A Lesson On Objective Truth
So there I was, teaching my 8th grade CCD class all about mortal and venial sin. And the question came.
"Mrs. Fox, who can really say what 'good' is; doesn't that come down to each person's opinion?"
I thought that it was as good a time as any to discuss 'Objective Truth'. And so I brought up a subject we had discussed in an earlier class - abortion. I told the students that the arguments for abortion were many and varied - women were poor; they were powerless; they were sick; they were in danger of destroying their lifestyle; and on, and on, and on. Even the real life scenario I had come across in my law practice - a woman was married, and the child she carried was not her husband's. The birth of that child could destroy her marriage, break up a family, cause great pain. All these, my students admitted, were serious issues, and 'good' reasons for abortion.
And then I asked them to think further. I asked them what would happen if that woman did not terminate her pregnancy - was there any doubt that a child would be born? They answered, "no". So we thereafter agreed that it is a human child that we are dealing with. That's a pretty basic fact.
Okay, I then mentioned the additional fact that there is now hard medical evidence that the pre-born child feels pain during the abortion. Even without the evidence, there is the video called 'Silent Scream'. It is the video that, on the spot, made an abortionist give up his trade. You see we have something called 'ultrasound technology' now; and this doctor was using an ultrasound machine one day while performing an abortion.
And there it was.
As the abortionist's tools began to approach the baby boy, he suddenly began to jerk and try to pull away. His heart began to beat wildly, and desperately, the small unborn child sought escape - but there was none. Yet that was not the worst part... That part occurred as the abortionist began to - limb by limb - cut and pull the child apart. The child screamed. Showing complete and total agony - the child opened his mouth in a heartrending - albeit silent - scream.
The abortionist hung up his tools; and went home - destroyed. For the first time, he was able to visibly see what he was doing. He was killing a human life. Quietly, and silently - but not without agony; not without pain.
It reminds me of the plight of those millions of African American slaves who lived desperate, pain filled existences - out of the sight of all but those on the plantations. No one else heard their screams - and hence, slavery continued for 350 years.
But back to my class. We agreed that women's lives often times are desperate; and they have little, if any, 'choices'. We also agreed that the subject of the abortion, was an actual human being - who feels pain. I then asked the students to visualize something. I stood before them, and asked them to consider me as a poor, powerless woman. I then asked them to imagine a 2 day old baby, laying in a basket, on a desk next to me.
I asked them who was the most powerless person in that scene. They pointed to the baby. So I brought up another real life situation. I told them that, if the baby lived, I would have to give up my education to care for the baby. I would not be able to achieve the goals that I had set for my life. I then asked them to consider how desperate my situation was, and then decide who was the most powerless - me or the infant. Without hesitation, they all pointed to the baby.
It was clear to me that I needed to work harder for them to see exactly how desperate my situation could be. I told them to imagine that I was the woman who had had the affair. My life, marriage and family would be destroyed if that child lived. NOW, I asked to tell me who was the most powerless person - me, or the infant in the basket next to me. They hesitated a minute; and then all pointed to the baby. So I tried to make it even more desperate. I said that my health was bad, if I let that baby live then there was a good chance that my health could be seriously damaged; I might even die eventually. NOW, who was the most powerless person? They hesitated another minute; and then cautiously all pointed to... the baby.
And that; ladies and gentlemen; is Objective Truth.
I explained to my students that we, as a culture, try to tell people that we are 'good' because we fight for the weakest, we fight for the destitute, we fight for those who have no one to fight for them. I also pointed out to my students that we, as a culture, proclaim that a woman's 'right to choose' is a good thing; in fact, we proclaim to the rooftops that we are so 'progressive' that we fight for that right everywhere it is infringed upon in the least bit.
And I asked my students to look at the objective truth of that 'goodness'. Is it good - or is it evil? Is it standing up for the weakest among us - or is it killing the weakest among us? And I explained that objective truth is 'objective' because no matter what someone says about it - it simply is truth. And if we actually stop listening to the lying and deceptive voices trying to distract us from that truth - we will have no problem determining Good; and Evil.
Now, If 8th graders can 'get it'; why can't we?