The "pro-life" extremists' selective reading of the Bible

[theHandpuppet]

Hmmm.... seems the Judeo-Christian God didn't have any problem at all with the killing of men, women, children, fetuses, etc. I've never understood the twisted logic one must use in order to live by "God's word" or make any claims that God was even "pro-life". And the God of the Bible seems ready to dispatch folks for the slightest violation of his bizarre rules.

http://www.evilbible.com/Murder.htm

That God fellow worshipped by what I call the Leviticus Christians certainly is a bloodthirsty deity. And if we don't obey he threatens us with eternal torment. Nice fellow. What is that? Love me or I'll torture you for eternity? In some rational circles that might be called an abusive relationship.

:crazy:

[Cassandra]

1. Aside from that...

In Judaism, if there is a choice between the life and/or health of the mother or the child, the mother comes first and abortion is required.

[BolivarianHero]

2. lolevticus...

As if people still think that a code that applied exclusively to Hebrew clerics of the Levite tribe should have any bearing on today's reality.

[JoDog]

3. Please keep my Judeo

out of their Christian. The ancient Jews had very different ideas about abortion and when "life" begins that were laid down in their laws, and are still in traditional Jewish law today.

From the book of Exodus:

"And if men struggle and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall be fined as the woman's husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."

Notice, in the law, as believed given to the Jews straight from God, killing a woman is considered a capital offense. But causing a woman to miscarry is not on the same level as killing a person. It is treated as a crime against property.

Also in the Talmud, (sorry, I don't have the exact quote here), a midwife tending to a woman with a troubled pregnancy asked a rabbi if she could end the pregnancy if the mother's life was at stake. The rabbi told her, yes, she should, because the mother is the actual person--with family and perhaps other children who depend on her--and the fetus is a potential person. The fetus only has a competing claim on life if labor has begun. Even then, all things being equal, the mother's life and ability to have additional children should be preserved if possible. Also, Jewish midwives as early as the 10th/11th century were well-schooled in methods of birth control, and would prescribe them to women whose life would be endangered by additional pregnancies.

Even the process for naming a child underlines this. To this day, some older Jews think it is unlucky to call children by their names until they are at least 8 days old, when according to tradition, the soul finally takes residence in the body.