TO THE EDITOR:
The word that Ross Twele is looking for in his March 20 letter “A pro-life response to the abortion letter” is “soul” or “pneuma.” This is the missing element, ironically never mentioned or ever considered, in all the hysterical verbiage coming from pro-lifers who espouse the sanctity of life.
Embryology text books are correct in that biological life — through meiosis and mitosis of cell division is passed on and is continuous. The spark, however, that creates consciousness and develops into independent life — the sentient personality that we recognize as human with the capacities of reasoning, imaging, and self-reflection is a result of the infusion of this immaterial essence. It enters the body with the first breath of life and exits with the last breath.
We are thus dual being — material and immaterial. There is nothing between us and the ultimate reality and that’s a heavy burden — more than most materially distracted people would like to think about. It’s easier to ignore this fact and allow some institution come between and shift the responsibility. Creeds with their “Thou Shalts and Thou Shalt Nots” keep us insulated from the simple reality of being. Ultimately, religions become political and keep us focused on material illusions. The Gospel of Thomas put it this way: “The Father’s kingdom is spread out upon the earth and people do not see it.”
F. Marion Redd ‘67
Hillsborough
