When teaching pro-life reasoning, I often say in the Q&A that if someone can come up with a pro-abortion argument I haven’t heard, then I’ll give them a quarter.  Well, recently, I have seen an argument I hadn’t heard before (fortunately, it was from a pro-abort on a blog and not a pro-lifer in the training class!).  I’ve seen this a couple places recently and it is transparently false if you just read the text.

Here is their argument.  Note that they don’t even believe the Bible is the word of God; they are just pretending that we are inconsistent if we aren’t pro-abortion.  And note that most of these have come from the “Christian” Left, not from atheists.

Jesus never mentioned abortion, although there are biblical references to the abortifacient herbs (Numbers) used by “wise” women. Additionally, if a woman’s fidelity was questioned, she would be forced to take the abortifacient herbs, and if she miscarried, it was assumed the fetus was conceived in sin. Gotta love the magical thinking behind that one, and another way to punish women for the acts of men.
So, you are correct, cherry-picking only those parts of the bible you agree with really is hypocrisy.

Here is my response to the Numbers claim:

I encourage you to re-read your pro-abortion Bible texts.  That passage doesn’t even say the woman was pregnant, yet pro-aborts use it to rationalize abortion!  It shows how desperate they are — as if they actually cared about what the Book of Numbers said.  See http://www.gotquestions.org/Numbers-abortion.html for more.

You are welcome to show me in the Book of Numbers where it says the woman is pregnant (not there). Then you could show where she has an abortion (not there). Then you could show where God taking a life means that we can also take lives in the another fashion for any reason, including those of our own children (not there).

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Bonus: While talking about Numbers, let me share this from an earlier post plugging that book.  Read it!  (The Bible, not this. OK, read both.)

Apparently, the Book of Numbers should really be called “In the Wilderness” (the meaning of Ba’midmar (במדבר), the Hebrew title). At least, that’s what various sites on the Interwebs tell me.

So why the change? I’m unsure, but it is too bad they didn’t go with the more interesting-sounding Hebrew version. For people who don’t read the Bible the current title sounds like it is all genealogies. Yes, it starts with a census, But consider these great passages that you miss out on if you don’t read it:

• A test for adultery
• The Nazirite vow
• Elders appointed to aid Moses
• The quail. Lots of quail.
• Miriam and Aaron oppose Moses
• Spies going into Canaan
• The people’s rebellion
• Korah’s rebellion (referred to in Jude)
• Moses strikes the rock
• The bronze serpent
• Balaam and his donkey
• Driving out the inhabitants
• Cities of refuge
• Much, much more!

Seriously, don’t miss the Book of Numbers — or anything else in the Bible. Like I’ve said, if/when you get to Heaven, it will be awkward if you haven’t read every author’s books (“Oh, uh, hi Amos . . . look over there!” [Runs away]).

Better yet, think about how you’ll tell Jesus all the excuses you had for not reading it regularly and eventually read it all. (Yeah, I’m fine using the carrot or the stick to get you to read more!)

Just read it. Every day.