Causes

In the Inferno, Virgil gives Dante a tour of hell. But first he shows him the poor souls who are not even fit to enter Satan's abode. Cowards all, these are they who refused to take a principled stand during moral crisis, including the angels who waited until Satan's rebellion was over, wishing to take the side, not of good, but of the winner. Lacking the fortitude to march under any banner in life, the souls not fit for hell chase a banner in perpetuity, suffering endless torment in a stroke of masterful irony.

Clearly then, it is important for man to have a cause. It is also important that the cause is a just one. Satan and his minions did take a stand, and in doing so did merit themselves at least an eternal resting place in hell. Yet this consolation prize, if it could be called that, is not very comforting. The rest of the Divine Comedy concerns a variety of causes, at least at some level. We journey with Dante and Virgil through the circles of hell, then through purgatory and lastly, and gloriously, behold with him the beatific vision. But here we must leave Dante, for I wish to speak on causes.

I checked out of work a bit early on Friday. I have no qualms with putting in my eight hours, but I quite literally had no work to do. One can only surf the internet so long, and it makes little difference whether I am in my cube or driving home, if I'm not going to be doing any actual work. Such is the life of an engineering intern.

Having sufficiently meandered along my usual route by frequenting my favorite sites, I decided to head to Amazon to search for additions to my not completely unimpressive personal library. It could be noted that I am currently ensconced in no less than five books, and more reading material is the last thing I need, but books hold a great deal of power over me. I shilly-shallied around Amazon's wondrous store for awhile, but ultimately refrained from making any purchases because of the ever-present Jackson stinginess.

When work finished, or rather, when I left, I headed to Half-Priced Books in the hopes of adding to my collection without making too great a dent in my proverbial pocketbook. I made some marvelous acquisitions, but before I had even got to the store, I observed something interesting.

It was Good Friday, and a procession of sorts was going on outside the abortion mill, err clinic, on Ford Parkway in St. Paul, MN. A group of Catholics had gathered to process up and down the sidewalk in circular fashion, praying the rosary, listening to readings of Biblical passages, singing, and serving as a visible reminder that to many of us, the fetus is rather more than that.

It should go without saying that the pro-life crowd was behaving in a peaceful manner. Anti-abortion zealots who bomb abortion clinics or murder "doctors" who perform abortions are outliers, thankfully.

It does go without saying that those marching under the banner of promoting the protection of innocent human life are serving a worthy cause indeed. The efficacy of a humble protest is still up for debate, but one cannot be faulted for not feeding the hungry when the hungry are also dead. I do not have the solution to the abortion riddle. The Republicans could very well be headed for near-hell themselves, as they continue to plead no contest to a holocaust that has claimed more than forty million victims. At least the marchers are trying.

Near the pro-life contingent was a much smaller group of abortion proponents. I was immediately struck by the contrast in the two groups. The Catholics parade slowly and solemnly, saddened by a world which 2000 years ago crucified Christ and today butchers babies. In the name of choice, and so the child will not have to suffer to live in a world not overflowing with material possessions, his or her life is discarded. As the High Priest once argued, it is better for one man to die than that a people perish.

The pro-abortion crowd was decidedly less somber. They were actually smiling, holding signs of purported solidarity with the women of South Dakota. Choice is evidently a relative thing. If a woman wishes to terminate her pregnancy, the abortion crowd smiles--a grand victory for women. If the people of a particular state wish to end a barbaric practice, their choice is invalid. Choice indeed, provided one chooses rightly.

Hypocrites encompass all ideologies. That abortion supporters are less than consistent is true, but it is beside the point. It is also, almost, irrelevant that there is no rational reason to allow for abortion save the faulty philosophical system known as utilitarianism. In any case, this has been covered to death, here, and more especially elsewhere.

I do wonder though, why someone would choose the cause of abortion to march under. Even those who accept abortion as a form of birth control tend to do so almost out of embarrassment. Yes, they say, we should avoid aborting, but there are times when it is necessary. Murder is never necessary, and this stance reeks of moral indifference. Yet this lack of fortitude does bring with it a certain honesty about the situation. No honest person likes to campaign for abortion. Even the most committed heathen reaches a moment where the stench of blood becomes too much. Even the most inhuman of humans does have a pinch of humanity somewhere deep within.

I half contemplated speaking with one of the young women holding a sign. Perhaps I should have, but I do not regret not doing so. Abortionists are not easily dissuaded from the true faith. Facts are discarded, as the clump of cells is disposable and as any fool knows, pro-lifers only believe abortion is wrong because God tells us so. The stubbornness of a feminist gone mad is enough to make a young earth creationist blush.

If Christ is truly the Son of God, if he truly came to earth to suffer and die for us, we will one day have to account for our actions. I cannot help but wonder what on earth the abortion crowd will have to say to the Lord of the universe. I do know, however, what the Good Lord will say to them: "Depart from me ye accursed, for I know ye not!" They will be cast into hell, where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.

Christ did die for mankind, but the Resurrection is not an all expenses trip paid to heaven. It is our choice whether we accept his gift, or continue to drive the nails into his hands by the causes we choose to fight for and against. Choose well.