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Old 12-15-2003, 01:09 AM   #1
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Default Abortion and the SAB

This page from the Skeptics Annotated Bible lists 'crimes' that are punishable by death.

Murder
Being a disobedient child
Being a witch
Beastiality
Worshipping another god
Breaking the Sabbath
Adultery
Incest
Homosexuality
Blasphemy
Not being a virgin on the night of the wedding
Rape victims who don't cry out loudly enough

Abortion is not on the list.

I was under the impression that the Bible opposed abortion. Isn't that why some fundamentalist christians have gunned down doctors who perform them?

Is abortion opposed by the bible?

I also am aware that the SAB is not the be-all and end-all, so if any of the listed 'crimes' are incorrect, clarification would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
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Old 12-15-2003, 02:49 AM   #2
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Here is a tract from the ffrf: What does the bible say about abortion?, it should answer your question perfectly!

Liam
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Old 12-15-2003, 06:17 AM   #3
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Default Bible and Abortion

Abortion has been practiced for 1000's of years and no doubt in Biblical times. For something that claimes it's truthfulness Religion many times falls flat of telling only what is fact. In any event the Bible is not a legal document nor a book of laws, only a collection of writers ideas.
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Old 12-15-2003, 09:50 AM   #4
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One has to wonder, when 1 in 4 (yes, 25%) of first pregnancies end in (natural) miscarriage, how people can imagine that there's any higher power that cares about the unborn.

(Statistics given by NHS doctors to each of 3 friends of mine who have had 1st-pregnancy miscarriages in the last 12 months.)

TW
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Old 12-15-2003, 10:18 AM   #5
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The early Christian church decided that abortion was wrong because it was murder, although there is no scriptural support for this. Abortions in those days before modern surgical techniques and sanitation were dangerous and a significant cause of women's death (but then live birth was also risky).

The church also forbade birth control. Following these doctrines allowed Christians to increase their numbers and eventually take over the Roman Empire. When something works that well, you tend to cling to it.

The alleged Christians who have gunned down doctors who perform abortions are not serious Bible scholars or ethicists, and I think some of them got their information transmitted directly from god (probably through the radio transmitters that the CIA implanted in their teeth. . . )
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Old 12-15-2003, 08:01 PM   #6
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Thanks, all. Much appreciated.
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