The way I see it is that abortion could be historically tied with infanticide, which is a very old and sad phenomenon that has been practiced by people out of necessity, but it has also been used for one tribe of people to demonize another tribe of people. Like even Romans used to accuse Carthaginians of killing their babies and therefore being monsters against which wars must be fought, while, of course, Romans had the practice of infanticide and infant exposure throughout the longevity of their empire and it continued even during Christianization of Europe. I mean take London where Thomas Coram, who helped to found the London Foundling Hospital in the 1730s, was motivated to do so by seeing, on his daily walk to work, the large number of infants thrown on dunghills or on the sides of the road, "sometimes alive, sometimes dead, and sometimes dying". Or take "Godfrey's cordial" was a potion that some poor families in England in the 19th century mixed to give their children and inoculate them to death.
But, as I said, although it was practiced in Europe, Europeans and Church still used infanticide to demonize other people so they can slaughter them. For instance, I remember in the movie “The Mission” (1986) there is a hearing between a rouge missionary who is trying to defend a Paraguayan jungle tribe in front of Church officials so that it doesn’t get slaughtered and the conversation goes like:
Indeed, accusations of infanticide are used even in modern times like the whole false Nayirah testimony how Iraqis are killing babies and therefore President George H. W. Bush must organize the Gulf War.
So now Christians are using abortions as atrocity propaganda to show themselves as morally superior because they want to ban all abortions and going so far as even forbidding contraception (like Catholics) and equating it with murder—all of which actually does not contribute to lower abortion rates.
But, as I said, although it was practiced in Europe, Europeans and Church still used infanticide to demonize other people so they can slaughter them. For instance, I remember in the movie “The Mission” (1986) there is a hearing between a rouge missionary who is trying to defend a Paraguayan jungle tribe in front of Church officials so that it doesn’t get slaughtered and the conversation goes like:
Quote:And they are not naturally animals.
- They're naturally spiritual.
- Spiritual?
- They kill their own young.
- That is true. May I answer that?
Every man and woman is allowed one child. If a third is born, it is killed. But this is not some animal rite. It’s a necessity for survival. They can only run with one child apiece.
And what do they run from?
They run from us.
- That is, they run from slavery.
Indeed, accusations of infanticide are used even in modern times like the whole false Nayirah testimony how Iraqis are killing babies and therefore President George H. W. Bush must organize the Gulf War.
So now Christians are using abortions as atrocity propaganda to show themselves as morally superior because they want to ban all abortions and going so far as even forbidding contraception (like Catholics) and equating it with murder—all of which actually does not contribute to lower abortion rates.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
