Thoughts On Billy Graham And Stephen Hawing And The Loss Of Basic Decency

Two giants in their respective fields died in 2018. Evangelist Billy Graham and physicist Stephen Hawking. 

While the more sober and thoughtful among us reflected on their body of work and contributions to human progress, unfortunately the same can't be said of others.

It's interesting to note this reveals how classless (and even nasty) both progressives and conservatives can be when they let politics dictate their sense of common decency.

To a progressive, organized religion is the root of all evil rarely taking a moment to consider the entire body of work of how religion has been a force of good and even rationalism (see the Catholic church and science). We get much of our values and tales of how to treat one another via religion. The Judaeo-Christian religious heritage is rich in theology and intellectualism as well as music and the arts as a whole. 

Yet, this is all ignored when a man like Billy Graham dies. It matters less about the man and his accomplishments, what matters is the 'tribe' he belonged to and how it's perceived. In this case, for the left, religion is bad ergo Graham must be bad and the comments follow this misplaced and disappointing line of logic.

They deliberately or otherwise dismiss the positive nuances of the role of Evangelicalism in North American society choosing instead to focus on the more extreme elements of it.

To the other side and in a similar vain, Hawking in recent times good be a jerk and tended to hold an opinion on climate change the right (myself included) didn't agree with.

To the former, we're all flawed and he was no different despite his condition. For the latter, this should not rule over his body of work in physics which was enormous. Here's a man who was supposed to have died long ago because of his condition and managed to live a long and productive life.

It's something to be celebrated. Not mocked or made light of.

In both cases, these gentlemen deserve much better than the petty, partisan and foolish rants I've been reading. 

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Hawking's case present us another interesting angle.

Specifically, about abortion.

Over the years, my opinion on abortion has swung. I still think it shouldn't be outlawed however our justification for it in some cases has grown to macabre and even inhumane. 

We focus too much on the 'rational' and not the spiritual side of what we're advocating. The more bio-ethicists come up with 'reasons' to terminate a legal organism attempting to define what is 'human', the more I feel we're crossing the Rubicon into something we may regret. 

I've learned to complete dismiss ethicists. To me, their cold calculations are anything but ethical. They remind me of Nurse Ratchet. I just see evil masking as reason.

We see where this can go as we discovered with Planned Parenthood and its 'side job' of selling baby parts. What's the big deal, right? Ethicists have said a fetus is not human! Conscience clear!

Not to me it is. The least you can do if you engage in such an activity (it's for science!), is show some damn respect for the living organism you terminated.

Alas, we've lost that sense of basic decency.

Since the progressive left tends to believe in 'pro-choice' even if it may lead one to fall off a moral cliff, the should ponder the case of Hawking whom I presume they laud given his stance on climate change and being a scientist.

Hawking suffered from a terrible disease that condemned him to a life that burdened others. It was supposed to have killed him early in his life but didn't. 

Now imagine you being the parent with the decision to have aborted him if you found out through an ultra-sound. What would you do? If you abort, the world is deprived of Stephen Hawking.

Lately, we've been hearing discussions about whether it's justified to abort a baby discovered to possibly have Down Syndrome. This is the decision of the parents (both parents if they claim to be in a healthy relationship built and maintained on trust and respect.  I do not accept it's the choice of one person 100% when it takes TWO people to make a life. Either you're in it together, or you're not....until death do us part...) to make. However, do not say it's for compassion and in the interest of the child. Be honest and say it's about you and the possible unwillingness to accept God's will and deal with such a difficult undertaking. 

Especially considering what we have come to learn about people with DS and the sheer joy they bring into people's lives. 

It's a tough choice indeed and I can but imagine the anguish this must come with for some. It's not something we can judge as it's, in the end, an intensely personal matter. I know there's disagreement on this so I will stop here.

Suffice to conclude, God works in mysterious ways.