OPINION:
Dear Dr. E,
Don’t you think the “single-issue” tendency of Christians is untenable? There are more issues than just abortion. What about the innocent civilians killed due to war and other injustices across the globe? Surely Jesus cares about these people too. — Disaffected Neighbor in Oklahoma.
Dear Disaffected,
First, when you say “Christians,” aren’t you being rather presumptuous?
It’s an ad populum fallacy to lump “all” of any group of people into one big category.
I know you are likely now thinking that you didn’t mean “all Christians,” but go back and look at the emotion and tone of your comments.
Your all-inclusive critique of all those with whom you disagree comes through loud and clear. Wouldn’t it be better to be a bit more disciplined in your logic if you desire a good debate?
Second, your question presupposes war is wrong.
On what basis do you make this claim? Is it because you assume that human life has value? If so, aren’t you admitting that “humanness” has an objective quality that can never be one group’s prerogative to define or diminish? Otherwise, why should we care about body counts and death?
Can’t you see where the momentum of your ideas takes you?
If you implicitly diminish the value of life through one means (i.e., abortion), you simultaneously minimize the standards you use to condemn the loss of life through other means (i.e., war). You are sawing off the branch upon which you sit to make your case.
Now, I just have to say another word about war before we move on. If you’re suggesting that all war is wrong and that you’re an uncompromising pacifist, that’s fine — as long as you’re consistent.
But if you, like Augustine, are a proponent of a “just war” theory, then I can’t help but point out that you’re being a little disingenuous in equating killing innocent children with the casualties of war.
A “just” war must answer the question: What is “just”? With this as context, you need to decide why the killing of millions under the banner of “choice” is of less moral weight than the loss of thousands in war.
And if you equate the two and say they are both equally evil, then you, by default, should be working as hard to stop one as the other, or maybe harder to stop the one that results in a greater quantitative loss.
Finally, how does minimizing one evil (i.e., abortion) to justify the attention you give to another (i.e., war) make you any better or worse than the “warmonger” you protest against? It appears that both you and the conservative hawks you hold in contempt have little but a hairs width of difference in your moral relativism.
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