OPINION:
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico is known for his bizarre, inaccurate and downright nutty theological proclamations.
Mr. Talarico uttered his latest nonsense during a CNN and Jubilee town hall, telling Jody Hunt, a Catholic woman, that the Bible is silent on abortion — a proclamation that caused many, including Ms. Hunt, to fervently hit back.
“We’re both Christians and the Bible is silent on the issue of abortion,” he said. “It means you and I both have to look at different Scriptures to try to come to a conclusion, but what I think we can do is actually come together on reducing the number of unplanned pregnancies and the number of abortions.”
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But Ms. Hunt wasn’t willing to let this claim go — and with good reason. It’s absolutely unhinged from reality and truth, so she fact-checked Mr. Talarico right to his face.
“I just want to add that the Bible is not silent on abortion,” she shot back. “There is the Ten Commandments — ’Thou shalt not kill.’
“And as Catholics, we take great insult, I guess sometimes when it’s [spouted] that way,” she continued.
She made a great point about the nature of killing innocents. The Bible is absolutely clear that terminating the life of another human is inexcusable and violates God’s laws.
As for abortion: It’s certainly true that the word isn’t present in the Bible, but neither are a plethora of other specific issues and sins. Take, for instance, heroin abuse or pornography.
Scripture doesn’t mention specific deadly drugs, but it precludes humans from being drunk. And it doesn’t discuss computer and cell phone smut, but Jesus is clear about lust and sexual sin.
Any semblance of discernment would tell someone to avoid drugs or pornography because of the broader verses that warn against sinning against one’s body and being inebriated. This is just common sense — and the same reality exists for abortion.
Though the word “abortion” doesn’t exist in Scripture, the concept is most certainly decried throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Bible isn’t silent on the issue. People such as Mr. Talarico simply want to ignore these realities to indulge in their own sinful understandings of what’s permitted.
But let’s go a bit deeper. As it turns out, there are numerous Bible verses that reveal God’s love, kindness and care for the unborn. One of the most compelling verses is Psalm 139:13 (NIV), which reads, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
This is an incredibly powerful verse that presents God as caring deeply about the form and future of the unborn, sparking imagery of an artist assembling his or her masterpiece. Beyond that, this particular Scripture shows the innate value God puts into His human creation.
Another verse is Jeremiah 1:5, which offers an even deeper look at the purposes God imbues in human souls well before conception.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,” the Scripture reads. “Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
This notion that the Lord foreknows each person aligns with the love and care we see God expressing throughout Scripture — and it certainly flies in the face of Mr. Talarico’s arguments that the Bible is silent on abortion.
The unborn have inherent value even before they are conceived, which is evident from these verses. Ultimately, such Scriptures contradict the “clump of cells” argument that many liberals seek to peddle while selling abortion as a viable solution to unplanned pregnancy.
There’s another story, though, that has always stuck out in my mind and is seen in Luke 1. Mary, Jesus’ mother, goes to visit her cousin Elizabeth after Mary finds out that she’s pregnant with the Messiah.
Luke 1:41 tells us the following: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” John the Baptist, an unborn baby, was the first to react to the unborn Christ child — and that says something.
So, is Mr. Talarico right that abortion isn’t explicitly mentioned in Scripture? Sure, the term itself isn’t there, but the concept most certainly is decried based on God’s overwhelming love and plans for His creation.
There’s absolutely nothing in Scripture that glorifies or permits killing innocents. In fact, humans are compelled to protect the “least of these” and the most vulnerable.
Liberals such as Mr. Talarico are, at best, confused about such eternal truths. At worst, they’re intentionally distorting the Bible for political means. Either way, their proclivities result in evil claims and policies that damage innocents.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” Mr. Hallowell also is the author of four books.
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