The secularist rejects a proposition central to Judeo-Christian thought regarding life and death:  life is intrinsically good and is therefore, sacrosanct.  These secular barbaric ?tools? see human beings as tools, which if they don?t somehow fit instrumentally within the secularists? Darwinian, utilitarian utopia, get tagged as ?inconvenient? and are relegated to the ?very expendable? list.

That?s why abortion is no big deal, or snuffing out the life of a so-called defective child, or suicide, or ?mercy killing? a helpless senior.  But God help you if you should ever kill a whooping crane egg or a baby manatee around them!  They?ll freak at the mere thought of harming the helpless little beasts.  They?ll get their support panties in a wad and might just tag your SUV with graffiti.

In contrast with the secular elite, the ?stupid?, ?non-elite?, ?archaic?, Judeo-Christian constituency views human life from conception until the person naturally croaks as intrinsically good and thus sacred, not just instrumentally good.  The Judeo-Christian community believes that from the embryo to the elderly, plus severely retarded and coma patients in between, have dignity and value.  As, Robert George said, ?Their significance is not based upon what they can do, or how they make us feel or whether or not we approve of their quality of life but principally because they live.?

My ClashPoint is this: Just because your life sucks, don?t take it out on the unborn, the infirm or the elderly by taking their lives. Just because your life is temporarily hopeless, doesn?t mean the child you?re contemplating killing will share your nihilism.

Don?t deprive it of its life because you don?t have a life.  Maybe his or her little presence within your world will cause you finally to grow up.  If it?s just too, too difficult to face maturity on a long term basis, what about being responsible and selfless long enough to bless a great couple with the gift of a child?

And think about this: your old man whom you want to take to Dr. Kevorkian because he has Alzheimer?s, well ? maybe he likes not being able to understand you any more.  How about that?  Maybe that?s a perk for him.  Or maybe he?s pretending to be out of it just so he can mess with your head and pay you back for all the loans you reneged on, for endlessly playing those Barbara Streisand CD?s and for constantly quoting Katie Couric.

Doug Giles? latest book, ?Ruling in Babylon?, is available via Amazon.com .  He pastors a church in Miami and hosts two award winning radio programs [www.clashradio.com].