Respect People, Not Immoral Opinions

I have great respect for people. We all should respect one another, because we are all great gifts from God. Sure we are all sinners, but we must have respect for life and love our neighbors. However, we should not confuse a respect for a person with respect for all opinions. What do I mean by this? I think I can best explain this by giving an example of a common argument given by pro-choice (mothers choice to kill their unborn babies) advocates. First of all, I’d like to point out that these people are not pro-choice in the true sense because they are just advocating that the mother has a choice in whether or not to terminate the life of her baby. Last time I checked, that does not include giving the father a choice or the unborn baby a choice. Is not the father also involved in the creation of the life forming inside the woman? Since the unborn can not speak up for themselves, we must be the voice for the unborn. For this reason, I label people who are for abortion pro-abortion as opposed to pro-choice. It more accurately labels their position. Some will say they are not for abortion, but they don’t feel they can tell another woman what to do. Newsflash people, that is the same thing as advocating the abortion. Think about it!

A common argument given by pro-abortion advocates is that they don’t feel they have the “right” to tell a mother what to do with her body. They don’t think it’s fair to legislate on an issue of “choice”. They say they want to limit the number of abortions, but they think that keeping abortion legal and using taxpayer dollars to fund institutions like Planned Parenthood will help limit abortions? I think not. Another phrase that irks me is that Planned Parenthood helps to solve “unwanted pregnancies”. Unwanted by whom? The parents? The future grandparents? Society? Every life is a gift from God and just because a couple does not “plan” to have a baby does not mean the baby is unwanted. That is a terrible thing to say and is completely untrue.

I can respect a person who has a pro-abortion view on life. I can respect that they have been given the great gift of life and with that great gift of life comes a gift of free will. I respect that others might have differing opinions than my own. My opinion may not always be the correct opinion, but certain truths have been revealed by God that are not debatable. Life is a moral issue. Those who do not respect life must be confronted in a peaceful but serious way. If one does not respect life, that will most likely lead to several misguided and potentially very dangerous outlooks on life. I cannot respect the immoral opinions that go against God’s teachings and most fundamental truths. I respect the fact that all people are capable of having an opinion, but I must not agree or respect the opinion itself.

Sharing with people the love God has for each one of us is not disrespectful. If anything, talking about tough issues like abortion is the ultimate sign of respect. It is not acceptable to agree to disagree on an issue so great as the issue of abortion. This is a life or death issue and it must be discussed. If a pro-abortion person is uncomfortable talking about abortion, maybe there is a reason for that. Maybe they know deep down inside that abortion is wrong. It is our responsibility to reach out to these people. When we do, we must not be condescending and mean. We must approach these people with the respect that they deserve and always with the goal of helping them understand the greatness and fullness of life. We are not forcing our ideas upon them, but we are offering them tools to discover what is right. We must do this. Jesus tells us we must reach out to those who are in need and millions of unborn are in need of our help.

So next time when you hear someone say they can not force their opinions on anyone else, let them know that they did exactly what the said they would not do: forced their opinion on you. When politicians say that they can not legislate what a woman decides to do or not do with her body, bring up the fact that all our laws are based on choices. Pro-abortion is not pro-choice. If we do nothing, we are not part of the solution but part of the problem. Do not be afraid to voice your opinion, but be prepared for a negative reaction. Strong opinions will always be greeted with strong reactions. Know that many people will criticize and ridicule you. Jesus was no stranger to criticism and ridicule. Do what you know is right and reach out to those who are in need. Respect all people, including the unborn and people in all stages of life, and respectfully communicate with those who do not know or understand God and his great love for all. Do not be afraid, God is with you. God bless you all!