The Immaculate Deception

As another Christmas season comes and goes, I find myself reflecting on the birth of Jesus through the lens of modern progressivism. More specifically, I reflect on abortion culture in the name of “progressivism.” At a time of deep political, religious, economic, and social unrest, the Light of the World was born to a poor, unprepared, and scandalized teenage couple as a crying, uncomfortable, and inconvenient newborn. Of course, we know that this newborn was anything but an inconvenience. He was the great “I Am” who would change the course of history and save our souls. However, at the time of His birth, this was known to only a very small (and divine) group. Beyond that, we can imagine how this experience might appear on the surface, as it sounds like something any pregnancy counselor might hear on any given day in America.

For starters, let’s look back on the political climate around the time Jesus was born. 30 years before the birth of Jesus, Julius Caesar was murdered, and the Roman Empire found itself in a peaceful yet fragile state following the civil war over his successor, Augustus (formerly Octavian) Caesar. Augustus, meaning “worthy of worship,” was seen by the young Roman Empire as a savior of sorts and reaffirmed the idea that rulers of Rome held divine authority. Some even go so far as to assume that Augustus was regarded as the “son of god,” given the supposed divinity of his father, Julius. Although subjugation to foreign rule was nothing new to the Jewish people, the forced cultural worship and idolatry of Rome in Judea led to controversy, concern, and even political persecution of rebellious Jews in the area. Not only were Jewish families taxed into poverty by foreign governors and their own religious leaders, but they were also grossly othered for their deep ancestral history and belief that they were a people chosen by God. They awaited a second Exodus to free them from oppression once again. Tensions were rising, and Jewish-Roman wars were looming.

Something I have increasingly heard among my peers is not just a personal or general reluctance to have children, but a serious moral concern about bringing a child into such a destructive, unstable, and broken world. Common justifications include climate change, politics, and, nowadays, whether or not their young daughters will have the “right” to abort their own daughters. How ironic! If the idea that our best efforts to avoid injustice is to end life at its earliest and most innocent stages, we might eventually find a simple argument for total human annihilation, given that world peace is nowhere in sight. Even so, if every “well-informed” woman of past societies had taken it upon themselves to spare their unborn children from the corruption of their days, it is likely we would have generations aging out of solving any problems.

I am reminded of a quote from Mother Teresa when she was asked by Hillary Clinton why she thought we had not yet had a female president. She responded, “Because she has probably been aborted.”

There is little evidence to suggest that Mary and Joseph were below the poverty line, but we can safely determine they were not a well-off family. Given the standards of their time, we can assume that the family of Jesus was working class at best. His father was a craftsman (or carpenter) and their humble sacrificial offerings were turtle doves or pigeons rather than lambs. In addition, the couple was betrothed but not legally married according to Jewish law when Mary fell pregnant. The scandal that lay before her at this moment is overwhelming—she could have been stoned to death. The thought of betrayal to her betrothed, had he not believed her, is overwhelming. The shame she might have brought to her family and her marriage is overwhelming. Despite these things, in the Christmas story we see a young Mary submit to her unexpected responsibility, and we see her husband meet her in that responsibility with complete compassion and trust.

Every day, there is a young woman just like Mary sitting at a pregnancy center or an abortion provider, looking desperately into the eyes of someone who wants to give her hope. Unfortunately, we are not angels, and our ideas of what hope is to a desperate and terrified pregnant woman vary from person to person. Even more unfortunately, for many, this “hope” is actually just death: the death of a fetus, the death of a future, or even the death of a dream. We know that a staggering number of abortions are unwanted or coerced.

Lastly, we cannot properly observe the birth of Jesus without acknowledging His fateful death. Like any of us, the Son of God came into this world as a tiny and vulnerable baby. His slate was clean, His record was spotless, and I am sure those around Him believed He had a bright future ahead—full of possibilities and wonder. Of course, His life was indeed full of unimaginable possibilities and wonder, but it did not stop there. He was tempted, ridiculed, spat upon, persecuted, and killed in the most shameful, humiliating, and barbaric manner. In the final hours of His life, He bore not just His own suffering, but that of the world. How terrible! How painful! We cannot begin to imagine the suffering that Jesus endured on the cross, but we can revere it and allow it to teach us something about our own. Not unlike Jesus, our suffering is unavoidable and built into the fabric of being human.

We often hear from abortion advocates that abortion is merciful and compassionate to the unborn child. A life of pain and suffering is predictable, so why not remove the possibility altogether in the easiest way we know how? When they say this, we are supposed to believe that a life can be spared by the violent taking of that very same life. This is also starting to sound like a simple argument for total human annihilation but anyhow…there is a fundamental flaw in the very basis of this argument: suffering cannot be quantified and is entirely subjective. If physical pain is considered suffering, then we know that a fetus, as early as 7.5 weeks gestation, is already developing its pain receptors. We surely cannot un-abort the fetus and ask, “So, did you feel it that time?” Furthermore, growing research on the topic shows that people can incur trauma inside the womb. From stress hormone transference to epigenetic development to intergenerational trauma, we are beginning to understand that suffering begins far before birth. Amazingly, there are some people who even claim to have memories from inside the womb! And who are we to determine, on behalf of a voiceless human being, when their suffering is or is not bearable?

These circumstances mentioned above are not unique and are best explained biblically. We live in a fallen world and are a fallen people, too stubborn to learn and doomed to cyclically repeat our history time and time again. We know that the socioeconomic state of the world at the time of Jesus’ birth was precarious, that His parents were unprepared and shocked at the knowledge of His coming, and that He was destined to suffer more than any person ever has or ever will. In our current fourth wave of feminism, we often hear that abortion is not only humane but merciful, due to the sad reality that many are born into unideal circumstances and all are destined to suffer in one way or another. This makes the argument in favor of abortion one of the greatest deceptions of our time, and it is most preposterous when we celebrate the birth of the greatest and most merciful humanitarian to ever live: Jesus the Christ.

Merry Christmas, everyone, and a happy 2025.