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by Bob Pappas
In the essay titled, "Roe v. Wade 40 Years Later" I argued that God could not violate His own precept, "Thou shalt not kill" and therefore naturally miscarried fetuses likely do not have a soul. I was wrong, but not where I or those who challenged the statement had considered. My obvious mistake was that the Commandment, "Thou shalt not kill" does not apply to God.
The following are two examples and there are a number of others illustrate the point: Genesis 6:17 "And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die." The second is the example of Sodom and Gomorrah: Genesis 19:24 Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 19:25 And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." And there are others.
God's command is, "Thou shalt not kill." The applicable word is: "Thou," but we think of God in the context of our own experience and within the framework of our own understanding. As combatants in war we kill in self defense and to advance national objectives, the so called, "just war." That would be the subject of another essay.
We do know a number of things about God's attributes: Almighty, Everlasting Father, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, is love, is just, His grace is plenteous, and numerous others. What we don't know is: what rules does God impose on Himself, or does He in any way restrict His behavior? The mistake became an enlightening moment because I had put God in a human box not out of any intention to limit Him, but out of my finite perspective and genuine desire to advance the discussion about Life in a spiritual and logical manner and direction.
Is a fetus an empty vessel into which God imparts a soul, or is a soul imparted into the cellular mass at fertilization/conception? No one knows, but scriptural evidence is clear that at some point during pregnancy the soul/spirit in imparted: Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." So, that obviates the longstanding argument derived from Genesis 2:7 that everyone becomes a living soul when the "breath of life" is drawn, although it applied to Adam.
What is known is that life indisputably begins the moment that spermatozoa and ovum unite. Readers are encouraged to peruse the Association of Pro Life Physicians: "When Does Human Life Begin?" The article is an excellent summary of the subject. However, it does not, nor has any respondent to the last essay definitively answer the question: "when does God impart a soul/spirit?" Although some excellent points were made.
For the time being I am satisfied that the answer is not known, and likely cannot be known as definitive fact; the how and when is entirely within God's purview...and all others guess. It is somewhat analogous to the second coming of Jesus: Mark 13:32 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."
In the final analysis it is my opinion that in the Roe v. Wade decision the Supreme Court erred by elevating itself to the position of God which it most certainly is not, when it granted legal authority for abortion that was not within the Court's moral authority to grant. Readers are encouraged to review and support Senator Rand Paul's Legislative initiative
Semper Fidelis and Peace
Copyright © February 10th, 2013 by Robert L. Pappas. With proper attribution, this essay may be quoted and redistributed, except it may not be used in conjunction with any advertisement without the author’s expressed written permission.
