Genesis and The Sanctity of Life
Does the Bible endorse capital punishment?
Is abortion wrong?
Is euthanasia wrong?
The Bible and the Western World.
The Christian foundations of the rule of law in the West: a legacy of liberty and resistance against tyranny.
by Augusto Zimmermann. Creation.com
According to the tradition of the rule of law in the West, to be under law presupposes the existence of certain laws serving as an effective check on arbitrary power.
The rule of law is therefore far more than the mere existence of positive laws, as it also requires the state to act in accordance with principles of a ‘higher law’.
The Bible has been historically recognized as the most important book for the development of both the rule of law and democratic institutions in the Western world.
However, we have seen over these last decades a deep erosion of individual rights, with the growth of state power over the life and liberty of individuals.
If the future we want for ourselves and our future generations is one of freedom under law, not absolute subjection to the arbitrary will of human authorities, we will have to restore the biblical foundations for the rule of law in the Western world. As such, the rule of law talks about the protection of the individual by God-given liberties, rather than by an all-powerful, law-giving government endowed by god-like powers over the civil society. The modern roots of our individual rights and freedoms in the Western world are found in Christianity. The recognition by law of the intrinsic value of each human being did not exist in ancient times. Among the Romans, law protected social institutions such as the patriarchal family but it did not safeguard the basic rights of the individual. Creation.com
If the future we want for ourselves and our future generations is one of freedom under law, not absolute subjection to the arbitrary will of human authorities, we will have to restore the biblical foundations for the rule of law in the Western world. As such, the rule of law talks about the protection of the individual by God-given liberties, rather than by an all-powerful, law-giving government endowed by god-like powers over the civil society. The modern roots of our individual rights and freedoms in the Western world are found in Christianity. The recognition by law of the intrinsic value of each human being did not exist in ancient times. Among the Romans, law protected social institutions such as the patriarchal family but it did not safeguard the basic rights of the individual. Creation.com
St Augustine of Hippo once wrote that an unjust law is a contradiction in terms. For him, human laws could be out of harmony with God’s higher laws, and rulers who enact unjust laws were wicked and unlawful authorities.
St Augustine of Hippo once wrote that an unjust law is a contradiction in terms. For him, human laws could be out of harmony with God’s higher laws, and rulers who enact unjust laws were wicked and unlawful authorities.
In The City of God, St Augustine explains that a civil authority that has no regard for justice cannot be distinguished from a band of robbers.
‘Justice being taken away, then, what are kingdoms but great robberies?
Creation.com
In the same way, St Thomas Aquinas considered an unjust law a ‘crooked law’, and, as such, nobody would have to obey it. For St Aquinas, since God’s justice was the basic foundation for the rule-of-law system, a ‘law’ that prescribed murder or perjury was not really law, for people would have the moral right to disobey unjust commands. Rulers who enact unjust law cease to be authorities in the rightful sense, becoming mere tyrants.
In the same way, St Thomas Aquinas considered an unjust law a ‘crooked law’, and, as such, nobody would have to obey it. For St Aquinas, since God’s justice was the basic foundation for the rule-of-law system, a ‘law’ that prescribed murder or perjury was not really law, for people would have the moral right to disobey unjust commands. Rulers who enact unjust law cease to be authorities in the rightful sense, becoming mere tyrants.
The word ‘tyranny’ comes from the Greek for ‘secular rule’, which means rule by men instead of the rule of law.
Creation.com
The Bible and the Western World.
We often think of Persecution of Christians in terms of countries like North Korea where it is illegal to own a Bible and people have to worship the emperor, where Christians are tortured and imprisoned and ridden over by steam rollers
Or we think of countries that are similar, like travelling back in time to the dark ages. In these places people are hung from cranes and are beaten in public and thrown in containers and others prisons. Women are treated as inferior and tyrants rule through fear.
The Bible and the Western World.
However in the West the tide has turned against Christianity as it has slowly but surely been eroded by humanistic views and the pseudo science of evolution taught in the public schools and universities. Where the moral behaviour described by the Bible as an abomination to God is paraded in public and flaunted openly and those who speak out against it or don’t condone it are vilified and scorned and prosecuted.
The Bible and the Western World.
The worst countries for Christian persecution have been named and shamed. Christian charity Open Doors released its annual list of countries that are hostile to worshippers with North Korea topping the list. Every day millions of Christians around the world are persecuted for their faith. They are often intimidated, abused and in fear for their lives all because they accept Jesus as Lord.
https://www.premier.org.uk/ Topics/ Society/ Religion/ Persecution-in-the-West
The Bible and the Western World.
To us Christians in the West this kind of persecution is unthinkable and sometimes too difficult to comprehend. But is intolerance of Christians slowly creeping in to British life? Is faith being pushed out of public life in Britain?
Is it time Christians took more of a stand to reclaim their place in society? https://www.premier.org.uk/ Topics/ Society/ Religion/ Persecution-in-the-West
The Bible and the Western World.
Nurse Caroline Petrie faced the sack after offering to pray for a sick patient. The patient complained to nurse Petrie’s bosses saying that although she was not offended this kind of behaviour could easily offend.
School receptionist, Jennie Cain was threatened with dismissal after she sent an email to friends from her church asking them to pray for her daughter who had been told off in school for talking about Jesus.
The Bible and the Western World.
A foster carer was told that she would be struck off the carer list for allowing a Muslim girl in her care to convert to Christianity.
Christians groups are starting to make noise about how political correctness is becoming a dangerous tool for those who feel the faith has no place in secular society.
https://www.premier.org.uk/ Topics/ Society/ Religion/ Persecution-in-the-West
Foster parent who has looked after 80 children struck off...because a Muslim girl in her care became a Christian
By JONATHAN PETRE, MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER
UPDATED: 22:11 GMT, 7 February 2009
The Everlasting Covenant and Choices.
After the flood, God instituted The Everlasting Covenant.
Genesis 9:5,6.
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.
I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being. Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
The Everlasting Covenant and Choices.
Genesis 9:15-17.
I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.
So God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.
The Everlasting Covenant and Choices.
Those who object to a murderer being put to death, I pose this question.
Would you prefer that God once again pours out His judgement as He did in the flood, because that is exactly what the Bible says is going to happen.
Man has chosen to break this covenant and once again the consequences of his choice are clear for us to see in Scripture.
Isaiah 24:1-6.
See, the Lord is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor.
The Everlasting Covenant and Choices.
Isaiah 24:1-6.
The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The Lord has spoken this word.
The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers, the heavens languish with the earth.
The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.
God’s view on abortion.
There are two main issues to consider:
Is the unborn child (“fetus”) a human being?
If so, is it ever acceptable to kill the unborn?
The answer to both questions is found in the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis.
…and Rebekah his [Isaac’s] wife conceived, and the children struggled together within her… (Genesis 25:21-22).
God’s view on abortion.
Note that Rebekah’s unborn twins, Jacob and Esau, are referred to as “children” (the Hebrew word used, banim, plural of ben), commonly refers to children after birth, and often has a more specific meaning “sons.”
The New Testament uses the usual Greek word for baby, brephos, to refer to the unborn John the Baptist, who “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb” because of the presence of the unborn Christ (Luke 1:41-44).
God’s view on abortion.
Psalms 139:13-16.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 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. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
Unborn babies are not disposable clumps of tissue, despite the claims of many pro-abortionists. They are always human right from fertilization, because all the DNA coding needed to build each individual’s physical features is there in the fertilized egg.
God’s view on abortion.
Jeremiah 1:5.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
Exodus 21:22.
If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.
God’s view on abortion.
There are four basic types of abortion being performed in America today, while two more types may be added in the near future.
First, there's the suction type abortion:
This is where the unborn child is literally vacuumed from the mother's womb during the early stages of pregnancy.
The currette-type abortion:
The child is cut from the mother's womb with a spoon-like object.
A third type is similar to a Caesarean operation.
The baby is surgically removed from the mother and allowed to suffocate, because the child's lungs aren't developed.
God’s view on abortion.
The fourth type of abortion is the Salt Brine technique:
With this method, the unborn child is literally "pickled" to death by the injection of a strong salt solution. A few days after the injection the child is still born.
There is currently much debate about partial-birth abortions:
This is where a child is partially delivered, then stabbed in the skull to have his or her brains sucked out.
Ninety-three percent of all abortions in America are performed just because someone doesn't want a child!
Calling evil good . (Grant Phillips)
Clean movies have been replaced with trash.
If a lady is raped, she is more on trial than the rapist. In other words, the offended is persecuted, while the offender is defended.
The prisons are overflowing because murderers aren’t executed, and convicts are paroled so they can commit more crimes.
Ban prayer at the ballgame, but cuss all you want.
Bible stories have been removed from the schools, and replaced with free condoms.
The 10 Commandments have been replaced with pornography.
Capitalism is being thrown out the window, so we can have socialism.
Parents are told not to discipline their children physically contrary to scripture and the results are seen in children who are disrespectful to parents and to everyone in authority. More and more little kids with discipline problems are then given the world's solution to discipline called "mind altering drugs".
Good and evil. (Don Koenig)
Addictions and character flaws are now called diseases so everyone is a victim and no one is accountable for their own choices and actions anymore. Any moral failings will be blamed on the "disease" they have.
Homosexuality is being pushed as normal behaviour even though the Bible, common sense, medical science and nature testifies that the practice is unhealthy and that this practice is abominable.
Abortion is state sponsored and encouraged. Therefore, instead of unborn children being a blessing from God the lack of children will be a curse to many nations. When the present generation ages there will be few to support them. The young will then find ways to get rid of the old.
Euthanasia.
Euthanasia is the idea that a patient can choose to end their own life with a doctor’s help. Belgium now allows children of any age to choose euthanasia.
Death is an enemy, an enemy that only Jesus Christ can and will destroy (1 Corinthians 15:26). If death cannot be avoided—and it cannot—many of us would like some control over how and when it happens. After all, we as adults do not like relinquishing the independence we spent our entire lives acquiring! As people around the world grapple with the issue of whether euthanasia (“mercy killing”) and physician-assisted suicide should be legal, it is the desire to retain control over our lives until the end that motivates many to push for a legal “right to die” on their own terms.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
From the New Zealand Catholic Bishops.
Life is full of blessings, challenges and opportunities. Even dying brings its own unique blessings, challenges and opportunities. ‘Dying well’ is as important as reaching our potential at school and at work, or finding happiness and fulfilment within our families and with our friends. The work of dying well often involves the healing and/ or deepening of relationships.
In 1995 we wrote:
“Euthanasia occurs when a doctor, not an illness, kills a patient.”
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
At that time we drew attention to a very important distinction: it is one thing to withhold or withdraw extraordinary methods of keeping a person alive when it is no longer sensible to do so; it is another thing to do something, or omit to do something for the purpose of terminating a person’s life. In the former case, we are simply allowing a person to die. In the latter case, we are killing.
Even if it is done for what seems a good reason, (e.g. to prevent suffering), and even if it is done with the patient’s consent, it is still killing.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
In a society in which many regard suffering as meaningless and intolerable, euthanasia is presented as a way of avoiding suffering. This can be made to look like an attractive option, or even a right. But to legalize the killing of those who are suffering would be to introduce a whole new, and dangerous, dimension to society.
What kind of society would we have if euthanasia were legalized? People with advanced progressive illnesses, or simply in old age, may well find it difficult to trust their doctors and nurses. We need to ask: What would that do for the regard we have traditionally had for the medical and nursing professions? How would this impact on the ability of doctors and nurses to help those who are not quite sure they can trust them?
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
The experience of those countries that have already legalised euthanasia shows that the demand for euthanasia cannot be limited to a carefully defined group.
In the Netherlands euthanasia was initially only available to dying adults with terminal illness who were able to give informed consent and who repeatedly requested euthanasia. Since 1973 all of these restrictions have fallen away and lethal injections can now be given to newborns and teenagers with disabilities, as well as to persons with dementia and depression. In some of these cases there is no explicit request from the person concerned for euthanasia.
The commands of God about not committing murder is thrown aside by our modern day lawmakers.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
Euthanasia or assisted suicide—and sometimes both—have been legalized in a small number of countries and states.
In all jurisdictions, laws and safeguards were put in place to prevent abuse and misuse of these practices.
Prevention measures have included, among others, explicit consent by the person requesting euthanasia, mandatory reporting of all cases, administration only by physicians (with the exception of Switzerland), and consultation by a second physician.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
The present paper provides evidence that these laws and safeguards are regularly ignored and transgressed in all the jurisdictions and that transgressions are not prosecuted.
For example, about 900 people annually are administered lethal substances without having given explicit consent, and in one jurisdiction, almost 50% of cases of euthanasia are not reported.
Although the initial intent was to limit euthanasia and assisted suicide to a last-resort option for a very small number of terminally ill people, some jurisdictions now extend the practice to newborns, children, and people with dementia. A terminal illness is no longer a prerequisite.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
In the Netherlands, euthanasia for anyone over the age of 70 who is “tired of living” is now being considered. Legalizing euthanasia and assisted suicide therefore places many people at risk, affects the values of society over time, and does not provide controls and safeguards.
In all jurisdictions, the request for euthanasia or PAS has to be voluntary, well-considered, informed, and persistent over time. The requesting person must provide explicit written consent and must be competent at the time the request is made.
Despite those safeguards, more than 500 people in the Netherlands are euthanized involuntarily every year.
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
Assisted suicide may be growing in popularity, but opponents continue to speak out about the dangers of its legalization.
While ostensibly meant for those suffering from a terminal illness who are seeking “death with dignity,” the reality is that the most vulnerable people become victimized by it — those who are elderly, disabled, poor, or ill.
One mother found this out firsthand after a doctor pressured her to have her disabled daughter euthanized, within earshot of her daughter.
Canada legalized assisted suicide in June of 2016, and just one year later, the horrific consequences are already being felt. Sheila Elson’s 25-year-old daughter, Candice Lewis, has spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and chronic seizure disorder. Elson took Lewis for treatment at Labrador-Grenfell Health in Newfoundland after Lewis became sick.
Canada legalized assisted suicide in June of 2016, and just one year later, the horrific consequences are already being felt. Sheila Elson’s 25-year-old daughter, Candice Lewis, has spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and chronic seizure disorder. Elson took Lewis for treatment at Labrador-Grenfell Health in Newfoundland after Lewis became sick.
While Lewis was in the room, a doctor approached Elson, and broached the topic of euthanizing Lewis
The Dangers of Euthanasia.
Doctors at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, known as SickKids, have laid out a “road map” for killing their patients, including cases in which they would do so without parental permission.
In the proposed policy published in the British Medical Journal’s Med Ethics, backed by the University of Toronto’s Joint Centre for Bioethics, doctors, administrators, and ethicists look at the “ethical challenges of providing Medical Assistance in Dying in a paediatric setting” and outline how assisted suicide would play out for children at Sick Kids. Their flowchart does not include discussing assisted suicide with parents until a “reflection period” occurs after the child has already been killed.
The Bible and the Western World.
The ongoing persecution of Christians has been a sad reality in many parts of the world. Brutality at the hand of those who want to extinguish Christians, state-sanctioned violence, and Islamic extremists all play a sad role. Persecution has been something Christians here tend to dismiss as an "over there" issue.
I firmly believe there is a trend being established in the Western world. It's subtle in nature, but if you are carefully watching what is going on in media, entertainment, government, and sadly some ministries, you will discern that the tide of public opinion is rapidly turning against true Bible-believing Christians. It is time for followers of Jesus to get ready for persecution in the West.
https://www.christianpost.com/ voice/ christians-get-ready-for-persecution-in-the-west.html
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the NIV:
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations taken from the NASB:
New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. (http://www.lockman.org)