ATROCITIES

From My Perspective - - -

Atrocity is a seldom used word. It has the meaning of acts that are marked by cruelty; that which is fierce or frightful; or deeds that are beyond reason and/or comprehension. The Online Etymology Dictionary adds an additional meaning: “of fiery or threatening appearance.” It is easy to employ the word to reference historical events such as The Holocaust or the ethnic cleansing that has and is occurring in various countries. At present, the possibility of Chemical weapons in the ongoing conflict in Syria would be considered a “red-line” in terms of what should constitute an atrocity.

Our Culture has allowed for a continuing atrocity for more that forty years. It is excused on the basis of a Woman’s Right to make a personal choice in terms of Aborting an unwanted pregnancy. Such behavioral choice has been legal and has resulted in more than fifty-four million abortions. There are many champions of Women’s Rights and Abortion Rights who use the talking point of the danger for women if Roe V. Wade was overturned. They further state that women would be forced into the back alleys for illegal abortions and run the risk of injury or death. However, the news of the day states: “Jurors will return Monday to deliberate on the charges that Philadelphia doctor Kermit Gosnell killed a patient and four babies that prosecutors allege were born alive. Gosnell, 72, ran the Women’s Medical Society clinic in West Philadelphia for 30 years until the FBI shut down the facility in a raid in 2010. Gosnell faces a third-degree murder charge in the death of a patient...He is also charged with four counts of first-degree murder for infants who were allegedly born alive and were killed by…severed spinal cords at Gosnell’s hands. Several clinic employees have pleaded guilty to murder charges.” Does this get our attention? Does this cause anyone to re-think the presence of Abortion in our Culture and Society? Isn’t this an Atrocity?

There are other atrocities that have received little notice. One has been in the considerable debate and discussion about ending the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, whereas very little attention is given to those who fought in those wars. CBS News and on 60 Minutes ran a segment entitled: “Succeeding As Civilians.” Some of the Script included the following:  “There are three million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan and they face a host of problems when they come home. It's not just unemployment, nearly half have a disability because of their service. Most tragically, more soldiers killed themselves last year than died at the hands of the enemy.More than 22 veterans kill themselves every day that's almost one an hour…” Our eyes pass over those numbers without any shock on our part – not even a gasp. Yet, this is an atrocity that is impacting hundreds of thousands – and – almost one per hour each day will commit suicide. Do we – can we understand this in terms of an Atrocity?

Sunday, May the 12^th, was Mother’s Day. It is interesting that many Ministers made reference to the godly and virtuous woman in Proverbs 31:10-31. However, the words of wisdom of the King’s Mother are seldom referenced – Proverbs 31:1-9 (NKJV) – “…Do not give your strength to women, nor your ways to that which destroys kings.It is not for kings…to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted…Open your mouth for the speechless, in the cause of all who are appointed to die. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.” What if we were committed to being defenders of the unborn and championed Adoption Rather Than Abortion – what potential would there be among those whose lives were spared and allowed to live? Could we not frame our discussion based upon and in light of Psalm 139:13-18 – “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand.” Have you ever addressed an Atrocity or taken a stand to offer a moral value alternative or a Biblical standard? Consider these thinks with me.