Lutherans For Life Position
Statements
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here to download
a printable version of the statements in booklet form (PDF).
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on the topics below for a specific position statement:
Human Cloning
Therapeutic Incubation
PREAMBLE
TO POSITIONS
“I have made the
earth and created man on it. It was
I.”
(Isaiah 45:12)
God
made this statement many times and in various ways throughout the Bible. God
states that He is the Creator of the earth and every human being. Lutherans For
Life believes God as He has revealed Himself to us in His Word. The following
positions are intended to guide us in our relationships to others while we
remain true to our beliefs concerning God and His revealed will for all people
everywhere. |
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Abortion |
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WHEREAS, |
Scripture clearly states that God is the Creator of all human life (Job
10:12) from the moment of conception (Psalm 139:13,14); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Human life, even though marred by the Fall, has a unique and valued place
in God’s creation (Genesis 9:6; Psalm 8:5); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
God sent His Son to die and redeem all human life (John 3:16); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Willful abortion is murder, and God says murder is wrong (Exodus 20:13);
therefore be it |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life opposes willful abortion as a moral option,
except as a tragically unavoidable result of medical procedures necessary to
prevent the death of the mother, such as ectopic pregnancy; and be it further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That members of Lutherans For Life acknowledge the need to help women
experiencing crisis pregnancies and offer hope to those who suffer the aftermath
of abortion. |
| |
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Abortion
Healing |
|
WHEREAS, |
Although abortion ends a pregnancy, it can neither “undo” the pregnancy nor
return a woman to the person she was before; rather, it changes the way she perceives
herself, her sexuality, her relationships, and her ability to make good
decisions; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Individuals involved in an abortion decision,
including the child's mother, father, grandparents, counseling and medical
personnel, and others, are likely to suffer from
guilt, grief, isolation, depression, and other life-disturbing experiences and
are in need of compassionate support and constant reassurance of the forgiveness
of sins; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes that the Scriptures declare that: |
| |
-
all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); and
-
if
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (I John 1:8-9);
and
-
the
Lord is near to the brokenhearted (Psalm 34:18); and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes the need to provide assistance to persons
and families affected by abortion (I John 3:11); therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life continues to support ministries such as
“Word of Hope” which offer assistance to those experiencing the aftermath
of abortion (women, men, grandparents, families, and siblings) and to inform and
care for those individuals to the end that they may receive from Christ comfort
in their time of grief, forgiveness for their sins, and the power to forgive
themselves and others. |
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Capital
Punishment |
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes the
God-given authority of the government to carry out capital
punishment (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:3-4; 1 Peter 2:13-14), which is a life-related issue; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life acknowledges significant differences between the
issues of capital punishment and abortion; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
These differences are substantive in that capital punishment involves a
rational adult who has been charged with a capital crime and found guilty
through due process of law, while abortion involves taking the life
of an innocent, defenseless, living but preborn child (without due process of
law) who neither has been charged with, nor found guilty of, any crime; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
In the case of capital punishment the state is empowered to take the life
of a criminal, while in the case of abortion a private citizen is empowered to
take an innocent life; therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life will continue to give witness to the inconsistency of
the law of the land which accords due process to those persons charged with a
crime while granting other persons license to impose the legal equivalent of
capital punishment upon preborn children who are guilty of no crime whatsoever.
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Contraceptives/Abortifacients
|
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WHEREAS, |
Scriptural and scientific witness agree that life begins at conception; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Some abortifacients, such as the IUD, the “morning after pill,” and
RU-486, which destroy the fertilized egg or prevent its implantation in the
uterine wall have been mislabeled as contraceptives; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
“Birth control” pills, promoted as contraceptives, thin the
uterine lining as a back-up mechanism and, therefore, can be abortifacient in
nature; therefore be it
|
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RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life opposes the use of abortifacients and urges its members
to become educated on the nature and effects of all forms of contraception and
abortifacients.
|
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Embryonic
Adoption |
|
WHEREAS, |
God is the Creator and Sustainer of all life; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Medical science has attempted to assist in the process of creating and
sustaining human life by developing methods of artificial conception by which
multiple human embryos are produced, preserved, and implanted for continuing
development; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
This has resulted in more embryos than needed; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Medical science views these “leftover” embryos as a valuable resource
for research, with the hopes of finding cures for various diseases; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Such research involves the destruction of these embryos; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
There are people who recognize the value and dignity of these human
embryos even at this early stage of human life and wish to adopt them so they
may be welcomed into the family of humanity rather than destroyed or discarded
by research; therefore be it |
| RESOLVED |
That, while Lutherans For Life at the present time does not support the
artificial methods by which these human embryos were developed, Lutherans For
Life recognizes that adoption is a method to save living, human embryos from
destruction. |
| |
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Embryonic
Stem Cell Research |
|
WHEREAS, |
There is continued discussion about the subject of embryonic stem cell
research and the benefits claimed to be available from such research; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Much of this discussion appears to indicate that proponents of such
research are following the utilitarian philosophy which suggests that the end
justifies the means, or claim that good might be brought from evil, and fail to
appreciate the issues involved relating to the sanctity of life; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes there have been successful
clinical applications using non-embryonic stem cells – e.g. stem cells
from adult tissue, placental tissue, and umbilical blood – in the
healing of humans; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Human life is a gift from God from the moment of conception regardless of
the circumstances of that conception and regardless of where that new life
resides, whether in a womb or a fertility clinic; therefore be it |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life opposes embryonic stem cell research, whether involving
existing stem cell lines or newly destroyed embryos, for the reason that such
research either involved, or involves, the intentional destruction of a human
life; and be it further |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life further opposes embryonic stem cell research for the
reasons that Christians are not to do evil that good might result (Romans 3:8);
and be it further |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life is in favor of research on stem cells from
sources that do not involve the intentional past or present destruction of the
gift of human life. |
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End
of Life Documents |
|
WHEREAS, |
There is a legislation in various States and by the Congress regarding what has
been called the “right-to-die” and documents which may be executed to
implement a claim to such a right; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life believes that it is within the purview of God alone to decide
on the moment that a person is to be called from this life and that whether we
live or die, we belong to God; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life disagrees with the American Medical Association’s
designation that food and water are considered extraordinary treatment if taken
any way other than orally; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes the need to exert caution with end-of-life
decisions and written documents known as living wills, advance directives, and
durable powers of attorney for health care; therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life urges its members to heed
God’s
word and to prepare to discuss and express their wishes to family and friends,
preferably prior to becoming sick or disabled, and to provide information and
assistance to help them do so; and be it further
|
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RESOLVED |
That any end-of-life documents should be executed with a recognition of a
person’s dependence on God and may direct that futile attempts to keep a
person alive if irretrievably dying not be instituted or continued, while at the
same time taking steps to keep the person comfortable; and, although such steps
may hasten death, they should not be taken intentionally to cause death.
|
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Equal
Rights Amendment |
|
WHEREAS, |
Congressional sponsors of the proposed equal rights amendments to the
Constitution of the United States have refused to reveal clearly their intent
regarding the application of this amendment to abortion, arguing instead that
the federal courts will have to make such determinations; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Groups favoring public funding of abortion have argued in state courts
that an equal rights amendment to the state constitution mandates public funding
of abortion; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Groups favoring abortion have claimed that the proposed equal rights amendment
to the United States Constitution would lead to the invalidation of abortion
funding restrictions and other abortion-related legislation; therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life opposes any equal rights amendment which
discriminates against the preborn, who are most in need of legal protection to
secure an equal right to life.
|
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Eugenics |
|
WHEREAS, |
Eugenics is defined as the science that deals with the improvement of the
races and breeds, especially the human race, through the control of hereditary
factors; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Human beings are created by God in His image and therefore should not be
subject to value judgments relative to superiority or inferiority (James 2:9)
but are dependent upon the sovereign plan and purpose of God who knits people
together in their mothers' wombs and fashions them according to the plan
inscribed in Psalm 139:16; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Certain individuals or groups who consider themselves superior, elite, and
responsible for establishing a “superior” race or class of people are
advocating or utilizing the practice of selection, genetic manipulation,
sterilization, or the physical elimination of certain individuals or classes of
people by abortion, euthanasia, or outright killing; therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For
Life opposes the following: |
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all
methods of genetic experimentation, “engineering” or manipulation that
would seek to “breed a superior class or race”; and
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any
practices of forced sterilization intended to “breed a superior human
class or race”; and
-
any
practice or process of elimination of presumed “inferior” races or the
selection of some race or class of people deemed “superior.”
|
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Euthanasia and
Assisted Suicide
|
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WHEREAS, |
Scripture proclaims that God is the Creator and Giver of life; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Scripture states there is a time to live and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2a)
and that time is in God’s hands (Psalm 31:15); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Suicide and assisted suicide violate the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not
murder,” as explained by Martin Luther in the Large Catechism, “we must not
kill either by hand, heart, or word, by signs or gestures, or by aiding or
abetting”; therefore be it
|
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RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life opposes euthanasia and assisted suicide; and be it
further
|
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RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life will assist and encourage:
|
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all those caring for the infirm and the dying in showing true
compassion (“to suffer with”) by using pain management methods and
providing food and water to sustain life as needed; and
-
clergy
and laity alike to care for the infirm and the dying, to proclaim the
message of salvation, and to be with them in their times of suffering,
asking God’s blessing of spiritual growth and comfort for all involved.
|
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Evolution |
|
WHEREAS, |
Evolution is commonly understood by major science organizations and many
educational institutions as “an unsupervised, impersonal, unpredictable, and
natural process of temporal descent with genetic modification that is affected
by natural selection, chance, historical contingencies, and changing
environments”1 and
|
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WHEREAS, |
God, in His divinely inspired Scripture, has clearly stated that He (the Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit) created the earth and all that dwells upon it in six
literal days and, on the sixth day, personally and lovingly created man and
woman in His image (Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:21,22); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Theories of evolution are a result of our fallen, sinful
state
and are a rejection of God’s planned and orderly creation of the world; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
The value we attach to human life, the way we live, the choices we make, and the
way we treat one another are directly affected by our view of origins; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Wide acceptance of the human race being the result of mere chance has placed all
human life at serious risk, as evidenced in abortion, infanticide,
assisted-suicide, and euthanasia; therefore be it
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life supports the Biblical statements that “the God who
made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth…He
himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24,25) and
“through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been
made. In Him was life” (John
1:3,4); and be it further
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life base its education and service
on
the inerrant Word of God which, through the Holy Spirit, reveals the truth of
creation and, through the selfless love of Jesus Christ, gives purpose, meaning,
and value to all human life. |
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1
1995
Official Statement of the American National Association of Biology Teachers
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Fetal Tissue
Research
|
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WHEREAS, |
The American public remains largely unaware or ill-informed of the serious and
significant moral issues surrounding use of fetal tissue, to wit:
|
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-
that
the immorality of abortion cannot be erased by alleged humanitarian uses for
the organs and tissues of aborted babies; and
-
that
such use promotes a utilitarian ethic that sees the end as somehow
justifying (if not redeeming) the
means; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
These tissues will be obtained from preborn babies intentionally killed by
abortion and, in some cases, while the child is yet alive; therefore be it
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life affirms the immorality of all complicity with abortion;
and be it further
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life endorses alternative methods
of
curing neurological diseases (such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s) but
decries the exaggeration of the potential for successful fetal tissue implants
because it diverts attention away from ongoing research in other areas; and be
it further
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life strongly condemns the use of fetal tissue from any
preborn or aborted baby at any stage of development for research, donation, or
any other so-called benevolent uses. |
| |
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Human Cloning |
|
WHEREAS, |
God is the
Creator and Giver of life, and each human being is a unique creation of
God; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
God has
provided human beings with the gift of sexuality through which new human
beings are to be procreated; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
the cloning of humans, by which is meant
the production of a second human embryo for either reproductive or
therapeutic purposes, which will be genetically identical to a DNA
donor, allows for the circumvention of the procreative process and is an
abuse of the gift of human knowledge in an attempt to usurp the
authority of God; therefore be it |
|
RESOLVED |
that
Lutherans for Life condemns the cloning of humans. Should cloned humans
be produced, however, they should be regarded by society and especially
by the people of God as possessing full value and dignity as individuals
created by God and redeemed by Him through Christ Jesus our Lord. Be it
therefore also |
| RESOLVED |
that
Lutherans for Life urges its members to become informed about the
scientific efforts regarding cloning human beings and to express concern
that human cloning contravenes the design of God for procreation and
should not be pursued. |
| |
(LFL takes no official position on the
cloning of or genetic engineering of plants and animals.) |
| |
|
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In
vitro Fertilization |
|
WHEREAS, |
God is the Creator and Giver of life and has provided human beings with
the ability to procreate; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Medical science has attempted to assist persons with the procreative
process by developing methods by which multiple human embryos may be produced,
preserved, and implanted for continuing development; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Although such methods may help persons who had been unable to conceive
naturally to conceive and bear children, inherent within such methods at the
present time is the loss of life – as not all the embryos produced survive –
and potential for the necessity of making decisions to dispose of unused, excess
human embryos; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life recognizes the pain of childlessness and that some
people, desiring to have children, have used in vitro fertilization without
realizing or considering the potential consequences for the embryos involved;
therefore be it |
|
RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life at the present time objects to and opposes the
use of in vitro fertilization; and be it further
|
|
RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life does not condemn those married couples who have
used in vitro fertilization but encourages ministry to them and to all people
such that they may receive the comfort of Christ and His redeeming love. |
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Lutheran Hospitals
|
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WHEREAS, |
The purpose of hospitals is to heal and sustain life and to do no willful harm;
and |
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutheran and other Christian hospitals by their very name, philosophy, and
purpose indicate adherence to Christian principles of medical care; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
The Word of God clearly teaches that life is a gift from God from conception
until natural death; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
It is important that the hospital administration and its board of
directors be willing to affirm and administer a clear policy of protecting life
at every age from conception until natural death; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
It has become known that Lutheran and other Christian hospitals engage in the
practice of elective abortion; and |
|
WHEREAS, |
The practice of elective abortion in Lutheran and other Christian hospitals is
an offense to God and a scandal to the Christian and Lutheran community;
therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life calls upon these hospitals to end
the practice of elective abortion; and be it further |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life through its state and local affiliates monitors hospital
policy and practice and engages in efforts to restore a clear policy of
protecting life at every stage from conception to natural death. |
| |
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Lutheran
Involvement with other Pro-Life
Organizations |
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life is a pro-life organization and therefore part of a large,
pro-life movement made up of a variety of different groups; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life is incorporated as an educational organization for Lutherans;
and
|
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WHEREAS, |
There are many other worthwhile educational efforts organized by groups which
would welcome involvement from Lutherans For Life, its members, and state and
local affiliates; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life, its members, and state and local affiliates may be asked to
endorse, sponsor, or participate cooperatively in such educational efforts;
therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That individual members of Lutherans For Life should
feel
free to participate in the activities of other pro-life groups as they choose,
acknowledging that they are speaking or acting for themselves only and not on
behalf of Lutherans For Life; and be it further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That CHAPTERS (local affiliates) of Lutherans For Life give open and careful
consideration to all requests for cooperative efforts in order to determine
their impact on the unique Lutheran purposes of their chapter through
consultation with their state affiliate, if one exists; and be it further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That STATE AFFILIATES of Lutherans For Life give open and careful
consideration to all requests for cooperative efforts in order to determine
their impact on the unique Lutheran purposes of their affiliate through
consultation with the national office of Lutherans For Life; and be it further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That the NATIONAL OFFICE of Lutherans For Life gives open and careful
consideration to all requests for cooperative efforts in order to determine
their impact on the unique Lutheran purposes of the national organization
through consultation with the national Board of Directors.
|
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Lutherans
For Life and Lutheran Social Service Agency Cooperation |
|
WHEREAS,
|
Lutheran Social Service agencies provide various human service programs
for people who are troubled or in need; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For
Life local affiliates include in their efforts volunteer time and support for
the types of services often provided by Lutheran Social Service agencies; i.e.
counseling for pregnant girls and women, adoption planning and placement,
services to the elderly and handicapped children and adults, prevention and
treatment of violence in the family; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
It is important that clear and
mutual understanding exist between members of Lutherans For Life and staff of
Lutheran Social Services as to the meaning of “pro-life policies and
practices,” which includes providing alternative services to prevent the
practices of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia but does not include
counseling for, referring or promoting abortion; and
|
|
WHEREAS,
|
Lutherans For Life members
in some areas have expressed concern over the apparent lack of
understanding of pro-life policies and practices by staff of Lutheran
Social Service agencies and, even more seriously, have knowledge of
cases where abortion-related activities are supported or provided by
staff of Lutheran Social Service agencies; and
|
|
WHEREAS,
|
Lutherans For Life members
in some areas have developed good relationships with staff of Lutheran
Social Service agencies that have pro-life policies and practices and
work cooperatively in providing pro-life educational and supportive
services to individuals in need; therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That the
Lutherans For Life National Office establish a dialogue with LS/3, the umbrella
organization for Lutheran Social Service agencies, along with the appropriate
staff and committees of the Lutheran church bodies who oversee the certification
and operation of Lutheran Social Service agencies for the purpose of developing
better understanding and improved communication about the activities and
pro-life policies and practices of Lutheran Social Service agencies; and be it
further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans
For Life identify, publicize, and endeavor to change policies and practices of
Lutheran Social Service agencies which continue to adhere to a pro-abortion
position in counseling and referrals; and
be it further
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans
For Life state and local affiliates support state or local Lutheran Social
Service agencies that engage in pro-life policies and practices; and be it
further |
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans
For Life invite and encourage staff and board members of Lutheran Social Service
agencies to become members of Lutherans For Life.
|
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|
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Marriage
(Click
here for a
reproducible PDF version of the Statement on Marriage.) |
|
In God’s “very good” creation, there was one
thing “not good.” “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). It
was not companionship that the man needed. It was relationship, a relationship
that would be like God’s relationship with him. Adam may have found a companion
as all the animals paraded before him, but he found no one suitable for this
kind of relationship (Genesis 2:20). He who bore the image of God needed someone
who also bore the image of God in order to have a God-like relationship. So God
made a woman. She was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). She was like the
man (Genesis 2:23). She was different from the man. She was created at a
different time, in a different way, and for a different purpose (Genesis 2:22,
2:15, 3:20). It was that difference that made possible the kind of relationship
God wanted.
Adam and Eve were capable of becoming one flesh and in that relationship could
mirror their relationship with their Creator. God brought them together in this
relationship called marriage (Genesis 2:24). Marriage was a part of all that was
“good” in God’s perfect creation. Marriage was not given as an institution to
curb sin. There was no sin. Marriage was given as the foundation for the one
flesh relationship.
Marriage was also the relationship through which procreation would continue.
“Be
fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1:28). Marriage is to produce
children. The effects of sin upon God’s biological process for procreation
sometimes makes it difficult or impossible for a marriage to fulfill this
blessing. However, barring such unfortunate circumstances, children are to be
the result of this one flesh union.
Sin has certainly brought problems to marriage. The reality of problematic
marriages, however, does not abdicate the essence of what marriage is. Jesus
makes this clear. “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and
female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united
to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but
one” (Mark 10:6-8). What God intended marriage to be in the beginning, He still
intends marriage to be.
Throughout Scripture marriage is a picture of God’s relationship to His people.
God is Israel’s "husband" (Isaiah 54:5, Jeremiah 3:14, Hosea 2:19-20). As such,
He rejoices over His bride (Isaiah 62:5). Jesus is pictured as the bridegroom
and the Church His bride (Rev. 19:7). It is His unconditional love for His bride
the Church that caused Him to give Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25).
Lutherans For Life affirms the great blessing of the institution of marriage as
revealed in God’s holy Word. We affirm that marriage is a God-given institution
between a man and a woman. We affirm that this one flesh union reflects our
relationship with our Creator and Redeemer. We affirm that it is the means God
has chosen for procreation. Based on this, we are compelled to humble ourselves
before God and ask His forgiveness for all the times we have dishonored marriage
by trivializing its importance, by failing to reflect Christ’s love in our
marriages, and by our failure to connect the importance of marriage and our
relationship to God.
Based on this, we are also compelled to reject homosexual unions as contrary to
the Word of God. The "sameness" of homosexuals prevents a one-flesh union as
well as the possibility of the procreation of children. Such unions do not and
cannot reflect our relationship with our Creator and Redeemer. Such unions are
based on a lie rather than the Word of God (Romans 1:25) and cannot constitute a
marriage.
Marriage is founded upon the promise publicly exchanged between one man
and one woman. Similarly, our Redeemer binds Himself to His Church with
His promise, “I
am with you always” (Matthew 28:20);
“Never will I leave you; never will I
forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Living together without the public promise of
mutual love, respect, and fidelity dishonors marriage and is fornication.
Adultery breaks the marriage vow, whether by marital infidelity, abuse, or
abandonment. We must reject as contrary to the Word of God these and all
practices which would not keep the marriage bed pure – impurity of thought,
word, or deed (e. g., the use of pornography). We also reject as contrary
to the Word of God any reproductive technologies that violate or circumvent the
institution of marriage (e.g. donated eggs or sperm and cloning).
We believe, as God says,
“Marriage should be honored by all” (Hebrews 13:4). May
God give us the faith, wisdom, and courage to bring honor to this great blessing
from Him. |
| |
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Picketing and
Sidewalk Counseling
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WHEREAS, |
Lutherans For Life opposes abortion at any stage of development; and
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WHEREAS, |
Picketing and sidewalk counseling have had significant results in
sensitizing communities and individuals to the true nature of abortion,
resulting in lives saved; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Some recent interpretations of the law regarding the rights of those persons who
peacefully and legally protest the destruction of preborn children by abortion
have tended to erode the Constitutional right of free speech; and |
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WHEREAS, |
The Scriptures state that “everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities” (Rom 13:1); and
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WHEREAS, |
Holy Scripture stands above any manmade law (Acts 4:19); therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life strongly advocates obedience to
all laws of the land, including those related to abortion issues, unless
otherwise directed by Holy Scripture; and be it further |
|
RESOLVED |
That all methods of publicly expressing concern for the
preborn child be done charitably with both the perpetrators and victims in mind.
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| |
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Population Control |
|
WHEREAS, |
God is the Creator of life and Sustainer of life (Genesis 1); every conception
is known to Him (Psalm 139:13-16); and every life is precious to Him (Matthew
6:26); and
|
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WHEREAS, |
Certain individuals and organizations, influenced by evolutionary theory, view
human beings as “mouths to be fed” rather than heads to think, hands to
serve, and hearts to love; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
These individuals and organizations have a “doomsday” and humanistic
approach predicting that overpopulation will be the cause of severely depleted
natural resources; and
|
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WHEREAS, |
These groups advocate world population control through “family planning
programs” which include abortion, euthanasia, and the distribution of
contraceptives and abortifacients to youth as well as to single and married
persons; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Making available contraceptives and abortifacients for use
by youth and other persons, married or single, implies invitations to engage in
sexual relations outside of marriage, which is contrary to God’s word in
Scripture (Exodus 20:14), and to commit willful abortion, which is also contrary
to God’s word in Scripture; and
|
|
WHEREAS, |
Population control is distrust in God, for God has said,
“I am He who will sustain you.
I have made you…I will sustain you…” (Isaiah 46:4); therefore be it
|
|
RESOLVED |
That Lutherans For Life condemns population control and
the use of abortion and euthanasia to achieve it and also rejects the labeling
of human beings as “predators” on this planet; and be it further
|
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RESOLVED
|
That Lutherans For Life members remain alert and informed concerning
environmental and population issues.
|
| |
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Therapeutic Incubation |
|
WHEREAS, |
the
potential exists for human embryos to be produced, developed, and
nurtured in order to be harvested for purposes of medical treatment, and |
|
WHEREAS, |
the use of
both in vivo incubation (incubation taking place within a living
organism) and in vitro incubation (incubation taking place within
a nonliving apparatus) of a human embryo, whether cloned or not cloned,
with the intent of utilizing the embryo as a source of tissues or organs
represents a utilitarian approach to life which fails to recognize God
as the creator and Sustainer of life and subordinates the intrinsic
value and dignity of one individual to that of another; therefore be it |
|
RESOLVED |
that
Lutherans for Life condemns therapeutic incubation of human embryos. |
| |
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Page updated 3/2/06 |
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