A Brief Primer On The Worldviews Of Abortion

Some of the best Confessional Lutheran content can be found on Facebook thanks to the Lutheran Pastors who regularly contribute there.

Take, for instance, this commentary on abortion from Pastor Matt Richard. This is powerful in its simplicity and I encourage you to bookmark and share this whenever and wherever you can!

A Brief Primer On The Worldviews Of Abortion 

With respect to Abortion, there are two prevalent and opposing worldviews: 

- Worldview #1 views the issue of Abortion 'exclusively' through the eyes of the mother (1 person). 

- Worldview #2 views the issue of Abortion 'primarily' through the eyes of the baby (2 persons). 

And so, for Worldview #1, Abortion is viewed as an asset because of what it does solely for the mother. Whereas, Worldview #2 views Abortion as a threat because of what it does primarily to the baby. 

Now, for 'Worldview #1' to not trouble the conscience: 1) the baby in the womb must be dehumanized (i.e., be seen as a cluster of cells, parasite, curse, etc.). The baby must be seen as something that is disposable and morally inconsequential; 2) the reason for the Abortion must be framed within a noble cause (i.e., it saves the mother's life, it is a compassionate solution to rape, etc.). Once dehumanized and noble causation is reached, Worldview #1 can be viewed as morally good and the conscience relieved. 

Problems arise, though, when Worldview #2 humanizes the child in the womb and asserts that the majority of abortions in America are 'not' done for noble causes but rather for social and economic reasons. In a word, Worldview #2 dismantles the presuppositions of Worldview #1 and pricks the conscience. Once pricked, those subscribing to Worldview #1 will push back to keep the conscience at peace to feel morally justified. 

Keep in mind that Worldview #2 does not exclude the mother in its assessment. But instead, it views medical and moral issues through the lens of the baby first (i.e., the weaker) and the mother second (i.e., the stronger). Mark this; the strong always serve the vulnerable, which is exactly why Worldview #1 is morally suspect and deficient -- it fails to acknowledge the weak (i.e., baby) and only addresses the strong (i.e., mother). It only addresses 1 person. Whereas, Worldview #2 addresses 2 people - the vulnerable baby first and the stronger mother second.

 

NOTE: Please understand that I'm not a called and ordained minister of God's Word and Sacraments. I'm a layman or just your average everyday Christian, Corporate Healthcare Recruiting Manager, Husband, Father, Friend who lives in the "City of Good Neighbors" here on the East Coast in Buffalo, NY. As another Christian Blogger once wrote, "Please do not see this blog as me attempting to 'publicly teach' the faith, but view it as 'an informal Public Journal of sorts' about my own experiences and journey." So if any of my notes here help you in any way at all, then I say, "Praise the Lord! Thanks be to God!" but please do double check them against the Word of God and with your own Pastor at all times. Trust, but always verify. To be more specific, and relevant to the point I want to make with this lengthy disclaimer/note, please understand that I'm a relatively new convert to "Confessional Lutheranism" and one who recently escaped an American-Evangelical-Non-Denominational mindset a little more than 7 years ago now despite being a Christian my whole life. That being said, please contact me ASAP if you're a Lifelong Lutheran who believes that any of my "old beliefs" seem to have crept their way back into any of the material you see published here, and especially if any of the content is inconsistent with the Bible, our Confessions, and Lutheran doctrine in general (in other words, if it's not consistent with God's Word, which our Confessions merely summarize and repeatedly point us back to over and over again) so that I can not only correct those errors immediately and not lead any of His little ones astray (James 3:1), but so that I can also repent of my sin and learn the whole truth myself. With that in mind, please be aware that you might also discover that some of the earlier/older pieces I wrote for this blog back in 2013 definitely fall into that "Old Evangelical Adam" category (and they don't have a disclaimer like this) since I was a "Lutheran-In-Name-Only" at the time and was completely oblivious to the fact that a Christian "Book of Concord" even existed (Small/Large Catechism? What's that!?!). This knowledge of the Lutheran B-A-S-I-C-S was completely foreign to me even though I was baptized, confirmed, and married in an LCMS church! So, there are some entries that are a little more "out there" so-to-speak since the subject matter was also heavily influenced by those old beliefs of mine. I know that now and I'm still learning. Anyway, I decided to leave those published posts up on this website and in cyberspace only because they are not blasphemous/heretical demanding I correct them or take them down entirely, but because I now have this disclaimer, and only to demonstrate the continuing and sanctifying work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in my life from then until now (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6). Most importantly, please know that any time I engage in commenting on and/or interpreting a specific portion of the Holy Scriptures, it will always closely follow the verse-by-verse footnotes from my own Lutheran Study Bible and/or include references to the Book of Concord unless otherwise noted. Typically, I will defer to what other Lutheran Pastors both past and present have already preached and taught about such passages too since they are the called and ordained under-shepherds of our souls here on earth. Finally, I'm going to apologize ahead of time for the length of most entries (this disclaimer/note is a perfect example of what I mean by that! haha). I'm well aware that blogs should be short, sweet, and to the point, but I've never been one to follow the rules when it comes to writing. Besides, this website is more like a "Christian Dude's Diary" in the sense that everything I write about and share publicly isn't always what's "popular" or "#Trending" at the time, but is about all the things that I'm studying or thinking about myself at the moment instead. For better or for worse, these posts tend to be much longer than most blog entries you'll find elsewhere only because I try to pack as much info as possible into a single piece so that I can refer to it again and again over time if I need to (and so that it can be a valuable resource for others -- if possible, a "One-Stop-Shop" of sorts where I've done all the research for you already to help save you valuable time). Thank you for stopping by and thank you in advance for your time, help, and understanding. Feel free to comment/email me at any time. Grace and peace to you and yours!