God breathed life into man, not animals

THE EDITOR: I read with interest the interview of Shiela Briggs by Lara Pickford-Gordon carried in Newsday September 15, 2003. I feel compelled to make the following comments. Briggs “teaches theology and history of theology,” yet she cannot produce a single Biblical support for her pro-choice stance. Her theology, therefore, is as meaningless to us, as is her statistics derived from communist Czechoslovakia.  Her positions as theologian and pro-choice proponent are inconsistent as well as unclear and seem calculated to deceive the simple-minded. As a pro-choice “theologian,” Briggs’ obligation is to prove that the Bible, (the Word of God), supports abortion! This she is unable to do and thus resorts to the baseless biological argument that “a fertilised egg does not mean there is a human being...it is the same as any other fertilised egg in the animal kingdom. For human life what is essential is a functioning brain.” On what criteria is her opinion based? Nothing! However, Briggs claims to be a theologian, and is entitled to receive a “theological” response.

All human life (soul) is imparted by God! This impartation is different from that of the animals. God breathed life into man but not into animals! (Genesis I:24;2:7) How can a “theologian” be unaware of this distinction? Further, in support of her incorrect “theology,” Briggs cited both St Augustine and St Thomas Aquinas as not believing “the foetus in its early stages had a human soul.” First, these two great Christians were mere men, and susceptible to error as any other men. What is important here is, “what does the Word of God say?” Secondly, a study of their writings admits no such claim. Indeed, it would be a fantastical thing if these two, writing in the centuries that they did, were aware of the “foetus in its early stages.” St Augustine, in particular, wrote four books On the Origin of Souls. He said that he did not know how the soul comes into the body: “Wherefore, I too, on my side, say concerning my soul, I have no certain knowledge how it came into my body; for it was not I who gave it to myself. He who gave it to me knows whether He imparted it to me from my father, or created it afresh for me, as He did for the first man. But even I shall know, when He Himself shall teach me, in His own good time.

Now, however, I do not know; nor am I ashamed, like him, to confess my ignorance of what I know not.” (On the Origin of Souls Book 1 Chapter 25) St Thomas Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica admitted that the soul was created before the body! The writings of these Saints are available online, free of charge, at the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (http://ccel.org). However, the above quotation should sufficiently disprove Briggs’ claim. Furthermore, Briggs claims that in communist Czechoslovakia women who were denied abortions had children “who had higher levels of criminality, and did poorly in education and in relationships.” One can’t help but ask, “Why does a theologian resort to statistics derived from a godless communist society?” Are these the only figures available to her? Yet, of what use can this statistic be to us in Trinbago? Briggs claims there is correlation between “higher levels of criminality” and the denial of abortions! Should we legalise abortion to lower the crime rate (Mr Chin Lee take note!) Further, she says on the same authority that some who perform “poorly in education” do so because their mothers were denied abortions. Guess how we can improve the literacy rate?

SYLVAN JAMES
Debe