This year marks the 45th anniversary of the catastrophic Roe v Wade ruling that has, ever since, codified, legalized, and normalized the murder of babies on the basis of whether or not they are wanted. In 1984, President Reagan designated the Sunday closest to the original January 22nd date as the National Sanctity of Human Life Day. George H.W. Bush continued the practice while Bill Clinton did not. George W Bush reinstated it and President Obama did not. The pro-life side agree with it and the "reproductive rights" side oppose it. "It's a desire to roll back the rights of women." Clearly, not everyone agrees with the principle of the sanctity of human life.
There is, at the outset, a problem -- using the term "sanctity". In order for there to be such a thing as "sanctity", there must be something holy, the meaning of the term. It refers to holiness, to godliness. Carrying "holiness" to its logical conclusion, if it is a "God thing", then it is inviolable (the second definition of the word "sanctity"). That's all well and good, but if we have rejected God, then nothing is sacred -- there is no sanctity. In fact, the whole notion of the sanctity of life has its basis in the Bible.
In Genesis we read, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." (Gen 1:27) It is that image of God that makes "male and female" -- Man -- sanctified, set apart, holy, inviolable. It is God's reasoning for the death penalty (Gen 9:6). We do not enjoy the sanctity of human life simply because we exist or because we're good or valuable; it is on the basis of the Holiness of the Maker and us as images of Him.
On that basis, murdering babies at any age is unconscionable. But it goes beyond that. Euthanasia for humans is an assault on God. Human trafficking is an assault on God. These are true. But go further. Every human regardless of race, color, ethnicity, religioun, language, gender, level of ability, social status, income, social status, level of intelligence, character and so on is in the image of God and deserves on the basis of that image to be treated with dignity and value. Most people find their worth in these things, in fact, but God says their worth is in Him. As such, their worth is unassailable and for us to diminish it is a violation of God.
In a world where God has been sidelined at best, the concept of the sanctity of life is logically pointless. I don't think those who have pushed God out of the public arena recognize that doing so eliminates any inviolability of their own existence. I don't think that people realize that disconnecting human beings from their Creator voids the inherent value of humans.
Followers of Christ are not among those who discard God from everyday existence. Today we celebrate another "Sanctity of Life Sunday". We should remember that the phrase means more (not less) than "It is wrong to kill babies in the womb." It is a call for each of us to celebrate each other, to see the worth and dignity of human beings as provided by the infinite worth of the God who made them. We should speak against murdering unborn images of God. At the same time, we should stand just as firmly against assaults on all humans everywhere, not because they're all so wonderful, but because the God who made them and in whose image they were made is so absolutely valuable Himself. We celebrate the sanctity of human life not merely to protest, but to worship the One whose image gives it sanctity.
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The TV news yesterday showed some woman at an anti-Trump rally holding a sign reading ABORTION IS A HUMAN RIGHT. I suspect she doesn't just mean that she should be allowed to buy an abortion, but that society in the form of taxpayers or insurance premium payers ought to pay for her abortion.
Can't figure out when killing babies became "a human right".
Just started Christ Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacherias and he devotes a fair amount of time to the inherent value of life and how important it is to Jesus message.
There are some pretty intelligent, educated, well spoken people out there making logical, intelligent cases for Christianity, yet people ignore that in favor of a much less compelling and coherent worldview.
I’d say that I wonder why that is, but I think I know.
Conversely, I am fascinated at the number of unbelievers -- even anti-theists -- who stand firmly on the value of human life ... on their own terms. You know, like, "Well, my life is valuable and you have no grounds to say anything about what I can or cannot do." What is the phrase? "Feet planted firmly in mid-air." But, like morality, everyone seems to know intrinsically that there is value in human life.
Yet, many of them are going to insist that the human body is just a random accident. It’s the result of random chance and mutations with absolutely no room for intelligence, design, or purpose. But somehow they get value from that randomness.
As in so many cases, "Value is what I say it is" without regard to God or reason or ...
Just with regard to themselves..,
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