Jesus’ parable shows abortion a valid choice?
Rev. Matthew Westfox of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice… actually twist[s] one of Jesus’ parables into a pro-abortion defense…. Westfox wrote:
In the parable of the sower, Jesus reminds us that seed alone does not bring about new life — that all aspects of the conditions into which the seed are cast must be suitable to sustain life. If there is not enough light or too many weeds or other circumstances that make the ground unfit, the seed will not grow…. We do no service by trying to force life into places where the ground is not right.
Similarly, living out a pro-life theology means ensuring that those who want to create new life or parent a child never feel they cannot because the ground they stand upon is not suitable. It also means that no one should ever be coerced into bringing new life into a situation they do not believe is ready to sustain it. A truly pro-life theology means… we never force life into a situation that lacks one of the most fundamental ingredients of healthy ground — parents who are ready to love and welcome the child.
… So let’s get this straight, if two parents aren’t listening to Jesus and refusing to love then they should listen to Jesus by killing their child….
It’s one thing to ignore Jesus’ words, it’s entirely another to use them, to twist them to our own needs and philosophies. To use Jesus’ words to justify the killing of the unborn is a horror.
~Matthew Archbold, National Catholic Register, May 8
[Image via narrowgatejournal.wordpress.com]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Such a blatant misuse of the scripture.
I thought I’d heard it all before . . . now maybe I have! Truly a wolf in a sheep’s clothing!
Jesus explains this parable in detail, saying the seed is the Word of God. Four possible outcomes:
1) Satan comes to steal away the seed that falls by the wayside (the ravens eating it up).
2) Other seed falls on to stony ground (hearts) and though a person may receive it with gladness at first, it cannot grow roots (depth) and is scorched when the sun comes (he explains this is persecution & trials for the Word’s sake).
3) Jesus says the 3rd type is sown among thorns (the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things) which choke the Word & it becomes unfruitful.
4) Falling on good ground (a heart willing to receive it, prepared & helped by the Holy Spirit), the Word bears fruit 30, 60 or 100 fold (Wait! Extrapolating Mr. Westfox’s distortion, we then must have 30, 60 or 100 children?)
Jesus further emphasizes that if you do not understand this parable, you will understand none:
Know ye not his parable? and how then will ye know all parables? (Mark 4:13)
By this deadly perversion, Mr. Westfox clearly demonstrates he understands nothing Jesus taught or the reason He came to earth. In Mr. Westfox death-embracing manipulation of the Word of God, he makes any of those following him twofold the child of hell than himself (Matt 24:15).
And if parents find, after the child is born, that maybe they really were not ready for the daily struggles of child rearing, snuff ’em out, right?
I mean that IS what Westfox is saying. How could it matter whether the status of the unfit soil is pre- or post-birth? Doesn’t the parable say that some will grow, but later wither. I’d say, give it six or seven years. If things just aren’t working out, take them down to PP, admit your mistake, end the poor little ones life before it gets too horrible, and get on with yours.
After all, doesn’t it say “suffer the little children onto me”? What else could that mean except that, ok, sure, the children might suffer a bit as you snuff out their lives, but then they go to Jesus. Just like he asked us to do.
To useJesus’ words to justify the killing of the unborn is a horror.
Amen!! Abortion IS a horror!!
What the . . . I am not a theologian, but this is really a stretch.
I’m not surprised that he twists Jesus’ words around like this. An Episcopalian church around me states that the story about Jesus saving the adulterous woman from being stoned means that he supported all of women’s reproductive choices. Uh, okay.
I wonder where this sinister minister received his theological training? Even if the soil is “not right” for the birth mother, maybe there’s a family around that has rich, fertile ground that wants this “unwanted” child?
“Reverend” Westfox, you are a buffoon. Honestly. The parable is not referring to children but to the Word of God in the hearts of people. So lets just get that straight right off the bat. Secondly, a newly conceived child is not a seed. If you want a better analogy you would compare the “seed” to a man’s sperm.
Some people will die 2 hours after their life begins. Some people will die 100 years after their life begins. What does that prove? It proves that none of us are guaranteed a set amount of time on this earth. That doesn’t make some lives more valuable than others. God is the Creator of life and He gets to decide when life ends. Whether that be at 80 hours into gestation or 80 years post gestation. Any Christian ought to know that!
The RCRC displays their ignorance in their name: “Reproductive choice” would only apply to birth control. Abortion is about killing human beings that have already been reproduced. I realize they mean it as a euphemism, but it is a deadly and fallacious one.
Wow now I understand what the Bible talks about with men who twist the words of the Bible. This is truly disgusting!! Everything else in the Bible points to life. And this parable in particular is explicitly explained by Jesus about the Word of God in people’s hearts, not about babies.
Westfox (you are barely worthy of a name!!!!!!), does not Jesus, on numerous occasions, honor children? Faith as a child, let the little children come unto me, raising a young girl from the dead…. This is a total perversion of scripture. It makes me simultaneously sick and angry!!!!
I nosed around on his church’s website and it turns out his denomination is a mixture of Unitarian Universalist, United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ. All three pro-abortion denominations. Also the Unitarian Universalist believe in universal salvation, meaning that in the end everyone receives salvation regardless. So there are very few absolutes, sin is relative and you basically do what you want with no consequences either in this life or the next. So, it’s not surprising that he mixes pro-abortion sermons in with his pro-homosexual, anti-war, lets be nice to the terrorist junk. The church is very small, meeting in a home right now. They don’t appear to be very active, only doing small demonstrations in the past on behalf of “domestic terrorists” and a few local NYC things. So, my point is that as a writer for the RCRP and an associate pastor for a tiny, already extremely liberal church, perhaps he is just “preaching to the choir.” One can only hope that there aren’t many people actually listening to this guy.
http://www.shoutingitloud.com/
Even if we accept that there is some sort of parallel, his interpretation makes no sense. The equivalent of a seed here would be the egg or the sperm alone. No one is trying to “force life” into being. Pro-life people are not interested in seeds. We’re interested in a life that has already started to “germinate” that is ALREADY in being and growing with nothing at all standing in his or her way but time, nutrition, and his/her mother’s will.
Taking his nonsense back to the parable, I suppose Jesus was saying that if you have a hardened heart or are in other ways unopen to the word of God, you should just snuff out God in your life completely. You wouldn’t want to FORCE the word of God to try to grow in anyone who wasn’t in a perfect state of grace to receive it. According to rent a preacher here, the only people who should foster the word of God in their lives are those who are already in heaven and don’t need it.
I wonder how much this organization does to promote adoption?
I think the most appalling thing about this usage is that, the Parable of the Sower has basically just the one application: no matter how much you witness and preach, only some people are going to respond, period. It’s not about abortion, it’s not about having children. It is, in fact, very simple and straightforward in meaning. And just in case someone didn’t catch that meaning, Jesus helpfully goes the extra mile and tells us what He was talking about right there in the same chapter. Even if there were verses in the Bible that could support abortion (which there aren’t), this is not one of them. The only thing “Reverend” Westfox is demonstrating here is a lack of reading comprehension.
Wow, that is sad. He will be held accountable for twisting the Spriptures in such a warped way!
Please eplain why God orders giving a woman an abortificant if her husband suspects her of infidelity (as laid out in all of the Protestant translations, at least)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%205:11-31&version=NIV
Also, there is no indication in the parable that the sower would know what type of ground he is spreading the seed into. Jesus doesn’t say, “only spread seed into fertile soil”. He is telling us to spread seed liberally but don’t be surprised when they don’t all take.
And LibertyBelle, amen. This is exactly what the Word says about false teachers. This man will be held responsible for the people he has lead astray, not to mention the babies that were lead to death due to his influence.
I’m not familiar with that Chapter, rjw, but a quick reading does not seem at all to be problematic. For this seems to be a case when a woman has cheated on her husband and a way to test whether or not she has cheated. If she has cheated, then she knows that if she drinks the liquid, it will cause an abortion. That means that she will have caused the abortion by attempting to lie and say she didn’t cheat. If she didn’t cheat, then she can drink the liquid and God will keep her body from causing the abortion, and everything is fine. I don’t see how this passage is supposed to imply that if you want to not gain weight, then it is okay to have an abortion. Nothing in the passage claims that God approves of abortion. In fact, it proves just the opposite because again, the woman who has done evil chooses to undergo abortion (or thinks she can “pull a fast one” on God), and this is clearly depicted as a wicked and evil choice.
rjw918, I read the King James Version which I think is truest in translation. It says that the bitter water causes the belly to swell and the thigh to rot. It says nothing about causing a miscarriage like the NIV which is not a true translation imo. In fact, the “protestant” Bible that most fundamentalists use is the KJV. I looked up the passage in my catholic Bible (that I received at confirmation) and the Catholic Bible is almost word for word identical to the KJV Bible. So before you start spewing nonsense about “protestants” get your facts straight. Not all protestants are true Christians or even believe scripturally. And I can say the same about many Catholics.
Yeah, I think the NIV is problematic in places as well. I’m an ESV fan, which also goes with the “womb to swell and thigh to rot” translation. More likely, I think the “water that brings a curse” caused sterility, not miscarriage. And that reading is supported by verse 28, which says “f the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.” As in, not be barren or infertile.
Numbers 5:27 (King James Version)
27And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
This verse has nothing to do with abortion or miscarriage.
Westfox – a clear cut case of the blind leading the blind.
Pray God might open their eyes so they might truly see.
I keep hearing this guy described as a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but it’s worse than that. He’s a wolf in shepard’s clothing.
As for what he said, life is already there! This is a scientific and theological fact. Nobody is “forcing life into unsuitable ground” Besides, if he wants to use the bible to justify himself, then he’ll have to use a copy that’s missing some pretty important parts. “Thou shalt not kill” comes to mind.
rjw918 @
The scripture that you are referring to is a scripture that pro-aborts use as propoganda to try and spread the lie that God approves of abortion. The way they use that scripture is taken out of context. Furthermore, any serious Bible student will tell you that you do not create a doctrine based on one scripture reference. You must take the biblical writings as a whole picture. You simply cannot take one scripture, regardless of what you “think” it says and make a doctrine out of it. The bible is full of scripture that demands we respect life such as : ”For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them.Psalms 139: 13-16. and “Thou shall not kill”, and there are scriptures that say if someone causes a miscarriage they should be put to death (old testament). God does not contradict himself. The scripture in Psalms plainly says that God forms us in our mothers wombs and plans out our lives while we are still in the womb. To say that He then would think it ok to kill that child that he has just formed and planned out their life is ridiculous. That would make God a bit schizophrenic. So, this all by itself proves that the scripture you quoted does not mean what the pro-abortion propaganda says it does. No where in that scripture does it say that God made us wonderfully and knit us together and planned out days if and only if the parents want the child which is what the pro-abort camp says. It is a ridiculous line of thinking. Either God creates and expects us to respect that fact or He doesn’t . You guys can’t have it both ways. He also says that He HATES those that shed innocent blood. There is nothing more innocent than a baby curled up in it’s mothers womb. You shed it’s blood then you see how God feels about that! If I were to be considering if I were going to be an abortion advocate I would take that verse very seriously because it is serious and someday people who do this will give an account. http://www.shoutingitloud.com/
If an woman takes an abortifacient who is not pregnant, she still gets sick, cramps, bleeds, etc. Therefore the liquid described in the bible passage cannot be an abortifacient. The liquid is the means to delivering a curse upon a woman who lies about adultery on top of committing adultery.
The seed is the Word of God, which requires a properly disposed heart (good soil) to receive it and allow it to blossom and bear abundant fruit.
Littlle Matt demoinstrates for us that some hearts are truly stone, and cannot receive the Word of God, as they are devoid of all love. It is love that makes a heart of flesh, as opposed to a heart of stone. So little Matt will go the way of all with hearts so hardened that they cannot recognize or receive God’s word. Hell is that place/condition where humans who renounced love could never abide the One who is Love. We need to thank Mr. Westfox for illustrating exactly what Jesus was cautioning against.
“Wolf in Shepherd’s clothing”
Clever!
I have been told that a seed is actually an embryonic plant (as opposed to unfertilized). Oops, my mistake. It’s no wonder I can’t even keep weeds alive ;-)
In the passage from Numbers, I don’t see any indication that the woman is actually pregnant at the time she is accused. The curse seems to be referring to the future, in which she either will not conceive or (in one version of the text) miscarry. This would indeed by a curse, because in ancient Israel, women considered children their greatest blessing and the ability to bear children the worst of afflictions.
The Catholic New American Bible says her thighs will “waste away.” If I remember right, “thighs” is often an euphemism (I’m not sure if it’s in the original or the translation) for the genitals or perhaps in this case the whole reproductive system. So either way, she would not have the ability to conceive or carry a child.
His name should be Matthew “Fox-in-a Christian-Henhouse” ;)
CT, you are right. A seed is an embryonic plant – having already been fertilized.
It should surprise nobody that some people take the words of Christ and twist them to justify what ever sin they want to commit, or use it to lure others into commiting that sin.
Sometimes they really stretch it big to come up with a justification for the sin. But where there is a will, there is a way.
I am surprised Obama hasn’t made this guy head chaplain for the White House yet.
I agree with PhillyMiss:
Wonder how much this organization does to promote adoption?
I just heard this song on Christianrock.net and it made me think of this post.
Angel of Light by Petra
City lights are flashing, they call you to the streets
Hearts are filled with passion in everyone you meet
The Boulevard is waiting, it wants to get you high
Neon signs are waiting to sell you anything you want to buy
But I know your devices, it shouldn’t seem so odd
You lied from the beginning, I see through your facade
(Chorus)
Angel of light, I see you glow in the night
But you only bring darkness to my soul
Angel of light, You’re telling me wrong is right
I won’t let you’re evil take control
They follow in your footsteps not knowing that you fell
Bumper to bumper on the freeway to hell
You lead them into wrong and you make it look so right
You lead them into darkness and make them think you lead them into light
But I know where you’re going, too bad you’re not alone
If it wasn’t for the real light I might have never known
You got the clergy working overtime to widen the narrow way
You’ve got politicians everywhere listening to what you say
You’ve got false apostles teaching lies perverting the only way
You’ve got principalities and powers waiting to obey
You’ve got philosophies and vain deceipts lying to deceive
You’ve got hate, and greed, ungodly lusts in the deadly web you weave
Somehow you’ve got so many thinking you’re not even there
One look is all it takes to get them blinded by your glare
2 Corinthians 13-15 for a scriptural reference:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” Saint Augustine
shhh truthseeker…don’t give Obama any ideas!
This “rev” is nuts….the parable has nothing to do with abortion or allowing it!
Not your child, not your choice.
lilappleblossom, my neighbor’s kids aren’t mine, either. Is it ok if I watch my neighbors beat them to death and say nothing?
All you have is a mantra – no actual human logic.
Reminds me of an Obama rally.
“My neighbor’s kids aren’t mine, either. Is it ok if I watch my neighbors beat them to death and say nothing? All you have is a mantra — no actual human logic” (Kel).
All you have is a mantra — no actual human logic.
SO well said. Amen!
Lilappleblossom, to that I say: Not your life, not your choice!
That baby has a life of its own, and you have no right to snuff that life out.
Amen, LibertyBelle! (In the absence of a “like” button….)
Exactly. lilappleblossom – if there was slavery in the land, would you protest or try to free slaves? If there was a mom beating her kids in the grocery store – would you help get her children out of harm’s way? If there was a man abusing his wife, and you knew about it – would you try to save her; report him to the police?; try to get her to safe haven? If there were abuses at the hospital where you worked, and you knew that personnel were harming or killing their patients – would you report it?
what do all these scenarios have in common? humans in danger from other humans. And what should our human response be to the bigger, more aggressive humans prying on smaller more weak ones? Save the weaker humans from the more powerful (and indeed less humane) ones.
In abortion – saving the baby humans is indeed saving our weaker brothers and sisters in our human family. If we can spend much $ and effort saving the baby animals from death and abuse, we can also do that, and more, to save our baby humans.
After all – family is family – and being part of the human family is important. Save the weaker humans. not just some of them – but how about all of them – even the ones we can’t see.
Even if you want to extrapolate that the “water” in Numbers causes a miscarriage, you must also extrapolate that this is by the hand of God as punishment, not because the woman sought an abortion and the priest performed one. If she was not guilty of sin, the water had no effect. Since when would a little dirty water be considered an abortifacient anyway? It was punishment for the sin of adultery. The passage doesn’t say anything about the woman being pregnant anyway.
What those who do not have the “ears to hear” apparently can not see, is that the Bible from beginning to end is about LIFE. Life was called good. Children were a reward. Being barren was a curse. Living to see your children’s children was a blessing. Jesus Christ came “that you might have LIFE and have it more abundantly”. “the gift of God is eternal LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord”.
On the other hand – “by one man SIN entered the world, and so DEATH by SIN”.
“The wages of sin is DEATH” Therefore, anything that has to do with death, has to do with sin. The only reason any living thing dies is because of the sin of man, right up to and including killing a child that was known to God before He created the universe, no matter what developmental stage you happen to find that child in.