Michael Card, a songwriter and theologian, wrote a song called “The Spirit of the Age” in which he references the Biblical story of the slaughter of the innocents in Bethlehem. The Bible narrates how King Herod ordered the murder of all the baby boys in the town of Bethlehem, in an attempt to kill Jesus. Card connects that story to both historical injustices and our present-day and writes,
“Now every age has heard it
The voice that speaks from hell
Sacrifice your children
And for you, it shall be well.”
Whether through child sacrifice or abortion, the devil makes a very dangerous offer with that lie. As he often does, he promises a seemingly better outcome, which demands everything, and gives back nothing in return. And in our fallen world, part of the promise seems desirable. When Satan whispers the half-truth that children are the obstacle to our success, happiness, and fulfillment, somehow it resonates with our selfish interests. We shirk our responsibilities and betray the first institution that God established: the family. But believing the lie only leads to regret, sadness, and deep hurt. Abortion is the modern-day equivalent to historic infanticide and is merely a new way for the devil to make the same old deal. It is important to understand the nature of past injustices, such as child sacrifice and slavery, and comprehend the comparisons that they have with this current injustice of abortion.
The practice of child sacrifice dates back thousands of years, and can be found in the Ancient Near East, South American, European, and African cultures. In fact, there are some places where child sacrifice persists today. It almost always follows the belief system that the giving up of a child, a tremendous cost, guarantees protection, favor, and blessings. The Old Testament details laws prohibiting child sacrifice to not only instruct Israel morally but also set them apart from nations around them, who all practiced child sacrifice. Even then, Israel would later turn to these horrific practices under wicked kings such as Manasseh. Child sacrifice is a revolting act and one of the many moral failures which lead to Israel’s exile, just as it was foretold by the prophets.
Looking back, it’s hard for us to imagine what could drive a mother and father to abandon their living newborn child to death and sacrifice their own progeny. However, at that time children were commonly viewed as obstacles to future success. In fact, in the ancient world, many sacrificed their children in order to unlock blessings and prosperity. Therefore, although children were extremely valuable, they are expendable for future gain. Furthermore, this indicates that their innate worth is less than the prospect of future prosperity. Child sacrifice functioned on these two pillars: that children were the obstacle to success, and that their worth is diminished in comparison to future riches.
Slavery also contains many similarities to the current injustice of abortion. Now, it is important to exercise caution when comparing current issues to historical injustices, as it is easy to inflate the current crisis and decrease the horror of history. Keeping this in mind, it is crucial to understand why slavery persisted for so long, particularly in the United States. The Founding Fathers created the Constitution as a “glorious liberty document”, with many “principles and purposes, entirely hostile to the existence of slavery.” Slavery runs antithetical to the themes of American freedom, but viciously survived in America for over 70 years. In a country that believes that “all men are created equal” and that all are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”, the survival of slavery occurred due to the dehumanization of slaves. Once you deny that slaves are equal human beings, the rights and freedoms of America no longer apply. Furthermore, even if that question is answered, there is still the issue of competing rights. The rights of the slave were in direct conflict with the property “rights” of the slaveowner. In most cases, the courts sided with slaveowners and perpetuated the horror of slavery through this conflict. In addition, slaves were only valued as much as their profitability. This ideology that defined slavery pervades today’s issues as well. Abortion thrives in the very same ways. Abortion dehumanizes the preborn, dismisses the rights of the child, and provides a profit for those engaging in the act. It is the same repulsive lie but retold acceptably.
Alexis De Tocqueville, the famed political scientist, commented “History is a gallery of pictures in which there are a few originals and many copies.” Most have heard a similar phrase, “History repeats itself.” This has happened with abortion, as there are clear parallels between abortion and historical injustices. The question however remains, will we believe the devil’s old lies?
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