I’m a supporter of Georgia Life Alliance (GLA), one of the most effective organizations advocating for life in the Peach State. GLA has not only helped pass measures that protect the unborn, but it also supports legislation that stands up for the disabled and families with special-needs children.
Claire Bartlett, GLA’s executive director, sent an email on Monday that caught my attention. She describes attending a private screening of the footage of Hamas’ attack on Israel. She briefly details some of the horrors she witnessed, concluding that all of it was real and personal.
“It was so personal to the terrorists they celebrated with sheer joy,” Bartlett writes. “They elatedly shouted with huge smiles on their faces in their selfie videos at the time they took [an] innocent human life. They called home to mom & dad to celebrate their deadly ‘accomplishments.’”
Bartlett reminds her readers about Linda Sarsour, the execrable Muslim activist. Sarsour encourages women to “shout their abortions,” and more recently, she has engaged in abject anti-Semitism in response to Israel defending itself against Hamas.
“Why am I sharing this with you?” Bartlett writes. “Because it’s all connected to our cause.”
She makes her case further (emphasis in the original):
The current trend in our culture is to dehumanize Jews.
The current trend in our culture is to dehumanize babies in the womb.
The current trend in our culture is for terrorists to shout their murders.
The current trend in our culture is for women to shout their abortions.
It’s all connected.
The primary connection Bartlett makes involves Marxism. The Marxist worldview leads directly to a devaluing of life and a reduced emphasis on humanity and individualism.
“Marxism puts government in charge of everything and lets government decide who lives and who dies,” Barlett writes. “This is why the culture of death is so pervasive among many women, Millennials, and Gen Zers. There is no humanity in Marxism.”
Related: The Way Forward on Abortion
"Right before our very eyes, we are seeing the culture war for the dignity and sanctity of human life reach global proportions," she continues. "This puts the pro-life movement at the forefront of the culture war."
The pervasiveness of Marxism in Western culture brings issues like the sanctity of life front and center. The left constantly dehumanizes everyone, as we can see in the transgender movement (you're not who you were created to be), euthanasia (the solution to your problems is for you to cease to exist), and, of course, "reproductive rights" (if bringing a life into the world inconveniences you in any way, end that life).
The abortion issue and the right of Israel to exist are inextricably linked because they both involve human dignity and the concept of bearing God's image. The Islamic faith that drives Hamas preaches hatred toward the Jewish people — and Christians and anyone else who isn't Muslim. Hamas and its ilk won't stop until the whole world is Islamic, and these people will kill anyone who stands in their way.
The lack of respect for life in our world today directly stems from the de-emphasis of a Judeo-Christian worldview. Refusing to believe that a person bears the image of God leads people to put no value on life. This is why the left is pushing for abortion up to the moment of birth and beyond and assisted suicide for individuals with treatable mental health issues, and it's part of the reason why we're seeing increasingly younger kids committing violent crimes.
(Granted, I do know people who aren't believers who are as pro-life as can be, and there are Christians who radically push for abortion. I'm speaking of general trends here regardless of the outliers who are out there.)
The further a culture moves away from Judeo-Christian roots, the less important life becomes. Thus, our society often fails to protect the most vulnerable, and people side with terrorists. As people who are committed to life, what do we do?
Catholic priest and pro-life advocate Fr. Frank Pavone told my PJ Media colleague Catherine Salgado that "there’s absolutely no justification" for Hamas' terrorism and that "there can be zero tolerance" for failing to protect life. We have our work cut out for us, so we must pray and take action to change hearts and minds.
When it comes to abortion and other issues of life, sometimes our efforts aren't entirely political. In some states, your mileage may vary in terms of trying to move the needle on legislation, but you can volunteer with organizations that promote life. Become an apologist for life issues because sometimes what it takes is converting people to our cause one by one.
Convincing people to support Israel and condemn Hamas is an equally formidable task. Many people need to cut through the propaganda and the noise. Explain the history of Israel to people and contrast it with the manufactured narrative of "Palestine." (Of course, sharing PJ Media articles helps, too.) Helping family and friends understand the truth about Israel can help them see the light.
The connection between those who dehumanize Israel and the Jewish people and those who dehumanize the unborn and other vulnerable individuals is clear. Now that we've established it, we can work to hopefully shake people away from being the dehumanizers.
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