A Bible question!!

[MrFun]

Where in the Bible does it say that abortion is sinful?

[Lorizael]

5th/6th commandment.

[Imran Siddiqui]

http://www.patheos.com/community/jesuscreed/2011/09/08/the-bible-is-electricity-2/

[MrFun]

Thanks, Imran. So this passage from Exodus:

22 “If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. 23 But if there is serious injury [to mother, to child?], you are to take life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.

It could be understood as a woman's loss of her fetus against her will, and not about whether or not a woman should have a choice to abort the fetus.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, but I think you are missing the forest from the trees in his argument.

[Agent Sox]

People are always saying oh the bible doesn't matter anymore because it was written by desert farmers thousands of years ago but I would not be too sure about that. It doesn't make sense to me that a bunch of farmers way back when would be concerned with what their reilgion would morph into thousands of years later and whether people would still believe in it. It makes more sense to think that there was another source fro teh bible and that the information was just passed on to the jews. I'm not saying god did it because thats not logical but something else might make sense.

[Ben Kenobi]

Where in the Bible does it say that abortion is sinful?

Jeremiah 1:5

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you". Presupposes that your existence begins within the womb. Abortion terminates the life of the child within the womb and is therefore no different then killing someone outside the womb.

[Ben Kenobi]

It could be understood as a woman's loss of her fetus against her will, and not about whether or not a woman should have a choice to abort the fetus

Couple things here.

One, all that it says is if the woman gives birth prematurely. That's all. It makes no exception if the women herself brings about a premature birth.

Two, Lex talionis applies to both the mother and the child. If you injure the mother when doing so, then hand for hand, if you injure the child while doing son, hand for hand. There is no distinction made between the mother and the child. Both are persons and anyone who hurts either would suffer.

[Ben Kenobi]

There is also the Didache, which didn't make the bible, but teaches this:

The second commandment of the Teaching: "Do not murder; do not commit adultery"; do not corrupt boys; do not fornicate; "do not steal"; do not practice magic; do not go in for sorcery; do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant. "Do not covet your neighbor's property; do not commit perjury; do not bear false witness"; do not slander; do not bear grudges. Do not be double-minded or double-tongued, for a double tongue is "a deadly snare." Your words shall not be dishonest or hollow, but substantiated by action. Do not be greedy or extortionate or hypocritical or malicious or arrogant. Do not plot against your neighbor. Do not hate anybody; but reprove some, pray for others, and still others love more than your own life.

The Didache dates to around the end of the 1st century. It's not scriptural, but it is a manual by the early Christians on how to live a Christian life. So it's clear that well before there was even a bible per se, that the Christians were opposed to abortion and regarded abortion as sinful.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Do not be double-minded or double-tongued

Uh oh. You are in trouble, Ben

[Ben Kenobi]

Uh oh. You are in trouble, Ben

We all have our sins for which we have to ask for forgiveness...

[DaShi]

Repeat offenders aren't forgiven.

[BlackCat]

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you"

I thought that man had free will and wasn't controlled by god, but that are apparently wrong.

[Ben Kenobi]

Uh, how does 'knowing' someone constitute no free will?

[BlackCat]

Knowing the existence of somebody implies knowledge of their actions.