| Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
Part XXXII of the “Back-to-Basics Governance” Series
This columnist has been frank about not being a “biblical scholar” and, much more, not an authority on religion. He says he studied for 12 years in three Catholic schools.
But as written earlier in this column, the author had numerous amiable discussions — often after classes — with many religious mentors on various topics. From the difference between Hispanics and Latinos, celibacy policy for the clergy, church scandals, and other topics. And yes, abortion and euthanasia were some of the heated topics.
But an ugly incident happened in a theology class in the Liberal Arts Department that made history at San Beda College. The theology professor was a Benedictine monk who originally hailed from South America. He usually picked a card containing a student’s name to ask him a question. The 3-inch X 4-inch deck of cards was bracketed together with a thick rubber band. He asked if this student believed in euthanasia, and he replied, “Yes.” Immediately, the professor hurled the deck of cards at him, who moved his head to evade it. The professor shouted at the student to get out of the classroom.
This journalism student immediately went to the rector’s office, also the Benedictine monastery’s abbot. He reported the incident to the school head and asked for the professor’s replacement. A discussion ensued about euthanasia, which this writer said was similar to a fetus being aborted when physicians determined that the mother’s uterus had cancer. The uterus had to be removed along with the fetus to save the mother’s life. It was akin to “mercy killing.” Of course, the rector had to be warned that if he did not replace the professor, the journalism student would ventilate the incident in the mainstream press and stage a public rally in front of the college. The theology professor was replaced by another monk the next school day.
That incident happened almost six decades ago. But it showed that this columnist passionately believed in giving dying persons the right to choose an end to their suffering or the option to save a woman’s life even if it would terminate her pregnancy.
“The Bible’s Old Testament was essentially lifted from the Torah of the Jewish religion. How come Christian leaders and even the Vatican intentionally disregard the Jewish belief that human life starts with the newly-delivered infant taking its first breath of air after it emerges from the mother’s body?”
As written in this column, this journalist discussed “Abortion and Other Mundane Issues Derail Florida’s Drive to Be the ‘State of the Future'” on August 7, 2022. Here is the link to the said article.
Here are the matters discussed in August 2022. There is approximately a 4,000-year theological period from the days of the Patriarch Abraham to the birth of Jesus.
“‘So the whole number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:17). The numbers may be linked to Daniel 9:24–27, which states that seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, would pass between the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah. Since they commonly placed generation at 35 years, this means precisely 14 generations.
The Catholic Church’s current position on abortion is only 144 years old. It was initiated by and stated in the 1869 document Apostolicae Sedis of Pope Pius IX.
As stated in the preceding three paragraphs, the columnist reminded his religious mentors of the above facts. Plus, the following arguments.
The Christian religion is just some 2,100 years old, give or take a century. Why did its founder and his disciples never mention abortion in the New Testament?
Prophet Moses did not include either any reference to a fetus in the Commandment of “Thou shall not murder,” as found in the original Hebrew text (Exodus 20:13). The modern version of “Thou shall not kill” does not also refer to aborted fetuses.
The Bible’s Old Testament was essentially lifted from the Torah of the Jewish religion. How come Christian leaders and even the Vatican intentionally disregard the Jewish belief that human life starts with the newly-delivered infant taking its first breath of air after it emerges from the mother’s body?
This columnist invites pro-life (and pro-choice) activists to write him any dissenting (or approving) opinion, and he would incorporate their views in a forthcoming book about “Fetal Attraction.”
