Abortion and Animals Rights: The Connection

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Abortion and Animals Rights: The Connection
By Sammy Brown - 14 Jan 2011

I pray you will continue to reply to my questions, as they are sincere, and I am not trying to argue rather to learn more about Christianity. I also have one more question to add to the mix. What is the reason/ meaning of the fish emblem I see some Christians use? I have separated my Questions with “Sammy Replies:” to make it easer to read, I hope.

We see from your answer that you limit the term pro-life to being anti-abortion, and you are not alone in your thinking, but we still disagree.

Sammy Replies: Not exactly, I do not believe that any person or animal should be put to death because of age or handicap. Also I do not believe that humans or animals should be tortured, much less tortured to death. However at least for the time in this country we can disagree and no one goes to jail or is put to death, yet.

The problems with every war is that people do very little in the beginning to defuse it, which is particularly true on the side of the aggressor, and it erupts, and many humans and animals suffer and die because of it. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God". and we are trying to get more people to understand this simple precept, and make if happen in the world around us instead of justifying war.

Sammy Replies: I totally agree people do very little in the beginning to try to stop a war. As you say this applies more so to the aggressor which brings me to the question, what do you do when the aggressor refuses to do anything other than to take by force if need be every thing you have including your, your spouse, your children, your parents, and everyone else you knows, life?

We also disagree that God "condones" killing. There is no suffering or death in heaven and there was no suffering or death in Eden prior to the Fall. In the middle of the Bible, Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the heavenly way of living here on earth (11:6-9). Please take a look at "Living in the Will Rather than the Concessions of God" http://www.all-creatures.org/discuss/living.html 

Sammy Replies: Would God tell people to do anything, which he did not condone?

What does it mean to be a Christian? If means to not only believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior, but to turn away from your former sinful/worldly ways and live in the loving, compassionate, and peacemaking will of God for the benefit of the whole of creation. This is also what it means to walk as He also walked.

Sammy Replies: I believe that the Messiah is the Only Begotten Son of The Creator, I believe I must accept Him as my personal Savior as well as obey His commandments. These things I do to the best of my ability. However I am not a Christian. Maybe I am mistaken but I believe God, The Creator, is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, He does not change.

What is sin? A sin is something we do that is against the will of God, and yes, we all still sin in this fallen world, but the key is whether or not we do it willfully. If our sins are inadvertent, they we fall under God's grace, but if the are willful, it is not.

Sammy Replies: How do we know what the Will of God is?

What day of the week, if any, do you observe/ keep as the Sabbath. If applicably from when to when is Sabbath? According to the Hebrew Bible it is the seventh day of the week from evening of the sixth day to the evening of the seventh day, but since there were no names of days at the time of creation, by tradition it became Saturday. Jesus, however, implied that really everyday was a Sabbath day, and was holy to the Lord for good works. Under Christianity, the Lord's day, Sunday, the day of His resurrection has become the day of observation. What day is set aside is far less important that living in the will of God.

Sammy Replies: Did the seventh day of the week become the Sabbath by tradition or by the word of God? The names of the days of the week mean nothing they can be First day, Second Day, Third Day, Forth Day, Fifth Fay, Sixth Day, and Seventh Day or Sabbath Day. They could just as easily have been named Jerry, Mandy, Jack, Sue, John, Linda, and Joe. However, the Day of the week we keep, as His Sabbath is Very important, otherwise God would not have said, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

Are we to obey the commandments of the "Old Testament/ The Hebrew Bible"? The greatest commandment in the Bible is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, which means with every part of our being and wealth, and Jesus said that if we really do love God in this way, we fulfill the whole Law and the Prophets. This is because if we truly love God in this unconditional way, we would never do any of the things that would violate any part of the Law and commandments, or of what the prophets spoke of.

Sammy Replies: My apologies but I cannot fine this in the Bible: Jesus said, “that if we really do love God in this way, we fulfill the whole Law and the Prophets.” Could you assist me on this?

To state the Two Great Commandments when asked if we should keep the Commandments given in the Hebrew Bible (not just the 10 Commandments) is being vague at best and has the appearance of side stepping the question. The Messiah said in Matthew 5:37, “But let your communication be, Yea, yea; nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”

Is the Bible (King James Version) True? All of it? Part of It? The original teachings of the Bible are all true in the Hebrew and Greek, but all translations have been affected by some political or cultural influence. As an example, in the beginning God created all animals and humans as living souls (Hebrew: neh-fesh khah-yaw), but it is never translated that way for animals.

Sammy Replies: I agree that translations have mistranslated a few words from Hebrew to English. Example : Exodus 20:13 (KJV) Thou Shalt not kill. Should read “Thou Shalt not murder. In Hebrew there are two different words for murder and kill although they are close they mean different things. You cannot murder and not kill but you can kill with out murdering.

Sammy