Good evening. My wife saw a terrible sight yesterday while she was walking in the neighborhood with our oldest son. We moved into our new house in April, and we never noticed that one of our neighbors sport a very disturbing sticker on their mailbox. “Keep abortion legal.” So many ideas have come into my head. Perhaps a cherry b*mb in their mailbox. Or perhaps spraypainting a pro-life message on their front door. Or printing a very graphic picture of an aborted baby from priestsforlife.com and putting it in their mailbox every day.
What would you all suggest that we do or say…or perhaps nothing at all. Maybe just pray for them? Please give me your suggestions. If you want, I could post their address here and everybody can write them an anonymous letter.
Thanks to all, and God Bless.
Jody
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Well, you could keep having kids, upsetting their population-control sensibilities.
Or you could get one of those pro-life bumper stickers…we have some at my church that are great: “Equal Rights for Unborn Women” comes to mind.
Remember – you have to live in the same neighborhood as them, so you don’t want relations to be bad…they can say a lot of nasty things about you. So a quiet response is probably best (of course you could sign them up for NRL mailings :0))
Chris,
Yes, I agree that I should not do or say anything. I don’t know their names, and I’ve never met them. And I don’t want to do anything to create a dispute.
We do have a pro-life bumpersticker. And four children under the age of 6. That’s a start, but I wish I could do more. That’s why I say mailing them pro-life stuff. Anyway, thanks for your message.
Jody
Let it ride for now. With your pro-life bumper sticker and kids they already know where you come from. If you try anything and I do mean ANYTHING at all that they might construe to be the work “bigoted, fundamentalist religicos” they will.
Let them make the first move on this topic. When you finally get into a conversation don’t come off as “judgmental”, instead state your position in terms that affirm your own freedoms.
As an example, I was told some years ago by a Jesuit that active pro-life campaigning can be explained by the reasoning of, “I don’t want my tax dollars spent on something I find reprehensible”. This puts the onus on the pro-choice listener to explain why your religious beliefs should be subservient to their convictions.
Hope that blurb helps.
At this time I would stick with prayer. They need it. You are already doing your witnessing with your LIFE. Offer a prayer each time you see that mailbox, that your neighbors and others who think like them will have a change of heart. Let the mailbox call you to prayer for their conversion.
Here’s my suggestion: Be their neighbor.
You don’t need to engage them in debate; you have your pro-life views displayed on your bumper sticker, and your openness to children is also obvious.
Do what neighbors do. Lend them a cup of sugar. Invite them to your cook out. Pray for them.
There are very many “pro-choice” folks who think that people who are pro-life are whackos. Don’t be whackos!!
Let them see you living out your pro-life views in your every day activities.
Make a donation in their name to a pro-life organization, that way when all the follow up mail comes it will go right into that anti-life mailbox.
I’d avoid cherry bomb evangelism.
Wear your convictions lovingly on on your sleeve, but that’s it. What others have said applies: you really need to do is be a good neighbor, witnessing to life by your love for your children–that’s going to be more effective. A long term process, yes, but better than anything that could land you in protective order territory. Maybe if one of your kids has a “help a neighbor” project, pick them.
IOW, when all their pro-choice friends talk about what hopeless hating nuts all pro-lifers are, they will object.
I agree with all of your comments. Thanks a lot, and keep us (and them) in your prayers.