Words have meaning. Sometimes those meanings change with a culture. For example, "gay" no longer means merry, cheerful, or happy; the term "liberal" hardly conjures up images of benevolence and generosity. Rather, we tend to think of greedy politicians with their hands in everyone's pockets.
Christians would do well to understand the importance of onomasiology - the study of choosing words to best express a concept. The impact of our outreach depends greatly on the words we use and how we use them - especially when it comes to current issues that are often painted in more palatable terms by the left.
If you home-school or send your children to a private, Christian school, you have the advantage of capitalizing on this opportunity as those who are sent through the public, secular system are taught to be well versed in leftist rhetoric with little room to think outside the box. One needs only to look at how passionate the average six-year-old is about saving the whales, being "green," and "celebrating diversity" with homework from books like Heather has two Mommies for verification.
Using words like "choice" to describe the murder of an unborn child, "tolerance," "diversity," and "anti-bullying" to promote homosexuality, and understanding "contraception" to be "a women's health issue," are clever ways to promote the devil's agenda under the guise of Mr. Nice Guy.
I'm all for choice, tolerance, diversity, and women's health. I differ from those who call themselves "pro-choice" because of what choice they are making. I believe tolerance or the ability to get along with those who differ from us is an admirable and biblical character quality to the extent that it does not make permissible that which God has clearly labeled as sinful. Women's health is an important issue, too important, in fact, for the government to be using the term to distribute publicly funded contraceptives in high-schools so students can "safely" engage in premarital sex.
The next time someone claims to be pro-choice or tolerant, ask them what choice they are in favor of. If they say, "A women's right to choose," ask, "To choose what?" If "Abortion." is their response, ask them what they are aborting - make them spell it out. One is forced to reconsider their position on the matter when faced with black and white terms like life and death. "Killing a child" is harder to defend then "choice."
Tommy De Seno in his article Stop Using The Words "Abortion" and "Choice" says it well, "This is the place in the conversation where you can take control of the description, because the proponents of child killing will never, ever describe it. They can't face what they favor... you will be accused of anything from being intentionally inflammatory to rude and inappropriate... This is what is most perplexing about the left: They can't bear to hear someone speak of stabbing a child to death but actually letting people do it doesn't bother then them."
At the very least, those who fund, promote, and encourage things like mass infanticide and homosexuality in our country ought to clarify their destructive agenda by sayin' it like it is. Let's take away the intentional distractions of clever guises like "choice," "tolerance," "women's health," "black markets," and shed some light on the situation by saying what we mean and meaning what we say.
Linking to: Raising Homemakers, Women Living Well, Deep Roots At Home, Little Natural Cottage, Raising Arrows, Time-Warp Wife, Far Above Rubies