Life, Logic and Love

While crime and violence continues to plague South Africa, and chase away foreign investors - the response of all too many in government has been counter-productive. Rather than fight crime, government policy seems increasingly to legalise previous crimes (such as gambling, pornography, prostitution, perversion and abortion) and to criminalise law abiding citizens (such as pro-lifers and registered gun owners)!

We now have the ridiculous situation where even mass murderers can benefit from amnesties yet someone who wants to prevent the murder of an innocent, helpless baby is threatened with a 10 year prison term! The right to life clause in the Bill of Rights is interpreted to mean that guilty murderers cannot be executed, yet innocent babies have no right to life and can be aborted. The justice system seems incapable of effectively dealing with violent hardened criminals with illegal AK47 assault rifles, yet they would like to deprive law abiding citizens of registered pistols!

Crime is a reality that affects every one of us. Burglaries, car break-ins, muggings, car theft, car hijacking, armed robberies, murder and rape are daily experiences for all too many South Africans. What makes this explosion of lawlessness particularly distressing is that so many of the crimes are being committed by convicted criminals who should have been behind bars - but who had been released early on parole or by the repeated amnesties!

"Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways and the way of peace they do not know . . ." Romans 3:15-17

The Scripture declares that God detests those who acquit the guilty (Proverbs 17:15):

"Whoever says to the guilty "You are innocent" - peoples will curse him and nations denounce him. But it will go well with those who convict the guilty." Proverbs 24:24-25

The Bible is very clear that the priority for civil government is "to punish those who do wrong" 1 Peter 2:14, protecting life and property as "an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." Romans 13:4

"Why do people commit crimes so readily? Because crime is not punished quickly enough." Ecclesiastes 8:11

If South Africans sincerely want to restore law and order and respect for life and property then we need to turn to God in repentance and humble prayer. And we need to return to the Biblical Law of restitution for all theft of, or damage to, property and execution for all premeditated murder (Exodus 21 and 22). This is the Law of God.

The taking of a murderer's life is akin to the amputation of a diseased limb in order to save the rest of the body. The clause in the Bill of Rights which upholds the right to life is meaningless if law abiding citizens are not protected from such wholesale violence. Those who show contempt for the lives of others by wilfully depriving another of their life forfeit their own right to life.

"Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man ."
Genesis 9:6

Capital punishment is necessary for justice, for the rule of law and for the protection of the innocent (Proverbs 11:10).

"When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers." Proverbs 21:15

The shocking escalation of crime and violence since the death penalty was suspended (and later abolished) and tens of thousands of criminals were released, highlights the disastrous consequences of rejecting the Law of God. Even more outrageous is that those who have worked for the abolition of the death penalty for murderers have campaigned for the introduction of the death penalty for preborn babies! In other words: Kill the innocent but protect the guilty!

"They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters . . . the land was desecrated by their blood." Psalm 106:37-38

Abortion is a modern equivalent of child sacrifice. Just as God's people opposed Pharaoh's decree to murder new-born boys in Egypt (Exodus 1:15-22), so we need to protect preborn babies from abortion today. Just as King Herod sought to kill the babies in Bethlehem (Matt 2:16), so abortionists are attempting to butcher babies today.

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves." Proverbs 31:8

IT IS A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

The sanctity of human life is an essential article of the Christian Faith. The Bible makes it clear that life begins at conception (Ps 139:13-16; Isa 44:2; Jer 1:5; Luke 1:41). The unborn baby is then genetically, physiologically and organically, a distinct person. At that moment life begins. At about 3 weeks after conception the baby's heart beat can be detected. Six weeks after conception, the baby has its own life-long brain wave.

If the absence of a brain wave is considered a sign of death, why then is the presence of this brain wave not accepted as a sign of life? Birth is not a magical act that turns a non-human into a person. Birth is only a change in environment for a life that began many months before. Every abortion stops a beating heart. Every abortion ends a brain wave. Every abortion is the murder of a helpless and innocent human being.

IT IS A MATTER OF LOGIC

It is of the utmost hypocrisy for us to denounce the atrocities committed under apartheid, or to condemn those who stood by and allowed the Nazi and Communist holocausts to be perpetrated if we allow the abortion holocaust to be unleashed in our own country. How incredible that South Africa is considering replacing apartheid with abortion. In the name of Human Rights, "pro-choicers" are planning to deprive pre-born babies of the right to life. Instead of discrimination based upon race, they advocate discrimination based upon age. Can we condemn discrimination based on race, while allowing discrimination based on age? Of what worth is human dignity if babies are denied to right to life? The right to life of preborn babies is one of the most urgent and important issues confronting society today (Matt 18:5, 10, 14; Isaiah 44:24; 49:15).

What kind of convoluted logic and mental gymnastics can interpret the "right of life" clause in the Constitution to protect guilty murderers from execution, but not prevent innocent babies from receiving the death penalty through abortion?

If the right to life of the most helpless and innocent members of society - preborn babies - is not upheld then the Bill or Rights is a worthless piece of paper. A society that is capable of burning, smothering, poisoning or dismembering little babies deserves the wrath of God.

How is it possible that a highly trained and experienced judge - after careful deliberation of all the evidences and arguments, presented by both prosectution and defence, in the calm, objective enviroment of a court of law - cannot choose to impose the death sentence upon a duly convicted murderer. Yet a young teenager without the permission, or even the knowledge, of her parents can make an emotional and spur of the moment choice to have her innocent unborn baby killed through abortion! A tragic decision she may regret for the rest of her life.

By proposing to make the murder of pre-born babies legal, easy and tax-payer funded, the "Choice of Termination of Pregancy" Bill defies all logic.

IT IS A MATTER OF LOVE

The heart of Christianity is love. Love for God and love for our neighbour (Mark 12:30-31). The golden rule by which all believers must live is:
"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you . . ." Matthew 7:12

If you as a mother would not like to be attacked and torn to pieces - then don't allow it to be done to your baby.

If you as a doctor would not like to be poisoned to death - then don't do it to a baby.

If you as a member of Parliament would not like to be snatched from your home and dismembered - then don't legalise and finance such violence against babies: "do to others what you would have them do to you."

If we do not stand up and oppose the legalisation of abortion then the blood of those innocent babies will be upon our heads. (Ezekiel 33:1-6).

Christians must love their neighbour - and this includes our pre-born neighbours. Caring for the fatherless, protecting the helpless, defending the innocent and speaking up for the voiceless is true Christian love in action.

"Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, 'But we knew nothing about this, does not He who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will not He repay each one according to what he has done?" Proverbs 24: 11-12

South Africa needs to rebuild respect for life. Everyone is made in the image of God and has the right to life - irrespective of their degrees of awareness, health or development. Everyone has been endowed by the Creator with the right to enjoy and defend life and liberty - except where they have forfeited that right by unlawfully taking or posing an immediate threat to the life of another.

"Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts . . . let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" Amos 5:15,24

Rev Peter Hammond

Permission to quote from or reproduce any UCANEWS is encouraged, provided that due acknowledgement is given.

STAND UP FOR THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF PREBORN BABIES

Life Chain 97 will be held on Human Rights Weekend from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, on Sunday 23 March, at Buitengracht Street, Cape Town. For more details or for the contact numbers of organisers of the Life Chains in Durban, Pretoria and other centres contact UCA.

HAVE YOU PARTICIPATED IN A BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW SEMINAR YET?

For information and inspiration, for edification and encouragement, for great presentations and great fellowship the BWS is unsurpassed. Ligstryders is hosting a BWS in Pretoria from 20 to 25 March 1997 (Contact: PO Box 74904 Lynnwood Ridge 0040; Tel. (012) 803-6678 or Fax (012) 998-4137 or E-Mail lig @ Lia. co. za. Zambia Christian Action Network is also planning a Biblical Worldview Seminar in Lusaka from 26 to 28 June 1997 (Contact: ZUCA Box 5 Chawama, Lusaka, Zambia).

RESOURCES FOR REFORMATION

Christian Liberty Books stocks a wide selection of books which every Christian dedicated to reformation and revival needs, including: Fight for Life -- a ProLife handbook for Southern Africa; Biblical Principles for Southern Africa; Finding Freedom from the Pornography Plague; The Christian Voice of Southern Africa; Holocaust in Rwanda; Security and Survival in Unstable Times; The Samaritan Strategy; What if Jesus had never been born and many other books as well as videos, audio tapes, pro-life stickers, precious feet lapel pins, placards and training manuals.

For more information and resources contact:
Christian Action Network
PO Box 23632, Claremont 7735
Tel: (+27 21) 689-4480 Fax: (+27 21) 685-5884
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.