Why it Matters
If by now you are not one of the tens of millions of Americans wondering what in the world is going on, then you are successfully navigating a tumultuous season with far less stress than the rest of us. Virus news changes life day by day, civil unrest is rocking our cities, history is under attack, and the concept of civil discourse in the public square is rapidly fading. It is hard to keep up without a scorecard.
It’s also easy to get distracted. In the case of life issues, one of the most unsettling surveys of the last few years came and went quietly in mid-summer 2020 with almost no fanfare. But now would be a great time to hit pause and back up because what this study reveals is fundamentally tied to almost every issue our world faces today, most certainly as it relates to the dignity of human life.
In a release titled Majority of Americans No Longer See Human Life as Sacred, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that in a comprehensive study, six out of ten Americans reject the idea that “human life is sacred”. Only 39% of respondents agreed that life is sacred, or as having intrinsic, unconditional worth.
One out of eight Americans believe humans are mere “material substance” or “biological machines”.
Another one out of eight believe humans are “part of the mind of the universe”.
More than on in three believe “life is what you make, but it has no absolute value”, while one in ten agree “life does not attain its full value until we reach our highest point of evolution and expression.” Frankly, I don’t even know what that means!
This is only one study, but if it is anywhere even close to hitting the mark, the slippery slope so many leaders warned about back when abortion became legal in 1973 is here. And it is here with a vengeance.
One of the many sad ironies of this report is that in a day when so many are calling for social justice, the question looming in the background is: why does social justice even matter? Why does it matter if we respect others? Why does it matter if the strong crush the weak? Why does it matter if human life has no built-in, hardwired value? Why do lives, born or unborn, matter? Why do lives of any color matter? Why does it matter if you and I, or anyone else on the planet, have no real value?
This is where worldviews and real life collide. It’s one thing for six out of ten people to say life has no value. But that all changes when our lives are attacked, manipulated, or destroyed. Then it matters. It matters to all of us.
Why?
Because we are made in the image of God. Deep inside, at our core, even when we deny it, we all still matter because we are all made in the image of God. To many in our world today, this is a foreign concept. For all of us who are followers of Christ, it is an unshakeable truth that must be at the center of how we view and treat others. The beauty of Psalm 139 applies to everyone: the rich, the poor, the lonely, the hurting, the disenfranchised, the trafficked, the unborn, and to all people of all colors.
There are no exceptions. God’s word tells us we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. What a radical concept. How our world would change for the better if we all shared this truth and lived it out in our daily lives. We have the answer the world needs. Now we just need to stand together and deliver.
About the Author
Mike Fichter is President and CEO of Indiana Right to Life and Host of the LoveX2 Podcast heard on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Indiana Right to Life is a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring and protecting the Sanctity of Life. We seek to educate the public on the issues of abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia and to move our culture back to a respect for life created in the image of God. We are a state-level affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee.
We primarily serve Indiana but have increasingly engaged in projects that are having a national and international impact. Indiana Right to Life is represented by county and regional affiliates around the state.
We are funded by donations from individuals and private foundations.