Subject: America’s Rising Secularization: Cheering for Abortion

Isaiah 44:24 “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb; I am the Lord, who makes all things…”

According to the Pew Research Center’s July 2016 Poll, Americans listed, in order, these 6 issues in deciding who to vote as the next President: 1) the economy, 2) terrorism, 3) foreign policy, 4) health care, 5) gun policy and 6) immigration. All 6 received at least 70% of the Poll votes, so they are by far the most significant issues on the minds of Americans. Unfortunately, at last month’s conventions for the two political parties, we heard very little substance on their plans to deal with any of these top 6 issues.

But there is one issue not in the top 6. In fact, it fell to number 13 in the Poll. But if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, I would contend it is the number one issue that decides your vote. It is abortion – the murder of an unborn child. No person who claims to be Christian can vote for anyone who supports abortion. Our verse for this week out of the book of Isaiah, and many other similar verses in the Bible, declares God as the Maker of human life in the womb. To murder an unborn baby, you choose to break God’s moral code.

Abortion was the number 1 issue at the Democratic National Convention. In ‘The Weekly Standard’, John McCormack highlighted the DNC’s obsession with abortion: “When talking about abortion, Democratic politicians and activists prefer to speak about the dismemberment or lethal poisoning of a baby who hasn’t been born yet as ‘reproductive health care’ or ‘a woman’s choice.’ But there’s been a growing push on the left to not only defend abortion as a necessary evil … but to celebrate it as a positive good… Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, took the stage at the DNC and told the story of the time she aborted her first child because it was an inconvenient time to become a parent: ‘To succeed in life, all we need are the tools, the trust, and the chance to chart our own path. I was fortunate enough to have these things when I found out I was pregnant years ago. I wanted a family, but it was the wrong time. I made the decision that was best for me—to have an abortion…’ Applause and cheers could be heard in the crowd.”

Did you catch this? The DNC crowd cheered for abortion. This is morally disgusting. The DNC obsession over abortion was so strong that even liberal political analyst Cokie Roberts criticized the party on ABC’s ‘This Week’: “I think this Democratic Convention was really over-the-top in terms of abortion. Every single speaker talked about abortion. At some point, you start to alienate people. 30% of Democrats are pro-life.” The official DNC position on abortion is as follows: “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” Translation: the DNC advocates freedom to choose abortion until the moment of birth (or partially born), with our tax dollars paying for it if the person cannot. But where do the American people fall on this?

The latest Marist Poll, just released in July, asked Americans their position on abortion. We are split right down the middle: 51% say they are pro-choice, 49% pro-life. What is especially significant is 78% (8 out of 10) Americans support substantial restrictions on abortion, limiting it to the first three months of pregnancy. And 62% oppose taxpayer funding for abortion. A majority, 56%, do not believe that healthcare providers should be forced to perform abortions against their conscience or religious beliefs. This means America’s position on abortion does not agree with the Democratic party and their candidate, Hillary Clinton!

So why is Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump in the polls? It’s more than the fact that Americans do not view protecting the life of a baby in the womb as more important than our economy or terrorism. Our cultural mantra is “secularization”. Christianity is losing social and cultural significance. In secularized America, having faith in Jesus Christ lacks cultural authority, and religious organizations have lost social power. It is, as Christian Alexander Solzhenitsyn said in his 1978 commencement address to students at Harvard University (almost 40 years ago), that “Men have forgotten God”. God has little authority.

Solzhenitsyn called for a moral and spiritual renewal in American culture in order to withstand the coming onslaught of secular humanism. How did the students react to the hero who openly defied Communist dictatorship? They booed him and shouted insults at him. Many of these 18-20 year old students, and many since then that have graduated from our secular universities, are now in positions of influence in our culture. We are teaching our youth to forget about Jesus Christ. God have mercy on us.

“The Evidence of Faith’s Substance”, Article #205