The Republican's abortion stumbling block

Abortion is a difficult topic for Christian's as we live in an imperfect world with problems that aren't as simple as to have a yes or no answer; we may have viewpoints but they are stuck relative to the problem at hand. The Republican response is to simply stand their ground and believe their answers to be absolute which helps no one.

The problem simply put is not that abortions exist; it is that abortions are needed.

It is not possible to prevent abortions without giving proper sex education and promote contraception which they generally don't like either:

As Christians we are taught to not have sex before marriage but it isn't easy for anyone in that situation due to the societal environment. Years ago I was on retreat at a priory (which was Catholic) and their was a group discussion interspersed by mediation and prayer (I can't remember the details): the issue of celibacy came up and I remarked that most young Christians have had sex despite the church's teachings and what should we do about it, at this I think I nearly gave several of the group heart attacks as they'd never even considered that a possibility let alone a reality. Though the topic went no further, I remain grateful to the friar who was running the group who was the youth outreach person for the priory (or some similar rank) who just gave me a look of resigned understanding and I realized this is the world he dealt with frequently. I must confess I don't envy that position: I often joked about being surprised about not being stoned to death by the congregation when I left Church (when I was well enough to even get there) as I generally take up stances that though are theologically sound, aren't well liked; to face that reality more frequently and a little more literally (not that literally...) would be more than I could bear.

The problem was well put by Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his letters and papers from prison:

The essence of chastity is not the suppression of lust, but the total orientation of one's life towards a goal. Without such a goal, chastity is bound to become ridiculous.

We expect the young to ignore sexuality whilst they have no real goals in life, that's not a judgement, very few young people have goals as they are still working out their lives. Add a society where sex is common, sexting becoming more common and pornhub is the third most visited website, one struggles to imagine how they can succeed.

I can't claim to be perfect on this matter and for that fact I almost delayed writting this post, as if time somehow distances oneself from one's own problems. I must confess with the life I've had online content has been a stone in my shoe and when I'm unwell for whatever reason what I usually hate become a battle for me, and until I can get this body working again I somewhat suspect it will be a battle I have to face, and frequently lose. Being bedbound with the internet at hand is a terrible temptation, whilst God doesn't allow us to be tempted beyond measure this is a war yet to truly be won.

We can't assume in this climate that the right thing is what is closest to a person's heart, as we are surrounded by influences that push us towards temptation. I'm oft reminded of supposedly religious tv and comic book characters, primarily the Catholic daredevil from marvel, who show religious travails then simply have various sexual partners throughout their character arcs. This false Christianity degrades our stance as they appear virtuous and pure, and of course usually end up winning the day; though these people aren't real, their influence is and its not something to be sniffed at.

So what is a goal that can drive a person's celibacy? It would be easy to say 'God' at that juncture but God isn't a goal, not are his moral laws. One could say 'to do what is right' or 'to not offend God' but these aren't goals, not in the sense that Dietrich implies. A goal is something personal, something that one must find and given my battles I've yet to find mine.

What we can do however is guide the next generation; the celibacy sexual education that has appeared repeatedly and I fear will come again, is just a way of setting people up to fail. You can't teach something like that, you can guide someone as a parent but not as a teacher and when they fail, they will do so without the proper knowledge of contraceptives leading us back to abortions again and if one has a moral qualm or is blocked from doing so, will end up with a child in a situation they may not be able to handle; leaving either two generations in ruin, or a child up for adoption.

So how do we guide? We have to teach like one would train a climbing plant, each situation is unique which leaves us with few options we can just doll out (which is another elegant way of saying 'I have no idea') but there are some:

Every young man's battle, (a book I wish I had growing up) and its counterpart Every young woman's battle (I haven't personally read this but trust it is good as the male's) are good starting points, though they lead purely on celibacy it is a good starting point and common ground to start a conversation with parents rather than just having 'The Talk' which never goes well...

I think perhaps the most important thing is having 'an on going conversation' opposed to 'the talk', as it should be something that grows and changes with the person before they hit puberty, rather than being dictatorial and sudden. Growth is the key word here, rather than prevention; its about helping the next generation create fuller relationships with their peers and God. And perhaps that's why abortion is the republicans stumbling block, as their behavior sadly speaks for itself.