In defense of the church.

The other day I got into church about five minutes late for the regular Sunday service. The church was full and I was left standing at the back of the church. The service was pretty ordinary, and things were going along as usual until I noticed somebody standing next to me. This was an old lady probably in her sixties. She was standing with her two grown sons. Nothing out of the ordinary really except that both the sons appeared to be suffering from something that resembled Down's syndrome.

She went about her prayers and the sons stood there probably unaware of thier surroundings. They sometimes sat on the floor, sometimes stood up, sometimes glanced around and always greeted people who were walking by with a big smile. And yet the lady was unmoved. She seemed completely comfortable with the antics of her grown sons. She would only instruct them to be mindful of the alter when the really important parts of the service came along.

Whenever I argue about the churches stand on abortion and the women’s rights to choose in case of an unhealthy fetus I always wonder if I am being terribly obtuse in not completely moving to the "pro-choice" camp. I don’t even understand why parents should not be allowed to chose the kind of baby that they decide to bring to the world. Why is testing the fetus such a bad thing according to the church after all?

Meanwhile looking at that lady next to me, she seemed totally content with her situation in life. I can only assume that she had the choice to make. She chose the tougher road that lead to those two boys. What is it that keeps her from regretting her decision? And better yet what is it that keeps her so at peace with herself?

If we assume for a minute that she made her decision based on the churches teachings then isn’t that great for the two kids who were given life and allowed to live a full life? So why slam the church for teachings that celebrate life? It is what the church stands for and truly believes is the value of life. Why is that considered to be a very hard and narrow thought process? On the contrary isn't it narrow minded to be thinking of oneself and the difficulties you would face? Why is there an outcry at the churches stance on fetal testing?

Could it be that we are looking for affirmation from a moral authority for something that we know is inherently wrong? Could it be that, at the end of the day we are looking for the church to say its ok?

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