A legislator from Virginia cites a passage from the Bible that says if a woman has a child with some kind of disability, then she must have aborted her first pregnancy based on “dramatic evidence.” Now, if the Bible is true as this lawmaker claims, then Sarah Palin had an abortion the first time she was pregnant because her baby has Down syndrome.
Everyone knows this is true because the words of the Bible are the words of God, and Palin lives by the scriptures, so simple logic dictates that: Palin aborted her first child, and has not attacked this man’s remarks as false because he speaks God’s word, or, she did not have an abortion and doesn’t lash out because the man speaks God’s word.
As absurd as this seems, it is a troubling indicator of politicians quoting scriptures as if they are Constitutional law that applies to everyone. The Virginia delegate (Bob Marshall R, Manassas) who made the comment went on to cite Exodus 13:2 as his authority, and passed this information on to Governor McDonnell as a reason to stop support of Planned Parenthood. Governor McDonnell says he will revoke support for Planned Parenthood in Virginia, but he did not say whether Marshall’s rendering of the facts swayed his decision.
Earlier this month, Governor McDonnell changed the employment discrimination laws in Virginia to exclude gays from employment discrimination protection based on an edict from God that claims gays are an abomination. As an aside, how is it that God creates an abomination, and hates the abomination he created? Just wondering how that works.
Another instance of using the Bible’s archaic laws to discriminate and demonize gays is a beauty pageant contestant spouting her belief that God said to kill homosexuals, it is the law and therefore acceptable.
Miss Beverly Hills, Lauren Ashley, is vying to become Miss California, and like former Miss California, Carrie Prejean, she feels that homosexuality is wrong according to the Bible, and worthy of execution, taking things a step further than Ms. Prejean did (in public).
The problem is not just these hate mongering nut jobs citing scripture and verse as if they are the law of the land, the problem is when politicians start governing using scripture as their guide, the country will slide into theocratic rule. Before dismissing this prospect, bear in mind that in 2008, Mike Huckabee sought the Republican Presidential nomination with a recurring motto of “the Ten Commandments should be the Constitution, and that’s all we need.” Mr. Huckabee would make owning a graven image a breech of Constitutional law, although he did not mention whether or not, a wooden cross is a graven image.
The Republicans who embrace this archaic bunch of laws are sick on one hand and contradictory on the other. They pick laws from the Bible’s verses that reinforce their hate, greed and selfishness, but they never mention that adulterers were stoned in the Bible, and not the good kind of stoned either. They also never mention that their repeated lies would make them candidates for horrific punishment, because they are hypocrites.
If individuals choose to follow the Bible, then that is their choice and if it’s good for them, that’s great. However, when they use archaic Bible rules to discriminate and endanger other people, they are guilty of a crime against humanity. When a politician uses his fairy tale beliefs as a guide for governance, and causes discrimination and harm to members of the public, he is a theocrat.
The other problem with a theocracy is that anyone who displeases the leader becomes the next target. George Bush and Dick Cheney were close to running the country as a theocracy, and nearly broke America in the process. It is true with any religious rule, that at some point, the scriptures get distorted to fit one man or one group’s agenda, as is the case with radical Islam.
The Inquisition, Crusades, and witch-hunts were religiously incited campaigns that tortured or killed innocents for disagreeing or not complying with the theocracy. It is happening in Iran and other Islamic countries, and if Republicans and Conservatives have their way, it will happen here.
Are Republicans ready to accept theocratic rule like the Islamic Republic of Iran? Because if they are, they should beware of who runs the theocracy since the GOP doesn’t stand a chance against GOD. Besides, who knows which man-god will run the theocracy, or what scripture or Stone Age law is the basis for his decisions.
The only absolute is that the theocratic leader will be a man, because Christianity and the Bible discriminates against women as much as gays, and if you don’t believe it; why isn’t Sarah Palin attacking the man with the Bible for outing her abortion?
Either she had an abortion, or she did not, and is complying with the Bible’s edict for a woman to subject herself to a man; in this case she is subjecting herself to the man with the Bible who said she had an abortion, according to Exodus 13:2.
Comments
On Thursday February 18th, a press conference was held in the General Assembly, the purpose of which was to demand Planned Parenthood not receive any funds out of the state budget. All major Virginia attended.
Next day press reports noted comments made at the press conference. Conspicuously absent from all the reports was the claim that any speakers calling handicapped children a punishment from God for abortion.
Yet, three days later VCU’s Capital News Service claimed that I did in fact make such a statement.
Why? Because that statement was never said, period.
The Journal of Reproductive Medicine for October, 2007 which surveyed 59 English language studies found that induced abortion “increased the early preterm delivery rate by 31.5%, with a yearly increase in initial neonatal hospital costs related to induced abortion of > $1.2 billion. The yearly human cost includes 22,917 excess early preterm births … and 1096 excess [Cerebral Palsy] cases in very-low-birth-weight
This post is nothing but a series of elaborate strawmen.
What version of Exodus was that? Mine certainly doesn't make that accusation.
This post is a waste of electronic ink. Read Exodus 13:2. Does it say anything of the sort? Of course not. So we've got one non-thinking person in Modesto writing an article based on a non-thinking person from Virginia. Wow...
I don't find anything like that in exodus 13:2 In a whole bunch of translations it just talks about consecrating the firstborn to God.
Anyway, I bet that abortions in biblical times were a lot harder on a woman than they are today. Maybe could have caused later reproductive problems at least and death more than just sometimes.
that's great, just blanket blame republicans... I'm sure every repubilcan wants us to be a theocracy. you need to get your head out of your ass and give up on that "us vs them" mentality.
Are you kidding me dude? This is truly incredible.
Jess
www.total-anonymity.cz.tc
@LouisCipher777
These are the members of the party to which you belong. The statements in this article, however blanketed, are how the rest of the world perceives said party. If you take issue with how your party is perceived, then take action from within. Merely criticizing "opposition" is not going to solve anything or win any friends. Please consider pro-active solutions. Good day.
That is the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I wish these ignoramus narrow minded legislators would stay out of all things mothers, women and children. They should all leave -Nasa budget for space ship travel is designed to save them anyway, and give us meek ladies our earth back!!!
hey ron perhaps what they call down syndrom is no more a birth defect than your stupidity!
planned parenthood=natzi death camp!
Please note that there is an error in this. The contestant that says she is "Miss Beverly Hills" is lying. There is no Miss Beverly Hills as we don't do pageants here, and the city has already denounced her. Not to mention she lived in Pasadena.
Ron, You are an A+. It's my pleasure to subscribe to your future articles.
I'm leaning more toward she did have an abortion.
She admitted in "GR" that her second pregnancy "ended in a D&C" -- why wouldn't she say "miscarriage"
but then again, I also feel certain that she did not give birth to Trig, for whom she still has not presented a birth cert., and he remains the only member of their family to not enjoy the government health insurance provided to all in AK with "native blood"
I also am not so certain that the first child Track is the son of Todd -- I really believe Track to be the son of Curtis Menard, Jr., whose mysterious death is a whole other story in and of itself.
this woman is a true sociopath. she does not bow to men as the Bible instructs. She truly does believe herself to be The Chosen. she has zero conscience and really believes she can get away with anything. The cracks are starting to show on her face, though, as pressure is building -- or maybe that's just bad plastic surgery
Interesting coincidence? Does aborting one’s second pregnancy still count? Especially if it was not conceived with one’s husband?
Not allowed to post a link, so just google:
palingates.blogspot.com/abortiongate
What an appalling bunch of CRAP. You are seriously mentally deficient. Seldom does one find an article written and published that is as lacking in intelligence as this drivel.
I trust the Lord; I love democracy; I pray for you.
This is the most disgusting, biased, iddiotic, selfish, left based garbage I've ever read. This is not even journalism. It's obscene, jaded, opinion with absolutely no merit.
I feel sorry you have to stoop to such a low level.
So it's ok to hate and demonize an entire politicial party as well as regligous group based on your hate spewed ingorance?
You are truly a fool. You disgrace humanity. May the living god spare you some grace!
I believe Leviticus is the chapter that condemns homosexuality as "abomination." The Bible also says that one can have slaves as long as they are from bordering countries. My neighbor says it applies to Mexicans but not Canadians. Why can't I have a Canadian slave?
What you say probably isn't that far from the truth in how idiotic things happen in government but when making such claims you really should give links to evidence and not just generic links.
I am a Republican, I do not believe in abortion, and I also think that if this guy actually said that, he is a loonball. But this is typical politics: take the wackiest loonball from the other side and display him as typical of that side, thus proving that all your opposition is wacked-out nutjobs. Thus: All Democrats are Hugo Chavez, all civil-rights leaders are Al Sharpton, all veterans are Tim McVeigh, all Christians are that guy who says to kill gays, all Muslims are Osama bin Laden, etc. Oh, and all journalists are lying sacks of crap, because, well, remember that one guy?
If this article had simply said that this guy is a crackhead, then Amen. But of course, from there we had to get that all Republicans are neanderthals. Just like all people who write stuff on the internet rape children. After all, remember that one guy who . . . .
Exodus 13:2 - "Sanctify unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and of beast: it is mine." KJV
Perhaps both Mr. Marshall and you should have checked your Bible as this verse says nothing about abortion or children born with disabilities.
Where is the quote that he actually said this?
Why do you cite their "hate, greed, and selfishness", when you are clearly being hateful, and clearly being selfishly intolerant of other people's views?
I am very much in agreeance that anyone who says the Bible should be Constitutional law clearly has no understanding of the original intent of the founders, or of the Constitution itself. The problem lies in that people who destroy the Constitution in other ways (like liberals such as yourself, by holding a gun to the head of individual citizens in order to take their hard-earned property and give it to others, and try to insert yourselves into the lives of everyone) also tend to be non-religous people and so the social conservatives necessarily rally to the side of Republicans and all Conservatives, who, btw, usually want LESS GOVERNMENT and not your god-damned theocracy or liberal fascism. You are just as much a liar and a hypocrite.
First and foremost I am a Christian, Native American mixed with Black. I love what God loves and I hate what God hates. God love the homosexual he hates their sin. The issue of abortion is morally and socially wrong; and not to mention against the will of God.
I am a person of color and I am appauled that they would even link our struggles and gays. People choose or are recruited into the gay lifestyle; they are not born that way, (there is always an exception to every rule). Persons of color have no choice and have struggled for years for equality in a country that belongs to my ancestors. A country that was stolen from my Native Americans.
When the Europeans came here it was so that there would be religious freedom. Now everyone wants to take God out of the equation, look around people, see what is happening in the world, U.S. is not exempt, Sodom and Ghomorrah was destroyed because of homosexuality running rampant.
Up until 1967, the rationale for banning interracial marriage (such as between a Native American and a Black person) was "God hates it." Theocratic values would have prevented you from existing in the first place.
People who are gay do not "choose" to be gay. Gay people are abused and murdered by "peace-loving, tolerant Christians." A genetic component exists, otherwise countries which stone homosexuals would have ZERO homosexuals.
While Christians like to claim that homosexuality brought down Rome, the Roman Empire was strongest when it allowed diversity in religious belief and allowed homosexuality, and fell down rather quickly *after* converting the entire Empire to Christianity and banning homosexuality.
Accepting diversity means a larger population of people is prepared to defend you and your family, and in the larger context, is prepared to defend the system of government that does not persecute them.
Be a uniter, not a divider: oppose theocratic values!
If you continue to read Exodus, it explains that all first born human sons of the Isrealites must be bought back, not sacrificed (it's not referring to abortion at all, it's referring to Jesus' sacrifice for us all). The offering of the first born as a sacrifice is in reference to Jesus sacrificing his own life so that we may have eternal life. Jesus released us from the old covenant and paid the price as the first born sacrifice that Exodus is referring to. The old testiment looks forward onto the cross, as the new testiment looks back onto the cross.
Exodus 13:2 says no such thing.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!