When People Decide They ARE ‘God’s Wrath,’ What’s To Stop Them?

By
Briscoe Pugh
For According to Me... By B

I know that I have dealt with the issue of peoples’ perceptions of God before in our beautiful, little place here.

Here’s the thing...

As far as I’m concerned, this subject will continue to be the gift that keeps on giving as long as there are those who tie religion and their concept of God to their national identity and affect policy along those lines.

The subject of a woman’s right to choose has been in the news recently, among other issues.

Some conservative lawmakers have chosen to propose legislation in a certain state to make miscarriage a criminal offense.

In 2 other states, bills have been introduced wherein there is language that seeks to rule as justifiable homicide the killing of someone, whose reasonably presumed intent is to harm a fetus. The text of this particular bill authorizes the use of deadly force in defense of an unborn child.

I have several issues with this bill:

-The language in the bill itself is redundant and superfluous. An unborn child, while being a distinct being unto itself is still PART OF THE MOTHER who carries it. The health of a pregnant mother and her unborn child are inexorably linked. Each one affects the other. It is a basic biological fact that any harm that one inflicts upon the child will harm the mother (save for ONE specific circumstance, which I will address shortly).

-In order to bring harm to a fetus, one must inflict harm upon the mother carrying it. Any attack to either would prompt action that is already on the books as self-defense from the mother’s perspective.

-The one most specific scenario wherein the fetus would be in tangible danger but the mother is not necessarily, would be (wait for it)...during the abortion procedure...of course.
So...now, in this latest push of an ideologically driven agenda, the extreme (so-called) Right seeks to open the door to anyone who believes a fetus is being harmed the right to take action by way of deadly force.

Might this become a license to kill abortion doctors?

Common sense is punching me in the chest by even asking that question.

Now, whatever your stated (or unstated) position might be in the pro-choice debate, I think it is important to consider that many of those who claim to be “pro-life” also seem to be markedly “pro-murder”, “pro-intimidation”, and ” pro-violence” in the heat of what they consider to be doing “God’s will.”

When one follows this legislation through to fruition, what happens with zealots who already believe they are justified in whatever violent actions they decide to employ in opposition to abortion, abortion clinics and all whom they employ? Are they now able to use this as a defense in a trial proceeding? Would a trial proceeding even be necessary, as long as it can be proven that they stopped an abortion in progress?

I am also driven to wonder about what the bill would make of a mother who smokes, and/or drinks during pregnancy or perhaps neglects pre-natal care for whatever reason and her unborn child dies. What about the mother who can’t afford proper pre-natal care and miscarries? What about pregnant, working, moms (which most are these days) who can’t afford to stop working (even on doctor’s orders) because they are the only income for an existing family and miscarries from overwork?

Would mothers also fall under the letter of the law as having murdered their unborn babies from what essentially are circumstances they cannot help?

This is the issue with legislating based on dogmas to which people are emotionally attached and religiously convicted.

This very same reflex that drove so many to support a certain state’s immigration legislation that ultimately does not actually support the (federal) immigration process already in place...but does intend to fill up jails with undocumented, Spanish speakers...

...jails which that particular state’s governor is working REALLY hard to privatize.

This same reflex also has people so angry and terrified of anything and anyone they might think is Arab or Muslim (which my people whom are even the slightest bit aware know are NOT the same thing mind you) or even non-Christian that legislation is also being introduced in some states to prohibit Sharia law.

You can’t see me right now, but I am laughing at that one. (lol)

Let us consider for a second that the majority of those who oppose this big, boogey man they are calling Sharia have what could be considered a fairly “loose” understanding of what Sharia actually is.
Let us also consider that even the examples they do seem to cite illustrating Sharia tend to point more to localized tribal customs that became fused with the Muslim communities interpretations of Islam and not actual, quranic mandates.

Let’s also recognize the fact that the U.S. Constitution ALREADY addresses both the “impending wave of Sharia law” as well as the opposition to such in the First Amendment:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."

Basically, religiously based law is against the law, and restricting ANYONE’S individual expression of their religious beliefs is also against the law...according to the document so many who support the aforementioned examples of sanctioned xenophobia and extremism pay so much lip service to wanting to “get back to”.

The Constantinian influence on Christianity (amongst a great many other factors) helped to transform a prophetic tradition into one more means of social control endorsed directly by the state. When the state endorses a specific religious perspective (even if only by way of the proverbial "back door" of cultural norms), it is only a matter of time and consequence before the exclusion of all other perspectives becomes a mandate for personal and institutional legitimacy:

"...one nation under God..." in pledges of children’s' allegiance...

"...in God we trust..." on currency...while at the same time holding up "Old Glory" and proclaiming faith in "God AND Country..."

...pushing for prayer in schools, while condemning, harassing and attacking those who pray differently than what is deemed the societal norm...

I believe that it is these instances and those like them where we witness the crucible of human fears and insecurities spawning localized neuroses and making them acceptable and palatable...even preferred.

God help us...

Or better yet...

God help us to help ourselves.

Peace and progress, my people.