But seriously...
This rant sort of piggybacks on my last post. Jeanetta really brings up a serious issue. I was watching CNN the other day and heard related the story of a Sri Lankan teenager who was washed by rough tsunami waters upstream in a small river. She was swirled into the arms of a young man who helped her stay afloat and eventually helped pull her over to land where they could grab onto something and stay in one spot. Then her would-be rescuer proceeded to rape her and threaten her not to tell anyone of the attack when she finally was rescued. The story continued, telling of her eventual finding and transfer to a local hospital where she reluctantly told someone about the incident. The story was terrible and heart-rending enough up to this point, but here the reporter mentioned lightly in passing - as though it were a small detail of no real consequence - that the girl was immediately "given pills to prevent pregnancy."
This is a touchy subject, and very sensitive, I know. Don't think for a moment that I do not empathize with the girl and feel sympathy for this tragic misfortune that befell her. I can think of nothing more terrible for someone in her circumstances. But the entire story is eclipsed, for me, by that subtle mention of such hideous evil that comes at the end, quietly and calmly as an invited guest arriving for a party. I have heard often rash statements made by radical conservatives when arguing against abortion and contraception in extreme cases, such as rape. I always thought it a bit insensitive to stress the connection between sexual crime and sexual sin. People who are victimized will not respond well to such argument, no matter how sound it is. Yet this story hit home with me, and more clearly revealed to me just how deep are the roots of the culture of death in our society.
I'm somewhat of a pessimist, though truly a man of hope. But I can't help noticing, when I hear of stories like this, just how grim the situation in our world has become. The tragedies we face are compounded by the way in which we face them. Aid workers and volunteers have rushed to Asia to help with the relief effort and the UN is pouring forth all its assets. Condoms are being handed out, abortion mills set up, abortifacients made available, all with typical UN efficiency. Well-intended persons have virtuously stepped forward to lend a helping hand, and Satan has responded with equal fervor. I was very encouraged when I saw how much good in humanity was being brought forth as a result of the tsunami. The earth's tumult brought about a sudden wave of virtue in mankind. Yet now, as I look around the world, and especially at stories like this, I can only sigh to see how quickly that tide is receeding.
This is a touchy subject, and very sensitive, I know. Don't think for a moment that I do not empathize with the girl and feel sympathy for this tragic misfortune that befell her. I can think of nothing more terrible for someone in her circumstances. But the entire story is eclipsed, for me, by that subtle mention of such hideous evil that comes at the end, quietly and calmly as an invited guest arriving for a party. I have heard often rash statements made by radical conservatives when arguing against abortion and contraception in extreme cases, such as rape. I always thought it a bit insensitive to stress the connection between sexual crime and sexual sin. People who are victimized will not respond well to such argument, no matter how sound it is. Yet this story hit home with me, and more clearly revealed to me just how deep are the roots of the culture of death in our society.
I'm somewhat of a pessimist, though truly a man of hope. But I can't help noticing, when I hear of stories like this, just how grim the situation in our world has become. The tragedies we face are compounded by the way in which we face them. Aid workers and volunteers have rushed to Asia to help with the relief effort and the UN is pouring forth all its assets. Condoms are being handed out, abortion mills set up, abortifacients made available, all with typical UN efficiency. Well-intended persons have virtuously stepped forward to lend a helping hand, and Satan has responded with equal fervor. I was very encouraged when I saw how much good in humanity was being brought forth as a result of the tsunami. The earth's tumult brought about a sudden wave of virtue in mankind. Yet now, as I look around the world, and especially at stories like this, I can only sigh to see how quickly that tide is receeding.
5 Comments:
To clarify, there's nothing wrong, per se, with preventing pregnancy resulting from rape with contraceptives as long as those contraceptives aren't abortifacients, which is the real sticking point here. Currently, all "EC" can cause early abortion, since we aren't yet capable of telling whether fertilization has occured so early.
Yeah, touchy subject like I said. It's a fuzzy area, somewhat. What annoys me the most, though, is that it doesn't even seem to be an issue or something for consideration. It's just taken so for granted, and contracieving is so much part of modern life. The way the story tells it, the girl might not even have been aware of the purpose of these pills given her by the doctor.
Consider that World War One alone claimed approx. 20 million lives in the process yet there was hardly a radio to blame, let alone a TV. The only thing that has changed is our ability to be informed. The child lived, which is all that mattered to God. Rejoice in the miracle as opposed to the loss.
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I certainly praise God that the girl was rescued. Not only that, I am thankful to the Lord for all of the good that has come from this disaster - yes, I do see that good has come from it. But just as grace abounds where sin is rampant, so too do the legions of hell double their attacks when there is a surge of altruistic care and benificence. Missionaries are doing good in the region, and so are many volunteers. But aid from national organizations and diplomatic resources is so politicized nowadays that I think much of it will do as much harm as good.
People have been saying that this event proves the viability of the UN amidst all the criticism the organization has recieved of late. I agree that a unity of nations IS necessary, but THE United Nations, I still contend, is broken and in shambles. The counseling and aid that the victims of this tragedy recieve will be filled with the poison of first-world culture, but hardly at all with that other characteristic component which is just as defining of the West: Christianity.
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