The Highway Forums General Discussion Theology Discussion Forum Age of accountability and abortion

I asked this question on another message board, and I thought I'd bring it here to see what y'all here had to say on the matter.

Taking the approach that age of accountability is true, why are we against abortion? If these infants that die go to heaven, why are we against killing them before they grow out of that age and therefore lose their right standing before God?

This seems like a crude question, but I am trying to see how people would respond to this issue.

We oppose abortion because it's murder. The Bible doesn’t teach any age that we are unaccountable.

Psalm 51:5

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in Sin did my mother conceive me."

From the time that we are born, we are sinful human beings. Our nature, whether children or older, is to sin because sin was 'imputed' to us in the flesh by the fall of Adam.

The Biblical age of accountability is at conception.


Wes

Since there is no biblical basis whatsoever for this novel idea of an "age of accountability", I see no sense in trying to present an argument as you have requested.

Secondly, there is no biblical basis whatsoever for the novel idea that infants, whether unborn or otherwise have a "right standing before God" by virtue of their age.

Until either/both of those assertions can be proven to be biblical truth, trying to argue for or against abortion on them is silly. <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

In His grace,

Pilgrim,

While it is true that both premises are clearly unbiblical, I wonder if (and hope) K2P is intending to use that fact in a counter-argument to both abortion and denial of original sin, as I have sometimes done, ie:

If, for the sake of argument, countrary to Scripture, but as you believe, aborted babies die prior to "accountability", with "right standing before God", why in fact do we not attempt to kill all unborn children so that none of them will have a chance to later become sinful and go to hell, but rather give them immediate entrance into heaven? None of them would ever fall away, heaven would be full of happy innocents, and God would have a much better success rate with getting people there in the first place!

Wes
I took what Kalled2Preach said like Paul thought he meant; as an argument against age of accountability.
But I guess we will not know for sure until he tells us.

Tom

You are right. It is an arguement that I have against age of accountability (and also a question that I often will ask people who are trying to argue the issue with me). I was just posting it here to see how people would respond.

Kalled

I think it is a good argument, but I think you should reword it, lest people misunderstand what you are saying.

Your argument brought to mind a Christian who I used to know, who told me he doesn't have any problem with abortion, because the baby automatically goes to heaven anyway.
At the time, I couldn't believe my ears. But on reflection, I see what he was getting at. Since he believed in the age of accountability, he had no problem with abortion.

I see one problem however; God says thou shalt not kill. So even if his argument for not being against abortion was correct, how can one justify murder?

Tom

I agree with Tom. The means (abortion) could never justify the end (infants in heaven). It's a terrible sin before God, likened to the people in the Old testament who made their infants "pass through the fire" in idol worship to Molech. The age of accountability is impossible, anyway. All are born in sin, and we must rely on God's grace and mercy for those infants who die, not on their innocence.