Mary Had a Little Lamb - The Gift of Life? Was it Her Choice on Earth?

.
There once was a woman named Mary. Well, I say a woman, but she was actually only a teenage girl. Many assumed she was older because she was engaged to be married when she became pregnant. The truth is she might have been as young as fourteen. So here she is, young, pregnant, and to make matters worse, the baby was not fathered by her husband to be.

In the society she was raised in, the promise of marriage as sacred as the marriage contract, and they took a very, very dim view of adultery, let alone unwed pregnancy.

What was her response when she found out? At first she was confused, but then, calling herself the Lord's servant, accepted the pregnancy as the will of God and said she was willing to do what ever God asked of her. She didn't seem to think of it in terms of "God is asking me to, so I have a choice to say yes or no." She seemed to have thought of it only in terms of "This is what God wants me to do, so I will do it."

What was the response of her husband to be? When he learned of the pregnancy, he first thought it would be best to quietly back out of the engagement and sign papers for what would essentially be a "divorce" from the engagement contract. He thought to do it quietly so that no one else in the community would hear about it and hurt her. But being the good, prayerful man that he was, he didn't make an angry or snap decision. Instead, he took time to be sure. After thinking it over, maybe just one night, maybe a little longer, he felt God telling him - not asking but telling him - to go ahead and take Mary as his wife and raise the child as his own. So he did. He took her home, but didn't lay with her until after her son was born. Then he loved, cared for and protected the little boy as he felt God wanted him to.*

World Net Daily reports that Planned Parenthood is again offering a gift card, which in the past several years they have called a "Choice on Earth" card. The term "Choice on Earth is a play on the passage from Luke 2:14, which refers to "peace on Earth," a statement made by a heavenly angel celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ to Mary. Having thoroughly offended the Christian community, Planned Parenthood is now calling them "Gift of Life" cards. As if this fixes things.

Reportedly the certificates come in $25 increments and can be used for any most anything at their clinics, from birth control to breast exams and pap tests. "Woman's health is Planned Parenthood's promotional feature. They don't sell them as just abortion gifts. But Planned Parenthood does accept these cards for use in abortions."

One person on a forum at online Lone Star Times has referred to the cards as a legal way to put a hit out on someone.

WND columnist Jill Stanek, who also documented the cards on her blog, stated, "Planned Parenthood, this generation's King Herod, you know, the guy who ordered the mass slaughter of babies when Jesus was born." That would be the same King Herod that Mary's husband protected baby Jesus from.

The Lone Star Times forums page included other analogies. One commenter said the card was "A gift for those who only want to kill the very innocent."

Others quipped that the card could read, "Good for one dead baby," or "What a marvelous way for the donor as well as the recipient-user to have blood on their hands, "and "Redeem this at Planned Parenthood. No other redemption possible. Ever." (The last isn't Scriptural but gets the point of seriousness across. Everyone, no matter the sin, can be redeemed if only they humble themselves, grieve their sins, ask forgiveness, and accept that Jesus Christ is their Lord.)

Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League's STOPP International, once slammed the Planned Parenthood gift card campaigns by saying, "In its continual attempt to 'normalize' abortion, Planned Parenthood has once again chosen to offend the Christian community by releasing the latest edition of its 'Choice on Earth' holiday cards. Contrary to the open-minded image the abortion organization aims to present for itself, Planned Parenthood has zero tolerance for anyone – or any religious group – that recognizes abortion as an evil act that kills a pre-born baby."

He also said, "By replacing 'peace' with 'choice,' or more accurately, 'killing the innocent on earth,' Planned Parenthood is essentially saying 'abortion on earth. This blatant mockery of Christian values – and of Christ Himself – truly demonstrates the bigoted, anti-religion, anti-God nature of Planned Parenthood."

* adapted from Matthew Chapter 2 and Luke Chapter 2
.