Former Planned Parenthood clinic Abby Johnson is joining the Roman Catholic Church. In doing so, she is leaving The Episcopal “Church”. One reason behind the move is slightly ironic:
Johnson’s embrace of Catholicism was a natural development after she became pro-life but was precipitated by her pro-choice Episcopalian community’s vocal rejection of her change of heart, she said. Even before the dramatic experience of assisting in an ultrasound abortion, Johnson said God had been calling to her for several months through the penitential rite of the Episcopal service, which is similar to the Catholic prayer. With the Episcopalian Church one of the largest donors to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Johnson said she and her husband were not going to remain at the church anyway.
It is not every day that that a former abortion clinic director leaves a “church” because it is pro-abortion. But Ms. Johnson is not alone in leaving a mainline denomination over the abortion issue. I know first hand because I am one who has so departed.
Abortion was far from the only reason I swore off the mainline Presbyterian Church after being Presbyterian for my first 27 years. But it was an important reason. And that even though I’ve never had a traumatic experience with abortion as Ms. Johnson has.
I think it safe to say that mainline denominations have lost far more people over their pro-abortion stands than they have gained. And that is not to mention the quality of people support of abortion repels and the sort of people it attracts (if it does attract anyone). This is yet another example of evil people digging pits and then falling into them themselves. Support of abortion has greatly harmed mainline denominations in the U. S. Really, it is a form of reverse evangelism.
Well, since mainline denominations suck at positive evangelism, I guess they have to be good at something.
Of course their pro-abortion stance attracts people, but it's probably the same kind of person who told me she goes to "church" at some vague generic spiritual center that was like Unitarianism but "less Christian." Some people just like pomp and circumstance and the easiest place to find it is probably an Episcopal church.
ReplyDeleteWhile I doubt there are numbers of ex-TEC folks who left only because of the de facto pro-abortion stance (there is so much to take issue with!), it's a larger factor IMO than many want to believe. It did factor into my decision to go, but wasn't the primary one.
ReplyDeleteIn the last TEC parish I attended, which was small and largely populated by college town people, the priest just assumed we were all pro-abortion, so the subject didn't come up much (was shocked to notice it didn't occur to the priest that someone might disagree).
You know, why don't these people quit leaving and instead try to change the church from the inside? Religious conservatism is growing at the moment, and there is no doubt that the church can be recovered with some hard work.
ReplyDeleteNow that lady will have to agree with Papal-infallibility among other such things.