Here are 3 churches in conflict and disagreement within themselves so much that these churches allow abortions. The beliefs of those opposing abortion in these churches are not strong enough to oppose the sin of abortion and withdraw from those that promote such evil. I plead with these to make their last stand and then remove themselves from these denomination. Here are the words of the Disciples “of Christ”, “Christian Scientists”, and the American Baptist Association:
The “Disciples of Christ” state,
“WHEREAS, experience shows that it is possible to reduce the number of abortions, while still affirming a woman’s privilege to responsibly exercise her inherent freedom of conscience, through programs that provide better health care and community support for women during pregnancy; and
WHEREAS, proactive prevention seeks to find common ground on the issue of abortion by focusing on the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and by supporting pregnant women rather than focusing on the divisive and polarizing debates between pro-choice and pro-life advocates; and
WHEREAS, Christians are called to seek reconciliation within the church whenever possible in order that the church might model reconciliation to the wider society (2 Corinthians 5: 18-19); and
WHEREAS, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is particularly called in our Mission Imperative statement ‘to engage in ministries of reconciliation, compassion, unity and justice’ (Ephesians 4:1-3); and
WHEREAS, debates are often marked by caricature and, thus, fail to acknowledge that all Christians affirm the sanctity of life and the dignity of women;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the General Assembly of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) meeting in Ft. Worth, Texas, July 21-25, 2007, encourage all manifestations of the church to participate in proactive prevention” (“Proactive Prevention: Seeking Common Ground on the Issue of Abortion” (2007). Disciples of Christ. 28 August 2012. <disciples.org>).
The Church of Christ Scientists declare,
“The Church trusts its members’ humble, soul-searching prayers to guide them to the steps that are nearest right for them in this situation. In most cases, Christian Scientists approach issues regarding their bodies and health with prayer instead of seeking medical solutions.
Women and men who face such a difficult decision deserve compassion and support. For society as a whole, the tragedy of so many unwanted pregnancies outside of marriage can point to the need for a deeper acceptance of the moral precepts that protect human happiness and stabilize society. Christian Scientists hold a deep conviction that the more we understand life to be wholly spiritual, the more we’ll find healing answers to even the most challenging personal and social problems, including this one” (“Social, Political, and Global Issues.” Christian Science. 21 June 2012. <christianscience.com/what-is-christian-science/social-political-and-global-issues>).
The American Baptist Association support and advocate,
“We also recognize that we are divided as to the proper witness of the church to the state regarding abortion. Many of our membership seek legal safeguards to protect unborn life. Many others advocate for and support family planning legislation, including legalized abortion as in the best interest of women in particular and society in general. Again, we have many points of view between these two positions. Consequently, we acknowledge the freedom of each individual to advocate for a public policy on abortion that reflects his or her beliefs” (“Resolution .” Policy Statements and Resolutions. 29 June 2012. <abc-usa.org>).
[If any denomination has been overlooked, please note them in the comments.]
I suggest that you expand your list by turning to the single most important site related to this issue, namely, the website of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, http://www.rcrc.org. There, you will find quite a large number of Christian denominations and branches and their positions.
There are many millions of Christians in the US who do not believe that a zygote, blastocyst, embryo, or fetus is “a baby” or “a child,” because they believe that these are stages in the moment of creation of what will be “a baby” or “a child” only when it is detached and removed from the pregnant woman’s body. For them, “conception” is merely part of that moment.
Such people do not believe that voluntary induced abortion is a sin and do not believe that it is “killing a baby.” Not one of the many laws in the Mosaic code says it is a sin, even though they are so extensive as to include, e.g., proscriptions against eating shrimp or wearing certain textile combination.
“Thou shalt not kill” was never applied to the unborn in Judaism because the latter are not considered persons, nephesh adam, in ancient or modern Hebrew. If God or Christ had considered voluntary induced abortion a crucial issue, we could certainly expect to find some very clear statement against by God or Christ in the Bible.
That said, Judaism did have before and at the time of Jesus Christ’s time on earth and afterwards a view that valued the unborn from, if I recall, the fortieth day. At the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice website, you can also find the differing positions on abortion of different schools of Judaism. Or, for a fairly comprehensive look at the Torah, the rest of the Old Testament, and such sources as the oral Torah redacted c. 220 CE, try the work by Rabbi David Feldman, Marital Relations, Birth Control, and Abortion in Jewish Law, http://books.google.com/books/about/Marital_relations_birth_control_and_abor.html?id=z62RAAAAIAAJ.
This issue in Christianity is Biblically clearly open to interpretation, resulting in different Christians and Christian denominations disagreeing in interpretation.
Hope this helps.
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