Age or Outlook?

I wonder if I’ve just gotten older or if my outlook has changed recently. Normally, I steer clear of posting anything controversial on my FaceBook page, and here on my blog too. I guess I have always wanted to make everyone happy and comfortable and not give them any reason to dislike me. However, in the last year or so (mainly due to my re-entry in the workforce), I have come to the conclusion that it’s okay if I am not liked by everyone. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy being well-liked, but there are a few things that I have recently decided not to sacrifice on the alter of affability.

I’m not out to change anyone’s mind about anything – I pretty much know that’s a lost cause. We all believe what we want to believe, and that’s pretty much all there is to it. Just go to any conversation on social media, and you will see clearly that people don’t change their ideologies after having a nice, rational conversation (or an ugly, vehement one, for that matter).

Also, I’m not trying to make trouble. (Remember me? The lady who will generally go out of her way to get people to like her?)

So why does it matter? What’s my purpose? Am I just clouding up the Internet with my thoughts? Well, I do have a purpose, and here it is. It is three-fold:

1. There are a few people in the world who haven’t made up their minds on everything yet. I am personally acquainted with many young people and teens who may not have formed an opinion yet. Therefore, I’d like to add my voice to the collaborative “voice of reason” to help them come to a decision.

2. Some folks are truly seeking an answer about what to believe or how to feel. These folks would be best served to read both sides of an argument (rationally presented) before deciding. (Or listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, if they know Him.)

3. I think we should make our principles known to the world instead covering them up. Again, I don’t believe I will change anyone’s mind, but I am who I am, and I am tired of hiding my beliefs in the closet (so to speak). By sharing our beliefs, we rally behind those trying to make positive changes in the world, and encourage others who may feel alone in their stand against progressive humanism.

With that being said, here is a post that I put up on FaceBook today:

Why is abortion even a thing? Sure, my life would be more convenient if I didn’t have a child to take care of, but since when do we justify murder with convenience? My son’s life is precious and worth any amount of inconvenience anyhow. The other argument I’ve heard is that they are saving the underprivileged child from a life of hardship. Lets just go propose genocide to the homeless folks and see what they have to say about that. What a stupid, selfish rationalization. I cannot think of a greater evil than signing your own innocent child’s gruesome death warrant.

And here are a couple of rebuttals that I made to various comments on the post:

I don’t see how murdering her child will do anything to help the peace of mind of a mother who has been raped. If anything, having an abortion will only complicate emotional turmoil. Just because someone is a victim of a terrible crime doesn’t give them the right to commit murder. That’s absolutely ridiculous, and I think the people who know better need to speak out about it. I can’t believe we live in a “progressive” society that condones such an evil, twisted, barbaric act.

Someone suggested that having an unwanted child around may remind the mother of a rape on a daily basis. Here is my response to that:

Adoption or murder? Hmmm…let me think. I know I am taking a strong stance, but it needs to be said. I’m not asking anyone to agree with me, but I don’t have to agree with those who rationalize either.

I might add here, what if we had a child with someone who later abused us or cheated on us? What if our son or daughter was a daily reminder of our previous bad relationship? We don’t kill people to help us deal with our demons.

Sick and Sleepless

I woke up early this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep. My mind is full of the things that Ian has been studying. He is supremely interested in the Underground Railroad, but the stories of the slaves who ran away are so sad. Ian and I went to a Civil War exhibit over the summer, and I couldn’t sleep at all that night. There was a picture of a man who was wearing something around his neck to make it impossible for him to rest his head on anything – to prevent him from being able to sleep or even rest. I cannot imagine a blacksmith making one of those things with a person in mind, nor a slave owner being evil enough to use one. Who thinks of these things?

Now Thanksgiving is coming up, and we are studying the pilgrims and the Indians. And along with that story comes the inevitable questions: are there still Indians in America? What happened to them? And once again, we delve into the depths of broken promises and treating people like animals. Ian is learning just how evil people can be. Normal, everyday people who had friends and neighbors and went to church on Sundays. Because they thought they were justified in their actions.

So he is learning about the human condition, and our potential for evil, but there is still one topic we haven’t breached. One that is so heavy and so horrible that it seems that it should be the stuff of legends. Like once upon a time, there was a culture that was so evil, they actually condoned the slaughter of their own offspring. Their own!! And why did they condone it? So people could have sex anytime they wanted and not have to bother about taking responsibility for anything.

And don’t whine and cry to me about rape. Sometimes bad things happen to people, and I am sorry that they happen, but I personally just came through more pain than I ever imagined possible (not rape, but that is beside the point). I am not even a whole person anymore. If, however, I could have murdered my son to save myself from some emotional or physical turmoil, would I have been justified? It’s supposed to be a rhetorical question…

Don’t people realize that making the decision to murder a completely innocent person should only serve to compound the emotional problems they will face down the road? How can the sacrifice of your very own child do anything to alleviate the fact that you were raped? Do you think that child is not your responsibility just because you aren’t responsible? If someone placed a starving baby on your doorstep, would you feel justified in putting it out of it’s misery because you can’t afford to feed it, and you are too busy to jump through the hoops of placing it up for adoption? I just can’t understand how my own friends and neighbors,  how any real person, can condone anything like this.

Every day, Ian and I learn a little more about the selfishness of early Americans and how they closed their eyes and ignored evil to make their own lives more comfortable. I wonder when the time will come when I will have to inform him that the most evil time in the history of our beloved country is right now? That the human race is more depraved than it has ever been, and it’s right in his own back yard?