Sinnful Thoughts

Last week, after seeing a rather offensive cartoon comparing abortion to slavery, a friend of mine pointed me to the 180 Movie. As a preliminary to the suggestion to watch this video, it was discussed that abortion cannot be compared to the atrocity of slavery. While doing a lot of research, I found that it is also compared to the Holocaust. I feel that these comparisons are out of line because they trivialize the suffering of millions of people. In an attempt to understand where my friend was coming from, I decided to sit down and watch the video. And, frankly, I was enraged and felt it was a waste of 33 minutes of my life. Not only that, it was outrageous to think people could be so insensitive!

The video starts out with Ray Comfort approaching people in public asking to hear about Adolf Hitler. While I was extremely disheartened to hear that many people didn’t know who Hitler was, I wasn’t too surprised. After finding people who either didn’t know who he was or only knew “he was evil,” Comfort precedes to give people the truth that he wants them to know. He leaves out key details to understanding Nazi Germany and what lead Hitler into power. The video progresses into Comfort – once he has given his audience scintillating tidbits of the Holocaust – putting the audience into an analogy.

Imagine that you are sitting in the cab of a bulldozer. In front of the bulldozer is a pile of bodies, both alive and dead. A Nazi solider is holding a gun to your head. He directs your attention to a group of soldiers holding your family (spouse, children, etc.) at gun point. A soldier is roughly handling your small daughter or son with a pistol against their temple. S/he is crying. Their siblings are crying. There is NOTHING that your spouse (or you) can do to save them. Then the solider tells you to bury these Jews, both alive and dead. You do, as with anything, have a choice. However, the consequences are very clear and understood: If you don't, you must witness the soldiers shoot your children, spouse, mother, father, etc. After, it's your turn. Just picture the terror on your babies' faces. Soak it in and imagine how helpless you would feel. When you are fully emerged in that, answer the question: Would you bury the Jews or watch your family die? Here's the thing, that was common in Nazi Germany. It's a hard decision with no easy answer.

However, depending on your answer, Comfort then asks whether you would accept the gun offered by the soldier to shoot the Jews that are still alive. The people that answered that they would bury the Jews are the ones asked this question. They all baulk at it. If, however, you answer that you would let the soldier kill you, Comfort confronts you about abortion and why you view it is acceptable. And, to add insult to injury, he starts comparing the two. He attacks people with the sanctity of life.

If you’re going to throw out the sanctity of life, why condemn the person who wants to save their family? Why are their lives any less sanctified?

Here's another thing to think about in relation to the video. The broad sweeping comment that all people who voted Hitler into office were single handedly responsible for the deaths of 7 million people is ludicrous! Hitler was elected into office because he offered to bring them out of the desperation Germany was in after WWI. For Germany, the war never ended. WWII was just an extension of the already horrible political climate. People needed somebody to believe in and, unfortunately, Hitler was that man. In addition, Hitler did things so gradually that even his closest followers had no idea what he was doing. He was an extremely charismatic man, and he could get anyone to believe what he wanted. In fact, two politically opposite people could be listening to one of his speeches and feel he was speaking directly to them, to their ideals, etc. Another thing that a lot of people are unwilling to see or accept is that some of the Nazi soldiers were just as much victims as the Jews. Many of them were placed into situations of "do this or I kill your family in front of you." If you fear for your family, what will you do? And it was a very real threat! It can and did happen.

What happened in Nazi Germany is not cut and dry. There are a lot of mitigating factors that the video doesn't even address. He makes the comment that it is easy to not believe in a God when you're a liar, thief, etc.; however, he doesn't address the fact that it is easy to vilify people (or in his case, a whole country) rather than looking at the very real issues associated with their decisions.

Moving away from that, he addresses abortion after rape. He states that a child should not be punished for what his father did. Yes, I can accept that. (On a side note, I wonder whether he understands the concept of generational sin, paying the price for the choices Adam and Eve made in the Garden, etc.) However, why does the woman have to continue to be victimized and reminded of her rape? Does she have to continue to be punished for another person's choice? Yes, in a perfect world, this would never happen. However, in the "right-fight" quest, a lot of people are not seen.

I’ve seen it happen often today, when some new law is passed, something that is happening that people don’t agree with, etc., it is automatically compared to Hitler and Nazi Germany. Rather than looking at a thing and discussing it based on its merits, people would rather try to draw comparisons where none can be found. In addition, videos like this – while claiming to be the full, unadulterated truth because it’s from a church (therefore, God Himself) – are just as guilty of media spin doctoring. How would Comfort have approached the issue if he actually talked to a person who fully understood WWII? How would things have changed if he talked to someone with family who died in the Holocaust or a Holocaust survivor?

While doing research on this view point, I found an article that discussed GAP (The Genocide Awareness Project) coming to a college campus to preach this twisted doctrine. When the local Hillel group heard that GAP was coming, they immediately booked a Holocaust survivor to come and talk at the GAP gathering. When faced with the startling reality, GAP was upset and left. They were not interested in hearing what the Holocaust was truly about. They were more concerned about their new found way to brow beat people into believing their agenda. In addition, one thing a lot of the supporters of the comparison don’t mention is that survivors of the Holocaust and many Jews find this extremely offensive.

Here’s my concession, using the Holocaust and slavery as an illustration of the power of dangerous thinking is valid. Both slavery and the Holocaust justified their actions with the argument that certain people groups were not human. In some cases, abortion advocates are using the same argument. Where can this continued argument lead? Are we willing to follow it through and see if it turns out better for us than it did for the African Americans or the Jews?

That being said, comparing abortion to the Holocaust or slavery trivializes the suffering, torture, murder, mutilation, rape, etc. of millions of people. If you want to argue about whether abortion is right or wrong, take the issue on its own merit (using science, medical studies, etc.) rather than finding something “bigger” and “badder” to compare it to in an attempt to bully people into agreeing with you. In addition, read a history book and do research about issues to form your own opinion instead of watching or listening to spin doctored propagandist bullshit.