Promoting Death

There is violence in our country and around the world.  It's violence that is committed against the child in the womb and, as we've seen over the past few years, there is hostility toward those who stand for the unborn in the form of attacks on churches and pregnancy resource centers.  We can pray for peace, but realize that there is a spiritual war that is occurring.  Proverbs 24 states:
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
Your strength is small.
11 Deliver those who are drawn toward death,
And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
12 If you say, “Surely we did not know this,”
Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it?
He who keeps your soul, does He not know it?
And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

CBN.com reported several weeks ago that, "A bombing at a reproductive and fertility center in Palm Springs, California...shocked Americans of all stripes — a tragedy purportedly perpetuated by a man media sources claim was a 'pro-mortalist.'”

A 25-year-old man, Guy Edward Bartkus, was arrested for the crime.  The article went on to say:

“The subject had nihilistic ideation,” FBI Los Angeles’s field office assistant director Akil Davis said, according to Fox News. “And this was a targeted attack against the IVF facility. Make no mistake, we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism.”

He continued, “We are fairly confident that Mr. Bartkus is … our primary suspect, a person of interest.”

The article quoted from Tracy Walder, described as "a national security contributor for NewsNation and a former federal agent," who said, "This essentially is the idea that it is more humane to kill humanity to prevent future suffering,” adding, “He believes that he is doing the humane thing.”

U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli noted, “An anti pro-life manifesto believed to be authored by the suspect has been located and is being examined by the FBI,” adding,“We are happy to report that no embryos at the IVF center were damaged by the explosion.”

The clinic issued a statement, which said, according to CBN: 

“We are heartbroken to learn that this event claimed a life and caused injuries, and our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected,” the statement read. “We are immensely grateful to share that no members of the ARC team were harmed, and our lab—including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials—remains fully secure and undamaged.”

The facility said their mission has “always been to help build families” and that this event reminds them “how fragile and precious life is.” 

The website, Not the Bee, the sister website to The Babylon Bee, which reports on actual news.  It said:

Now to the manifesto, which took some digging to find (it is archived here if the site is taken down by authorities).

The suspect is a "pro-mortalist," or follower of "Efilism," which believes sentient life is a curse that needs to be destroyed. In simpler terms, he is an atheist who mocks God and wants to wage war on pro-lifers.

No really, that's what he says:

I think we need a war against pro-lifers.

The man's ideology is that there is nothing purposeful in the universe and God isn't real, but somehow humans are screwing everything up so we should all die. Attacking a fertility clinic was a way to stop babies from being born (reports say no eggs were damaged, however).  

And, as the story continues, it says: "And like most atheists, he is angry at God."  It states: "Pro-mortalism (support for death) or anti-natalism (against birth) is becoming more popular among deranged left-wing atheists who view humanity as a disease, and they justify their genocidal darkness by claiming they are compassionate."

Live Action noted: "In complete opposition to this nihilistic perspective, pro-lifers believe that every human being, regardless of their manner of conception, has intrinsic value and deserves the right to life."

The destructive act could have taken the lives of multiple embryos stored at the facility.  A pro-life perspective, I believe, would regard those embryos as human life. The Christian Post noted, referring to in-vitro fertilization, "...many pro-life organizations and religious bodies have expressed concern that the practice violates the sanctity of human life." Lila Rose, founder of Live Action, is quoted as saying, "...over 90% of tiny boys and girls created via IVF only to be frozen, discarded, or killed. This is not pro-life. Every human life begins at fertilization, yet IVF treats human beings as disposable..."

That certainly is a huge moral dilemma that the IVF industry must address.  While I believe that in-vitro fertilization has helped scores of families have children, those who are part of that industry, including clinics in Alabama, have to answer the question about what happens to discarded embryos.  After the Alabama Supreme Court rightly determined that an embryo is human life, the Alabama Legislature whiffed on an opportunity to deal with this question; instead, giving IVF clinics in the state a pass. 

We certainly see a willingness to discard human life all around us. It's what causes a person to consider taking the life of another in a murderous act.  It certainly is seen in the minds of those who would participate and/or promote the termination of a human life through abortion.  And, it's manifested through heinous acts toward those, such as pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life ministries, who are fighting to preserve life.  

In a violent world, the gospel can confront the evil that is in the hearts of men and women.  People have developed warped views such as "pro-mortalism," hating life itself and the Creator of life.  The presence of Christ in a person's heart can shift their thinking because their hearts have been changed.