tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18558055.post502494329984595002..comments2023-09-05T07:51:18.263-07:00Comments on stayingthecourse: Gregg Lammhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05649146378121415041noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18558055.post-23239788933730664832008-01-17T14:37:00.000-08:002008-01-17T14:37:00.000-08:00Gregg, I just realized you probably have no clue w...Gregg, I just realized you probably have no clue who "Brent" is. I guess the blog site didn't put down my full name. This is Brent Strandy.<BR/><BR/>I believe one of my questions came across incorrectly. You said: "Do people who are not pro-life commit sins of a deeper level, or a more sinister nature, than those who are pro-life? I doubt it". I whole heartedly agree. I'm not trying to say those who are pro-choice will commit sins of a deeper level.<BR/><BR/>Also, I really liked your final thoughts. I'm glad you're willing to stand up, as MT did, and not feel bad about commenting. It seems like so many Christians today are presenting a religion of tolerance and acceptance. I'm not promoting violence here, I'm just saying we need to be willing to love, accept AND exhort one another.<BR/><BR/>StrandyBrent Strandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01251158746322930724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18558055.post-3745743492362280992008-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:002008-01-17T13:51:00.000-08:00I don't accept Mother Teresa's (MT) words as truth...I don't accept Mother Teresa's (MT) words as truth just because she's now a Catholic saint, but because writing out of her experience she is expressing her view of the pain and brokenness that's so visible all around us.<BR/><BR/>In India, and in the world in which MT immersed herself for over 50 years, God's WORD and the way society treated the dying was the lens through which her words gazed and found their meaning. Without putting words into MT's mouth, or assigning motives to why she wrote this quote (unfortunately, like many attributable quotes, I don't know the context of these words), here are some simple reflections on her words and your posting ...<BR/><BR/>If the dying of Calcutta were "innocent in their own dying", that is, that for most of them "the act to die" was not a choice they'd consciously made ... then I can only imagine that the only category of human innocence MT could envision being "more innocent" was that of an unborn child. And so this was the image she used to express her point.<BR/><BR/>And if this is how MT was thinking (which her life and other writings seem to bear out), then she is making an observational statement more than a prophetic utterance.<BR/><BR/>Do people who are not pro-life commit sins of a deeper level, or a more sinister nature, than those who are pro-life? I doubt it. Each of us wrestles with our own sins, demons and choices. That said, I don't believe that being "pro-choice" is an indicator of a person's willingness to "use any violence to get what they want".<BR/><BR/>But I do believe that a pro-choice belief is a reflection of the brokenness of the world, and the manifest pain of sin.<BR/><BR/>Without hope, "violence" (whether physical, social, economic, sexual, etc...) will always be one of the weapons of choice for dealing with this brokenness. But with the hope that comes as people choose to pursue and maintain an active life of faith as devoted followers of Jesus Christ comes other options such as compassion and the pursuit of justice.<BR/><BR/>I have pro-choice friends who love Jesus. I am not the judge. But like MT neither do I feel bad about observing, commenting, and basing my actions on what I sense God saying to me through His voice and His presence in my life. Godspeed.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your comment and question.<BR/><BR/>read.think.pray.live.<BR/><BR/>GreggGregg Lammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05649146378121415041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18558055.post-83786718788411050522008-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:002008-01-17T13:16:00.000-08:00Gregg, I really enjoyed reading your post on abort...Gregg, I really enjoyed reading your post on abortion. I appreciated the many Biblical references as it helped to authenticate what you were saying. You have a strong conviction towards Pro-Life - I really like that.<BR/><BR/>I'm curious where you believe abortion stands in relation to other moral sins (homosexuality, greed, lust, etc). I completely agree with your stance on abortion, but I find Mother Teresa's quote is a bit extreme: <I>"The greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion, which is war against the child … Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want."</I> I just have a hard time believing this to be true.Brent Strandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01251158746322930724noreply@blogger.com