What Momma Does

This week, it seems like everything I read annoys me. Why? Because most of the things posted are opinions I don’t agree with, but if it was me posting my opposing views, I would (and have) be slammed on public forums. It’s all just gotten to be too much for me, so I’m going to cram all my views into one blog post, offend the world, and get it over with.

First of all, I’m a Christian. Being a Christian doesn’t make me closed-minded, a Republican, or an idiot too stupid to see that Christianity is a cult. For the sake of argument, let’s strip away the label of “Christian” and just examine my beliefs. I believe we should treat everyone with respect. Every. Single. Person. You. Him. Even “those people”, whomever they may be. I believe anyone capable should help widows, orphans, the sick, the poor, and love the “unlovable”. I believe I should be able to speak of my belief in a higher power without being ridiculed just like you should be able to share your belief in science without being judged. Am I going to try to cram my beliefs down your throat? No. I will, however, stand up for them, stand behind them, and I’d appreciate some respect in the process.

Since we live in a society of labels, I will gladly wear that as a Christian. Being a Christian plays a part in every decision I make, every value I hold, and every belief I claim as my own. Have I made mistakes? Absolutely. I never said I wasn’t human.

If you’ve read my blog at all, you probably know that I got pregnant at 19. Was I married? Nope. Did I make the choice that led to this predicament? Yes. Should I have just kept my pants on? Absolutely. A lot of people asked me if I had an abortion. No, I did not. Actually, I had a miscarriage.

Then they ask me if I would have had an abortion. Um, no. Nope. Would I have been scared to death? Yes. Do I believe a baby is a person as soon as sperm meets egg? Y.E.S.

But, what if I found out the baby had an abnormality? I’ll assume that the abnormalities in question would be things like Down Syndrome. Then I will assume that you’ve never met my big brother-in-law, because if you had met him, you would know that he is the most loving, caring, sweetest man alive. Did I mention he has Down Syndrome? On top of that, I think this world would be a worse place without him in it. So, no, I wouldn’t get an abortion in the case of an “abnormal” baby. In fact, even with a history of birth defects in our family, we never had testing done during our pregnancies because it wouldn’t make a difference in our decision.

I know. The next question is “What about in the case of rape?”. Well, first of all, let me just say that rape is not OK in any shape, form, or fashion. If everyone treated people with respect, rape would not be an issue. Sadly, it’s a big issue. And still, I say no. I stand by this statement for two reasons. First, my best friend on this planet is a “product of rape”. I can think of a lot of days that my life would have really sucked without her, including today. I’m not thankful for the circumstances that brought her into this world, but I am more than thankful for her. She is the sister of my heart, and I wouldn’t trade her for anything. Second, I have another friend, a wonderful, beautiful, talented woman who isn’t able to have babies of her own. I know without a doubt that she and her husband would be more than happy to raise that baby, that “blob of tissue”, that our society is so eager to dispose of.

The big issue right now is whether or not women who go in for abortions should be forced to have an “invasive trans-vaginal ultrasound” before the procedure is performed. While I get why people are in an outrage over this “body invasion”, I believe that every woman should have to see just what, exactly, she is “taking care of”. When I went in for my first OB appointment with our oldest son, I was 9 weeks pregnant. I had this very kind of ultrasound done, and do you know what I saw? There was a tiny, wiggling, arm-stump waving baby in there. At 9 weeks, he looked like a miniature teddy bear and he was dancing and his heart was fluttering. I honestly think every woman should have to see what is really in there before she gets to decide if it deserves to be born or not. It would be nice if it was really an educated decision, and not just because they had been told that it’s “only a blob of tissue”.

Another issue that my Christianity brings into question is my feelings toward homosexuals. You know what? The last time I checked, gay people were still people. They still fall under my blanket statement of treating people with respect. Do I fully agree with their lifestyles? No. But I also don’t agree with the lifestyles of every Christian I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t like them. Even love them. I don’t know if you know this, but some of my favorite people are gay, and I’d gladly choose their friendship over a lot of religious people I know in a heartbeat.

A question I hear a lot from non-Christians is, “If God exists, and He’s so great, why are there so many poor/orphaned/sick people on the planet?” Let me just say this. If you are so worried about these people, why are you sitting here questioning me instead of doing something to help them? I really think God has given us the ability to make choices, and He tells us that helping people who are less fortunate is the right thing to do. As humans, I think we need to really just suck it up and take care of each other.

In case you’ve hung in with me this long, and aren’t yet totally offended, let’s get into politics. I’m really tired of hearing people complain about candidates (mainly conservative) bringing their religious beliefs into their campaign, division of church and state, and all that. I’m sorry, but every single person running for every political position has beliefs. Not all of them are tied to a certain religion, but they will all have an effect on how that person makes political decisions. You can’t force a person to stop living out their ideals just because they sit in a public seat. What they believe will dominate their actions, just like what you believe dominates yours. If you don’t like what they stand for, then don’t vote for them.

On the off-chance you still like me, let me close with this: I don’t like coffee from that super-popular place who shall remain nameless. The only way I can drink it is with lots of other sugary garbage in it.

There you have it. Like me. Hate me. Follow me. Unfriend me. Feel free to comment. Or don’t comment. I’m going to read a book. I’d tell you which one, but I don’t want to have to defend that decision as well.