Interesting.
Perhaps it is the biblical scholar in me, but this little nugget rather captured my attention:
Quote:
Originally Posted by eazyduzzit
"...in this day and age, it seems more people are refusing religion, turning to atheism and putting there money behind science and not whats said in the Quran, Bible etc. Since in science - which seems to be the weapon of choice in a lot of right vs left debates - a baby is a baby, 8 months or 8 hours."
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IFF and a host of others have already quite masterfully demonstrated the problems with the second statement, mine, however, remains with the first. What is the definitive biblical teaching about abortion? Is there even such a thing?
The Bible describes man as a "living being" (Heb.
nephes), however, this same terminology is used to describe any living creature that breathes. It is interesting to note that in the Genesis myth of Creation, in the second chapter we read that God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (Gen 2:7, my translation)." The qualification for life throughout the Hebrew Scriptures at least seems to be limited to whatever has the capacity to breathe.
Furthermore, it is interesting to note how this relationship between breath and life factors into the Mosaic covenant teachings regarding murder and manslaughter. In Exodus 21:22 we read: "And when men struggle and strike a pregnant woman so that she gives birth prematurely (lit. "her children come out"), if none is harmed he shall surely be fined according to what the woman's husband has set against him. And he shall pay what the judges determine. If, however, harm follows, then you shall give a life (
nephes) for a life (
nephes)." If one were to translate the last clause quite literally and according to the root of the word
nephes, it would read "he shall pay what breathes for what breathes." It will be noticed that the prescription cited only makes allowance for
children who have been born alive, or breathing.
If someone seeks to make a case for the "life" of a fetus from a biblical perspective, it becomes exceedingly complicated in light of how the Bible understands life. If it does not breathe, it does not live.