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Cuz The Bible Tells Me So The scene is Harvard Sq. There is an anti-abortion rally being held. 6-foot posters of mutilated children are everywhere. All the protesters are happy and smiling, clutching the mutilated baby pictures as if they were beanie babies. They love these dead fetuses! In the middle of them, possibly the leader, is a thin man about 32 years old, with a beard and wearing a kind of nightshirt. He has a megaphone up to his mouth. The crowd of protesters ecstatically cheers and claps. “We are not going to rest until abortion is STOPPED...FOREVER!! We need to send a message to these evil abortion doctors, these killers of children, that if you commit murder then murder will be committed against YOU!!” The crowd falls over itself. It’s like a revival meeting. People are speaking in tongues. They faint. Their eyes roll into the back of their head. “Abortion doctors DESERVE to be killed if this is the only way to save innocent lives!!” The crowd shouts as one voice, “GO JESUS!!!” Jesus puts down the megaphone and walks over the traffic on Mass Ave. J This, I’m pretty sure, is not the picture that most people have when they think of Jesus. There was certainly abortion in Jesus’ time and one would think that if He cared as strongly about it as the pro-life faction thinks He did, that there would have been more references to it. Jesus, as a protester, is more than likely seen in the context of chasing the moneychangers from the temple than leading a pro-life rally. A quick search for the word “abortion” on www.biblegateway.com (King James Version, of course) turns up no hits, which isn’t all that surprising since it’s a fairly modern word, the first usage of which was in 1547. The fact that God told Abraham to kill his son also seems to never come up in these conversations. J The genesis (if you’ll pardon the religious pun) for this article was the Operation Rescue rally held in Harvard Sq that I stumbled into. The center of Harvard Sq was taken over for an hour and a half. Pictures of aborted fetuses abounded and those holding them were proudly parental. I went apoplectic. The first thing I thought was that I was glad I didn’t have my kids with me. Thinking about my children being subjected to this pornography put me over the edge. I pulled over next to a woman in who looked like she was in her late 40’s and her 12 year old-is daughter, both of whom had signs with dead babies on them. “How can you pretend that you care about children when you expose them to this kind of evilness,” I shouted. “People need to see these pictures”, she shouted back. “But three year olds? It’s important to traumatize three years olds?” Without missing a beat, she launched into the moral imperative that saving babies was the most important thing. I motioned her daughter over. “Your mother,” I said calmly to her, looking into her eyes and trying to connect with her, “is evil. You need to take a step back and really think about what it is that you’re involved in.” “I am thinking about it. Babies should not be killed,” she said, slightly shaken. “No,” I continued, “You may think you’re thinking about it, but you’re not. You’ve spent you’re entire life being told what to think. Your mother has filled your head with her version of the truth. You have made no decision for yourself. Only decisions based on what you’ve been told.” “I think for myself”, she said defensively. “No. You don’t. And if you don’t go back and really read the Bible then you will wind up in Hell, just like your mother. I promise you.” I drove off. Was it harsh? Probably. But if they’re going to traumatize my kids, then, under their rules, I get to traumatize theirs. Did it do any good? Probably not. The mother probably took her home and beat the living shit out of her until she understood that God loved her. J As I drove home fuming, it occurred to me that perhaps those who would show pictures that the Motion Picture Advisory Association would surely judge as X-rated had not really considered the impact of those pictures on the children they were determined to protect. Live children were just as important as the unborn, weren’t they? Perhaps in their zeal they’d neglected to really work out the psychological damage inflicted on small living children. In that spirit, I put together the following email. Hi, My three year old is collapsed in a heap in her bedroom and unable to stop crying. We were driving through Harvard Sq in Cambridge, Ma today where there was a pro-life rally going on. She saw all the pictures of aborted fetuses and just lost it. It's been two hours and I can't seem to make her stop crying. She thinks all the people on the street with the signs want to kill her. I've tried to explain that you don't want to kill her, but short of getting into what abortion is, which is something a three year old shouldn't have to deal with, I'm out of ideas. Can you tell me how I'm supposed to deal with this? I'm very upset about this and would appreciate a response. Thanks, Paul Day I sent it off to a number of “advocacy groups” to see how empathetic they would be. Answer – Not terribly. Family Research Council (Auto-response)Family Research Council appreciates receiving your questions, thoughts and concerns via e-mail. We provide e-mail correspondence service as a means to provide convenient and timely communications with you. Please know that FRC makes every possible effort to respond to reasonable e-mails that we receive. However, in an effort to be wise stewards of that which we have been given, we cannot guarantee a reply to every e-mail. Your prayers and continued understanding are appreciated as we seek to develop ways to better serve you. [About a month later, I received this non-automated response] Dear Paul, We fall far short from being child psychologists; notwithstanding, we believe sharing the truth about abortion and the dignity of all human life with your daughter is an appropriate response to her reaction to the pro-life placards. Kind regards, Family Research Council Pro-Life Action LeagueFrom: "Ann Scheidler" <scheidler@attglobal.net> Subject: RE: Help And Guidance To: "Paul Day" <paul_d_day@yahoo.com> Paul, A 3-year-old would only react that strongly to pictures of aborted babies of your reaction was extreme. You can tell her that we live in an imperfect world. Some parents do not protect their children like you protect yours. Some parents choose not to let their children be born. the protesters are simply trying to help people understand that children should be valued and protected. Those people on the streets are trying to save lives and to alert the public to the fact that abortion is not just another "choice," it is the killing of little children. Your child obviously can see that these unborn babies are actually babies. She didn't react to a "blobl" of tissue. Unfortunately as kids grow up they become as jaded as adults and they accept abortion as a reasonable choice. It is not. It is the death of a child. Ann Scheidler The National Right To Life OganizationFrom: JRagan1@aol.com Subject: RE: The photos your daughter saw Dear Mr. Daily, First of all I will offer you my sincere apologies.
National Right to Life is not the organization that uses these photos
and had no part in any effort that was involved in this display.
We have a completely different approach and believe that the beauty
of living, growing unborn children speaks for itself. The American Life League From: "rachel" <rachel@rachelsvineyard.org> To: paul_d_day@yahoo.com Subject: Fw: response to three yr old and abortion pictures Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 15:01:17 -0400 Dear Paul, My wife and I offer an outreach to women and men who have experienced emotional trauma after abortion, an outreach of American Life League called Rachel's Vineyard. I am so sorry your daughter was upset by the pictures she saw of aborted babies. It is a truly horrific and disturbing reality, that is largely hidden from us. To see these images can be painful - in adults as well as little ones who do not understand the source of these images. However the important thing at this point, is your need to respond to your daughter's anxiety and fear. I think the truth, shared gently and with age appropriate features, can help ease her fears. I agree that you would not normally introduce this to a child of three, but circumstances have confronted her with that reality, and she needs to understand in some way what those pictures are. I would suggest the following put into words that fit your sense of what your daughter would best respond to at her age: Sometimes when mommies have a baby in their tummy and they are scared of having a baby for some reason, or the daddy doesnt want to be a daddy to the baby---the mommie gets scared. Sometimes she has a doctor take the baby out of the mommies tummy before the baby can breathe and live. These doctors sometimes make the baby die before it is born when it is growing in its mommy's tummy. Those pictures were of those babies. The people who were carrying those signs and pictures do not want to hurt children or babies. They want people to know that when a mommy or daddy are scared and they dont want to have a baby---they want the mommy's and daddy's to see these pictures so they know that the baby in her tummy is a real baby, and they should not hurt it. Those people dont want to hurt babies, and will never want to hurt you. Mommy's and daddies always want to protect and love their babies once they see them. But sometimes when they are scared, and can't see their tiny baby, they can do a bad thing called abortion. The people holding the signs are telling us that we need to protect the baby in the mommies tummy-and that we need to help the mommies that are scared, so they can let their baby come out OK--and even give the baby to another mom and dad who can love and take care of the baby--that is called adoption. Dont be afraid-those people love babies-and they will never hurt you. You are safe with mommy and daddy-we love you and no one is trying to hurt you." If your daughter continues to be upset after you explain the above, after a reasonable time, ask your doctor or insurance company for a referral to a counselor who works with children, so you can have additional support for her if it is needed. I am so sorry your daughter was effected so deeply by those pictures. The aim of these pictures as I understand it , is to bring the reality of abortion to the public view and consciousness. This is a painful and horrific reality, and most of us do not want to face the human destruction that is abortion. But certainly the aim is not to disturb little children, and make them feel unsafe and I repeat my sadness at your daughter's suffering. I hope the above reflection will ease your daughter's fears. Kevin Burke, MSS/LSW Associate Director Rachel's Vineyard Ministries of The American Life League. The Christian Gallery From: Neal Horsley Tell her her tears are for all those babies that you allowed to be butchered because you valued your personal peace and security and the personal peace and security of your family above the lives of God's children. Then you start crying with her and ask God to forgive you for your evil and unrepentant heart. From: Paul Day To: Neal Horsley This is a serious issue. I'm not trying to make a joke. How am I supposed to explain this to a three year old?! Please help me!! From: Neal Horsley What makes you think I am joking. It is near nigh to impossible to explain to a three year old that her daddy is an evil, unrepentant murderer, but you've just got to try. Neal From: Paul Day To: Neal Horsley I'm unsure why you've judged me. "Judge not lest ye be judged." I though only God could do that. I guess I was wrong. It also seems clear that only unborn children matter - the rest mean nothing. I'm sorry to have bothered you. Paul PS: How many children have you adopted? From: Neal Horsley To: Paul Day http://www.christiangallery.com/psycomo.html
was written with you in mind. Neal Horsley From: Paul Day To: Neal Horsley Thanks, Neal! You're very nice to have written that with me in mind. I'd be interested in asking you a few questions, but since you don't seem to be willing or able to answer them, I'll hold off. I'll also assume that you haven't actually adopted any of the children you've saved. Too much trouble with your busy schedule planning the deaths of abortion doctors even though God said "Thou Shalt Not Kill." What does God know anyway? He was talking about every other person in the world. Neal, you have turned your back on God and worship at the altar of dead babies. If you have gone too far around the bend to see that the graphic of a man urinating, gay porn and the deification of murderers that [you post on your site] goes against Christ and his teachings, then you have succumbed to the Devil. Matthew 24:8-12 - But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. From: Neal Horsley To: Paul Day You have lost the ability to see at all and can only hallucinate. In the chance that you actually are in Christ, I wrote this for you: May God have mercy on us all. One final comment. Many “non-confrontational” anti-abortion groups want to distance themselves from organizations like Army of God and Operation Rescue. They complain that their organizations act responsibly (i.e. – they do not kill people) and should not be considered guilty by association. Which, oddly, is exactly what Yassir Arafat says. Yet he is held personally responsible for each and every suicide bombing committed by radical Islamists. And the US government goes right along with it. Given that paradigm, ALL anti-abortion groups should be considered terrorists and should be shut down – by the government. |