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Justin (Wiccan)

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And I might as well own up to it.

Most people have seen through the pro-life adage that they're "Pro Life." Many of the "pro-life" politicians and leaders (and yes, I include folks like James Dobson, Randall Terry, Flip Benham, Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, Bob Enyart, et al) are not pro-life--they're pro-power, and are using the pro-life platform to gain political and social power.

No, it's not a "nice" thing to say ... but yeah, I have to stand behind the statement. To the best information I have, and to the best judgement that I can make based on my observations of the people involved, I present the above as an honest opinion.
 

ebenz47037

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Personally, I agree with you about "pro-life" politicians. Basically, if a politician moves his lips, he's lying. They're pro-life until they get what they want, which is to be elected into office.

Now, as to the Christians that you've mentioned, I don't necessarily agree with you. Most of us who are pro-life would be willing to take in several non-aborted children. A lot of us help pay for those children to be brought up, whether they stay with their mothers or not. Just because some of us are very vocal about our belief that abortion is wrong, that doesn't mean that we're showboating. The things that you don't hear about from the media count more than the things you hear about.
 

Turbo

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Justin (Wiccan) said:
And I might as well own up to it.



No, it's not a "nice" thing to say ... but yeah, I have to stand behind the statement. To the best information I have, and to the best judgement that I can make based on my observations of the people involved, I present the above as an honest opinion.
Upon what information and observations do you base your assertion that Bob Enyart is not truly pro-life?
 

Justin (Wiccan)

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Turbo said:
Upon what information and observations do you base your assertion that Bob Enyart is not truly pro-life?

Turbo, what I'm about to say is not some rhetorical jab--against you, Bob, or anyone else--to win a debate. It's not the mockery of a non-Christian--though I am not Christian, mockery is the farthest from my thoughts. It is most especially not the self-righteous judgementalism that some critics of Christianity display.

Being "pro-life" is not about telling lies. Yes, I know the pro-choice crowd is telling some lies about abortion, but so are a lot of the pro-choice. Every week, I hear more spinning on our side--ranging from the "Abortion-Breast Cancer Link" to "You'll be sterile." Turbo, each and every time someone on our side "spins" the facts on abortion, we lose ground, and the pro-life argument is weakened.

Being "pro-life" is not about seeking power. Turbo, I know you agreed with Bob's letter to James Dobson, but that was nothing more than an attempt to grab audience share--and it was seen as such by the pro-abortion side. This kind of behavior may gain Bob audience share at Dobson's expense, but the overall pro-life influence is diminished.

And frankly, the absolute worst thing that would happen is Enyart's pie-in-the-sky "Godly Government." Turbo, I say to you that one cannot eliminate abortion at the national level, the state level, or the municipal level by illegalizing it. The only way abortion will ever be eliminated is at the individual level, and this will not be accomplished by waving bloody posters around and telling abortion workers and clinic patients how evil they are. Abortion will never be eliminated by writing laws against it: it will only be eliminated by changing the hearts of the people, one heart at a time. This change of heart cannot be imposed by law, authority, or threat: it will only occur when that individual meets God.

And that's the basic, and fundamental, flaw of Enyart's proposed theonomy. You may end up with people who abide by the "Law," but that Law will never change the heart. Turbo, if Christians no longer trust the ability of God to change the heart, then let them go to imposing those changes by Law, if they can. But I tell you this--and you can tell Bob Enyart. If Bob ever succeeds in getting a "Christian Nation" according to the plans he delineated on the ShadowGov website, that will be the death-knell of the Christian Church in America. The Body of Christ will be supplanted by the State.
 

Crow

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Justin,

I'd have to disagree with you that Bob Enyart is not pro life. He's pro life at both ends of the lifespan, unless you count those who commit capital crimes, in which case he is decidedly pro-death.

As for power, he has very little. He's the pastor of a church that's not part of a large denomination, and he has a radio show that's not carried by the major stations. He is not a darling of nor does he endorse either of the major political parties. He, in fact, excorriates both of the major political parties on a regular basis. If he's making a play for power he's going about it badly.

This is the way that I see it.
 

Granite

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One Eyed Jack said:
I'm not pro-life. I'm anti-abortion.

Actually this is fairly accurate and more honest than one might think.

"Pro-life" advocates oppose, say, embryonic research that could be used to prolong life or heal disease. They are certainly "anti-life" in these scenarios.
 

Zakath

Resident Atheist
granite1010 said:
Actually this is fairly accurate and more honest than one might think.

"Pro-life" advocates oppose, say, embryonic research that could be used to prolong life or heal disease. They are certainly "anti-life" in these scenarios.
Many "pro-life" supporters have also been supporters of captial punishment and preemptive warfare. For such folks I think Jack's appelation, which focuses on a single issue, is more accurate.
 

allsmiles

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And frankly, the absolute worst thing that would happen is Enyart's pie-in-the-sky "Godly Government." Turbo, I say to you that one cannot eliminate abortion at the national level, the state level, or the municipal level by illegalizing it. The only way abortion will ever be eliminated is at the individual level, and this will not be accomplished by waving bloody posters around and telling abortion workers and clinic patients how evil they are. Abortion will never be eliminated by writing laws against it: it will only be eliminated by changing the hearts of the people, one heart at a time. This change of heart cannot be imposed by law, authority, or threat: it will only occur when that individual meets God.

I agree with Justin on this point, for the same reasons and for different ones. This seems to be an objection based on the moral condition of modern Americans. I don't think Enyart's vision for a biblical society is practically feasible, people just wouldn't stand for it. We're a tolerant nation, but we're not that tolerant. Abortion will only be eliminated by changing hearts, and this will not happen if it is enforced, it must be voluntary, but as for the establishment of a biblical society, it won't happen because it can't.
 

GuySmiley

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Justin (Wiccan) said:
Turbo, I know you agreed with Bob's letter to James Dobson, but that was nothing more than an attempt to grab audience share--and it was seen as such by the pro-abortion side. This kind of behavior may gain Bob audience share at Dobson's expense, but the overall pro-life influence is diminished.
I believe he was trying to influence James Dobson to change his strategy in shaping politics. I dont see how it diminished pro-life influence.

Turbo, I say to you that one cannot eliminate abortion at the national level, the state level, or the municipal level by illegalizing it. The only way abortion will ever be eliminated is at the individual level, and this will not be accomplished by waving bloody posters around and telling abortion workers and clinic patients how evil they are. Abortion will never be eliminated by writing laws against it: it will only be eliminated by changing the hearts of the people, one heart at a time. This change of heart cannot be imposed by law, authority, or threat: it will only occur when that individual meets God.
Justin, from what I've read from you before, you seem to be a fairly reasonable person, BUT . . . try to read what you posted here and replace the word "abortion" with "murder." Isn't that the pro-life postion? Abortion is murder. Fewer abortions are better than more abortions. Abortion will not be eliminated by making it illegal, but that is no excuse.

Greg
 

monochrome

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GuySmiley said:
Fewer abortions are better than more abortions. Abortion will not be eliminated by making it illegal, but that is no excuse.

Like all other tings, if abortion were illegalized, it would simply open another avenue for black market enterprise. Back-alley abortion would once again become a problem, as women who truely believe that what they do is not wrong go off to poor surgery in order to protect their "rights".

Prohibition didn't stop Capone.

- m -
 

Crow

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monochrome said:
Like all other tings, if abortion were illegalized, it would simply open another avenue for black market enterprise. Back-alley abortion would once again become a problem, as women who truely believe that what they do is not wrong go off to poor surgery in order to protect their "rights".

Prohibition didn't stop Capone.

- m -

Do you think that more or fewer people own slaves now that it is illegal to do so?
 

GuySmiley

Well-known member
monochrome said:
Like all other tings, if abortion were illegalized, it would simply open another avenue for black market enterprise. Back-alley abortion would once again become a problem, as women who truely believe that what they do is not wrong go off to poor surgery in order to protect their "rights".

Prohibition didn't stop Capone.

- m -
In similar fashion, when murder was illegalized, people murdered others in secret. We now have the problem of back-alley murders instead of the clean and neat state-sanctioned murders. The fact that murder is illegal also did not stop Capone.

Greg
 

monochrome

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Crow said:
Do you think that more or fewer people own slaves now that it is illegal to do so?

Do you think that Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in a country that was not his own had any effect on that? There are fewer slaves today because people realised it was wrong. Lincoln was just waving to the crowd.

- m -
 

monochrome

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GuySmiley said:
In similar fashion, when murder was illegalized, people murdered others in secret. We now have the problem of back-alley murders instead of the clean and neat state-sanctioned murders. The fact that murder is illegal also did not stop Capone.

Touche, but we do not teach murder to be correct in our schools or in pop-culture as a whole. It's a thin line, but I get your point.

- m -
 

Crow

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monochrome said:
Do you think that Abraham Lincoln freeing slaves in a country that was not his own had any effect on that? There are fewer slaves today because people realised it was wrong. Lincoln was just waving to the crowd.

- m -

All of a sudden, they collectively realized that slavery was wrong, so in 1864, everyone stopped doing it? The Confederate army said, "Hey, you're right, and went home and made the happy announcement?

We probably don't need any laws, then, do we? Since people refrain from wrongdoing just because they know it's wrong.

:darwinsm:
 

monochrome

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Crow said:
All of a sudden, they collectively realized that slavery was wrong, so in 1864, everyone stopped doing it? The Confederate army said, "Hey, you're right, and went home and made the happy announcement?

We probably don't need any laws, then, do we? Since people refrain from wrongdoing just because they know it's wrong.

I was saying that when Lincoln "Freed the slaves" he was not president of the Confederate nation. Therefore, any law he made regarding slavery only affected the north, where slavery was not nesarly as rampant.

We don't have slavery today because we know it to be wrong. I'm quite sure abortion was illegal back then, but recent political movements have decided that it is no longer wrong. The same could be done with slavery.

P.S., I'm not trying to be snide, I just kinds muffed up that last post to you. Peace.

- m -
 

Turbo

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monochrome said:
Touche, but we do not teach murder to be correct in our schools or in pop-culture as a whole.
Could that have something to do with the fact that murder is illegal?
 

Turbo

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Justin (Wiccan) said:
Being "pro-life" is not about telling lies. Yes, I know the pro-choice crowd is telling some lies about abortion, but so are a lot of the pro-choice. Every week, I hear more spinning on our side--ranging from the "Abortion-Breast Cancer Link"
You deny there is a link? Do you think those who present evidence for this link are lying and don't really believe there is a link? Upon what evidence do you make this claim?

Being "pro-life" is not about seeking power. Turbo, I know you agreed with Bob's letter to James Dobson, but that was nothing more than an attempt to grab audience share
So... your evidence that Bob Enyart is not truly pro-life is that he wrote an open letter criticizing out the failed political strategy of a popular pro-life leader and the vast majority of pro-life Christian, his core potential audience.

If Bob's primary goal were to gain the largest audience possible he wouldn't promote such unpopular views.

Do you deny that Bob really believes Dobson should stand by his promise from years ago and that pro-lifers supporting the Republican party has been counterproductive?

--and it was seen as such by the pro-abortion side.
I'm not hoping to gain favor from pro-aborts, and I'm sure Bob isn't either. But if your goal is to be popular among pro-aborts, then keep on advocating that murdering the unborn should be legal and you should do fine.

And frankly, the absolute worst thing that would happen is Enyart's pie-in-the-sky "Godly Government." Turbo, I say to you that one cannot eliminate abortion at the national level, the state level, or the municipal level by illegalizing it.
No one has claimed that a Godly government could eliminate crime. But just as with other crimes, that will minimize abortions, especially if the punishment is appropriate.

To think that we could eliminate murder by convincing every individual not to murder, all while keeping murder legal is truly "pie-in-the-sky."

The only way abortion will ever be eliminated is at the individual level, and this will not be accomplished by waving bloody posters around and telling abortion workers and clinic patients how evil they are.

I know members of Bob's church who minister outside a local abortion clinic any time they're operating, and they do use graphic signs and of course they tell the patients that they are about to commit murder. That's called telling the truth. And they have to hit hard because they don't have much time to make an impact. And guess what... they have saved many many babies.

Do you think they're really just seeking power, too?
Abortion will never be eliminated by writing laws against it: it will only be eliminated by changing the hearts of the people, one heart at a time. This change of heart cannot be imposed by law, authority, or threat: it will only occur when that individual meets God.
Frankly, getting people to not want to slaughter their unborn children is not as important as preventing children from being slaughtered. So if people only refrain from committing murder because they fear punishment, the would-be murderers still sin but their would-be victims much prefer that over being murdered.

And that's the basic, and fundamental, flaw of Enyart's proposed theonomy. You may end up with people who abide by the "Law," but that Law will never change the heart.
Should we therefore decriminalize all murder, as well as rape and theft and every other crime?

In addition to protecting would-be crime victims, good laws help people to correctly recognize right and wrong, and to recognize that they are sinners in need of the Savior. Also, people are more willing to believe that a just God exists when they see justice carried out. (Of course the majority will still reject God.)

Turbo, if Christians no longer trust the ability of God to change the heart, then let them go to imposing those changes by Law, if they can.
:duh: God calls governing authorities His ministers, and tells them to punish criminals. That's one of the methods God uses to draw people to Him.



I see lots of evidence in this post that perhaps you are not pro-life, but none that suggests that Bob Enyart is not.
 
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