Dripping Springs Weekly Bulletins

They Left Him To Die! Sir Edmund Hillary was a household name in 1953. He was the first to climb Mount Everest’s peak, which is 29,000 feet above sea level. The temperature can drop as low as 100 degrees below zero – so cold that skin can freeze in seconds. Oxygen levels are such that life can barely be sustained. Yet, thousands make the attempt, and over 1,500 climbers have reached the summit since 1953. Last May 15th has become a date nearly as significant as Hillary’s conquest. A climber, David Sharp, collapsed part of the way to the top, and dozens of people walked by him, leaving him to die. This revealed a secret that Hillary called “shocking.” This was not the first time this has happened, and it will happen again. In past years the ethic has been: “If you know him or you don’t know him, it doesn’t matter: You try to help him until he is pronounced dead.” But that ethic has changed, and that is what Sir Edmund called “shocking.” We have developed a “me first” ethic, and now many will not take any risk to help an injured person on the way up. I suppose we should not be surprised that the value of human life is diminishing every year. We have reached the point where we can see death and murder on the TV screen, and it doesn’t bother us. Our children are given electronic games that include killing and mayhem, and we adore movie stars whose claim to fame is much the same. Murder and death have been with us since Eden when Cain killed his brother, Abel. But something has changed, and Mt. Everest’s incident puts it front and center in discussions of ethics. We realize that this incident is not the same as the failure to offer assistance on the highway, but the life of a human is valuable, and it is unconscionable that such is accepted. Is it possible that there is a connection between this incident and the 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade that condones taking the life of an unborn child? The time, context and actions indicate there is a connection. Abortion has become a “medical procedure,” and that which is removed from the mother is merely “tissue”, a fetus, not a human being. The abortion issue has become an icon for the feminist movement – “I have the right to control my body!” Nineteenth century feminists made clear their opposition to abortion, calling it “child murder...infanticide.,” called abortionists “child murderers” and their places of business “infant butcheries.” With the advent of the “partial-birth” abortion, those titles are even more understandable. Today our nation is divided on this matter. According to modern feminists and abortion advocates the Bible is “irrelevant.” We are told, “This is not a moral issue, but a personal medical issue.” But, if taking the life of the unborn is not a moral issue, what is? The following passages substantiate the fact that life exists in the womb: Luke 1:44 “..the babe [the Greek word “brephos”] leaped in my womb for joy.” Luke 2:12 “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe [“brephos”] wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 18:15 “They brought unto Jesus also infants [ “brephos”], that he would touch them.” Acts 7:19 “The same dealt treacherously with our kindred, and evil entreated our fathers, so that they cast out their young children [“brephos], to the end they might not live.” Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet.” Ecclesiastes 11:5 “Thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.” In these passages we discover first that a child in the womb is regarded as much a person as a child who has been born [Luke 1:44, 2:12, 8:15, Acts 7:19]. The same word describes them, whether born or unborn. We also see that God knew Jeremiah – not “tissue” or just a “fetus,” but Jeremiah himself – even before his birth, while still in the womb. No, the word abortion is not in the Bible. But the Bible reveals very significant things to this issue. Proverbs 6:17 tells us that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood.” It is unbelievable how selfish contemporary men and women have become, even willing to “shed innocent blood” that presents an inconvenience to them. The Bible speaks clearly that man is made in the “image” or likeness of God, Genesis 1:26-27. The Bible also states God’s view of murder: “Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man,” Genesis 9:6. Sir Edmund Hillary is correct in saying that the “ethic” has changed, and in being shocked because of it. It is also interesting to hear what Lydia Bradey, who in 1988 became the first woman to climb Everest’s summit, has to say on this issue: “If you’re going to go to Everest you have to accept responsibility that you may end up doing something that is not very ethically nice.” Left to die. How tragic! No, it’s “not very nice” to regard life as worthless. What is next in man’s willingness to do anything, even kill the unborn, to have his own way? Carl B. Garner

“I have noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born.” Ronald Reagan “How can a moral wrong be a civil right?” “A woman may have the right to control her body, but has no right to kill her baby’s body.”

Genuine Wealth A tax assessor came one day to a poor man to determine the amount of taxes the man would have to pay. The following conversation took place: "What property do you possess?" asked the assessor. "I am a very wealthy man,” replied the man. "List your possessions, please,” the assessor instructed. "First , I have everlasting life,” John 3:16. "Second, I have a mansion in heaven,” John 14:2. "Third, I have peace that passes understanding,” Philippians 4:7. "Fourth, I have joy unspeakable,” 1 Peter 1:8. "Fifth, I have divine love which never faileth,” 1 Cor. 13:8. "Sixth, I have a faithful and precious wife,” Proverbs 31:10. "Seventh, I have healthy, happy obedient children,” Ex. 20:12. "Eighth, I have true, loyal friends,” Proverbs 18:24. "Ninth, I have songs in the night,” Psalms 42:8. "Tenth, I have a crown of life,” James 1:12. The tax assessor closed his book and said, "Truly you are a very rich man, but your property is not subject to taxation.” Author Not Known