I've Studied Some Theology

A visiting speaker at my church told a story that many years ago his mother had been young and single when she got pregnant with him.  A different family member had attempted to do their own abortion shortly before and they ended up losing their life.  The family and extended family were naturally concerned; and they prayed special prayers over this future speaker while he was in the womb.  He came to have some hardships during his childhood but  then became very successful in life.

Should we draw a conclusion from the above story that abortion is bad and life is good?  I'm happy this speaker became successful and I don't begrudge him anything.  But it could be said that if the family member had had access to safe, legal, and affordable abortion, they probably wouldn't have died!?

Have received a letter and some materials from my church headquarters regarding their views on abortion.  I'm concerned because most, if not all, of our church administrators everywhere are male.  It's a male-dominated culture, at this point  The Bible is such a complex book that it's not too difficult to pick and choose, whether deliberately or not, what appeals to us about a particular topic and to ignore or misunderstand the rest....  (I've studied some theology in the past and I'm not completely ignorant or incompetent in these matters.)

Some Middle-Class Christians...

It seems hard for some middle-class Christians to accept the concept of abortion.  They may not know that some prospective mothers and fathers may suffer from addictions, co-dependency, abuse or abusiveness, mental health problems, lack of education and job skills, poverty, being adopted themselves [and not adjusting well to it], or other problems....  Some problems may be short-term while others can often be long-term and even generational.

Pre-natal care and influences are important, and adoption isn't a simple matter, in my opinion.  Children can inherit negative tendencies from their parents, for one thing.  If the birth parents weren't functional enough, for whatever reason, there's no assurance their children will do better....  I've seen a lot of adopted people in my lifetime and I'd say about 50% of them have done well, while the others didn't do as well or had serious problems.

Just a few things to think about....

Life Extends Beyond Baby-hood

It seems to me the women, and some men, who oppose abortion are being naive and sentimental about pregnancy....  Also, some men who are very vocal may be on an ego trip....  In my opinion, the topic of abortion--up to the stage of viability of the fetus--is primarily a women's health and wellness issue....  I don't believe men should have a lot to say against this matter at all....  Women who have never had children, or who have had miscarriages, may not be the best advisors in this question either....  These women may be consciously or unconsciously jealous of other women's pregnancies...?   

If opponents of abortion have had a privileged life, they should be thankful; but they should realize that not everyone has the best life....  If people have steady employment, with reasonable pay; have a stable family; and have good health--physically and mentally, these are real advantages.  

A child can inherit traits from the mother or father, and pre-natal influences are important.  If a mother can go through a pregnancy healthfully, with a good mental attitude, I think that's necessary for the best foundation for the child....  But if she's distressed about the pregnancy for any reason, it's not going to be helpful...and even adoption might not be a good answer....  

Otherwise, I believe child-rearing is approximately a 20-year commitment...!  What are the assets of the mother, or parents...?  It's not just about being charmed by the thought of a cute, little baby...!  Life extends far beyond baby-hood.  

Recently, I learned about an organization called Catholics for Choice.  They say they represent the 60% of Catholics in the USA who support the right of abortion.  They also have concerns for women around the world, many who are poor and disadvantaged, who may or may not be helped by American government aid....  As the different political parties come into power in the United States, the funding is affected....  That's what I understand.  I appreciate the compassion of this organization above.  

Right now, the U.S. Supreme Court is working on a major abortion case....  I tried to read about it the other day but wasn't exactly clear on what the issues are...?  Will continue to study and to follow this matter....

Being Positive in a Troubled World

The police in the special police project have been trying to improve our society by helping with the LGBTQ needs, and with some reasonable abortion rights--to eliminate hostile prejudice--if possible.  I believe the police have been and are succeeding to some degree....  However, when we follow the world news it's evident there are a lot of problems.  Ukraine/Russia is the biggest story right now but there are troubles of many kinds at different times....

At my eighth-grade graduation service, long ago, some girls and I were asked to sing a song called "Let There Be Peace on Earth"--and "let it begin with me." [The song is available on YouTube, by various performers.]  This song came back to me recently.  We can't change everything but we can make choices about what we're going to do.  We can choose to help, in some way, rather than causing harm....  We can help our little corner of the world...or we can even contribute to people further away...!

"Let it begin with me!"

My Pamphlet--new amendment

 Here is a new page for the pamphlet I had written earlier....  The previous page of the pamphlet was posted on January 25, 2022.

I Was Railroaded...

Would like to say that I was railroaded to help with the special police project....  My dictionary says that one of the definitions of "railroad" is to get rid of, especially by sending to prison on a false charge....  The police didn't really want to get rid of me and they didn't actually keep me in prison for long...but they wanted to detain me--by various means--in order for me to help them....  This is a smaller group of mostly gay police, and the majority of police don't know about it or don't believe me yet!

The criminal concerns weren't completely untrue but in my opinion they were trivial....  It's been said the courts don't usually prosecute trivial matters.  And I took chances with the criminal matter only because I was trying to HELP the situation--I took a chance and lost....  The complainant was upset with me because of the former landlord/tenant matter, and I didn't realize how upset he was...!  [I believe--] He had his own ideas about the police project, which he had been led to believe, but I believe the police were actually using him and his participation....  

Besides working on the special project, I've had a lot of time for personal growth and spiritual growth....  The time hasn't been lost, even though most people around me don't know what's going on and my relationships have had some strain....  The police  involved have kept me at arm's length, for different reasons....  

My 4-part blog has been continuing since 2009....   I've said a lot about the police, and of course they could've shut me down if they really wanted to....  Some police have made civilized attempts to do that but I've been able to explain that the blog is helpful and necessary....  It's helpful for some purposes....  

One of these days--maybe soon--I hope that all the police and the public and myself will be on the same page with this matter...!  

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