On of the ironies in my life is that Netflix helps me to keep the weight off! Many days I don’t want to go to the gym but I bribe myself with watching an episode from a show while I am doing cardio.
I recently watched a doc by Ken Burns on WWII which was 12-15 hours long when you add up all the episodes. ( a lot of time on the treadmill!)
This documentary does a great job of chronicling the impact of the war on specific towns and individuals from the beginning of the conflict to the very end.
One thing that really struck me was the effect on the soldiers when they liberated the concentration camps on the way to defeating Germany. Some of the men interviewed still had trouble talking about what they experienced even though it was more than 60 years ago.
I noticed their sense of righteous anger as they described going through the camps and seeing the extent of evil, the number of lives that had been taken, and the ways humans were stripped of all dignity.
This anger was directed not only at the German army who ran the death camps but also at the civilians in the towns that surrounded them because they were either willfully ignorant of the atrocities happening next to them or they knew about it and chose to turn a blind eye.
The American soldiers knew this was wrong either way and in their outrage, they made the civilians care for the surviving prisoners and dig graves for so many who had been executed. I think in one of the interviews, a soldier mentioned that a German nun told the men that she had no idea such things were taking place and the soldier handed her shovel and said, 'even if that is true, you should have.'
In some ways, the allies expected this behavior out of enemy soldiers but to see the indifference and willful ignorance of German civilians FOR YEARS, as fellow humans, —— sometimes even their neighbors, friends, and co-workers, disappeared, never to be heard from again,—- was inexcusable for many of our troops.
I thought of this as we prepare to mark the 46th anniversary of legalized abortion in our country this Tuesday. What would those brave soldiers of the greatest generation think about us? How would they rate you and me, not only as Americans but also as Christians in terms of our efforts and concern to end the continual slaughter of unborn innocents that has gone on for more than 6 times as long and with 6 times as many casualties as the Holocaust? More importantly, what does God think of of our efforts? Is it on our hearts as we pray for and try to serve the men and women who think abortion is their only option? Is this scourge on our mind as we make decisions on what companies, political candidates, and public policies we will support? Do we intentionally pray and offer sacrifices for an end to offenses against human dignity and the taking of innocent lives? Or, have we gotten comfortable, like those civilians in WWII, with the modern day holocaust that takes place right next to where we live and work? Have we turned a blind eye and gone on with our business?
The good news is that the majority of Americans are pro-life, at least to some degree. Also, there are so many more resources available to men and women facing an unplanned pregnancy and to help them with every challenge they will face as a result of choosing life. Even for those who have chosen abortion, there are so many more ministries that exist now to help them experience the mercy and healing of God so their lives are not defined by shame and self-hatred.
These are all good steps. But the evil still remains. Some difficult but necessary questions each of us should consider asking: how comfortable have I gotten, as a christian and as an American, with the fact that abortion is practiced in my country, state, and city? If it were some other egregious offense against innocent people, like a concentration camp, would I be acting the same way or would I be doing something different to make sure no more people could be harmed? Have I accepted this evil because it's been going on so long or given in to despair, thinking what can I do about? Lastly, am I willfully ignorant about this issue, choosing not to learn more about the many factors and policies that allow it to continue?
We start by praying for a conversion of heart for all who are gripped by the culture of death. We ask for God’s love to transform them and set them free. We pray for ourselves that we have the courage and conviction to address this issue for what it really is: the taking of innocent lives. Finally, we ask God’s pardon for our own indifference, laziness, or willful ignorance which has kept us from fighting to put an end to abortion and all other offenses against human life.
