Theology College Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theology College - Essay Example It must, thus, be completely disregarded as a possible option. The starting point for any consideration of abortion as a solution to a problematic and unwanted pregnancy must be the acknowledgement of God as both the giver and the taker of life. None can, and none should attempt to usurp this role. Indeed, as Bonhoeffer wrote, Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder.1 As a pastor, however, and as briefly touched upon in the preceding, it need be acknowledge that the young girl must be going through a period of guilt, compounded with despair. These two are probably at the heart of her evident, although unexpressed, partiality towards abortion as a solution. ... Had she or her family been in a position to afford the pregnancy and the child, her situation may not be as problematic as it currently is. This is a fact that I cannot ignore and which I should express sympathetic understanding of. Sympathies and personal sentiments aside, however, theological doctrine cannot be altered or tailored to suit our immediate purposes but need be consistently applied and adhered to, irrespective of circumstances. Theological doctrine asserts the right to life. As Bonhoeffer affirms, "God gives before He demands."3 The implication is clear: the right to life predominates over, and precedes the responsibilities of life. The foetus has a right to life and the responsibilities associate with that life are, although of critically important concern, secondary to the affirmed right. Accordingly, rather than be influenced by the economic and social considerations and concerns that the foetus, as a life, will bring with him/her, the primary influence, and the determinant of any decision made with respect to this case, should be the right to life. The right to life, the value of life, is an integral part of Christian theological doctrine and is affirmed through Soteriology, Christ's Physical Resurrection, and Ecclesiastology. The salvic purpose of Christ's death is an affirmation of life and the right to life; the Christ's Physical Resurrection is a testament to the eternal nature of life, on the one hand, and to the value which Christianity places on bodily life; the teachings of the Church, those being the teaching of Jesus Christ and, the Church's mission, that being the affirmation of Christ's teachings and