"Unsafe" Abortions (?)

This just in- teaching people to count. Making my science education of some use.

Reuters headline:
Unsafe abortions kill 70,000 a year, harm millions
Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:29pm EDT

• Abortion rates fall but unsafe abortions still kill 70,000
• Women in countries with restrictive laws are at risk
• Dangerous abortion imposes heavy economic, health burden

Here is where the article completely makes the headline a (horrific) joke-

Despite easier access to abortion with restrictions being relaxed in many countries, the number of abortions fell from an estimated 45.5 million in 1995 to 41.6 million in 2003, the report by the U.S.-based Guttmacher Institute said.

But the study found a stubbornly high number -- almost 20 million -- of unsafe abortions, mostly in poorer countries and often carried out by the women themselves using inappropriate drugs or herbal potions, or by untrained traditional healers.

41.6 million abortions, to use the latest number, equals 41.6 million people killed per year-not 70,000.

41.6 million innocent human babies ground up and thrown away.

But to the media and the political left the horror is that an additional 70,000 women are killed.

To me, the horror is that 140,000 is the additional number killed, not 70,000.

To explain to the poor muddled masses of the left:

70,000 mothers + 70,000 babies killed each year in "unsafe" abortions = 140,000 dead.

41,600,000 + 140,000 makes an even 41,740,000 DEAD.

What is it that makes an abortion safe?

Apparently a 50% mortality rate is considered perfect, a "perfectly safe abortion." As long as one of the two people undergoing the procedure can walk away it is a "safe" abortion.

Usually that survivor is the mother, usually the one who dies is the baby: 50 - 50

Only when the mother is also at risk of injury or death is it "unsafe" and worthy of news coverage, international health outcry, and calls for more funds to ensure that 50/50 ratio is more carefully maintained.

see previous post here on the abortion holocaust.

What does that mean to you?

Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:20,21)

All scripture is inspired by God. (2 Tim 3:16)
"inspired" by God - theo pneustos That is literally, God breathed.
God actually breathed the words He wanted to give to us. That is truly amazing! Perhaps that is why scripture tells us "the word of God is living and active." (Heb 4:12) We know that "the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Gen 2:7) This similarity in creative work should give us reason to esteem the scripture carefully.
The men who were His "instruments" were faithful, and none of what was written was of their own interpretation. It was God's interpretation.

And yet...
So much of what is called "bible study" today is a group meeting, reading a passage from scripture, and then asking, "What does that passage mean to you?"
Just in case there is not someone there to volunteer, "Well, I think this means...", groups usually have a "study guide" which will conveniently have the guided question: "Ask each person to tell the group what this passage means to them."

That is not Bible study. It is simply shared ignorance.
Where is the one to proclaim, "thus saith the Lord?"
If there is no one who knows, let them (all) keep silent.
The key to Bible study is asking "What is God saying here?" "What does He mean?" (What does it mean to God?)

Asking, "What is this verse saying to you?" is making it your own personal interpretation, something even the writers dared not consider.

Whatever shall we do? Who will deliver us from our plight?

"And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ."(Eph 4:11-15)

Christ has given us the gift of teachers. Actually the gift of pastor teachers.

Please keep that in mind the next time you hear...
"What does that mean to you?"

Be Still

(The next in a series of posts on Prayer, so get ready to think.)

Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 KJV

This verse has been widely used as a prooftext for teachings on prayer and meditation. As in all proper Bible study,we must look at the context of a verse, and the original meaning of the words to make sure we are correctly applying it. In the case of Psalm 46, a psalm of only 11 verses, not looking at the context is inexcusable. What does "Be still" mean in the original language? Does it mean to be quiet? To "center" oneself in preparation for hearing from the LORD? (Who is apparently unable to speak loud enough to penetrate your normal, noisy, preoccupied state.)

1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

2Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

3Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

4There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

5God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

6The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

8Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

9He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

10Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. (Psalm 46:1-11 KJV)

be still: STRONGS H7503 raphah: to slacken, abate, cease, consume, fail, (be) faint, be (wax) feeble, forsake, idle, leave, let alone (go, down), (be) slack, stay, be still, be slothful, (be) weak (-en).

The Keil & Delitsch Commentary tells us:

"Cease, cries He (Psa 46:10) to the nations, from making war upon my people, and know that I am God, the invincible One..." Continuing, they compare it to Psalm 21: 1-12 about which they comment, "A similar inferential admonition closes Psa 2:1-12. With this admonition, which is both warning and threatening at the same time, the nations are dismissed; but the church yet once more boasts that Jehovah Sabaoth is its God and its stronghold."

It is apparent from reading Psalm 46 and from the statements of Keil and Delitsch that "Be Still" has nothing whatsoever to do with some inner condition preparing for spiritual activity. At the conclusion of a psalm describing the vain warring of the nations against the people of God, Jehovah God commands the nations to cease their warring, and to know that He is God. He will be exulted among the heathen and He is with "us," His people. The reality then is that this is not a call to God's people to quiet themselves in order to know that He is God, but it is in fact a command issued to those who are NOT His people to stop waging war against Him and His people.

As the New American Standard translation puts it "Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. (Ps. 46:10,11)

CONCLUSION

We have seen that a true interpretation of Psalm 46:10 proves it to have no relationship to prayer or meditation, but instead to war. With that knowledge, let us move on to other verses which actually do pertain to prayer to establish a scriptural foundation upon which to build our prayer life. Additionally, we must push back against the incursion of Eastern meditation practices into the church. True Christian meditation has nothing to do with "being still" or "quiet." It is always an active process. It is in fact, work.

Mother of God?

At some point someone might think, Well, if Mary is the mother of Jesus. And Jesus is God. Doesn't that make Mary the mother of God?" Isn't that logical?

Well, "somebody" has thought of that and the Catholic Church made it a dogma of the (Roman Catholic) faith. Thus Mary was proclaimed theotokos, "Mother of God" at the Ephesus Council in 431 AD.

At what point would you think that real logic would intervene in this fatuous reverie?

How is it remotely possible that the infinite Creator of the universe and all that is in it, The Eternal, could have a mother? When was it The Eternal One was born?

Mary was the mother of Jesus, the Son of Man. God with us, (Immanuel) (Luke 1:30-33) who came and dwelt in human flesh so that He might suffer and die to redeem us from the sin in which we so readily wallow. (Eph. 1:7, Heb. 9:15)

I in no way wish to belittle Mary. For who in the history of (wo)man is like her? And of whom has it been said, by an angel no less, "Greetings favored one. The Lord is with you." (Luke 1:28) No, indeed Mary stands high enough on her own merit as a human being, and the mother of Jesus.

Yet she was a human being who did not understand what it was her Son was doing. (Luke 2:49-51, John 2:1-4) A human being who desperately needed to be saved, redeemed from the wretched sin nature she posessed as a daughter of Eve. (Gen. 3:17, 20, Rom. 3:10, 3:23)

Bless Mary for her faithfulness by which our Lord came to dwell in human form, for nursing Him and raising Him up to be a man.

And bless your mother for bringing you into this world, for giving you life. Bless her with the gift beyond measure- share with her the love of Jesus Christ which dwells in your heart because you have also been born again. (John 3:4-7)

[note- rollover Scripture references for pop up windows to read verses]

I hate CATS

In this post I begin a series on Prayer. I hope to challenge you in your complacency and your misconceptions about this most important part of the Christian life. What you may initially think I mean in the title of this post is probably one of the things you find least "offensive" in the following series, -or, hopefully, not.

The problem with prayer is that people have learned everything they know about it from the wrong places. They have either read a book or heard a message on prayer. While that in itself is not bad, it becomes bad when it is not backed up by Scriptural truth.

Wait, it gets worse. In the worst offenses against "truth in prayer" the Bible itself is used as the starting point for the teaching. "How could that be bad?" you ask. It is bad because while they may start with the Word, instead of going into the truth of the text, they launch out into fantasy. These false teachings are repeated over and over until they eventually become doctrine.

To begin again,
I don't hate cats--the furry little vermin--although my attitude towards them is in fair approximation to their obvious disdain for me.

I hate CATS.
The dreaded teaching that "Prayer is Confession, Adoration, Thanksgiving and Supplication."

It is obvious but not certainly trite to say, words have meanings. Each one of these words have a meaning, their own individual meaning.

Confession is not thanksgiving, adoration is not supplication. Go through all of the permutations and you end up with:
Prayer is NOT Confession, Adoration, Thanksgiving or Supplication.

What is prayer? - Prayer is ASKING.
By mixing in the activities which go along with prayer the most important (from our perspective) fact concerning prayer is obfuscated- the answer to prayer is RECEIVING.

With that understanding clear in our minds we can move on to an effectual prayer life and avoid all of the pseudo-spiritual maneuverings and Oprah book of the month plans and search out the true teaching and meaning of prayer from the source- God's Word.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints Ephesians 6:18