As I’ve related here before, my drive to work always takes me past the local abortion clinic (as religious wing-nuts are fond of calling it – it’s actually called a Woman’s Reproductive Heath Center. They do offer more than abortion as part of their services.) It’s unfortunate that I have to drive by every day, as it usually pisses me off to see the protesters encamped on the sidewalk (that’s as close as they are legally allowed to get). On the other hand, it does provide fodder for this blog, so maybe I should handle the assault on my psyche with a little more equanimity? What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, right? Here I am on my third post sparked by my drive to work, so I shouldn’t complain.
Today, there was a lone protester on the sidewalk. He was facing the clinic…er…health center, and he was on his knees. I think it was a “he”, though it’s possible he was of the opposite gender. He was wearing a hoodie, and he was not facing me, so I couldn’t really see his features. Anyway, he was kneeling, obviously praying, again, for his Lord and Master to stop the abominations occurring within. All very up and up, you know. The usual. What struck me was what he was kneeling on. I would have expected him to be kneeling on the sidewalk directly, but instead it was clear he was there for the long haul, because it looked like he was kneeling on a layered bunch of pads or pillows, at least a few inches thick. He made sure that his knees were cushioned.
OK. I found that incongruous, admittedly, and it’s that fact that got me pondering. Here he was, asking his god to stop abortions, a god he believed suffered and died for his sins, one who would do it again in a heartbeat if he thought it would bring salvation, and this guy couldn’t endure a little time on the hard, cold sidewalk. His god allowed himself to be beaten, humiliated, tortured and then hung on a wooden cross with spikes driven through his hands and feet, and he couldn’t endure a little discomfort to his bejeaned knees? Exactly how strong were his beliefs? Where’s the sacrifice?
Christians are always insisting that we must emulate Christ. Here this man had the opportunity to witness to others what his actual Christian beliefs were, and he opted to forgo it.
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;. — Romans 5:3
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God… 2 Timothy 1:8
Maybe I’m cynical, but the abortion question seems to be very important to 
Christians, so important that they have been spending years – literally years – in front of this clinic, protesting and praying and sloganeering to stop abortion. So, to make their point, they put cushions on the sidewalk when they kneel? Sorry, but I don’t find their commitment to the cause to be anything other than superficial. If they can’t endure a little discomfort, why should I think their cause is just, especially when their hero was murdered and tortured for his cause, and they proclaim to all the world that it was an earth shaking act (literally) on behalf of humanity.
Perhaps our protester wasn’t a True Christian?
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SPANISH INQUISITOR 
I hate to say it, but my comments in the October 2008 post appear to have been prescient, with the murder of Doctor Tiller in Kansas.
And I read on Digby’s blog yesterday that the judge in the murder trial for Scott Roeder, Tiller’s murderer, ruled that Roeder could employ a justifiable homicide defense. If that’s the case, then logically it must be okay then if abortion supporters start shooting anti-abortion activists in order to prevent more violence against abortion providers.
Unbelievable of the judge. Dr. Tiller was killed because he was providing legal medical services. Where is the justification? Sounds like grounds for appeal for the prosecution if Roeder gets off. If Roeder didn’t like what was going on he could become a political activist. There was no need for premeditated murder.
The real question is: If Jesus doesn’t like the abortion clinics, how come he needs human numbnuts to remind him to do something? Shouldn’t the haters leave the dirty work to their god?
My theory is these are people with little to occupy their time. It’s like a hobby to them. If they had something better to do, they wouldn’t be there. Hence the cushions.
I’m waiting for some woman to show up with a rocking chair and her knitting.
I wonder why the guy was alone; was it too cold today for the other faithful to take their stand and do a little suffering for Jeebus? Speaking of numbers, does it look to you like the number of people engaging in this activity has remained pretty steady, increased or decreased over the years? Also, do you recognize familiar faces that you see over and over again?
I think it’s a summer sport. The numbers definitely decline during bad or cold weather, then pick up in the summer months. Over all, though, it’s still a popular sport, neither declining or increasing.
Pretty much. I go by so quickly (35 MPH) that it’s hard to strike up a relationship.
RE: this prayer thing again. These people obviously want God to intervene. They pray, and they pray, and yet…God does nothing. And this is a big deal. Babies are supposedly being murdered here! And God supposedly cares about these babies, and obviously these folks have some expectation that God is eventually going to do something about it, if they only keep praying. So, God does nothing, just like always, and on the way home one of these prayerful folks will find $5.00 on the sidewalk, and they’ll thank God for it. Even though he does nothing to save millions of murdered babies every year, on top of all the other billions of things he never does, $5.00 on the sidewalk will be yet another confirmation that a loving God exists.
It’s all so very odd, isn’t it?
Yes. What’s odd is the disconnect between what’s apparent, and what one wants to believe is apparent.
Having lived in Fantasyland (and to a certain extent still living there) it’s just so odd to leave it and understand the real world. What I like to call reality.
Sometimes I feel like I surrounded by crazies, only most of the time they aren’t crazy. Just every once in awhile they’ll say something to bring home the fact that they really are residing in Fantasyland.
Yes. It’s odd.
No, that’s the candy bar with a milk chocolate coating and hard toffee core!
Mmmmmm – yummy! I love Heath bars and Skor bars. They’re even better than Ding Dongs (and lots better than Twinkies).
If I could find a woman who could reproduce Heath bars, would I be within my rights to force her to do that whenever I wanted her to?
I’m thinking of quite a filthy euphemism right now including the line “Hey! You got peanut butter on my chocolate!”
I know some people of the same ilk (Holy crap…ILK! Make that “type”! Make that “type”!) and some have done the picketting thing at clinics.
There are other aspects as well.
Once the kid is born they feel no obligation to protect and value it. They are certainly angry at any mother who “has had her fun” and now isn’t willing to “pay the price”.
They believe that “brats” born to the poor are a drain on society and question why they, themselves should be required to assist in their upbringing with (sneer) “welfare”.
If you invite them to defend the destruction of infants, children, pregnant women in parts of the world where their tax dollars are being spent on conflict, they shrug and say, “That’s war. It’s different”.
One can’t argue with logic like that. No, really, I’ve tried, and it goes nowhere.
Maybe I’m cynical(SI)
I heard a funny one, it says “If you have enough bad things to say, you have a good chance of being a Prophet”
You are a visionary. 😉
When I was much younger, I volunteered as an escort for one of these clinics and got to see first hand the kind of vile behavior the anti-abortionist crowd practices. The crowd varied from 1-2 Bible-carrying asshats to a dozen or so and you’d be surprised at how much profanity came out of their mouths and how many eggs (and other objects) got thrown when they thought nobody was looking.
The biggest complaint they had was that abortion counseling was so one-sided, they could never get their message across to women. The clinic, having an empty office on the first floor, offered it to them on the condition that they pay the going rate for it, that they restrict their activities to that office only (no roaming the halls) and that they only try to communicate with women who voluntarily went to them. Not surprisingly, they turned it down.
These people are slime.
I think this is more me, me, me Christian shit. As was said already, if this is so vile to their god, then why does it allow it? Sure, you can play the freewill card, but then what about the flood, Sodom and Gemorah, and even sending it’s kid to Earth for some 30 years? Free will my ass. So what then? It’s a test! That’s it, it’s a test for these numbnuts, because after all, it’s always about them, so all these horrible things are tests by their god to see what they’re willing to do about it.
Clearly they’re willing to protest, provided the weather is nice, and there’s enough pillows. If I were their god, I’d maybe give them a D, but then I’m new to this grading thing. Maybe their god mellowed. I hear that happens after teaching for a long time. I mean, look at when it got started. You didn’t pass unless you burnt the whole fucking town of infidels down. Now I guess you pass with a little protesting with pillows. I sure hope I don’t puss out over time like their god, although he did allegedly grade harshly recently in Haiti.
Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. 😆
Yeah, god reportedly submitted a failing grade re: Haiti, but forget one of the prime directives of teaching: feedback, correction, etc., are most effective when given in a timely manner. My evaluation of god’s teaching skills: F
God is clearly on their side. After all, did He not invent ducks, whose fluffy down provides the stuffing for said pillows? It amazes me that anyone could deny His opposition to abortion, based on this evidence!
Nice to see you, yunshui. How’s the family?
Small but perfectly formed.
Also loud.
And, I’ll bet, occasionally olfactorily offensive?
(How’s that for alliteration?) 8)
Part of your problem is that you link all Christians to the same school of thought, and they are not. There are many different religions professing to be Christians. Not all of them are standing on a side walk protesting another person’s right to decide whether they have a baby or not.
Most people against abortion tend to lead the argument with their heart, or with their bible. I had to debate the opposite side of the issue because my debate partner was so anti-abortion she couldn’t do the other side for the sake of a grade. I wasn’t even on the side of abortion and I still won the better grade. Personally, even as one who believes in God and Christ (no I do NOT believe they are one in the same) I still wouldn’t protest abortion. I think every woman should have the right to decide for herself. Do I think it’s a good idea that people get knocked up just to abort a baby? No. Do I think it’s a good idea that one person can’t make a choice for the whole? Yes.
DegreeFinders
Normally, your comment wouldn’t have made it through the spam filters, but since you clearly read the post and commented with some substance, I have to really give that filter some credit for distinguishing you from the usual sales pitch spam I get. I’ll have to renew their contract. 😉
Now, I didn’t link “all Christians” to this school of thought. Just the ones who clearly don’t have a life of their own sufficient to keep them busy enough to stay out of other people’s lives. There are a lot of Christians this post is NOT aimed at.
Perhaps you?
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Are abortions fun or something? I ask, because I can’t imagine why a women would get knocked up just to abort a baby. Do they give you a free lollipop or something afterwards? Incidentally, had she just licked the lollipop in the first place, she wouldn’t be needing an abortion. Boo-YA! I’m here all week. Try the veal, and don’t forget to tip your waiter. 😉
Are abortions fun or something? I ask, because I can’t imagine why a women would get knocked up just to abort a baby.
Well, if you recall in the movie “Fight Club”, Marla tells Tyler after sex “I want to have your abortion.”
Oh, good call there. I forgot a lot of that movie, but I won’t forget, “his name was Robert Paulson”
Oops, I got my quotes mixed up. That’s what she says to him in the book. In the movie, they changed her line to “I haven’t been fucked like that since grade school.”
Oh, and as for “his name was Robert Paulson”, I got dibs on that as a blog post title when Meatloaf dies!
I was about to say I didn’t remember that line in the movie…
After his divorce, a friend of mine went to bed for months with “Fight Club” playing on the DVD.