Abortion, Church And The Bible

I have attended evangelical churches who taught strictly from the Bible, churches whose pastors discussed societal and familial issues, and traditional denominational churches. Coincidentally, this covers 35 years, which is the same time that Roe v. Wade has been in effect. I have never heard one sermon or teaching on the atrocity of abortion. During that time, the pastors have mentioned a couple of times about the need for a "culture of life," and that was about it. Maybe I didn't attend the right church on the right Sunday, but I have a strong suspicion that most churches avoid the issue, just as our society does. I suppose they feel this is such a controversial subject that they don't want to upset the masses and have parishioners leave the church.

Maybe they are thinking that since abortion isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible then they don't need to discuss it. The word "abortion" isn't used, but, of course, the Bible is clear on its opposition to murder. Also, The Bible doesn't mention car bombs, shootings and the like, but they are all covered in the condemnation of murder in the Ten Commandments. Possibly, pastors may agree with many in our society that the unborn is not a person yet. There are instances in the Bible where the unborn is mentioned as a child. In Genesis 25-22, speaking of Rebekah, it says, "But the children struggled together within her." In Jeremiah 1-5 God said about Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations. " The Bible says in Luke 1-41, "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb." Thus abortion is the killing one of God's creations and consequently is an affront to God.

Another reason for this inaction on the abortion issue is that the churches may think that this is a political matter that has been already decided in the courts and the legislatures. On the contrary, I have heard many people say when the pro-life view is espoused that it's just the Christians trying to force their pro-life beliefs on everyone.

The Catholic Church may be the exception. In general, they are strong defenders of the unborn and at times are very vocal about it. Since I am not Catholic, I don't know how often it's discussed during mass. One interesting aspect is that in my state of New Mexico, the majority of Catholics are Democrats, and they vote for candidates who are strong proponents of abortion.

Shouldn't churches be leading the charge against such a horrendous act that kills 3,500 people a day in this country? Maybe Americans feel that if the churches don't find abortion immoral enough to lead an aggressive fight against it, then why should they. Possibly, pastors don't want to broach the subject because there might be members of the congregation who have had an abortion. I think one can balance their opposition to abortion along with compassion to someone who has had one.