Sorry, no wit or funny sayings today...I'm all thought and a few tears...
beware...this might be PG for younger readers....
I have to warn I'm going to sound preachy, but I had a disturbing phone call this morning from a friend that has made me think about the current state of the "church", what I believe, and is the Bible to be taken literally, or relatively.
Although I have sympathy for what her family has and is going through, she brought up a controversial issue that I didn't think I'd have to think about...one of those, it doesn't apply to me and I don't know what I'd do in that situation. I usually like to think that I'd rely on what the Bible says and do it, but today I really had to think about the Bible...I still had the same conclusion, (the topic was embryonic stem cell for Parkinson's Disease) but because I had neglected to think the topic through before today, I could just say, ohhhh....
I don't like that. I like to know what I'm talking about if I'm going to say something and I just wasn't prepared.
So, as I was painting primer on my lovely pantry shelves, mulling this topic over and over, I remembered something of a story in the Bible (Because there's nothing new on the earth) where people got desparate enough they ate their children...read it yourself:
2 Kings 6:25-29
And there was a great famine in Samaria:.....And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, o king.
And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? (meaning how was the king who's country was in a famine help her if the LORD didn't help her)
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? She answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat me son tomorrow.
So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she has hid her son.
The story goes on, but these people how many years ago? got desperate. What would we do? No, most of us I'm sure wouldn't be offering to eat our children, or anyone else's, however, what are some other things we've oked because of the situation we find ourselves in?
Does the Bible ok eating ones children if you are going through a famine? Of course not. God does not condone such behavior. Most of people (believers or not) would agree, however, what about anything else the Bible is explicit about? Homosexual lifestyles? Abortions? Sexual immorality? Women reigning over men in ANY capacity? Women ruling in the church? Has God decided that since our culture has changed that more things are allowed? Hmmm...makes one think....Are we presented with the evils of Satan from a different angles? Satan is smart enough to know that he probably couldn't get people to eat their kids for supper if there is a famine, however, he'll try another tactic to get us to destroy what God has blessed us with, another way. Let's see...
Susan and Johnny have been sneaking around and because the church and people have failed to teach them about God's laws on Biblical Intimacy, they don't know that the "act" of intercourse or anything intimate has bound them in marriage before God regardless of a license by our wonderful just government, they continue to do so until they get "caught".
Uh oh...she's pregnant, Johnny splits, because although he's been active in youth group and has parents on the board, he doesn't realize that he's actually married Susan in a covenant before GOD and that if he takes another woman he'll be living in adultery as well as Susan if she "remarries". But how can this be? They just had a pre-marital relationship and they are both Christians...come on, really? God doesn't seem to hold anyone else accountable for being promiscuous...I think that may just not apply to them...since they didn't have a wedding. They really aren't married. But then, if they did have a wedding would it mean they were "more" married before God? Then what does that mean for the homosexual couple that the government marries are they then married in God's eyes...?
So, back to Susan and Johnny...Susan is pregnant and doesn't have Johnny's support, her parents are church-going people and although they believe the Bible, they think that God surely wouldn't want Susan to be held down by a baby and that God would really want her to become an independent woman and finish her schooling. Since none of them have been in this situation before, and they have no absolute standard to go by, b/c the Bible's just relative and doesn't apply to this situation, they decide with Susan to have the baby aborted. She's just found out that she's pregnant, and although she's about 6-7 weeks along, and the baby has alot of the internal organs and it's heart is beating, they've heard about embryonic stem cell research and how that the baby would most likely help someone else more by using it's stem cells.
The procedure is done. The baby has died, Susan is free...or is she?
In this fiction story, but very true we all know, if a believer thinks that the Bible is relative in ONE respect...say marriage for example...we are then led to justify actions as we come upon them because we have no absolute standard in which to base our decisions. When the Bible becomes relative, it becomes of no effect.
Our God is less gray than the socialized church leads us to believe. The more I read and delve into God's Holy Word, the more I see there is not near as much gray area as we'd like to think. God is Black and White and although there is Grace, if we use that to justify our actions and bending of His laws, then we begin to trample on His grace.
The topic of this blog is really at a shocking truth of our Christian Culture that my friend made me aware of. I know that there really is only a remant of true Believers all over the world, but the fact that a believing family (level of that depth...I'm not sure) would consider embryonic stem cells for the comfort of their family member, was disappointing. The statement was made, "It makes you really think about stem cell research" (later clarified she was talking about embryonic) and I had this gut punch feeling of oh my...
As Believers....
When do we have the right to ok something such as taking a baby's life to fix another?
When do we stop? My reaction is to ask her, (although I wouldn't) why don't you sacrifice the baby you are carrying to help?
Oh, but there are thousands of babies that are just aborted and we might as well use them! But each time they are used, the need for more to use arises...which leads to more encouraged abortions.
Since when are we as a believer and follower of Christ to give in to Science and any other means to be comfortable - when it flies in the face of the HOLY WORD of GOD? I'm not talking air conditioning, I'm talking about using a killed conceived baby for the good of another? You might as well feed yourself with those babies, too. What's the difference?
Honestly, what's the difference between killing a baby to gain better health and comfort ability, now...or 1500 years ago or so, when the women boiled the son to obtain health and comfort ability? I see none. Other than...we have sterile scientist and doctors who will do the dirty work, where ages ago, the women did it themselves.
That my dear friends is where our socialized, arrogant, relative, comfortable, selfish, compromising, and money hungry society is leading us...and sadly enough, the "church" is right behind it.
When our churches don't take the Bible, God's Holy word seriously, in all aspects, we can take it seriously in none.
We do not have the privilege of picking and choosing what we will and won't do in certain situations, if it pleases us. If we call ourselves followers of Christ. He set the rules and we are to live and play by them...if we don't, we'll end up compromising further than we ever thought we would. At the rate our country, church, and values are declining, we may just see more and more desperation driving the least likely to do the unlikely.
I'm sorry dad and mom...it doesn't matter what ailment you have...or I have, I will not kill a baby to make you or myself more comfortable.
Humbly, Misti
5 comments:
Excellent post, well-written and much needed. What you wrote is so true. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment, although I can't take any glory. I think we are in a time such as the children of Israel when they were wondering around the wilderness complaining. We have forgotten what God has done, and that He still reigns no matter what we feel is going on.
And there is nothing new under the sun...what we see happening really shouldn't surprise us. It's the same spirit waring with God's since the beginning of time.
Ecclesiastes 1:9
you speak the truth.
I think that some people like to believe that God has changed, and that the Biblical truths have changed over the years, and that God's truths (and God Himself) are not literal or relevant today.
I have a relative who believes that you can pick and choose what to believe in the Bible, and ignore the other stuff (the stuff she doesn't like).
You either have to believe all of what God says, and all of Who He is, or throw it (and Him) out. He does not change and His truth does not change. Great post, my sister!
Yes, you spoke the Truth.
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