The appropriate Christian Response to abortion is not political activism. Politics does not change hearts and minds. If you are a Christian' date=' and you want to protest abortion, try committing an act of love. Adopting a child, or supporting parents that have made a difficult choice to raise a child when there were pressures to do otherwise would be a good place to start.[/quote']

AMEN!

 

I'll add supporting and guiding women in the difficult circumstances and helping them see life is the best choice.

 

Voting and speaking without action are ineffective, and NOT doing anything to effect change.

I've got no problem with it, he's active in the pro life movement so I can see where he would pass. I don't see the correlation with renouncing citizenship.

“I wasn’t there,” Birk told KFAN. “I would say this, I would say that I have great respect for the office of the Presidency but about five or six weeks ago, our President made a comment in a speech and he said, ‘God bless Planned Parenthood.’ . . .

 

“Planned Parenthood performs about 330,000 abortions a year. I am Catholic, I am active in the Pro-Life movement and I just felt like I couldn’t deal with that. I couldn’t endorse that in any way.”

 

Actually, President Obama didn’t say, “God bless Planned Parenthood.” He ended a speech to the group with the perfunctory, “Thank you, Planned Parenthood. God bless you. God bless America.”

 

Some will see that as a distinction without a difference. And while, like Birk, I am Catholic and, like Birk, I don’t believe in abortion, Birk’s stance puts him on a slippery slope of logic that, taken to its extreme, could result in Birk renouncing his American citizenship.

 

Birk boycotts White House visit over abortion issue | ProFootballTalk

 

To give this article proper context Florio while a football writer is a Keith Olbermann disciple. So it comes of little shock the stance he takes.

 

With that said regardless if I agree with the player , there was nothing improper he did. He is involved in the pro-life movement and made a calculated decision to shed light on the issue. By the looks of this thread he got people talking, mission accomplished.

The appropriate Christian Response to abortion is not political activism. Politics does not change hearts and minds. If you are a Christian, and you want to protest abortion, try committing an act of love. Adopting a child, or supporting parents that have made a difficult choice to raise a child when there were pressures to do otherwise would be a good place to start.

 

AMEN!

 

I'll add supporting and guiding women in the difficult circumstances and helping them see life is the best choice.

 

Voting and speaking without action are ineffective, and NOT doing anything to effect change.

 

I often wonder why this gets ignored so much.

I often wonder why this gets ignored so much.

 

 

My thoughts on why wouldn't be appreciated on BGP by the majority of its membership.

AMEN!

 

I'll add supporting and guiding women in the difficult circumstances and helping them see life is the best choice.

 

Voting and speaking without action are ineffective, and NOT doing anything to effect change.

 

I'm asking this as a sincere question....Do you know for certain Birk isn't actively participating in events and activities like what you mentioned?

Of course not, those types of behaviors are never reported. Not enough interest in people doing good works each day.

From a quick google search it sounds like he and his wife are very involved in a center that counsels young women/mothers to be in his hometown....The godfather of one of his children started the center and his wife volunteers as a counselor there.

Maybe it's generational. Regardless of who the President is he is STILL the President and anytime he wants to recognize any group/team I'm a member of I'm there with everyone else. It's a matter of respect basically.

 

Maybe it is generational...but I disagree with you. Being asked to come visit the White House is the for the purpose of allowing the President to recognize you/your group, and serves no purpose beyond that. Why would you wish for an honor from someone who is actively promoting the murder of unborn children when your faith and personal devotion to a ministry is directly opposed to that? Granted, it would never happen, but what if Kim Jung Un was a Ravens fan and invited them for an audience, would that be disrespectful if you said, "I'm morally opposed to your stances on things, and I'm going to decline your offer to honor me in your house"?

Also from the article and my question:

 

So if traveling to the White House with a Super Bowl championship-winning football team “endorses” abortion, doesn’t living in a country that allows abortions to happen do the same thing?

 

No, that's where voting (among other things) comes into play. I vote my conscience, and my conscience is anti-abortion. I vote to try to change the legal status of abortion. I actively do what I can to prevent abortions from taking place - including sidewalk ministry at abortion clinics. I actively am trying to make change rather than shrugging my shoulders and saying "Well, it's legal. What is there to do about it?" :idunno:

 

I would content that to renounce your citizenship and leave the country would be comparable to Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus' crucifixion. If a ship is headed towards rocks, wouldn't the more principled thing to do be to try to take the wheel and steer it away rather than allowing it to continue its course toward disaster while you jump ship and save yourself?

No, that's where voting (among other things) comes into play. I vote my conscience, and my conscience is anti-abortion. I vote to try to change the legal status of abortion. I actively do what I can to prevent abortions from taking place - including sidewalk ministry at abortion clinics. I actively am trying to make change rather than shrugging my shoulders and saying "Well, it's legal. What is there to do about it?" :idunno:

 

I would content that to renounce your citizenship and leave the country would be comparable to Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus' crucifixion. If a ship is headed towards rocks, wouldn't the more principled thing to do be to try to take the wheel and steer it away rather than allowing it to continue its course toward disaster while you jump ship and save yourself?

 

But didn't Birk effectively "jump ship" by not going?

But didn't Birk effectively "jump ship" by not going?

 

Not as far as I'm concerned. When I was talking about "jumping ship", I was talking about Birk renouncing his citizenship, as was implied by the article's author. By doing that, he would be giving up on his ability to effect change on the abortion issue in the United States.

 

I see his not going as civil disobedience to bring attention to a political issue. The only ship I see that he could really have jumped in this situation is the Ravens "ship"...a team that he has already retired from.

I would content that to renounce your citizenship and leave the country would be comparable to Pontius Pilate washing his hands of Jesus' crucifixion. If a ship is headed towards rocks, wouldn't the more principled thing to do be to try to take the wheel and steer it away rather than allowing it to continue its course toward disaster while you jump ship and save yourself?

 

Perfect. You don't turn tail and run away to someplace else. This is your home. If you don't like the way things are going, you don't just leave; you stick around and work every day to make it just a little bit better.

AMEN!

 

I'll add supporting and guiding women in the difficult circumstances and helping them see life is the best choice.

 

Voting and speaking without action are ineffective, and NOT doing anything to effect change.

 

I would say for real change, BOTH voting/political activity along with social support for unplanned pregnancies are needed. One without the other would only be a 50% solution.