So, What’s A Christian To Do?
By John Arcaro
Are you a Christian? Or are you a “Christian” in name only, just warming a pew and taking up space? If you’re not sure, read Matthew 7:20-21, then do some serious, honest soul-searching. If you ARE sure, share this article with someone who’s not sure, but wants to BE sure.
Christianity is a relationship. Like all relationships, it begins with a voluntary decision... no arm-twisting, no blackmail, no pretending. A relationship has a life: once it is born, it grows, slows, stagnates, has its ups and downs, and becomes strong... or it is broken and dies. It’s your choice. The natural, normal lifecycle of a relationship is that it gets more intimate with time; the more time you spend with someone, the closer you become. The strength or weakness of a relationship is revealed by the deeds NOT the words ? of the two people in it. It’s your choice.
When you are in a truly loving relationship, you always seek the best for the other person. You want to help them grow, you want them to be happy, and you want to share in their joy. You also share their pain, and don’t like it when they’re unhappy. In Matthew 19:14, Christ warns us not to prevent children from seeking Him. Reflect on that last thought for a moment: disobeying Christ’s wishes makes Him unhappy, and weakens our relationship with Him.
The ultimate way to prevent children from having a relationship with Jesus Christ is to voluntarily, knowingly kill them in the womb, long before they ever have an opportunity to develop a loving relationship with Him. And long before they’ll ever be able to bear good fruit, to show their love for their risen Savior by their godly, unselfish deeds. Don’t try to fool yourself, don’t take this lightly, for God takes this VERY seriously. (Read Matthew 18:6 to see just how seriously He takes this.)
So, what’s a Christian to do? Stand up for Jesus by standing up for “these little children.” And, yes, children in the womb are indeed the smallest and most vulnerable of the “little.” If the thought of being a Pro-Life activist makes you a little uneasy, if you’re not sure whether or not you are up to the task, just remember that there are no rooms in God’s kingdom with a “COMFORT ZONE” sign on the door. Don’t be nervous, for there are many, many ways to join in the struggle for equal rights for children in the womb. This battle has been going on for over forty years now, so it’s never too soon to step into the arena, to show your obedience to God.
Some pro-lifers write letters to their Congressmen. Some hold prayer vigils. Others fast and pray. Still others pass out tracts and counsel the victimized women at abortion mills. If that last one has you thinking “Oh, I could never do that!”, just remember that standing up for children in the womb is just like beginning a relationship with Christ: we all have to start somewhere.
Before entering the fray, you must first be keenly aware that this spiritual battle between good and evil is also being waged on another battlefield: the war of words. As with other social evils (e.g., the Biblical term “sodomite” became “homosexual”, then turned into “gay”, and now it’s a mere “alternative lifestyle”), the political use of language in the abortion war has evolved, making infanticide more palatable, more “seeker-friendly”, so that it no longer shocks the conscience. (Do you think it’s just a coincidence that the term “sexual preference” was replaced by “sexual orientation”? It is very revealing to note that the newer the dictionary, the more euphemistic the definition. For example, the 1955 Oxford International Dictionary defines “infanticide” as: “the killing of infants.”; an “infant” is: “a child during the earliest period of life, or still unborn.” That’s right, in 1955, “infanticide” was defined as what is today commonly called an abortion. But that was apparently too harsh, as people had to deal with the truth of their actions, so the term “infanticide” evolved into “abortion.” Planned Parenthood takes it a step further, using the phrase “termination of pregnancy” in an attempt to hide the fact that one’s irresponsible actions have very negative consequences. The abortionists have watered down infanticide to “abortion rights”, then “reproductive rights”, and now “choice.” The most chilling feeling in this war of words occurs when we look back at Webster’s Dictionary from 1828, and realize that infanticide(1= “the intentional killing of an infant”; 2= “the slaughter of infants by Herod ? Matthew 2”) was such an inconceivable and monstrous idea , that the term “abortion” merely meant one of two things: a miscarriage, or a premature birth. Yes, in 1828, people didn’t mince words, and infanticide was called by the evil it is: “infanticide.”
As of this writing, the most effective ? and most miraculous ? stand for children is being taken right where it all started, in the state of Colorado. Back in 1967, Colorado became the very first state in the U.S. to pass a law allowing the abomination of abortion. (Most of you probably thought, as I did, that the American Holocaust started in January of 1973 with Roe v. Wade.) Brian Rohrbough, a lifelong pro-lifer and a past president of Colorado Right To Life, knows all too well how abortion affects families. His comment “The environment that happened at Columbine was created by a culture of death” is not empty rhetoric. His son Daniel was a victim of this culture of death, killed in the 1999 mass murder at Columbine High School in Colorado. He sums up the feelings of millions: “Colorado opened this evil door, and there are many in Colorado who would like to close it.”
Since Roe v. Wade, the battle for children’s rights has been unsuccessfully fought using the strategy of incrementalism, that is, trying to get back a little bit of our rights here, then another small piece of our freedoms over there, and so on. Much well-intentioned effort on the part of millions of pro-lifers has been wasted over the past 35 years. This inefficient philosophy has come to the realization that the best, most certain way to win this battle for human lives is to define human life as what it really is: HUMAN LIFE. (Or, as Doctor Seuss says “A person is a person, no matter how small.”) The battle is now focused on legally defining the baby in the womb as a person, so that his or her rights cannot be trampled on. How are they doing this? By means of a Human Life Amendment to the Colorado State Constitution.
As explained on the five-minute video at www.ColoradoForEqualRights.com , the purpose of this ballot initiative is to stand up for the protection of every innocent human life from the very beginning until natural death. A ballot initiative is also referred to as a referendum. Instead of voting for one of two (or more) candidates, voters vote “Yes” or “No” on a question. (For example, all those “Bond Issues” you may be vaguely familiar with every couple of years in November.) This group of average, everyday people ? Colorado For Equal Rights ? faced a David versus Goliath task: getting valid signatures from more than 76 THOUSAND verified, registered voters. Starting with just a handful of people, over 1,300 volunteers offered to gather signatures throughout the state. And what is the “controversial” change they want to make in the state constitution? They very simply want to define a person as... a PERSON. The referendum language reads: “The terms ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include any human from the time of fertilization.” Sounds pretty straightforward and logical, doesn’t it? Well, the opposition has a hugely stocked war chest funded by a myriad of pro-abortion special-interest groups. And even worse, the most surprising opponents came from two unexpected sources WITHIN the “body of Christ”: Focus on the Family, and the Catholic Church!
With a mere six-month timeframe to gather 76,047 signatures, against overwhelming odds, with very little money ? versus the millions of dollars of the abortionists ? the group of pro-lifers lived out the truth of Psalm 118:8 by getting 103,377 verified signatures of registered voters. (They actually got 131,245 but the abortion lobby challenged every single one of the signatures.) And to think that some candidates for political office have trouble coming up with only FIFTY valid signatures! As stated by a member of the group standing up for children, in light of the well-funded pro-abortion opposition, “This campaign is not about the power of money?it is about the power of truth.” For the first time in the history of the United States of America, a Human Life Amendment referendum has gained access to the ballot. The battle rages on, however, as the voters will now decide “Yes” or “No” in the general election in November. Keep these people ? and especially the children ? in your prayers, and keep abreast of this issue at the website www.ColoradoForEqualRights.com.
And get involved in the pro-life movement in YOUR neighborhood. Register to vote, research the candidates, and DON’T vote for “the lesser of two evils”?because if you vote for “the lesser of two evils” you are voting for... evil. So don’t forget about your relationship. Because the only real “choice” concerning a baby is: (1) ending the relationship by giving him or her up for adoption, or (2) raising, educating, and parenting your child, and thereby continuing and growing the relationship.
The author, John Arcaro, was saved by Christ from a hopeless life of misery on St. Patrick’s Day in 1991, right on the corner of 55th Street and Fifth Avenue in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.(But that’s another story for another day!) God has blessed him with the most wonderful wife in the world, Eliomise, a missionary from Haiti. He is patiently awaiting her return to the U.S., with their sons Bensley and Ryan, so that their joy may be complete. He is currently a candidate in the September 9th Primary Election for the Rhode Island House of Representatives from the 59th District in Pawtucket. You can easily research his issues and follow his campaign at www.Arcaro59.com