Limbo

I heard a few days ago that Pope Benedict XVI has reversed centuries of traditional Roman Catholic teaching on limbo. He approved a Vatican report saying there were "serious" grounds to hope that children who die without being baptized can go to heaven, and not be consigned to Limbo.

Growing up Catholic, I of course heard, and fully believed, the Limbo Story. We all did. Now it's in doubt!

To me, the point is not "Gee, they taught us all the wrong stuff for x number of centuries." The point is "HOW THE FUCK DO THEY KNOW?"

I apologize for putting it so crudely, but I must express my profound annoyance that the Church even pretends to "know" such things -- Saint Augustine notwithstanding -- and continues to bullshit the gullible believers!!!

I suppose the Pope and and at least some of his buddies (probably not all) are bullshitting themselves, too, but is that any excuse?

Abortion

I'm a liberal in most matters -- and an agnostic, too -- but I am extremely uncomfortable with the subject of abortion. On the one hand, I can't imagine a state of affairs in which in which all types of abortion are simply outlawed. First of all, it won't stop it. Secondly, it goes against the wishes of the half the population who do not consider it wrong. And third, it will further breed disrespect for the law.

On the other hand, I personally have no doubt that human life begins at conception! To me, anyone who argues otherwise doesn't want to see the truth, either because it understandably makes them uncomfortable, so they find refuge in the specious argument that it's just a blob of protoplasm and not a human. Or because it's self-serving to lie to oneself.

My certainty that life starts at conception is based on the simple fact that the "life"created in the womb is now -- and is destined to become -- a unique human being. (Remember, we're all "destined to become" something beyond what we are). None like this life has every existed before, or ever will again. True, it has not matured, but neither has a newborn. In fact, and in destiny, it's a unique person who will look, think and sound like no other human being ever has or will. It deserves to live! Simple as that.

I am all for "woman's rights," but I think the "human right" of the unborn infant supercedes any gender issue. The argument I've heard . . . that because a fetus "can't survive outside the womb", therefore it's not fully human . . . is beyond silly. A newborn can't survive on its own outside the womb either! Does not mean it's not human?

One possible solution I haven't heard discussed is this: Any woman (and man) who's stupid enough to have an unwanted pregancy should be compelled, all expenses paid, to have the baby. Then, they can either keep it or give it up for adoption. Too bad if it causes the woman (and man) some anquish. The solution can't be murder! Besides, there's no excuse today for an unwanted pregancy.

Perhaps the threat of knowing that one would be forced to have a baby would cut back on the number of unwanted pregnancies. And it might prove the point that people are capable of taking responsibility for pregancy once the easy out of abortion is no longer there.

I do believe the "life of the mother" must always take priority, but I'm less persuaded that the "health of the mother" should be always be a criterion. It's not always easy to quantify "health" especially when measured against the "life" of the child.

I don't know where the abortion issue will ultimately end up, but I think the line drawn last week by the Supreme Court makes sense. If you don't think so, then check out this link so you'll understand the meaning of "partial birth abortion" http://www.nrlc.org/abortion/pba/diagram.html. I'm glad the Supreme Court outlawed it.