Abortion is not murder to the educated, but it should still fall under the same clause under Thou Shalt Not Kill permitting war, genocide, capital punishment, self-defense, and deaths related to exorcism and faith healing. The Bible doesn’t even recognize the fetus as equivalent to living humans. It’s the same principle as animals; these living creatures do not have the same level of sentiency, therefore we do not give them equal value.

Exodus 21:22-25 — “And if men struggle and strike a woman with child so that she has a miscarriage, yet there is no further injury, he shall be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

Leviticus 27:6 — “And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.”

Numbers 3:15-16 — “Number the children of Levi after the house of their fathers, by their families: every male from a month old and upward shalt thou number them. And Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord.”

Ecclesiastes 6:3-6 — “A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man- even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?”

Ecclesiastes 4:3 — “But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.”

Job 10:18-19 — “Why then hast Thou brought me out of the womb? Would that I had died and no eye had seen me! I should have been as though I had not been, carried from womb to tomb.”

I think the anti-abortion movement in the US is always going to be a little mystifying to me, but thanks for the info – ‘fire and brimstone’ is definitely a good way to describe the kind of frenzies that get whipped up over this.

Nice point about the Bible and breath, though. Now if only people would remember that ‘go forth and multiply’ is not the eleventh commandment, and probably didn’t mean ‘overrun the planet and make it eventually unlivable’, we’d be better off.

Artful M- the fallen angels from His Dark Materials were most definitely gay. I remember crying a bit when I read the end.

I keep thinking – experienced fallen angel catches newbie who hasn’t figured out flight yet. Or was drunk (don’t drink and fly!).

Milton question – were the fallen angels really sorta gay, or am I just thinking of that Neil Gaiman short story and graphic novel?