Righteous Abortion: How Conservative Christians Promote What They Claim to Hate
Valerie Tarico printable version print page     Bookmark and Share
Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 07:06:17 PM EST
One of the great ironies of American society is that most abortions in the U.S. are caused by conservative Christians. Read the statistics: Forty nine percent of pregnancies in this country are unintended, a rate that has been painfully stable for almost 30 years. Almost half of those pregnancies end in abortion. Or, to turn it around, over 90% of U.S. abortions are the result of accidental pregnancy. U.S. rates of unwanted pregnancy and abortion far exceed any other country with similar economic development.  So does our rate of religiosity.  The fact that we are outliers on both is not a coincidence.
Three aspects of conservative Christianity promote abortion:  pro-natalism, an obsession with sexual sin, and an emphasis on righteousness over compassion.  
  1. Biblical Christianity is not pro life. It is not even pro human life. Steven Pinker recently estimated that the Old Testament alone describes 1.2 million deaths at the hand of Yahweh or his servants. It is, however, pro-birth. Be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 1:28) Women will be saved through childbearing. (1 Timothy 2:15). Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant reformation, put it in his own words: "If a woman grows weary and at last dies from childbearing, it matters not.  Let her only die from bearing; she is there to do it." Christian competitive breeding, a strategy for increasing adherents, is at the heart of the Catholic anti-contraceptive stance and the Protestant Quiverfull movement.  
    2.    
  2. Mama's baby, papa's maybe. We all know what it means. By the time the Abrahamic religions emerged, the male desire to invest in only their own offspring had taken the form of men owning women. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. (Exodus 20:17) Women caught in adultery (or missing their hymens) were killed by the ancient Hebrews, just as they are by conservative Muslims today. The Christian obsession with sexual sin or rather with female purity has produced the American virginity myth. In contrast to more secular, open societies, American teens typically don't seek contraception for a year after becoming sexually active. Contraception would make them guilty of the sin of premeditated sex.
    3.    
  3. 38,000. That's the number of Christian denominations. Ever wondered why? Traditional Christianity is about right belief, orthodoxy, not about right living. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. Acts 16:31 Contrast this with the central virtue of Buddhism, ahimsa, or non-harm. "Catholic" (meaning universal) and "Orthodox" (meaning right belief) are competing turf stakes from one of the first splits after Christianity beat out paganism. But schism and fracture are just one consequence of beliefism. Many believers would rather be right than in community. They'd rather be right than compassionate. They'd rather be right than solve problems. They would rather oppose abortion than prevent it.    

The numbers are in. The most effective way to reduce abortion is to de-stigmatize sexual education, de-mythologize virginity, and invest in broad access to the most effective contraceptives available. In the secular Netherlands, that formula has knocked abortion down to 7 per 1000 women annually, one third the U.S. rate. So why does the Religious Right keep their focus on restrictive laws instead of contraceptive access? Why do they promote person-rights for zygotes, in contradiction to the very essence of personhood?  Why do they oppose medically accurate sex ed? Why do they pledge to defund Title X family planning?

Because abortion isn't really what interests them. They want purity. They want righteousness. Many want designated breeders. Even those who don't consciously promote more births are subject to the competitive strategies that were baked into the desert religions from the beginning.

 The world is on the cusp of a contraceptive revolution. Compared to the best birth control available to your parents (the Pill), latest generation long-acting reversible contraceptives, also known as LARCs, drops accidental pregnancy by 10 to 50 fold. Each year one in twelve women on the Pill gets pregnant. Over a lifetime, that's two or three extra pregnancies per woman - unsought children or abortions. With a Mirena IUD or Nexplanon, that drops to one in 500, because a LARC toggles the fertility default to "off."  If that wasn't enough, some LARC's also get rid of that messy monthly uncleanness (Leviticus 15:19-24) brought on by Eve's curse.

Someone who wanted to prevent abortions would advocate showcasing LARCs in every teen health class in the country. They would make sure that the most effective contraceptives available were available to all. They would be more focused on wise childbearing than on virginity. Those who say they are all about ending abortion, don't--because they aren't.

This is Trust Women Week, a week to honor the moral and spiritual wisdom that women invest in our reproductive decisions. Join the virtual march. Listen to Deborah or Deb or Angela or Joy tell her abortion story at the 1 in 3 campaign. If you are ready, tell yours.  And spread the word!

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington.  She is the author of Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light and Deas and Other Imaginings, and the founder of www.WisdomCommons.org.  Her articles can be found at Awaypoint.Wordpress.com.



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Righteous Abortion: How Conservative Christians Promote What They Claim to Hate | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)
This is as shallow and arrogant (none / 0)
an article as I have ever read at this site. Does not reflect the level of research and civility I would expect to see. I am disappointed to see pro-life people referred to with such disdain. To say we want designated breeders is to give in to the most vile, stereotypical form of discourse possible about this issue.

by gregmetzger on Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 11:31:30 PM EST
You're delusional (1.00 / 1)
But we already knew that, since you believe in invisible men and a book written by illiterate desert nomads and 1st century con-artists. Well, at least the books you actually know who authored them, which is very few. Adults with imaginary friends are dangerous, time to grow up and join reality! The government has no right to tell anyone what they can and can't do with their bodies.

by Fisheswithfeet on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 12:44:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Before you comment... (none / 0)
please read the site guidelines:

http://www.talk2action.org/special/site_guidelines

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"I believe in a President whose views on religion are his own private affair" - JFK, Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
by hardindr on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 02:01:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]


Fisheswithfeet (none / 0)
Clearly you did not read the Terms of Service before you checked off the box stating that you would agree to them and to follow the site guidelines.  This site does not debate theology; and arguments between belief and non-belief is strictly off topic.  

We expect and encourage a culture of mutual respect, because it is the right thing to do; because it makes for good politics, and because sneer and smear tactics destroy our abilities to acquire knowledge, to converse about it sensibly and to learn how to use what we know to best advantage in our scholarship, our reporting and in our political work.

Since we founded this site in 2005, we have had many kinds of people participating, religious and non-religious, Christian and non-Christian. And we are grateful for this.  All are welcome and we want all to feel welcome.  Those who cannot or will not participate in accordance with our unambiguous and perfectly reasonable site rules should go elsewhere.

A repeat performance Fishwithfeet, will be grounds for immediate banning.


by Frederick Clarkson on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 03:24:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]



Even though... (none / 0)
I am sympathetic to some of the arguments made by the author, I have to agree with the person above.  This sounds more like an over-heated blog post than the thoughtful and considered work I am used to here at talk2action.

Also, I wouldn't cite Steven Pinker's work.  It's very difficult to put numbers in mass deaths in the ancient world, even harder when many of them are likely exaggerations or even wholly mythical, as many of the events in the Old Testament are.

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"I believe in a President whose views on religion are his own private affair" - JFK, Address to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association
by hardindr on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 12:55:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]


You know--I agree with you about incivility. (none / 0)
My language was provocative,even rude. I apologize if it is out of line for Talk2Action.  I hope I didn't convey that all people who have qualms about abortion are driven by these theological priorities.    

But are the numbers and arguments inaccurate?  As far as I can discern, conservative Christian opposition to contraception and reproductive education has caused--is causing--untold suffering in this world. And, from a multivariate standpoint, causing abortion. Reliably, predictably so.  

Secondarily, as I can tell, complementarianism is indeed about safeguarding a cadre of designated breeders.  Competitive breeding is a strategy that has been used by political as well as religious tribal groupings.  For example, after the war that the Vietnamese call the American War, as things were heating up between Vietnam and China, a variety of pro-natalist policies were put in place to ensure a sufficiency of Vietnamese foot soldiers.  The Quebecois similarly have implemented pronatalist strategies in an attempt to secure and advance their cultural territory.    

Do you know of anti-abortion groups in this country who are working to secure contraceptive access and education?  If so, I would like to know about them.  

by Valerie Tarico on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 04:16:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]



Even if you find it offensive (none / 0)
What about her point that many more abortions could be avoided just by preventing accidental pregnancies than by working to stop abortions directly. Canada has comprehensive sex education, easy access to contraceptives and abortions, and has a lower rate of abortions than the US. Why is preventing the need for abortions so foreign to the conservative part of the Church in America, then, if the motive of raising large Christian families is untrue and offensive?

by arachne646 on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 06:43:50 AM EST
Because... (none / 0)
it would entail acknowledging that human beings have sex for reasons outside of procreation.

by phatkhat on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 03:08:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]


The closing (none / 0)
paragraph reveals that this article is more about agenda advocacy than factual scholarly analysis.

by LupusGreywalker on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 07:02:41 AM EST
I think the 1in3 project (and the virtual (none / 0)
march are important whether you are invested in the wellbeing of women and children or whether you are invested in fewer abortions -- primarily because both are focused on generating conversation about why women decide to terminate pregnancies.  The stories at the 1in3project make it very clear that the women in question could have avoided abortions if they had access to more accurate information and more effective contraception.    

 

by Valerie Tarico on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 04:22:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]



Blame (none / 0)
Story hear reminds me of listening to Hal Lindsey last night.  He blamed replacement theology for all the current evil's leveled at modern Israel.

by wilkyjr on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 09:08:03 AM EST

Good article!!! (none / 0)
This is one of the best arguments I've encountered why thinking people MUST be pro-choice, and why "Pro-Life" is an oxymoron.  We already know the hypocrisy and reality of the "Pro-Life" movement.

It reminded me of what a colleague related (she came from a country where the church rules).  She'd lost a member of her family because the church had outlawed both birth control and abortion.  That family member became pregnant but couldn't bear another child because of health... she wasn't allowed to (1) prevent the pregnancy, and (2) abort the fetus before it killed her.  She left a family of young children and a grieving husband - and I can just hear the platitudes poured into their ears now.

She left Christianity because of things like that.  I don't blame her in the least.  I talk with people on a regular (if not frequent) basis who have been driven from the churches, if not Christianity itself by the uncaring valuation of "belief" over the Other.  (The fact is, Jesus didn't give a hoot about people's piety, and was concerned about how the treated others.)

I don't think it's just chance that all of the young women I've met (online and in the "meat world") who were RAPED in the church, by pastors or youth ministers, or others (including "Good Christian" boyfriends) came from churches well known for being militantly "Pro-Life".  Physical abuse of women is also something that I regularly hear connected to the 'Pro-Life" churches - and often the story includes dismissal or justification of the actions of the husband by church leaders.

I've been wondering when the legal abuse of poor women would start in this country, with the damned fundies gaining more and more control and power.  I'm not in the least surprised at learning of cases where women are in prison (or facing prison) because of things that happened.  But then, the truth of "Pro Life" is that they really do NOT care about life... they care about obedience to their Bible (obedience to a book?  How quaint!).

Valerie, thanks for posting that!  The information you provided may be a useful tool in our continued fight against the enemies of freedom in this area.


by ArchaeoBob on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 09:13:07 AM EST

Amen! (none / 0)
I agree with you. It was an excellent article, and if it makes some uncomfortable, perhaps they need to do some heavy thinking about why it does. I do not find the author to be anti-life at all. She is not promoting abortion, but rather ways of PREVENTING abortion. "Abstinence only" doesn't work, and the myths surrounding that mindset are so outdated. Women are "out", and we are not going back into that particular closet any time soon.

by phatkhat on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 03:16:56 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Yes. I would love to see abortion be obsolete. (none / 0)
For me, the moral questions are unambiguously about protecting the wellbeing of actual persons--those who can think, feel, suffer, love and value their own existence.  As a fetus acquires these qualities, we acquire the moral obligations toward it that we have toward other sentient beings.  But that is tangential to this article.  

The immorality that this article calls out is the immorality of causing abortion by denying men and women access to accurate information and effective contraception.  Regardless of when you think human life becomes uniquely valuable, abortion is  expensive, invasive, and often painful, either physically or psychologically.  Forcing people to choose between abortion and bearing a child they are not well equipped to raise --when we clearly can prevent both--that is immoral.  

To borrow a quote: The failure of any sect to support the benefits to humanity that could be obtained through the use of contraceptive technology is blasphemy. --AnnaO


by Valerie Tarico on Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 04:50:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]


responding to your challenge (none / 0)
I am firmly pro-choice, faithfully Christian, and I am quite uncomfortable with much of the tone and language in this article. Here is some of my "heavy thinking" about why that is so.

The very first sentence is stated in such an antagonistic way that it is certain to shut down any possibility of constructive dialogue with someone who might be questioning her or his views on abortion. I cannot figure out who the author's intended audience is. The article is heavy with polemics and jargon, but very light on the kind of carefully stated research that I expect on Talk2Action.

"Competitive breeding" is what our 4Hers do when they are selecting a sheep or pig to raise for the Farm Show. It's a derogatory term when applied to women. Pro-choice should mean supporting ANY choice a woman makes about her child-bearing, including having zero children or having six or seven. I find labeling women who choose to have large families "breeders" to be offensive, and I make no apology for that.

The author writes, "Traditional Christianity is about right belief, orthodoxy, not about right living." Such a statement is offensive in its blanket, no-exceptions generality, and is simply untrue. The Moravian Church (Unitas Fratrum) dates from 1457, and we are nothing if not traditional. We also put a very high value on right living and right relationship. I urge the author, and any other interested parties, to read the current form of our Covenant for Christian Living, which can be found at http://www.moravian.org/believe/covenant_christian_living.pdf.

While the author does make some excellent points, she does it in such a way that the message is obscured by the aggressive tone of the whole and the blatant commercialism of the paragraph touting particular brands of contraceptives.

by MLouise on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 12:55:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Moravian church not really mainstream (none / 0)
I'm only vaguely familiar with the Moravian church, but in numbers they're a minority... I think in numbers about comparable to the church we attend (UU).  There ARE decent churches whose focus is on deeds and not words (usually minority 'faiths'), but for the main churches by numbers, the core of the theology IS "right belief".   When you start getting towards the fundamentalist/dominionist end of the spectrum, insistence on belief over actions becomes more dominant and when you get to the more liberal end, the focus tends to be towards right actions being primary.

The Moravian church is quite historic, that is true... and its traditions are probably quite established.  As I remember, some of the tribes have very positive 'vibes' towards the Moravian churches because of (again based on something I read some time ago) education.


by ArchaeoBob on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 10:43:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]

the author said "traditional" (none / 0)
There is no mention in the paragraph to which I was responding about "mainstream" Christianity. That term means different things to different users of it, but if by "mainstream" you mean historic Trinitarian churches of more or less liturgical practice, willing to engage in ecumenical efforts and interfaith conversations, then the Moravian Church is very much both traditional and "mainstream."

Peg Chemberlin, the Immediate Past President of the National Council of Churches, is a Moravian Minister. And she is the second Moravian to have served as President of the NCC during its 62 year history. Small numbers don't necessarily dictate slight impact.

I'll refrain from continuing with our history, as that is not really germane to the current discussion nor in accordance with Talk2Action guidelines, but I invite you to become better informed. I would think that you, as a historian, would find it quite fascinating, and perhaps enlightening.

by MLouise on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 11:30:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]
NCC? (none / 0)
I didn't think that organization still existed.  It's been a long time since I heard the name "National Council of Churches" and the impression I got was that it was on the way out.

The Episcopal church never mentioned it... and I didn't hear anything of it from other churches as well.  I remember some rather vicious diatribes against it, but like I said... past tense like it had disappeared.  (That's in the mainstream churches since I walked - when I was Pentecostal the NCC was considered an enemy of true Christianity).

I don't know if our church association (Unitarian Universalist) is part of that.  It's the sort of thing we'd be into, but I've not heard anyone mention it before now.  We are also quite old as a denomination.  I need to ask about it.

By the way, I'm not denigrating your church in the least and I meant no disrespect.  You have to admit that in most areas the Moravian churches are almost unknown (much as ours are).


by ArchaeoBob on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 06:25:20 PM EST
[ Parent ]

continue the conversation (none / 0)
No offense taken ~ as a tour guide, I spend a lot of time explaining what we Moravians are. I'd love to continue the conversation with you, but Talk2Action is not the proper venue. I've worked and sung with many UU's over the years, so I'm probably more familiar with your denomination than you are with mine. And there are common roots in central Europe, since we both claim Jan Hus as a spiritual ancestor. If you want to share more conversation about our respective traditions, email me at mlshatto@dejazzd.com.

by MLouise on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 10:30:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]


Lutherans and Moravians (none / 0)
Lutherans of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have gotten to know Moravians much closer since we have formally entered into inter-church communion.  The Moravians have come out of the Anabaptist movement of the Reformation era, and Luther probably wasn't very kind toward them; they are less well known than their cousins the Amish and Mennonites.

The Moravians are a part of church life in Virginia and Maryland, and typically have a significant percentage of skilled craftspeople and farmers.  They tend to live quietly, and do not often make the news, but they do many works of human outreach toward their neighbors.  In a calamity, they more than pull their weight.

Pr chris

by CalSailor on Thu Jan 26, 2012 at 09:00:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]

thanks (none / 0)
Thanks for your kind words. We are now in full communion with the Episcopal Church and the ELCA, have formed a Covenant Partnership with the PCUSA (I was part of that national dialogue), and are in conversation with the United Methodists. But one correction ~ we share a lot with the German Pietists but are not Anabaptist. Our founding date of 1457 predates Luther's 95 Theses by sixty years. Sadly, much of the historic antagonism between Lutherans and Moravians seems to stem as much from personal issues between Zinzendorf and Muhlenberg as from any theological dispute. I'm very glad we're over that now!

by MLouise on Thu Jan 26, 2012 at 11:17:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]







Discussion needed: (none / 0)
Pro-life and Pro-choice are terms used to place people on opposite poles of a political issue. This is a tragic perversion of language, choice is not opposite to life, it is an essential element of life lived in freedom. Pro-life and/or pro-choice also are terms with must be more inclusive than simply an emotional political position on abortion law. Life is far more than a right to be born, (and an obligation to carry a pregnancy to term). Pro-life involves health, housing, education, insurance, retirement security and a whole list of basic essentials. Choice involves much more than an ability for a woman to control her body. It is not only abortion/birth control issues, and not only women having choice, certainly it is not a choice women vs man. Choice involves freedom is health care, in educational/career selections, in religious and political beliefs, and even in relationships with others. It is difficult to truly by pro-life without being pro-choice. I am convinced that if we took charge of the language of this debate, and listened to people, most would be pro-life/pro-choice. They would if honestly expressing their personal preference would like to see abortion legal and available. Still they do not want it for themselves or their children. If they could move beyond their hatred of the opposition, their fear of choice, and their fear of losing control of their children's morality once the fear and burden of pregnancy is lifted, they would recognize effective sex education and available birth control as our most effective tool in reduction of abortions. I have met no one who seriously recommends abortion as an ideal birth control method -- it often is the means of last resort. Valerie, thank you for raising this issue, from the perspective of birth control and sex education. I do not disagree with the reality of your analysis, but do not think the typical voter or church member thinks that way nor understands it. I do however, believe that power brokers on both sides of this issue fan the flames, and rake in the bucks, all the while seeking power that diminishes the value of life which ever side seems to win the latest skirmish. God help us start a dialog that respects people's choice and life.

by chaplain on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 04:55:14 PM EST
Power brokers... or action and response? (none / 0)
I'm not so sure I'd agree that there were "power brokers" on the Pro-Choice side.  It seems to me that the Pro-Choice movement developed in reaction to the attempts to ban abortion (and contraceptives - usually the same people advocating one advocate banning the other too).  I've long ago stopped listening to the "Pro-Live" movement because I found they were parroting deceptive information and advocating things that were not in the least "Pro-Life" as you describe it (which I think actually defines all of the Pro-Choice people I've met).  Some of the people I used to associate with that made a big fuss about being Pro-Life were hostile to contraceptives, they wanted the dread "SOCIALISM!" eliminated by doing away with Medicare, Medicaid, and so on (basically anything that helped people), and they also were staunch supporters of the death penalty.  Maybe they've changed since I stopped attending that (steeplejacked) mainstream church in 2006, but I doubt it.

Online it's been a bit different, and I've met people who were less polarized (not that common but they exist).

The people I've met on the Pro-Choice side (IRL) who were strongly polarized were so generally because of personal experiences.   The "Pro-Life" side, on the other hand, were generally motivated (again, this is the people I knew) by ideology.

Now, my personal (IRL) observations may be a regional thing.  I've talked with people who have been in this area, and they say that it is exceptionally polarized and dominionist, and that there are a few areas around the country that are like around here.  With that caveat, I would suggest that we're seeing something that is more action-reaction than Power Brokers polarizing society.

by ArchaeoBob on Tue Jan 24, 2012 at 05:33:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I think... (none / 0)
we are describing the same thing. When I talk about power brokers, I am describing the 1% who have the ability to use the media, recruit and fund the lobbyist and provide the slogans and banners for the movements. When you describe those who are action - reaction based you describe the 99%. These are the people I describe as actually holding at gut level a position which overlaps a great deal, but the emotion and language of debate prevents any common understanding. It's said we shout to keep from listening to others, and we certainly are a dysfunctional political society where there are many issues shouted, with very little listening happening. It is no wonder that there is little progress in the issues themselves. This political warfare does not result in peace and progress, but rather battles with one side or the other claiming victory and society -- it's members on each side suffering the wounds and scars of battle. Perhaps its time to attempt a realistic return to the policy "Speak softly, and carry a big stick". Not a call for violence, but rather the big stick of truth, spoken softly, listening to the opposition allowing us to speak again softly in ways the communicate.

by chaplain on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 07:44:02 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I think they must be deaf. (none / 0)
I didn't consider that you were thinking of the 1% against the 99%, which does make sense.  They throw money at both sides hoping to keep people from uniting against them, knowing full well that their wealth insulates them from the law and consequences of their actions (a nice bribe to a doctor for instance...).

However, it's been my experience that the "Good Christians" in the 99% refuse to hear, and indeed seem to be almost blind and very hard of hearing when it comes to others.  I've long ago given up being civil to them or being tolerant of them, and have found only the nastiest and most vicious of insults (of course, they label me as "possessed by the devil" or something like that) will get them to back off and stop trying to covert or force their religion on me and the others around me.   This has even applied to some of the mainstream churches and their snide (and cruel) comments about our church or my beliefs/religion.

If I can (if at all possible), i just back away and leave the area without saying a thing.  Sometimes that's not possible.  

Indeed, having a dominionist neighbor become so angry at me (because I've taught evolution and won't "repent") that they no longer speak to me was a major relief.  I was past tired of being preached at over the fence and having to listen to uber-conservative rants.  Silence is so much better!!!  (I've never ranted at them the first time - the conversation, like most conversations with dominionists and fundamentalists, is all one-way.)

If they could be made to be aware of their personal responsibility for the harm they have done to others, especially non-Christians, the disabled, and the poor, and somehow get them to see themselves in the mirror... maybe they would start listening and a dialog actually start.  (People who think they have them in a dialog are mistaken: kindness or "listening" from them means they're thinking of what to say to try to convert the speaker and their only goal in any situation is conversion or laying down a heavy layer of false guilt.)

by ArchaeoBob on Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 10:30:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]





The facts stated have not been (none / 0)
refuted by anyone commenting. Once again, we see lots of people claiming that "their" sect of Christianity would never deign to treat women as described by the author, yet we see countless bills before Congress and state legislatures with ever more draconian methods to force women to bear a child. I have read recently of church leaders saying outright that they also appose conception; this is not some rumor Ms. Tarico made up out of thin air.

Go ahead and pretend as if trying to talk to these ideologues with reasoned arguments will cause them to come to the table for further discussion; meanwhile, they're already drawing up yet more ammo in the battle to impose their beliefs on everyone. Righteousness over compassion; truly what we are witnessing now.

There are probably more Christians that are opposed to these Christian right fanatics, but the anti-choice groups have a seat at the table, and we do not.

by trog69 on Fri Jan 27, 2012 at 07:03:11 PM EST

Righteous Abortion: How Conservative Christians Promote What They Claim to Hate | 26 comments (26 topical, 0 hidden)

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By Frederick Clarkson (8 comments)
NAR Apostle Harold Caballeros Heads Guatemala Foreign Ministry
In January 2012, with the inauguration of former military general Otto Pérez Molina as Guatemala's president, NAR apostle Harold Caballeros took charge of Guatemala's......
By Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
As Eddie Long Controversy Grows, Video Emerges of 'Rabbi' Messer Wrapping Paula White in Torah
A Christian Post article dated February 5 is one of many reports of denials by televangelist Paula White and her attorney of any ties......
By Rachel Tabachnick (10 comments)

Fundies planning "America for Jesus" rally in Philly
Late Sunday, a group of fundie leaders announced plans to hold a prayer rally at Philadelphia's Independence Mall on September 28 and 29 under the moniker "America for Jesus 2012."  It looks innocuous......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
American jihadist
Don't let the dorky sweater vest fool you. Beneath that benign-looking garment beats the heart of an extremist, a radical more akin to the Islamic fundamentalists of the Taliban and the ultra-orthodox Jews of......
SubversiveSpeech (0 comments)
Dominionist linked group seeks return of government-mandated prayer
If you haven't noticed, the religious right has operated in a rather consistent cycle since the 1980s.  Get a little bit of power, overreach, get smacked down, climb back up in a few......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Cornwall Alliance spokesman: Environmentalism is a religion
The standard fundamentalist attack on the environmental movement is that it exalts the creation over the creator.  But now one of the leading fundie critics of environmentalism is taking a new, and if possible......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
Harold Caballeros, October 5, 2006, #1
On October 5, 2006, Harold Cabballeros, founder and senior pastor of El Shaddai Church in Guatemala City, spoke at the "Spirit in the World: The Dynamics of Pentecostal Growth and Experience" symposium sponsored by......
Bruce Wilson (0 comments)
Truth Wins Out Reports on Exodus International's Attempt at Rebranding
An extensive report has been posted at Truth Wins Out (TWO) on the rebranding of Exodus International, the discredited and financially strapped pray-away-the-gay organization. The report is titled "The Exodus SmokeScreen" and subtitled, "Exodus......
Rachel Tabachnick (0 comments)
Breast cancer awareness T-shirt prompts dispute at skating rink
crossposted from The Clarion Ledger) http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012202040 349 ""I am offended as a mother; as the daughter of a cancer patient; as a Christian woman; as a fundraiser and donor of time and money to......
COinMS (0 comments)
Delaware state house Dems distance themselves from Wagner tribute
The Democrats in the Delaware state House of Representatives are in full damage control mode over a tribute given back in January to C. Peter Wagner, a prominent leader of the New Apostolic......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Is Peter Wagner lying about commendation from state of Delaware?
Those of us who have watched the New Apostolic Reformation have come to expect bizarre claims.  Well, today  C. Peter Wagner made one of the most bizarre claims yet.  He sent out an......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
New dominionist effort to target Hollywood with prayer
In yet more proof that the New Apostolic Reformation is trying to make itself heard in a big way this year, late yesterday several leaders of that movement got together to announce a......
Christian Dem in NC (0 comments)
Santorum Accuses Colleges of Anti-Religious "Indoctrination" But Gingrich Said it First
CBS and other media outlets have pounced on a Rick Santorum claim, that America's colleges and universities are hotbeds of anti-religious "indoctrination", but Newt Gingrich has been saying that for years. As Santorum declared......
Bruce Wilson (2 comments)
Leader of NC gay marriage ban effort, in his own words
cross-posted at dKos One of the leaders of the effort to write a gay marriage ban into North Carolina's constitution is Patrick Wooden, the pastor of Upper Room Church of God in Christ in......
Christian Dem in NC (2 comments)
AFA endorses AIDS denialism
If Public Policy Polling's early numbers are accurate (and there's little reason to doubt they are) Newt Gingrich will likely take the lead in national polling this week.  In light of this, there's......
Christian Dem in NC (1 comment)
Family Research Council chaplain openly calls for non-Christians to be banned from public office
Anyone who's studied the religious right can't help but notice a pattern to how they've operated over the last three decades.  They get a little bit of power, only to overreach and get smacked......
Christian Dem in NC (5 comments)
Cindy Jacobs prophecies divine intervention unless we elect Repubs
Late last week, New Apostolic Reformation "prophetess" Cindy Jacobs announced the yearly "Word of the Lord" from the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders.  (h/t to PFAW's Right Wing Watch). This "Word" makes for......
Christian Dem in NC (3 comments)

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