Hitler BAAAAD!!!

We watched a video today that was supposed to change the minds of pro-choice individuals by comparing the Holocaust to abortion. So first we decided to put down our own ideas, then see if we changed at all.

I. Abortion Pros (this is for the actual act, not the legality of it)
1. It costs less than raising a child.
a. It costs around $300,000 dollars to raise a child from birth until they leave for college
b. Whether you use Medicaid, or pay out of pocket, it costs about $20,000 to give birth in a hospital, versus $1,200 for an abortion.
2. To save the kid from cruddy parents.
a. About 317,000 kids are removed from homes with drug addicted parents every year.
b. About 1,460 die from abuse every year. Seventy percent are children under the age of three.
c. Child molestation or rape is a huge issue, with three million reports a year. About one third of girls are raped or molested before the age of eighteen, and about one out of seven boys before the age of eighteen. Remember, these are just reported cases.
d. Many children live their lives in these conditions with no help from the outside.
e. The kid won't end up on Toddlers and Tiaras... seriously, have you ever watched that show??
3. The father has no say (this is in both pros and cons)
a. An abusive man can not force a woman to have a child, trapping them both into his abusive lifestyle.
b. A rapist no longer has power over her once the baby is gone, making her free to move on.
4. You don't have to give a kid up for adoption
a. A woman doesn't have to sit and ask herself "What if?", knowing that her child is alive out in the world.
b. There isn't any sign of visible guilt.
5. You could be aborting someone who will do great evil, like the Antichrist.

II. Abortion cons
1. Emotional damage
a. There are cases of extreme depression. Postpartum Depression still can occur, even without the delivery of an infant.
b. There is a bit of anxiety, which also comes with the depression.
c.There is a tremendous amount of guilt that comes with terminating a pregnancy. Believe it or not, women don't come skipping out of the abortion clinic care free.
d. It is often a deep regret for women, because they know they can never take it back.
2. Physical damage (keep in mind that most of these side effects have a chance of about 2%)
a. There is always a possibility of infection, and in some cases, severe infection.
b. There is a possibility that a woman can then no longer be fertile afterward.
c. Along with the possibility of severe infection, death is also an extreme (but very possible) side effect.
d. Abortion increases the likelihood of ovarian, breast, cervical, and liver cancer.
e. Abortion could cause Uterine Perforation, which can cause problems with subsequent pregnancies.
f. All of the above could, in fact, cause problems with later pregnancies once a woman has decided she wanted to become pregnant.
           i. Chances of having a child with disabilities are higher.
           ii.  Placenta Praevia- where the placenta attatches to the uterine wall close to, or on, the cervix,  causing bleeding during pregnancy.
           iii. Abortion increases the likelihood of pre term birth.
g. A woman could suffer from cervical lacerations.
h. Another possible side effect is endometriosis, which means that the uterine wall grows on the outside of the uterus. It is pretty painful.
            i. Teenagers are more likely to suffer from these problems after having an abortion than an    adult female.
3. Social difficulties
a. There is a difficulty with trusting the people around you, due to fear of their judgement.
b. The people whom you do tell, could call you names or "shun" you.
4. In cases of abortion because of prenatal testing, saying the kid could be handicapped, you could be aborting a normal embryo/fetus.
a. Pre natal testing isn't 100%
b. I personally know of a woman who the Dr. said would have a kid with Downs Syndrome, and  the kid was born totally normal.
c. You would always wonder if you had done the right thing, after all.
d. Kids with handicaps can grow up to live normal, productive lives.
5. Spiritual issues
a. If you are Christian/Muslim/Etc... the guilt could be overwhelming. There have been woment who have committed suicide due to the guilt of an abortion.
b. Others of your religion may make you feel bad about the decision you have made.
6. Not covered by insurance
7. You could be aborting someone who could change the world for the better.
8. Dad has no say
a. The father could want to pay for pre and postnatal care and want to help take care of  the baby
b. The abortion could tear the couple apart in the end.
c.The father could be greatly effected by this. It is his kid, too.
9. Adoption is an option, plenty of people want kids.
a... however, there are about 127,000 kids in the US waiting to be adopted, now if homosexuals could adopt more freely that number would go down, but that's another issue...


Here is the documentary that we watched over the subject:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7y2KsU_dhwI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

　
　
Allie's initial reaction to the movie was to scream "aaaaarrrrgh," then "WHY are we comparing abortion to the Holocaust?" We all were pretty amazed at how ignorant the people were. Stephen said that what this movie really shows is how our education system sucks. This is why most of his answers to the films questions are super sarcastic, he thinks it was stupid. So here are our answers to the questions posed in the film.

　
　
Questions from the movie:
1. Who was Hitler?
Allie: (beats head on wall)
Stephen: "Anybody who doesn't know who Hitler is should have been aborted."
Sara: "A pop singer? Seriously... does he have a Twitter?"

2. Would you shoot Hitler given the chance?
Allie: "Heck ya!"
Stephen: "Yes I would.  And his Mom, abort him, or burn his grandparents. I don't care. Hitler bad, Oh I already knew that. What does this have to do with abortion?"
Sara:  "Yup."


3. Would you kill Hitler's Mom while she was pregnant with him, knowing his future?
Allie: "Yes, right in the pregnant belly."
Stephen: (see previous answer)
Sara: "Sure."

4. Would you use a bulldozer to cover up a pit filled with Jews, some alive, if you would be shot if you didn't comply?
Allie: "I honestly don't know."
Stephen: "Yes I'd bulldoze em', and I'd shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die."
Sara: "I'd probably take the bullet."

5. Would you shoot the same Jews if you were told to, knowing this would save them from being buried alive?
Allie: "Yes, rather than see them suffer."
Stephen: "I'd feel bad about it later, but I could kill them and be okay with it while I did it."
Sara: "I could look them in the eye and shoot them if it meant preventing their suffering before their death."

6. Is abortion okay?
Allie: "I personally couldn't do it, but I won't judge or deny someone else the right to make that decision."
Stephen: "Cars kill more people than abortions. Make cars illegal!!! I am totally okay with abortion. Honestly, though,  it doesn't matter what I think. I can't give birth. I think guys really should have no input when it comes to abortion."
Sara: "I think it should be legal. Do I think it's wrong? Yes. Would I do it? No. But you shouldn't try to legislate morality."

7. When is it a baby?
Allie: "After it stops looking like a sea monkey and has all its organs."
Stephen: "Egg=baby, just like a seed=tree in progress. Sentient life is probably later"
Sara: "Upon implantation, before that it's just a mass of cells."

8. It's okay to kill a baby in the womb when? ( his asking this question this way bugs me, it's a zygote, then a blastocyst, then an embryo, then a fetus)
Allie: "In cases of rape, mother and the child are in danger, or baby subject to poor quality of life, like being a vegetable."
Stephen: "Before its smarter than a chicken."
Sara: "When the mothers life is in danger, or the baby will live a short time in suffering, and then die young."

To Sum It Up
Sara- Obviously this is a really important issue, like I said before, I am against the act of abortion. However, outlawing it will not end it. Women have been having abortions since written history began. Outlawing it will merely make women return to back alley abortions that are even more dangerous than the legal ones. I would never judge someone who has had an abortion, nor try to make them feel bad for having one. I have no clue what it is like to be in that situation, or how hard that decision would be. I do believe that if the baby will be seriously sick with illnesses like anecephaly, Tay Sachs, Trisonomy 13, then abortion is the just and kind thing to do. IF, you can bring yourself to do it.
Stephen- Bad movie, bad comparison, good use of stupid people to make your point. People are always okay with killing as long as it is for the right cause. Such as our war for Independence: "King of England bad!" Civil war: "Slavery bad!" WW1: "Germany bad!" WW2: "Germany still bad!" Iraq war 1: "Oil good!"  Iraq war 2:  "Brown people bad!" 
Allie- Hitler? Somebody should stop that guy!!!
In all seriousness, this guy obviously sought out the most ignorant people specifically to make himself look like a genius. These poor people probably faced tougher issues picking out what shoes they wanted to wear that day, and he is bombarding them with the horrors of the Holocaust (which they apparently had no idea even happened) and comparing it to abortion. OF COURSE when you compare abortion to the Holocaust people are going to change their minds. Even comparing the two seems like a far stretch. It would make more sense to compare our treatment of homosexuals and Muslims in this country to the horrors of the Holocaust than abortion. Even THAT doesn't compare. OH, and it is COMPLETELY UNFAIR to say that God will solely judge you based on the Ten Commandments because we are all guilty, even Captain Preachy pants. Besides, he forgot about the most important, yet least known commandment of them all: Commandment Eleven- Thou shalt not be a street douche bag and dye yourself silver. That ones for you, silver, Asian street performer!!!

Calvinism and Hobbes

The one thing that is pretty common knowledge about Calvinism is the 5 points they hold universally true.

The five points of Calvinism are as follows:

1. Total depravity (original sin)- basically that sin is the natural state of men.

2. Unconditional Election (God's Election)- this seems to be the hot button issue of this faith. The idea of predestination.

3. Limited atonement (Particular Redemption)- not everyone is intended to go to heaven.

4. Irresistible grace (effectual calling)- Those who are saved desire to follow God's law. No one can resist the election of God.

5. Perseverance of the Saints- The elect cannot be lost.

There is another form of Calvinism, I actually hadn't heard of this until I started doing research.
" Hyper-Calvinism" --emphasizes irresistible grace to such an extent that there is no real need to evangelize; furthermore, Christ may be offered only to the elect.

This seems strange to me as part of Christianity has always been to witness to others. This, in fact, is the backbone of many churches.

Actually growing up I was taught some of these points, mainly that a true believer wants, and needs, to do as God wishes. We feel guilty when we stray, and desire forgiveness. The other one being that those who are truly saved cannot be unsaved, once your name is in the book, it is there.

It seems that Calvinism, and my religion (Southern Baptist) are pretty tied together. Before the 1700's many churches were Calvinist Baptist, but of course 2 groups formed, based on who believed in predestination, and who did not. In England the Calvinist Baptists were known as Particular, the other Baptists were known as general. When Baptist churches began to become popular in the early south the name Regular was then applied to Calvinists. Soon the groups were in a huge controversy, in the midst of this they started calling the Separates 'Arminians', named after a man who opposed the teachings of Calvin. This argument they had around the 1780's was solved by basically calling everyone a new name, and changing the old ones. Some people believe that in this fashion Baptists have their roots in Calvanism, but that would also be denied by many religious historians, and I of course have no idea :).

http://www.sbclife.org/Articles/2010/10/sla13.asp a link from the SBC on the matter

I really enjoy some of the points of Calvinism, but it brings up that age old 'free will' argument. As a child I would do silly things, like suddenly stick my arm in the air, then I would ask my Sunday school teacher, "Did he know I was going to do that". They always calmly answered that he did, he knows everything, they even had a verse that illustrated that nicely.

Jeremiah 1:15, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.
　
Now this verse is obviously about one person, but other verses show evidence that he knew all of us from the beginning. -Isaiah 43:7-1 Corinthians 2:7-Ephesians 1:5. Also
Acts 13:48

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
Most of these verses also back the idea that we were predestined. Many Christians argue that this nullifies the idea of free will, but is free will even an issue. The first book in Ephesians pretty much lays our for us that we were made according to God's will, and we will be what he wants, whether we like it or not. I don't at all think predestination messes up free will, I have two examples.

1. Take a kid, your kid who you know well. Lets say this kid happens to love apples more than anything. Then you take a bucket filled with apples, and one with brussel sprouts. Now I know that the kid is going to pick the apples, did I take away her free will. In much the same way if we are following God's will we usually have the right choice outlined for us.

2. Before my kids were born I decided I wanted to live in a small town, be a nurse, and have at least 2 kids. Did this planning take away anyone's free will?


Okay, another point I find interesting is that God's grace is sufficient. The argument I have heard for predestination that sounded the best was this. It's God, and if he wants you in his flock, you will be in his flock. One of the verses they use to illustrate this is in John.


John 6:41
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.
http://opc.org/new_horizons/NH99/NH9902a.html

This is a pretty good site, complete with scripture that shows a lot of the aspects of Calvinism.

Of course this doctrine also means that some people have no hope of ever entering. This is pretty firmly, illustrated with Matthew 7:21. After talking about being able to know true Christians by their fruit, Jesus says, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven". He goes on to say he will basically shun these people. It also says in the Bible that even demons know he is Lord. There are many verses that seem to back up Calvinism, but as always it is in the interpretation and in the context around the verse.

Calvinism is so complex, that I don't feel I can do it justice with just a few days of research. It is intertwined with many different faiths, and encompasses a lot of scripture. I will continue to gather information and see if I can scrape together another blog before too long.