Why I'm Pro-Choice...

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I'm an Anglican Priest in the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and I get to serve in the Parish of St Margaret of Scotland, in the beautiful city of Halifax, NS, that sits on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq people.
My pronouns are he/him/his. My theology is primarily Christo-centric - Jesus is at the centre and it is against Him that all values are bounced off. I believe all people are created in the image of God and are children of God and are heirs to the throne of God - no conditions - therefore every single person we meet deserves our love, and respect.
Morning Prayer starts on page 49 - download a copy here...
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Emails can be sent to me at [e-mail] and I will do my best to respond.
God bless you and keep you!

[@doloreslehmann8628]

Abortion as "a physical manifestation of a symptom of greater problems". So well said! Thank you for this!

[@tonytooshort]

Tell me about it!!!! That was my FAVORITE part! Bc it's something the supposed Christian evangelists of America refuse to even acknowledge. They're all about protecting the unborn, until they're literally born! 🤦🏽‍♂️👏🏽

[@doloreslehmann8628]

@@tonytooshort Yes, and in general they only swim on the surface. It's all about "just don't do it". They don't care why people do what they do, or if they could help them to find a better solution to their problems, it's just about handing out blame. Father Greg Boyle says: "We should stand in awe at the burden people have to carry, instead of standing in judgement as to how they carry it."

[@kimkelly7]

Abortion as a physical manifestation of a symptoms of greater problems. Absolutely.

[@sonnypruitt6639]

@@kimkelly7 So that means it's OK?

[@mdhhthh8593]

@@sonnypruitt6639 No. It means that anyone who truly wants to see abortion reduced or eliminated needs to treat the problem in order to see a reduction or elimination of the symptom. Even taking a basic course in animal behavior will cover the phenomenon of filial infanticide. When an environment is not hospitable to life, animals destroy their young. When balance is brought back to the environment, filial infanticide dramatically decreases. It has nothing to do with mothers being evil, influenced by the devil, or lazy and unwilling to take responsibility for the life growing within them. Every species of animal does this, and humans are no different. It’s well studied that if conditions change within the environment of the mothers and there is a greater possibility of raising a newborn to adulthood, infanticide takes a sharp decline. This lesson isn’t complicated. 5000 years of written human history tells us that abortions will occur whether legal or not. Anyone who is passionate about this subject (enough to study and seek understanding of what the motivating factors are) will recognize these facts and advocate for the change that will actually change the circumstances that push women to seek out abortions to begin with.

[@lenamoser3888]

I'm a lapsed Protestant and have been struggling with my faith for a long time. Your videos give me hope for Christianity because they show real examples of the empathy and kindness that are so often preached but not practiced.

[@doneestoner9945]

I think lots of so-called christians are not followers of Jesus. Rev. Trevor definitely is. I love him.

[@suek.1507]

This.

[@Bildgesmythe]

I believe politicians shouldn't pretend to be doctors. This should be a private decision between a woman ànd her physician.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

Which is why the SCOTUS decision was really about privacy. Now think about how many other private issues this allows them to get their sticky fingers into. No pun intended of course.

[@markita.hardenhome]

FINALLY!...... I'm NOT the only conservative, pro-choice Christian! It takes some SERIOUS critical thinking on this topic AND BIBLICAL HONESTY! BRAVO TO YOU SIR👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@arlenesheridan6006]

Choice. Such a powerful word. Even more so when it's taken away

[@enyab1687]

So I was just watching a video by Beau of the Fifth Column and he mentioned you. I looked you up and had no idea you were right here in Halifax where I also live. One of my nieces recently asked about religion (her parents have let her discover things on her own) and were looking for someone kind, progressive, and inclusive to refer her to and I just sent them your channel. Thank you for being who you are ❤️

[@chelabuford7106]

Amen 🙏🏽

[@kevintrjohnson]

It took me years to be converted to being pro-choice, but the starting point was being curious. I couldn’t as a young man understand why anyone would want to have an elective abortion, but I never completely shut out the pro-choice argument. Learning about the nature of reform schools (in a nearly literal sense prisons for pregnant and sexually active girls) and the treatment of Rose Marie Kennedy (lobotomized for being overly sexualized is a fair way to put it, but whether she had any previous mental handicaps or illness prior to the lobotomy is murky at best; in a time when homosexuality was a mental illness, even if she was diagnosed with a condition, it likely wouldn’t hold up by today’s standards) were the first cracks, and then I saw a pro-choice rally on TV in which a Hispanic woman (I can’t remember who it was) spoke on how pro-choice wasn’t simply about abortion but also about birth control and the right to give birth (this led to internet research on my part, where I learned about forced sterilization of blacks and native Americans). After that, I started to see the legal imbalance, how few of the laws target male sexual habits outside of homosexuality, and how many of the laws and political platforms are at odds with the stated goal of limiting abortion and instead are meant to punish women’s sexuality-if abortion is so bad, why limit sex education, birth control access, and assistance for newborns and their mothers? With the repeal of Roe, it’s all too evident that these measures are meant to control women, not save the lives of unborn babies or make their lives better. Texas is bandying around the idea of restricting travel for abortion in other states. Imagining the logistics of such an undertaking, in a state that managed to thoroughly screw up the import of fruits and vegetables by adding a stunt secondary inspection point (leading to a brief but painful shortage here in Oklahoma and to a loss in Texas described in the tens of millions), leads to some troubling conclusions. The reality, now, is that a woman in Texas was forced to carry a dead fetus for weeks because she was afraid to get treatment (in fact, this happened back in October, after Texas deputized and incentivized the state to sue anyone for performing or assisting with an abortion). The fact that Brett “I Like Beer” Kavanaugh was credibly accused of rape and was still installed to the Supreme Court for the purpose of stripping away these rights from women should be especially galling to everybody. Edit: I re-read this post and I feel like I put my curiosity in too much of a positive light, though in the end it lead to a positive outcome. My curiosity began as a kind of extreme pro-life sentiment that included being anti-capital punishment. Part of the pre-requisite of holding that belief was forgiveness of murderers, and not just believing that there were innocents being murdered by the state. I saw abortionists and people seeking abortions as murderers, so if I had to forgive other murderers, I had to forgive them, too. So, not a particularly healthy place to start, being both progressive on one issue but being decidedly regressive on another, arguably more impactful issue.

[@donaldwert7137]

So, effectively, Texas wants to put pregnant women in prison. An interesting position held by people who scream Liberty! and Freedom!

[@andyjulia]

We’ll said Kevin. Thank you 🙏🏻

[@Mister_Listener]

Kevin, yeah you said it all. Your evolution is impressive, but only because you seem thoughtful and you did research! People whip a lot of emotions into the argument, and in the 70-80s-90s it was effective. Nowadays, i think a lot more people have had your evolution and can see how dangerous pro life logic can sometimes be. Let’s hope so, at least! Hugs!

[@auntiebobbolink]

Well, Kevin, you certainly laid out a whole list of rage-inducing abuse. Women need to look at all we've battled and suffered and give ourselves credit for still trying to be tender and fierce people. Thank you. It's helps to know there are men like you! 🤙👏

[@chaserofthelight1737]

Yes, very well said. At this point all I can do is hang my head, shaking it repeating to myself over and over … “women need a law or a constitutional amendment which makes it “legal” for us to take a contraceptive?!?”

[@celticgypsy11]

Good afternoon, Rev. Your words are such a comfort. I used pretend to be "sick" on Sunday mornings just to avoid church. It was a matter of I had no reason, no autonomy, no choice. It was where my mother wanted to be, not because of faith, but because of her status.

[@revedtrevors4961]

Hello there! (Yikes... I posted this before your edit....). Thank you so much for sharing your story. Powerful and important. Blessings

[@dorksplorer]

I was forced to go too. Being neurodiverse, my stimming did not go over well when you're supposed to sit still and be quiet. (Didn't know I was autistic until 50) And a child pointing out and asking about hypocrisies...that went over like a lead balloon. Instead of answering questions (priests did not give satisfactory answers either), they stopped making me go. 🕊️

[@celticgypsy11]

@@dorksplorer You have my deepest empathy. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.

[@Amy-jj8gy]

OMG this is ME! 😱 But you can only play the sick card so many times. Ha. My mother wanted everyone to think she had the perfect family. If I wasn’t singing along to the hymn or reading with the rest of the congregation, I got fingernails in the back of the neck. 😬

[@celticgypsy11]

@@Amy-jj8gy So good to know I wasn't alone! Mine was a kick to the ankle and being grounded for the next week.

[@jaggerjards7236]

An excellent summary of the issues involved, Reverend. Very much appreciated.

[@Nan-59]

I like your way of thinking so much! I thank you for speaking out! I’m 63, so this is not affecting my actual body, but it certainly could affect my kids. And my nieces and nephews and friends etc. I actually have a pro-life friend. She is adamantly pro-life because she just had an abortion in the 70s. Sadly, I think she has felt guilty all these years for it. Comprehensive sex ed is so needed in all the states of the US, not just the blue states. Thanks again! 🥰❤️🧡💛💚💙❤️‍🔥🖤🤍🤍❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤍🤎 And, Amen!

[@billfreeman5914]

I suspect you’re right about your friend feeling guilty. I’m curious as to whether she went on to have children later when she was in a better place - emotionally, financially and whatever other factors led to her earlier decision. My point is that, if she did, there’s a very good chance those children would *not* have been born if she had kept the first one.

[@joanfregapane8683]

Yes, I am past worrying about myself, but I have a granddaughter and a daughter who could be affected by this. Let alone the millions of other people with uteruses.

[@bonniebernal2495]

I’m so happy to hear you speak on “Free will.” I tried to explain to a friend that it is possible to be pro-life and pro-choice at the same time. She said it’s impossible. My position is pro-life but I respect pro-choice without judgement. Judgement is reserved for God alone. My argument is and will always be that God gave us free will. He gave us his commandments to live by and free will to decide if we will follow his commandments and free will to decide how we wish to live our lives. Thank you for your wise words.

[@ginabrenneman5012]

Bonnie this is so beautifully put. You summed up exactly what is in my heart as well.

[@e.458]

You can be pro-life and pro-choice only if you redefine "pro-life", taking away the element of forced birth and filling it with new attributes. I think we should do that anytime anyone uses these terms. If those who claim to be pro-life would truely care about life, they'd educate themselves on what measures ACTUALLY help preserve life. Hint: legal coersion isn't it.

[@kennethcadwell2124]

I am glad that you respect others choices, but have you ever read Numbers 5 that was presented in this video ??? I ask because you seem to come across as still thinking abortion is a sin that one will have to answer to God for committing. Yet Numbers 5 refutes that abortion is always sin.........

[@kevynnedallaire1815]

A few weeks ago you had done a video about this subject and I had commented that imho a women's free will was being taken away with this Court ruling. To hear you explicitly state that as your first reason for being pro choice was comforting that at least my thoughts had merit. I like what you said about how theology was more than just picking scripture passages and that it was informed by other things as well. To me, the entirety of those considerations is what forms our conscience, that I have heard some refer to as the Arch Vicar of Christ. If I remember my Catholic catechism correctly, especially post Vatican II, we are supposed to listen to our conscience in all things. When I do that on the subject of abortion I can see all kinds of reasons why a woman, in good conscience, can decide to have an abortion. On this topic, I relate to Pope Francis's response to a journalist asking about homosexuality when he said, "Who am I to judge?". I think the same response is warranted on the subject of abortion. I know that some people think that it is murder and that God, as the Great Giver of Life, is offended by abortion. Maybe they are right; maybe He/She is. Or maybe God is merciful in all things including decisions about abortion. Regardless, how can *I* speak for God, and proclaim judgement in His/Her stead? Isn't that the ultimate blasphemy? So I think I should leave that judgement to God. My job is to respond to the situation with as much compassion and action as I can bring to bear in order to ease the suffering in the world. Thank you Reverend Ed. This was a post that is so dearly needed by a world torn in two over this issue. I appreciate your wisdom. Paix!

[@jenniferhooks2454]

As the giver of life, I believe that God is unhappy when we don’t care for the vulnerable who are among us, children in poverty, in foster care, people who have victimized by human trafficking, people who work three jobs and still can’t make ends meet, etc. God cares how we look after others around us. God also cares when women and girls die because they could not get the necessary healthcare to save their lives.

[@revedtrevors4961]

thank you for sharing. wonderful

[@dreamingmusicgal]

Rev. Ed, I agree with all of your reasons for being Pro-Choice. My number one reason I am Pro-Choice is I know what it's like at the young age of 13 being pregnant from my raper. I was blessed unlike women(my Mother) before me Roe became law when I was 10 so at 13 I didn't have to go through the hell. But, at the same time that lifetime scar is already there just because of how it all starts and it will never go away. At 60 I still deal with issues of my abuse, but It will help you fight for the little ones behind you coming up for their rights and for their protection. Blessings!

[@dorksplorer]

I'm so sorry for what happened to you. Thank you for opening up and sharing to help others. With that sharing, your pain is helping others. I pray you find your peace. 🕊️

[@Nan-59]

I’m so sorry 😞 💔 Please take good care of yourself. You deserve it!❤️🧡💛😘

[@Elizabeth-yp8re]

I’m so sorry you had to go through such pain. You’re good and brave to share your experience, and kind and loving to be supportive of those young girls and women coming of age at this time. Thank you. God be with you❤️😘

[@karenjohannessen8987]

Blessings to you, @Dreaming music Gal, for that experience, and for sharing it, and for your continuing work on yourself.

[@dreamingmusicgal]

Thanks everyone! I tell my story only to let others know it's ok to speak up. Also, that others will hold you up and there is help in numbers for others behind us. We have to look at the hell they're already trying to put the 10 yr old through and making her look like it was all her fault instead of the victim of rape and being impregnated against her will. We MUST all(women AND men), ban together for the next 10 year old or the next 20, 30 or 40 year old. We also have to remember to respect everyone's choice just because I might be pro choice it's not my job to try and make others believe my way, but to talk about why I believe in pro choice. You'd be surprised at how many pro-lifers do not know why we believe in choice and some don't even know the differences in Pro Life, Pro Choice. Being Pro choice doesn't mean we're against pro life or abortions we just want the right to chose if need be. At that point I will hear all the God stuff and I just simply say then that it becomes between me and God NOT me and man(government).

[@kimberlyvasconez1907]

Thank you so much for explaining your position. It is important because it represents the issue and position of many other Christians sects outside of the right wing Christianity being forced on us by those in positions of authority. My experiences with God and the love of Jesus and my philosophy are similar to yours. I grew up Presbyterian and married a Catholic, but we have taught our girls that the love and understanding represented through Jesus’ example and leadership.

[@PaleRider54]

It makes me ill, and furious, to hear someone say they are "a Christian conservative". No such thing CAN exist. You can be one or the other but never both at the same time. If we follow the example of the Christ, we are, by definition, liberal. He advocated for free food, drink, clothing, and healthcare. Those are in no way tolerable in the eyes of today's conservatives. That is labeled "communism" and "socialism" and treated very hatefully. They would, without a doubt, murder Jesus once again for His preaching.

[@tiffanykrieger5035]

Thank you for your choice to respect people when I was very young in between my two sons I had a tubal pregnancy I had to go and get a procedure done and as I was walking and they called me a w**** they threw all these messed up baby dolls at me showed me signs of babies with their heads being ripped off that really messed me up for a long time but because I was able to get procedure done I am now the mother of two grown men who are kind and loving and wonderful in between my doctor and myself we made the right choice I wish those godly people had listened a little closer to Jesus before they started judging me.

[@mildredstubblefield4231]

That tubal pregnancy could have killed you. But thank God you received the appropriate care...and here you are, still alive with 2 beautiful sons!!! With the laws of today, you would've been six feet under. Terrifying to say the least.

[@watts1012]

Thank you Reverend for consistently renewing some of my faith in Christianity. It gets very hard not to judge the entire faith based on the actions of the very visible population of faux followers. It is something I struggle with often; your videos help immensely. God bless you and those you hold dear and may we all strive to make the world better than the one we were born into.

[@sharonharkins3031]

Thank you ... from the bottom of my heart

[@ytilaerdragon7441]

I have been pro-choice since my daughters were little. No one was going to force my little girl to carry a rapist's baby. Those who claim they are pro-life, are really forced-birth. Too many women have been denied miscarriage care. Too many ectopic pregnancies (which are always non0viable) will be terminated only after the woman, or girl, has begun bleeding to death. It was formerly that a doctor was mandated to save the life of the mother. Now, laws are trying to make them deny medical attention to those who are pregnant. In Ireland, it went so far as to stop a miscarriage and not treat the mother because it would harm the non-viable embryo her body was trying to get out so that it could concentrate on healing her. Heartbeat laws kill!

[@silverghostcat1924]

Again people ignorant of biology. A miscarriage is a natural abortion. The body realizes there's something wrong with the fetus, that it won't come to term and be healthy, so in order not to waste energy and resources, it stops the pregnancy so that another more viable pregnancy can occur later. These people are trying to circumvent the mechanism designed by their God, in order to force their will upon the woman.

[@justgreatmagic]

Heartbeat Laws don’t kill. They simply inform you that you are killing.

[@dianabaskin1944]

I personally think abortion is wrong. I also don't feel like I should force others to think like I do. Pro-choice isn't pro-abortion. Doesn't mean you are for abortion. Just means you are for people making their own choices. God is against sin but he gives people the right to choose.

[@justgreatmagic]

@@dianabaskin1944 it is clear the Bible says you should not promote sin.

[@justgreatmagic]

@@dianabaskin1944 please allow me to expand. The idea that “I’m personally against abortion, but I’m not going to tell others what to do” is not Biblical. We are called to speak truth, we are called to call out evil. As Christian’s we are judged by the Fruits of our works in relation to our Christian walk. Yes people will choose death. They will choose sin. This doesn’t mean that we simply ignore the truth. We fail when we give in by being silent.

[@srpennell]

The stricter a leader is, the more their followers will rebel

[@arthurpond865]

I had to smile when you talked about scripture, experience, tradition, and reason. I know that as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. Once again, you have a message that I find calming in a chaotic world.

[@tracyzimmerman7912]

I appreciate you for your honesty and integrity. God wants an authentic relationship with us so he gave us the ability to choose. This is a complex topic. There are so many nuances in life. It's never really cut and dry. I like your method because it is thoughtful and honest.

[@veganatheistandmore]

If every Christian thought like you, this world would be a better place. Much appreciated video. Thank you.

[@lpk6372]

The world is what it is our humanity, our society would be a better place. But that's not the case America is on the edge of damnation and a majority of people don't even see how evil they are.

[@vickiherndon7850]

Actually, if every person, even if not Christian, were as good as him 🥰 IMAGINE ALL THE PEOPLE, LIVING LIFE IN PEACE

[@Kai-Made]

I am atheist and even I agree with that. This man, knows something that a lot of folks in the US(where I am) need to listen to...

[@Lerian_V]

@@williamfinch9858 Exactly, not this guy. He even misinterpreted the bible in this video.

[@Lerian_V]

@@williamfinch9858 By respect I mean he allows us to exercise our free will instead of actively preventing our exercise of it against our will. Since love is a free decision, God cannot drag into heaven those you do not want to go there. Likewise, he will not force anyone into hell who does not want to go there.

[@freedomishavingachoice3020]

Choice is freedom!....YES!!...PREACH!!!!!... sorry.. I just... I mean.... You can take me to church everySINGLEday, Rev Ed. You always get me so hyped to be around Godly people. You are just magic. Amen, man. AMEN.

[@dianewiegel7136]

Good talk brother ~ I would add if people need a show to watch try, Call the Midwife because it addresses women's healthcare, pregnancy and injustices in all of this. It is a beautiful show done with care, love and tenderness

[@dianedavies9575]

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this issue; God bless you, yours and your ministry.

[@homeschoolingmadeeasy7798]

When the world shut down two years ago, I finally had the time to weigh these things. I was already voted democratic because of other policies. I had friends who in 2016 said, "how can you call yourself a Christian and vote for Hilary?" I was naive enough that I didn't know that they just cared about abortion. So I was kind of nervous to delve into things; what if Democrats were what I'd always heard at church? But I decided no matter how it came out, I was going to face up to it. I think the thing that really solidified it for me was the Jewish understanding of the scriptures. If they (who were given the words originally) have the belief that life begins at your first breath, and the US has the stance that we do not show preference for one religion over another, then that should mean that abortion should be legal. Not to mention the best ways to reduce abortions are the policies that Republicans always vote against.

[@auntiebobbolink]

"The best ways to reduce abortions are the policies republicans vote against." 👏👏👏🤙✌️❣️ I want to see those words on a HUGE billboard! Excellently said, even poetic!

[@signingcharity]

My story is similar. I was praying about and talking my vote out with my daughters as I wrestled with voting for Hillary but I never regretted it. And during those darkest of days in 2020 I began sorting out many other thoughts. I had been taught democrats were so evil, etc. but by the election in 2020 I was pretty elated to fill out my ballot for Joe Biden and the rest. I won’t claim either party is godly but one at least seems to care.

[@kennethcadwell2124]

If anybody wants to actually see whose policies actually come the closest to Jesus teachings. They would find themselves looking at the Progressive party......... I have Republican family members and I speak the words from the Bible to them every chance I get. They usually though shake their heads not wanting to hear and walk away mad.........

[@michellewilcock6827]

I am 55 I have two sons there fathers have walked away...my Oldest is disabled no father cared for them poverty no heathcare for MOM so it is a tough road to go down and if I didn't have the grace of God I would not have made it 🙏 praise God 🙏!!!

[@sharonthetrucker2297]

Such a wise man you are..and I feel the same way sir...thank you

[@guilarbour9154]

You said ... I choose to trust ... I choose to respect Rev Trevors, my interpretation of your words is .... you choose to love. Thank you for your articulate and eloquent explanation of your rationale. I choose to agree with you.

[@flockofone9214]

I will share this segment with EVERYONE I know. Thank you Reverend Ed.❤️

[@Suzicherie7777]

Thank you, Rev. I am a retired pastor but years before I was ordained, I worked in TV. One day, a Right to Life video was being shot in our studio. I was operating camera for it. The video featured Dr Willke, a founder of that organization, and his wife, who stood next to him and didn’t say a word. In fact she was looking up at him and apparently worshipping him. It was a disgusting display. At one point, Dr Willke said, “It’s not a baby, but call it one because that upsets people.” What a hypocrite! It was all about controlling women and gaining political power. I told the director over my headset, “Get me out of here.” I had a strong sense of the presence of evil. The director wanted out, too. Before I entered the studio that day, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the issue. But when I walked out, I was decidedly pro-choice and am still today. Anti-abortion laws are Rape by Legislation.

[@jjjjjjjjkigghh8662]

@suzy cherie wow, I have seen the exact attitude you are describing from right to life people and yes it is creepy

[@tcam2352]

Thanks for seeing evil for what it is.

[@gerrydunne8768]

I am A catholic and I am under the same idea as you it took me until I moved out from home to start liking church and going to church, we all need to live our own lives in our own way thank you for your thoughts and knowledge

[@nicholasgallanis7539]

As an atheist, my hope & dream is that your kind of faith, your interpretation of the word of God, could snuff out the radical right wing American religious nut jobs hell bent on their authoritarian crusade. Thank you for your rational, you are a light in the darkness!

[@Suzicherie7777]

There are many of us out there! The right-wing does not truly represent all Christians. My denomination has been pro-choice since the 1970s.

[@jimbeam-ru1my]

you can tell you're a phony when the atheists start praising you.

[@patrickc3419]

You’re not an atheist. They don’t exist.

[@contrafax]

Some one talked about how forced behavior can never be righteous behavior. Thank you Reverend.

[@FireElement7]

All we have to do is look at anything in our history that has been banned. Alcohol, abortion, drugs, it doesn't keep people from accessing it. It only makes it much more dangerous. Thank you Reverend Trevors ❤️

[@edwardkenny2356]

In my mind, you didn't have to provide reasons for your stance for being pro choice, but, thank you for that... just like "thank you" for all of your messages. Individually, I agree with each of your thought out reasons. Thank you, Rev Ed.

[@michellewilcock6827]

I have always felt I made the right choice, but I had choice!!!

[@meredithreeder3666]

Thank you so much. Well put. I was having a hard time coming up with the correct phrasing. Taking away free choice is one of the things I find most disturbing about this whole issue. I don't know if the people that are anti abortion would feel differently if some decisions they made based on their free choice were disallowed because someone felt their decision was incorrect. Thank you again.

[@markpashia7067]

I lived near a devout southern Baptist for a few years. They always went to church twice a week and every Sunday they would come home and he would pull up near the rear door of the house and his wife would get out and walk straight to the door "hiding" a six pack of beer with her long skirt. He would park in the detached garage then enter the house, pull all the curtains shut, and a few hours later come out and mow the lawn. We were out mowing the lawn and drinking beer when this happened each week. I never understood the hypocrisy of these types of people. Their church says no alcohol so they HIDE IT as if that makes a difference. But they would sing the praises of how wonderful their church was. HELP MY BRAIN IS FRYING!!! Also, how did the whole Prohibition thing work out? The war on drugs? Seems that people will be people and the law be damned.

[@timnewman1172]

Thank You Rev. Trevors for your nuance, candor, and well-reasoned words. As a lifelong Christian, this issue opens deep emotional wounds for the women involved, and requires understanding & compassion from all of us! As much as I would love to see the unborn protected, the Right to personal autonomy is the hallmark of our basic freedoms. We cannot allow the courts or government take this away, or allow it to become the key to open the door to attack a multitude of other rights!

[@RT-tn3pu]

I get the same question on this issue. Then I get the, "you are not a true Christian or I'm playing both sides" along with slew of profane statements. But I won't be moved, we must promote the liberty for others to choose. This is short answer not enuf room here. 😀🙏

[@meghanstever6408]

I wanted to thank you Reverend. Since I was young I have always had distant rather uncomfortable relationship with religion, to the point I moved from my Catholic upbringing to trying varying other factions and churches within the Christian canopy - never finding a place I felt comfortable. Even scouring KZbin, you are the only one I have found I can listen to who seems human, humane, these days. So thank you so much for continuing to give us these thoughtful, intelligent, down to earth connections between our society and what our beliefs were meant to be!!! Free will, ty it needed to be said... free will. - John Stever

[@lynnsweeney4529]

Thank you for sharing this information. So wonderful said.

[@mcsequoia5107]

Thank you for a very articulate, solid, thorough and well considered explanation.

[@suzannegagliano3433]

Perfectly said.

[@darrenskjoelsvold]

Reverend I have to say that I am a bit jealous of you for coming to your position through thoughtfulness and reason but I think that the way I arrived at the same place of being pro choice was a backhanded blessing. Of course that takes some explaining. To understand first I have to tell you where I came from. I was a staunch conservative and pro lifer. I hated abortion and was absolutely against it. I was an ardent christian fundamentalist and evangelical. (Don't stop reading it and I do get better) I went to college and studied philosophy and theology and I changed. I first had a crisis of faith and I ended up rebuilding my faith from the ground up using the Gospels as my guide. I moved far more left of center and I became more loving and accepting and tolerant but abortion was the one thing I couldn't shake. I just couldn't change my mind about it even though I felt conflicted about it. One weekend I decided I was going to really delve into the topic. I thought I could study my way into well honestly affirming my position. I realized that I couldn't do so in a timely manner. I could dedicate my life to the topic and I didn't really want to spend my life so I had an idea. I would ask God. I prayed earnestly and honestly for God to tell me where He stood. I asked if God hated abortion like I did. I lifted my Oxford study Bible which is a heavy book as I prayed and after my prayer I dropped it on the desk. The Bible opened up to Numbers 5 and I read an account of God ordering an abortion. I realized that I had been wrong for up until then my entire life. I realized that God had answered my prayer directly and had told me that I was wrong. I then vowed that from that day on I would fight for women's rights to choose until my dying breath I would never be on the wrong side of the issue again. I have to admit I teared up a bit from the weight of it all. But I think I was blessed to get an answer but I know that I had to be hit over the head with the right answer and couldn't be left to my own devises to get to the right end point. But at least we all get to the right place in the end. God bless you Reverend and have a blessed rest of your week.

[@cuckoophendula8211]

Thank you so much for sharing us your thoughts here. For most of my life, I was someone whose opinion didn't go much farther than "I respect people's opinion on this issue as long as they admit that it's very complex," but recent events really forced me to be much more vocal on the disastrous side effects for the way SCOTUS opened the floodgates so inelegantly. I feel that now more than ever, we really need to have the pro-life folk understand how the only way to prevent black market abortions would be to support policies and programs like the ones you mentioned (i.e. foster care, maternal healthcare, social services, etc.). I feel that in order to communicate to the evangelical conservative crowd, it'd have to be framed as saving unborn children rather than focusing on expressing one's own angst of losing the right to bodily autonomy though. From there, I really wonder if there'd be a way to help the social conservatives dissociate from fiscal conservative ideology, which nowadays seem to go against the golden rule (them finding lordship/idolatry in a political party may need to somehow be dealt with first though). Meanwhile, I'd love to hear you expand more about your theological rationale sometime too. The example I tend to hear about is Exodus 21 : 22 - 25 where it implies that a mother's life is worth quite a bit more than the unborn child (penalty for hitting a woman causing a miscarriage is a fine, but penalty for very serious injury of the woman is akin to an eye for an eye).

[@thomaselliot2257]

You have addressed all the points I was going to comment on when I first saw the title of your video. I have nothing to add ,only this is why I follow your every word .

[@kellygreenii]

Amen. Well said. In America we don’t have a culture problem. We have a boundary problem. Because scared, misguided people feel that the have the right to coerce and control things that they don’t have to live with the consequences of. In the Roe decision, one of the important factors in their ruling is that there has NEVER been a moral consensus as to when a child becomes worthy of legal and moral protection…except at birth. So to let government arbitrarily determine some other point is effectively a tyranny of the majority. Letting one group impose its values on all others simply because they have power. Which violates both the spirit and the letter of The Bill of Rights. The reversal of Roe will go down in history with the Supreme Courts shameful decisions on slavery and segregation.

[@Elizabeth-yp8re]

It’s actually the tyranny of the minority. The Senators who confirmed the last three justices, did so knowing they do not represent the beliefs and values of most Americans, yet they tossed the filibuster and did this with a simple majority. The way the Senate is comprised, 900,000 people in Montana have the same representation in the Senate as 40 million people in California. That is the tyranny of the minority. The minority in the Senate is holding the rest of the country hostage. We need a bigger Democratic majority in the Senate in November, or U. S. Democracy as we know it will be lost to a right wing, fascist Christian Nationalist movement. If that is the case, there won’t be a 2024 election.

[@kellygreenii]

@@Elizabeth-yp8re Yes, it’s minoritarian rule at the Federal level. Especially as Republicans do everything possible to paralyze the government when they aren’t in control of it. But it is tyranny of the majority at the State level in red states. As the white nationalists and Christian dominionists weaponize government to attack various minorities and other outgroups. But they may have gone too far and risk mobilizing college-educated white voters against the cruelty of their policies and hatred and fear that is informing their attitudes.

[@hopelessgeek3776]

Well-spoken, Reverend and thank you for your blessing. Apologies for not commented on your videos lately, I hope you are well. This is very well-reasoned, thanks for giving a theological analysis of this. I would say there are also valid arguments to say that the bible states that life begins at birth (like the famous Exodus 21:22-23; or Genesis 2:7 [although that one is a bit more open for interpretation]), and not before. Ultimately, being pro-life is about power and having power over others. I am so happy to see a religious authority figure as yourself speaking against the stance of "Not only will I live my life as I see fit, but everyone else must live that life as well, whether it is right for them or not."

[@e.458]

You can be pro-life (actual pro-life and not pro-forced-birth) and pro choice: Trying to get the numbers of abortions down without going the route of controll, punishment and coercion: 1. Give quality, science-based sex-ed and access to good and affordable (free, if necessary) contraception. Statistically, this is the single most effective measure to prevent abortions. 2. Make the workplace compatible with motherhood/parenthood: parental leave with job/carreer guarantee, fair wages, family friendly working hours/working from home options, child sick leave, free (affordable) quality daycare, guaranteed vacation; make these measures federal law (you know, like most countries do) 2. Strengthen middle class and working class families: livable minimum wage, child tax credit, renter protection, universal healthcare, free quality education, consumer protection, cancelling student debt

[@juliec5309]

I read that and we have all of this in Canada, made me appreciate what I took for granted. So sorry they're enforcing this without any safety nets on top of it all.

[@Struthio_Camelus]

Good afternoon!

[@mieliav]

reverend Ed - thank you. your integrity , compassion and intelligence are a light in this effed-up world. you give me hope in the face of the many examples of religious hypocracy we see every day. I hope your church supports you in your mission!

[@celticgypsy11]

And bless you for stating the truth: bans will not end abortion. I remember pre-Roe and I lost a high school friend to death caused by a back-alley abortion.

[@karenc.3689]

Thank you

[@LadyLithias]

Thank you, so much, for this video. I was raised utterly atheist, and when I asked my parents to share their religion with me, I was told categorically that it was intensely personal and that it was something I'd have to decide for myself. I can remember the first day I started my research into Christianity. One of my friends broke her neck and became a quadriplegic. I felt so disturbed, I went to my favorite park to contemplate life and the universe. It was Easter (I was 18, and I honestly didn't even understand that it was a religious holiday). A local church was having a service in the park, and members of the congregation saw me, alone and distraught, and befriended me. The next year was ... complicated ... but I began to learn. Ultimately, by the time I was 23 I was spending a year and a half studying the teachings of Jesus Christ, and for a time considered myself deeply religious. But it was your point #1 that created the schism that drove me away from the religion I'd embraced. Free Will. Literally the most fundamental concept of my faith, and everything I learned. And yet, my faith, the religious organization run by flawed humans, ignored that basic precept and when Prop 8 in California eliminated the rights of Californians to create a loving bond with a person of their own gender, I was horrified. I knew that the teachings of my faith included homosexuality as wrong, abhorrent to God. I could accept that, and the logical reasons behind it. But I felt most attuned to the seed of my faith, which was that God gave us all free will and it was the most extreme sin to take that free will away from His children. If my church opposed the *choice* of others to follow their own choices and decisions, and *forced* them to comply with a religious doctrine they did not share, not only was that against the constitution of the United States, it was also against the teachings of my faith. And if the highest individuals in my faith were trying to *force* their will on others, and that was quite literally the ultimate sin against God, then how could my faith be true and faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ? Since that Schism, I haven't dissociated myself from a belief in the teachings of Christ, but I have been disturbed by the many bad actors who proclaim a faith, but do not accept the concept of "by your actions shall ye know them." If I, in my faith, believe that abortion is a sin, and believe in the omniscience and omnipotence of God, then I must also have faith in the ultimate accountability. "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord." As a woman, this "pro-life" stance has not held up to the necessary scrutiny. Those who are anti-choice, and call themselves "pro-life" are anything but. I have a deep level of respect for those who are anti-abortion, as I consider myself one of those, but it is impossible to be pro-life and pro-war or pro-guns or pro-death-penalty or any of a number of destructive anti-woman and anti-child and anti-minority policy positions. I think it's possible to have a deep and abiding faith, be pro-choice and anti-abortion, and believe also that God will be the ultimate arbiter of justice for those who do not follow His teachings.

[@williamfinch9858]

Well, I don't think people actually like the concept of free will that much, but they don't talk about it because they fear others will question their faith and accuse them of questioning God's goodness. Free Will often feels like a curse because it can lead you to places like hell. Why did God give us these choices? Why did God plant the fruit tree which Adam and Eve ate from? Wouldn't it have been better if God hid the tree from Adam and Eve? That way Jesus wouldn't have needed to die for what Adam and Eve did. Speaking as a Christian, I don't think Christians really like free will, but they don't say it out loud.

[@TheSuzberry]

12 years of Catholic school and one thing I’ve remembered is being taught that god gave us free will and it is up to us to choose the path we will take.

[@jennylynn82173]

You line out my reasoning exactly here... Thank you, Rev Trevors - you put this all much more eloquently than I am able to... Thank you...

[@blackthornsloe8049]

God gave us free will . Learning to make sincere , thoughtful choices must be part of the curriculum. My mother was sixteen . My father was a twenty six year old alcoholic . Our household was full of violence . When I was twelve my mother had an abortion . even at twelve I knew that there shouldn't be a baby in that household .

[@Elizabeth-yp8re]

In my humble opinion, it’s the point of all this creation of His. To see if we choose Him when given free will to do so or not.

[@blackthornsloe8049]

@@Elizabeth-yp8re ah , the " it's a test " thing ? Respectfully , I adopted my son when he was seven months old . I didn't become his mother to test him . I became his mother to love him .

[@kennethcadwell2124]

​@@Elizabeth-yp8re our faith does get tested, but if you think getting an abortion violates the faith ??? You need to read Numbers 5 then as it's not a violation in all cases........

[@lavernevictoriacarol4531]

For the past five plus years, I have been trying to remind Christians of the free-will issue and I have been religiously ripped apart and persecuted by my supposed fellow believers for this very reason - the taking away of one’s free will. Thank you, Reverend for being honest. I hope that others will finally listen to somebody they can respect - hoping and praying it’s folks like you. God bless your bravery!

[@Roses-lilac]

Now that is a very spiritual viewpoint. Well done Rev.

[@pennisauer2121]

Thank you, Rev. Trevors, for a calm, thorough explanation of your reasoning. I wish everyone were so calm and thorough. I'm tired of women being demonized - just because. Tired of folks telling us to just close our knees without looking at all the things you mention.

[@auntiebobbolink]

Question: what would a rapist do with "closed knees"? I've come to the point where I'm so sick of childish judgementalism that I'm fresh out of patience. I want to Live Aloha, but there are things I just can't abide anymore. I appreciate RevEd's calm and still passionate messages to us, but I just don't have that calm anymore. All I keep thinking is that after 2 thousand years this is the best we can do????

[@margies2880]

Thank you for taking the time to process your beliefs about the unborn and going beyond the symptom. I live in Texas. I guess it is easier for some people to attack and try to control others over the symptom than genuinely process the causes and have true dialogue about addressing them. Then there is the responsibility of addressing the challenges of those who chose to give birth. The way some people talk, it seems to not be their problem beyond the conviction of whether or not there should be a birth. I am pro choice, but am still processing my thoughts. Again, I appreciate your input.

[@lewellyncrunkmeyer1512]

Incredible. Simply, Incredible. Your approach brings people to God instead of forcing Him on them. Love your work to educate us.

[@sylvias.7048]

Rev. Ed: That was one great sermon. I am a secular Buddhist, but after hearing your sermon, I have much more trust and faith in my Christian Canadian fellow citizens. Many Thanks

[@spacechannelfiver]

A bottle of Gin and some knitting needles is no solution. Women in NI have to travel to mainland Britian to get the medical care they need. I'm broadly in agreement with your first point on free will and also on the societal reasons, as an atheist I'll leave the theology to you. There's another point I think this whole situation highlights about the seperation of Church and State which is there for good reasons, and eroding those boundaries is a dangerous path to follow.

[@slagar72]

Thank you for sharing your perspective on being pro choice. Free will is the most potent of your reasons, in my opinion.

[@rowanlady]

The most compassionate talk I’ve ever heard from a priest on this very emotive subject. Like you I choose to trust the woman who has to make the choice and thank God I have never was or will be in her shoes.

[@vickiherndon7850]

I can't even like this video enough. Thank you for your logical thinking. . . If only more could see this path

[@M3Mellod]

Well presented, I’m able to relate to your reason. Thank you for sharing Rev Ed 🙏🏿🖤

[@danielleking3880]

The Daili Lama was asked about abortion and his answer was like your 3rd reason. That he was against suffering, and that abortion bans did not stop the problem. That women would still have abortions and suffer because of the condisions they were done in, in back alleys in the dirt and flith. He knew it made quality health care for women slower and more would suffer and die. The sad thing is that these evangelicals who now preach that abortion is murder in the US, they once didn't care, most were pro choice, until they lost their battle against the civil rights movement and needed a cause with which to make money and abortion was the one they chose. I too, looked into abortions in a way such as yours, I looked at religion and what religions were pro choice and so many were. Many believed in this time of "quickening" which is around 24 to 28 weeks when the women could feel the baby moving as the time when life began, before that, the fetus was potential life, and the womans life was more importaint than that of the fetus. Muslims, Jews and Christains of various sects and tradisions take this stance still. I look at the news now and I see women suffering. Unable to get timely care for entopic pregnancies, still births, and partcal misscharages. Doctors sounding the alarm that women with cancer will not be able to get the care they need. That doctors need to talk to lawyers about abortion procedures when a woman needs this care to avoid health care problems in themselves, a decision doctors use years of medical training to make that now lawyers must do for them. Not because it's in the best interest of the mother, but because its in the best interest of the facility not to get sued or worse. abortion bans are kind of like prohibition was, it didnt stop drinking here. it just forced it underground. except here, women die and suffer.

[@rdlewis3616]

Rev Ed, your church is certainly beautiful and filled with light.

[@deeneff6132]

THANK YOU, REV ED!!! Finally, someone who embraces the gift of free will. God bless you & keep you.❤

[@DairyAir]

Prohibition never works! Ever!!! Most ppl only relate prohibition as to prohibiting alcohol. … but we learned that by prohibiting, the problem got worse, and legalizing it helped… We’re still feeling the consequences of alcohol prohibition, because they just moved to another profitable prohibited product or service. Once you prohibit something, we loose the ability to protect customers and employees. Thats what prostitutes and drug dealers are is employees and “users” are just customers…

[@rumdog117]

Exactly. With the Roe decision and sex education in school, the rates of abortion have come down since the early 90's. Ironically the rates of teen pregnancy, teen STD's, and incest rates are mainly republican states, many of which don't teach actual sex education.

[@DairyAir]

@@rumdog117 …and in other countries, where sex education and abortion are banned, there’s always more teen pregnancy, rape (women who get raped and get pregnant can’t get an abortion and report the rape, without going to prison themselves, so rapists go free) orphans, and dead women…

[@richardcoolidge1071]

reminds me of a quote i heard about the mafia"There will always be organized crime as long as there is a demand for something that the government has made illegal".. Unintended consequences of overturning roe vs Wade will be many. Watch organized crime make big money on providing illegal abortions

[@DairyAir]

@@richardcoolidge1071 Al Capone… 😜 Yep. When you push customers to you lose the ability to provide safety… If a woman gets pregnant, they can’t report the rape, so rapists go free… The sick part is the reason big money want to keep the birth rates of the uneducated so they can have a surplus of low wage workers…

[@judyobrien5892]

I am old enough to have been a driver for women having to access abortion care from what would be called the "underground". We were fortunate enough to have medical doctors understanding the need. It was a time before cell phones and social media so actually easy to accomplish with the female making some excuse to be gone overnight. It seems strange now to think how in some states other women will be escorting women only with more fear and chances of negative consequences for all involved. I also drove young women to an unwed mothers home ran by the Catholic church for those who felt the need to give birth and have the child adopted. Those have their horror stories as well. What I learned is without free will to choose a path people will go to horrible extremes and even understanding the risks they proceed. Society can not thrive if governed by religion.....the choice to live the ten commandments, which millions of laws have been based on, has to be done willingly by the majority for a society to thrive. When the higher percentage feel their free will is being crushed by the few there is less Jesus like behavior and more of Satan rejoicing in his success. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and hopefully it opens the hearts of others.

[@user-lb2ub5ti3g]

Your pillars of theology are a revelation for me, learning that Scripture is weighed equally with Reason, Experiences, and the Tradition of the church feels so liberating. I have been looking for a spiritual community for a few years now, and now thanks to you Reverend Ed, I have a theological grounding that will assist me to make the best choice possible. I am so grateful. I have always believed in a woman's right to choose to have an abortion, and I was raised in the Catholic church.

[@karenjohannessen8987]

Thank you again, Rev - a year later. I appreciate your trust in the folk who have to live with the decisions made.

[@michellewilcock6827]

I believe it's a choice myself free will so true 👍!!!

[@johnwhite7320]

Well said Padre. Unfortunately, abortion has become a political issue used to keep us divided and distracted by those that profit from our division. Peace

[@user-qn5ye8nd1p]

Thank you Rev for speaking the truth. We have free will which is what God gave us.

[@gyrene_asea4133]

Evening Reverend, your exposition of where you view this from and that the real issue isn't this one thing, but so many things that make it so difficult for so many caught my attention. Thank you for devoting the time and focus to make an argument that enlightens, and not merely tries to persuade. Thanks, really.

[@veenoir1991]

Unfortunately too many people want to be theocratic and not just theological. I appreciate and like eds take here. And his solutions lol

[@shanalebeau8340]

You make the point so well by describing that distinction between theocracy & theology!

[@carlamiller6673]

Perfect message, totally agree 💯

[@jaywinkeler7726]

Thank you so much for this video and your thoughts! I have spent so long wrestling with various thoughts in this subject. It is not simple. The ethics and theology are so complex. Hearing your considered position is so helpful to me right now. Thank you.

[@ajpend]

This is a wonderful video. Thank you.

[@courgette3401]

And don’t forget education, Ed. I want to live in a world where no woman needs to choose to have an abortion. Many of The southern states of the USA have little or no sex education….other than abstinence! These states have the highest teen pregnancy rate and until the law changed, high abortion rates. Make the morning after pill free and easily available and you can solve a huge percentage of accidental pregnancies. Make condoms and birth control pill free and available in schools and you take away more unwanted pregnancies. Teach informed consent so that youngsters understand that this consent can’t be given when one of you is drunk and then people have sex only when they truly want to and when prepared. But instead we have multiple states where the morning after pill ( emergency contraception) is not available because of the untrue notion that it can end a pregnancy ( no, it can only stop you from ovulating) and the chemical treatment to deal with an ectopic pregnancy is being withheld from patients with potentially fatal consequences. I am sorry but America is in a total mess. The American dream is misunderstood and people believe that one persons uneducated opinion is equivalent to another persons years of training and education. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but the two are not equivalent. Very happy to be a woman living in The U.K.

[@Elizabeth-yp8re]

I will try not to be insulted 😁Education will not prevent a mother of two children from getting an ectopic pregnancy that can rupture and result in sepsis, and death. So, through no fault of her own, a mother is dead, children are orphaned, and all because some zealot who knows nothing about science, decides to impose his medieval prohibitions on women in a desperate need for control. Seems to me, it’s the anti abortion crowd who needs the education.

[@courgette3401]

@@Elizabeth-yp8re I feel as though you have misunderstood my point. I am pro choice but I feel sure that every woman and girl would rather not be pregnant than having to face an abortion. As for ectopic pregnancies , I have had two, one that did rupture so I most definitely do want the medications that treat this condition to be freely available. As a profession I teach sex and relationship education to children from 4 years upwards. Unfortunately this is something that most parents are happy to hand over to the education system. Every year I am shocked by how few children are having conversations with their adults at home. And again, I reiterate. I would love to live in a world where abortions were just unnecessary in all but the very sad and extreme circumstances. My ectopic pregnancies were much wanted pregnancies. The first was after many years of fertility treatment. I required major surgery but can’t imagine the horror of having to terminate a pregnancy much later on in order to save my own life.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

Normally I would argue against free will, but I'm not going to, and you can't make me.

[@revedtrevors4961]

ha ha ha

[@ohana8535]

@@revedtrevors4961 Is that a sarcastic "ha ha ha" or a "That was actually pretty funny considering the source" ha ha ha?

[@revedtrevors4961]

@@ohana8535 I liked it

[@ohana8535]

@@revedtrevors4961 👍

[@celticbabs3105]

I cannot thank you enough for this video! God bless you, Reverend!

[@georgiarn3915]

Thank you for this Rev. Trevor's, I was trying to explain these very talking points to my In-laws recently. As Georgia voters, my Mother in-law said she had problems with Reverend Warnock being Pro-Choice and I brought up the Free Will argument.

[@mrsnurse3765]

Thank you Rev Trevors for your biblical teachings. God bless you.

[@tanyawilliams8254]

If he gives us choice who are we to take it away, not forgetting fact that abortions were performed in the Bible by the priests in the temple🙏 If people do not want to listen to your message you are supposed to dust off your sandles and move on to the next town, not make your message the law of the land with inhumane punishments for disobedience 🤔

[@revedtrevors4961]

I hadn't thought of the dust/sandal story like that... Thank you

[@littlebitofhope1489]

That's interesting, because I suspect that that is what they will go after next. The ability to freely travel. Can't allow people to go to those blue states, now can we?

[@revedtrevors4961]

@@littlebitofhope1489 south Dakota...

[@littlebitofhope1489]

@@revedtrevors4961 Yep, they will move quickly to reinstate the their version of the Comstock laws.

[@vincentcalvelli6452]

Thank you Rev. Ed for presenting today's talk with us. I wish the clergy of my Roman Catholic Church would adopt the viewpoint you presented to us.

[@catherinewilson1079]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am with you all the way and I am a practicing Baptist from Quebec. The problem is, while I love my particular church, I refuse to be dictated in my personal belief of what is right by the political head of an organization. Here is a third point in favour of abortion; I was adopted - the consequence of there being NO ABORTION available in the 1950’s. Anyone who thinks that adoption is the solution has a LOT to learn! It is NOT the magical solution to the problem but brings it’s own particular brand of pain and humiliation and trauma😥😥😥

[@forbeginnersandbeyond6089]

Pro-choice doesn't mean pro-abortion. Pro-choice is that the decision to abort or not is in the hands of the private citizen, not the state or government.

[@FallingInLove875]

You said what I was going to.

[@NotABushFan1]

One of my thought is how can we stop the pregnancy? What is upsetting me, this is all about control, control over women, control over what we can read, and control over the LGBTQ. Control! A few want control over the mass. The other issue is - the doner. Why? We need to find a way to stop the pregnancy and make adoption a great option. Thanks for your word.

[@Elizabeth-yp8re]

There is money to be made somewhere….. I’m thinking it starts with the “pregnancy care centers “ popping up all over the country where planned parenthood’s used to be…… Justice Barrett has 6 or 7 children…..adopted. Now tax money has been allowed to be funneled into religious education, so all these new babies will need an education…….each representing 18 years of public money funneled to religious institutions…..to make more zealots……etc.

[@NotABushFan1]

@@Elizabeth-yp8re, Partly you are correct, who can send their children to so-called private schools that our tax dollars are funding? I have grandchildren yet in school, what is going to happen when my great-grandchildren want to go to school, what church do they need to attend. Yey that is off the subject or is it. Thanks

[@tonytooshort]

And I say AMEN! Now THAT'S a true man of God! 🙏🏽👏🏽 Wow. What great dialogue and sermon. I appreciate the conversation. I appreciate the mention of the passages in Numbers, it seems as though many 'Christians', excuse my quotations, conveniently forget. And I don't say that condescendingly or as a 'gotcha' to anybody, but as you say this IS something Christians need to wrestle with so to speak. Many try to pretend as if it is so cut and dry even with their own Bible. And also I appreciate wholeheartedly your mention of what the ACTUAL problems that lead to abortions more time then not are: economic issues and such. ALSO things that the fae right evangelicals of my country seem to not care about. They've sworn to protect the unborn literally until he's born. Thank you, Reverend. God bless you always, in all ways. 🙏🏽

[@user-oj7sc9np3x]

I believe in what you are saying. I'd even come back to Church! Thank you for your work!

[@SaberknightX]

I haven't watched the video yet but I wanted to write my thoughts before, to see if my own thoughts align. 1) the work of the holy spirit does not produce bad fruit. So minors getting pregnant, ectopic pregnancy, making medicine illegal, is not works of the holy spirit. By that token I can't honesty say abortion is not a fruit of the holy spirit either. I think I just choose pro choice because I see it as the lesser of two evils. To be anti choice can only be implemented, in my mind, 2) as the subjugation of woman. Which I know is not what Jesus would want. 3) I see abortion as a result of our failure as a society. An unplanned pregnancy is a result of lacking access to Healthcare, infrastructure, and education. It shows our society has failed to provide health, wealth, and education. I guess that makes it neither good nor evil. This is probably just for myself, I am probably not gonna answer any replies. Okay resuming the video.

[@Cheesus4jesus]

Wouldn't this message, televised on a Sunday morning be invaluable? People could tune in and hear humility and truth instead of how to reap material rewards from heaven. Funny how the only messages we hear and see on tv are either about hellfire being visited upon homosexuals or how to demonstrate faith by giving your money to the church ( so the pastor can have his mansions.) False prophets only exist because of false hearted followers. The right wing doesn't want to ease suffering, only create more of it.

[@g.jeffreypowell270]

AMEN Thank you for your words and honesty. Very nice Sermon letting us know Jesus Christ loves us for who we are.

[@turbosdolphin]

It took a lot of soul searching and thought, but at the end of the day - I made the most difficult decision for me! Thank Rev Trevors for trusting in me to be a Christian with free will.