show an opposition to the antiabortion movement just as many scriptures are constantly twisted to show support for the antiabortion movement.

What is important to remember is abortion was common in Jesus' time (in fact Jewish Law REQUIRED a woman to have an abortion if having the child was going to adversely affect her or her other children) yet Jesus never once spoke about it.

It is also important to remember for the first 1895 years of Christianity abortion was never considered murder until after the quickening (first movement at 16 and a half weeks. So thall shall not kill doesn't cover it since it was not considered a life until after ensoulment.) which is when ensoulment was believed to happen. They followed Aristoltles delayed ensoulment. Also note penance for abortion before the quickening was only 120 days because you were not considered to have ended a life only potential for life, acts preventing conception were far more a grave sin (punishable by 7 years).

Anyway there is no scripture that supports either side directly or the antiabortion movement through historical interpretation. When they speak of abortion in the past one must also remember that really it was infantcide. They would induce the woman through abuse to deliever early and then leave the baby exposed to the elements to die, or outright kill them. NO PRO-CHOICE person would agree with infantcide and say that is not murder, but that is not abortion as we know it.


EDIT: MRG, I am Catholic. I can't be Catholic and have one, but I can think however i want on the matter. Infact Gregory the Great (Catholic Pope) used to think and write on abortion the exact same as I do (same as every Pope until Leo in 1895. In fact my stance above comes from Gregory's writtings on it in ruling on an abortion case. It is not nearly as simple as antiabortion advocates try to make it.

Answer 15

Probably not the kind of passages you were hoping for. But your God is clearly not "pro life":

Hosea 9:11-16) “Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. Give them, 0 Lord: what wilt thou give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. . .Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb.”
Hosea 13:16) “their women with child shall be ripped up”.
2 Kings 15:16) “At that time Menahem, starting out from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in the city and its vicinity, because they refused to open their gates. He sacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women.”.
Psalms 137:9 9) “Happy the one who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock!”
Exodus 12:29) “And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.

Clearly God is all for abortion and killing children. Ahh, don't you just love how benevolent he is?

Source(s):

http://www.evilbible.com/god%27s%20not%2…

Answer 16

Everyone is pro-choice. As a Christian I greatly value my right to make free choices. I think you mean pro-abortion. "Thou shalt not kill" covers it pretty well!

Answer 17

Yes.

Although Christians who oppose abortion make reference to God knowing a person "before they were formed in the womb," we really should keep the topic on abortion itself. The closest thing to an abortion in the Bible is actually a miscarriage, also medically known as a spontaneous abortion. So it makes sense to see what the Bible says about miscarriages. Does the Bible treat miscarried fetuses the same way that it treats breathing human beings?

Passages from the Old Testament are the only ones that refer to miscarriages. There, the ancient Jews did not treat miscarried fetuses as human beings. They instead considered them equivalent to a woman's menstrual blood.

For example, Job 3:16 refers to "like a miscarriage which is discarded," indicating that a miscarried fetus is not given a proper burial, as would have been necessary for a human being.

Miscarried fetuses were clearly meant to be forgotten. The passage in Ecclesiastes 6:3-4 refers to this:

"If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper burial, then I say, "Better the miscarriage than he, for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity."

Exodus 21:22-25 refers to a woman who miscarries as a result of a assault on her body. If she is relatively unscathed, the only payment is money. If, on the other hand, if she is hurt in the process, the payment is an equal injury on the assailant:

"Suppose a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage as the result of an injury caused by someone who is fighting. If she isn't badly hurt, the one who injured her must pay whatever fine her husband demands and the judges approve. But if she is seriously injured, the payment will be life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, cut for cut, and bruise for bruise."

Clearly here, the woman's life is valued much more highly than the life of her fetus, which can be bought like a calf or a head of cabbage. The only true injury occurs when the woman herself is hurt.

These passages indicate that those who worshiped God in the Bible did not value fetuses as human beings. As such, it is entirely within the realm of Christian practice not to treat abortion as anything approaching murder. What's more, the passage from Exodus, a book not known for its kindnesses toward women, indicates that the woman's life is supremely more valued than that of an aborted fetus.

Given these passages, it is quite easy to show that allowing a woman a choice in her pregnancies falls entirely within the realm of Christian belief.

^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^ ^v^

Answer 18

we are born with free will- and you can choose abortion or not- but let me ask you this- Did God create that baby? Of course He did- for the ones that say that God causes miscarriages- ok, you are right there- however since God gives life, he is the only one that should be able to take a life. Miscarriages are because something is not right with the pregnancy and baby- abortions except for about 3% are because the woman chooses that she does not want the child.

Deuteronomy 30:19
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." This is the only choice that we should have- so if a Christian says that they are pro-choice- even if they say they would never abort, it says this to me, and I also to God-
"We should be able to allow a woman , or anyone to do anything if they choose too, even if I would not". So if that baby was born- would you be pro-choice if that mother decided to end its life?

Answer 19

No! Psalm 139:13-16 reads:
"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."
It's clear that God knows everyone before they even physically exist, and we are all precious people. Murder is wrong, and since we are alive in the womb, abortion is murder. Simple. A true Christian realizes that and doesn't pick and choose parts of the Bible they find "acceptable."

Edit: To NH-- The passage in Ecclesiastes isn't discounting a stillborn child! It's making a point: If a man has all the blessings in life and cannot be content and praise God, it's better never to have lived OUTSIDE the womb and seen the sun. King Solomon was making a comparison and you were being too literal. To those who don't worship God, life is pointless and then you die, so why not just be miscarried; it's the quickest way to extinction! Get it?
And if the ancient Jews were so apathetic towards miscarriages, then why was it so tragic for a woman to be barren?! Babies were EVERYTHING in their culture, a huge blessing!

Answer 20

You can't be a Catholic and support it...So, can you be a Catholic and a Christian...Just keep in mind some Christians are NOT Catholic because they want to avoid the moral component. You know it's true.

Answer 21

No, God gave us the ten commandments and one is thou shalt not kill. God said He knew someone from their mothers womb. A baby can be born 5 months early a survive. Some states charge a person with two counts of murder when they kill a pregnant woman.

Answer 22

I think you're supposed to treat others as they would treat you.

That might involve trying to make and enforce moral decisions on others.

I would never abort my own, or let my girlfriend do it, but I can't make that call for every other couple, or single in America. Who do I think I am, Jesus Christ himself?

I'm not pro-choice. I'm pro-freedom. It doesn't mean I think it's right.

It's been my observation that legal prohibition doesn't really stop anybody from doing anything. It only makes it more dangerous.

2 wrongs don't make a right.

Answer 23

No. Christians have to either call sin sin or call God a liar and go to hell.

If you take a tissue sample of the fetus you see it is human. You can also observe the cells multiplying. Human life from a scientific point of few.

Abortion is the taking of an innocent human life. Abortion is murder.

From the religious point of view there are lots of scriptures. Here is one.
Psalm 139
1O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.

7Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?

8If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.

9If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;

10Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.

12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.

14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

Answer 24

Psalms 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

Jeremiah 1:5 (God to Jeremiah)
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Deuteronomy 5:17 (God)
"You shall not commit murder."

Deuteronomy 24:16
Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.

************************
Here's a thought...
Perhaps young people today are so angry because deep inside they know that their parents made a choice for them that could have gone either way: Death or Life. Maybe knowing that circumstances and irresponsibilty of their parents could have cost them their lives has more psychological effects than we realize. It kinda gives both parents and children a strange leverage against each other...

Parents - "I chose to have you, you should be grateful!"
Children - "If you don't like how I am, kill me!"

Source(s):

NIV Bible
My thoughts

Answer 25

Every woman should have the right to choose to keep her pants on.