Kill the boys: It was legal
"The king of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shiphrah and the other Puah, 'When you act as midwives for the Hebrew women and see them giving birth, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she may live.' ... Pharaoh then commanded all his subjects, 'Throw into the river every boy that is born to the Hebrews, but you may let all the girls live.'" - Exodus 1 6-7
I listened as this was read at Mass this morning. It struck me: This action was legal. It was ordered by the king. It was the law of the land.
Kill the boy babies.
I immediately thought of abortion.
It's legal. It's the law of the land.
In biblical Egypt, it was done after birth.
We haven't gotten to that point - yet.
Just because something is legal does not mean it's right or moral.
Dear Lord, forgive us for what our laws allow.
I listened as this was read at Mass this morning. It struck me: This action was legal. It was ordered by the king. It was the law of the land.
Kill the boy babies.
I immediately thought of abortion.
It's legal. It's the law of the land.
In biblical Egypt, it was done after birth.
We haven't gotten to that point - yet.
Just because something is legal does not mean it's right or moral.
Dear Lord, forgive us for what our laws allow.
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 9:44 AM
1 Comments:
There has been some serious discussion of the social issues that arise when there is too high a male to female ratio in society, as in parts of India and China (in part due to abortion, and the preference of rural parents for male children). At any rate, I wrote about this (http://mexfiles.net/2011/06/20/its-draining-men-halleluja/)not too long ago.
While I know it's slightly gruesome, but Pharaoh was using pre-modern arms control to fend off the possibility of revolt by subject people. A shortage of young males means a shortage of potential warriors... Tlacael, the power behind the throne of the Aztecs, changed the religious practices to encourage more human sacrifice of young warriors (from "allied" communities) for the same reason.
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