On January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Abraham Lincoln, officially. This document stated the
“On September 22, 1862, Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.[4] Its third paragraph reads:
That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation
Slavery was and is wrong, though the Bible speaks of slavery it also speaks of the treatment of slaves and the freeing of slaves. The Bible speaks of consequences of the mistreatment of those held in bondage. In abolishing slavery Christian Americans realized how wrong the practice was, back then faith and morality were important to the majority of citizens. There are those who called themselves Christian but did not agree with the freeing of Black men, women and children, this is what lead to the American Civil War - April 17, 1861 to May 26, 1865.
Ezekiel 18:30 (KJV)
30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
Acts 8:22 (KJV)
22 Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.
What happened to men and women in Africa was wrong. To be re-sold and stripped of their identity cannot be justified, even if they worshiped idols. The Civil War was a battle of ideology and righteousness won. Slavery was abolished with the passing of the the 13th Amendment- January 31, 1865.
The Bible does not change with the year; the Bible does not change based on culture; the Word of God is today as it was centuries ago thus life begins at conception. To end a pregnancy on purpose is to go against the Word of God.
“In 1970, Jane Roe (a fictional name used in court documents to protect the plaintiff’s identity) filed a lawsuit against Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, where she resided, challenging a Texas law making abortion illegal except by a doctor’s orders to save a woman’s life. In her lawsuit, Roe alleged that the state laws were unconstitutionally vague and abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments.” https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18
Though it may be true that women have been having abortions for years the Supreme Court Decision determined that States could not make laws prohibiting a woman from terminating the life in her womb.
"Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973),[1] was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States generally protected a pregnant individual's liberty to have an abortion. The decision struck down many abortion laws, and caused an ongoing abortion debate in the United States about whether, or to what extent, abortion should be legal, who should decide the legality of abortion, and what the role of moral and religious views in the political sphere should be.[2][3] The decision also shaped debate concerning which methods the Supreme Court should use in constitutional adjudication.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade
Since the passing of Woe vs. Wade over 63 Million babies have been killed, aborted.
Psalm 22:9-10 (KJV)
9 But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts.
10 I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly.
Before we enter the world God is aware of our existence; a pregnancy may be a surprise to the mother and father but God knew and knows.
Isaiah 44:24 (KJV)
24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
Jeremiah 1:4-5 (KJV)
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
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.
The arguments for abortion are worldly but not based on science or the Bible. Pro-abortionist refer to the unborn child as an embryo, a clump of cells,ignoring the fact that we are all a group of cells. A group of cells make a body organ, body systems are composed of a group of organs and this creates a person. Everything a person needs to survive outside of the womb is in him or her while growing in the womb. Many women and pro-abortionist declare “my body my choice”, meaning a woman should be able to get rid of anything she does not like as it relates to her body. The baby grows unique to the mother for example: he or she may have different blood types. womb is a place in which a baby resides at conception until such time the cells are developed enough to live outside of the womb.
June 2022 the Supreme Court overturned it’s decision regarding Roe vs. Wade, this decision has not changed the minds of those who support abortion.
“Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey (September 22, 1947 – February 18, 2017), also known by the pseudonym "Jane Roe", was the plaintiff in the landmark American legal case Roe v. Wade in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1973 that individual state laws banning abortion were unconstitutional.[2]”
Later in her life, McCorvey became an Evangelical Protestant and in her remaining years, a Roman Catholic, and took part in the anti-abortion movement.[3] McCorvey stated then that her involvement in Roe was "the biggest mistake of [her] life".[4] However, in the Nick Sweeney documentary AKA Jane Roe, McCorvey said, in what she called her "deathbed confession", that "she never really supported the anti-abortion movement" and that she had been paid for her anti-abortion sentiments.[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_McCorvey
Jane Roe repented and she, whose real name is Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey, joined the ranks of other Americans who are Christian and believe the Bible is just as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago. For Christians it should never have been an issue because the Bible is not in support of abortion
As we celebrate America’s 247th Birthday, we cannot deny the ugly side of our history. AS Christians we can also celebrate the mercies of God our Creator. As Christian Americans we can celebrate the acknowledgment of such sins as slavery and abortion, but we must recognize that the battle is not over.
Not all Americans have repented not all people who call themselves Christian have allowed jesus to be Lord of their life.
Written by Marsha L Floyd
Sunday, July 2, 2023 10:15:52 AM
