Abortion and Animals Rights: The Connection
By Frank and Mary Hoffman - 11 Jan 2011
Dear Sammy:
Thank you for writing back.
We see from your answer that you limit the term pro-life to being anti-abortion, and you are not alone in your thinking, but we still disagree.
The problems with every war is that people do very little in the beginning to defuse it, which is particularly true on the side of the aggressor, and it erupts, and many humans and animals suffer and die because of it. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God". and we are trying to get more people to understand this simple precept, and make if happen in the world around us instead of justifying war.
We also disagree that God "condones" killing. There is no suffering or death in heaven and there was no suffering or death in Eden prior to the Fall. In the middle of the Bible, Isaiah gives us a glimpse of the heavenly way of living here on earth (11:6-9). Please take a look at "Living in the Will Rather than the Concessions of God" http://www.all-creatures.org/discuss/living.html
What does it mean to be a Christian? If means to not only believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior, but to turn away from your former sinful/worldly ways and live in the loving, compassionate, and peacemaking will of God for the benefit of the whole of creation. This is also what it means to walk as He also walked.
What is sin? A sin is something we do that is against the will of God, and yes, we all still sin in this fallen world, but the key is whether or not we do it willfully. If our sins are inadvertent, then we fall under God's grace, but if the are willful, it is not.
What day of the week, if any, do you observe / keep as the Sabbath. If applicably from when to when is Sabbath? According to the Hebrew Bible it is the seventh day of the week from evening of the sixth day to the evening of the seventh day, but since there were no names of days at the time of creation, by tradition it became Saturday. Jesus, however, implied that really everyday was a Sabbath day, and was holy to the Lord for good works. Under Christianity, the Lord's day, Sunday, the day of His resurrection has become the day of observation. What day is set aside is far less important that living in the will of God.
Are we to obey the commandments of the "Old Testament / The Hebrew Bible"? The greatest commandment in the Bible is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might, which means with every part of our being and wealth, and Jesus said that if we really do love God in this way, we fulfill the whole Law and the Prophets. This is because if we truly love God in this unconditional way, we would never do any of the things that would violate any part of the Law and commandments, or of what the prophets spoke of.
Is the Bible (King James Version) True? All of it? Part of It? The original teachings of the Bible are all true in the Hebrew and Greek, but all translations have been affected by some political or cultural influence. As an example, in the beginning God created all animals and humans as living souls (Hebrew: neh-fesh khah-yaw), but it is never translated that way for animals.
We hope this answers your questions, and we look forward to hearing back from you.
In the Love of the Lord,
Frank and Mary
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