Aborted infants-Modern Scapegoats
Anne Lastman
Scapegoating is an interesting phenomenon because we, in our enlightened society, would be horrified to think that we would use scapegoats or have a “scapegoat” mentality but the reality is that we do have such a mentality The media in all its forms has clearly shown that someone has to “pay” for the “sins” of those offending e.g. abusing priests who appear to have escaped punishment.
Symbol, myth, image, belong to the substance of the psychic life of the human person, and scapegoating of someone touches not only the intellectual but the deepest part of psychic life and in a way which hints of understanding that harm, injury, cannot be let pass by unpunished. Scapegoating, I believe, has existed since time immemorial. Adam blamed eve, Eve blamed the serpent, Cain blamed Abel etc and it became a blame game followed by expulsion from their place of Eden, with its innocence and purity, and in response to the blame game, God responded with his own idea of recompense. His own new concept of “scapegoat” the ultimate scapegoat. Jesus. One who would willingly be the scapegoat, who would take the punishment of all who sinned and carry on his shoulders all that offended the Holy One, God.
The universal scapegoat (Jesus) received willingly the punishment due to the sinners past present and future for all time. One who willingly would desire the role and be the scapegoat throughout the ages till end of time, as spoken of in the form of the Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53). Jesus.
Beginning with the expelling of Adam and Eve, the journey towards the unknown and future universal scapegoat who would compensate for the greatest offence.
Scapegoating always involves punishment by violence. Perhaps the rebellion in heavens was violence against the majesty of God and then the expelling from the heavens (or sending the scapegoat into the desert carrying the sin of the community) also those who chose to follow the one who incited the rebellion and introduced the new something called violence. The newly introduced violence which has and will continue throughout ages until the time of humanity is complete. And hence the violence requiring the new and eternal scapegoat (Jesus) who would eventually experience all forms of extreme violence designed by human being.
As I pondered over this I have wondered if the verbal and threatened violence of the hierarchy at the time of Jesus was a visual representation of the violence in the heavens because the violence in the heavens was instigated by a previously favoured one. Lucifer, light bearer. This, we remember because it was the hierarchy, of that time, who called and insisted that their awaited but unrecognised one be tortured and crucified. Every cell in the body of this universal scapegoat tortured for the sins of all.
Deeply embedded within the scapegoating phenomenon is always recompense. Lex Talionis. Or even as we might say “payback” and this does not necessarily mean account paid in full, but always there’ll be remaining an underlying continuing violence, and perhaps introduce newer and more sophisticated methods of violence. The ultimate purpose of sacrificial violence is always to punish to the degree considered adequate in an attempt to restore equilibrium. However, this cannot happen because violence leaves its mark and promise of more violence.
For an abortive woman the “scapegoat” (sacrifice of her baby to abortion) means for her a return to her former place and previous social milieu feeling cleared of the condition (unplanned pregnancy) which would have caused scandal, inconvenience, her own suffering, but with the “scapegoat” baby destined to be sent into the desert to die (abortuary) all evidence of her sin will be gone, or so goes her thought.
There is a reason for my long preamble regarding the scapegoat. The abortion of in utero and extrauterine aborted children who are the innocent victims, are the scapegoats of a Godless society, bereft of morals, love, compassion, self-worshipping, selfishness, idolators, and no sense of care, empathy or honour for another. So, these scapegoats (babies) are forced to carry the sins of others and society into the modern desert (abortuary- a lifeless place) the place where human sacrifice is offered and then disposed of for all manner of purposes.
Innocent of harm done, aborted infants are pure and unblemished and hence suitable as a human sacrifice offered Moloch one of the ancient “gods” who has returned with a vengeance in our day. The human sacrifice (babies) which is pure enough to imitate the one to come (Jesus). The violent murder of innocent life which will be followed by further bloodshed and suffering and slow development of new modes of violence. In our time, some of these new modes, euthanasia, transgender, LGBTQ, IVF, (good as it may be thought) ALL tampering with sacred life,
Millions of infants brutally murdered (abortions) unwanted, starving, traded, abused, and man plays god, as in past, by wanting, at all costs, what he as self-professed god wants. The enemy’s greatest rage is that he cannot create life in the manner of the creator, through the willingness and participation of one lower than himself and his supposed mighty self. So as usual he has found willing helpers (the third of the angels?) to “manufacture” life in laboratories. Confuse the idea of what is life, encourage changing of their design and destroying of all called life.
This new violence we are visibly seeing in our time has crept in unobtrusively. At times in a manner of something good for all, and so passed and accepted unnoticed of its intent especially where there is no thought that a negative is possible. We now know that violence begats violence, and we are in the midst of a war (violence) against life and greater number of scapegoats, unborn babies, vulnerable.
Throughout time scapegoats have existed, even when we go as far back as 6000 years and the eye for an eye was what it was then called. However, Jesus came, walked through time to eradicate this violence. The sin of the garden, Original sin, carried within it the seed of every sin possible to man. It wasn’t just a stain but a disturbed cell within the body which had the ability to be passed on from generation to generation. Not a new creation as the enemy would wish but a poisoned seed passed on.
Today we can see that past “gods” have made an en masse reappearance. The Baals, Moloch, Ishtar (goddess of war and promiscuity), and how was it possible for this to happen? a slumbering by humanity. Nietzsche’s “God is dead” opened the door to this belief and its speedy development and its many followers quickly grew changing a society from one of movement towards the end to one of wars and rumours of wars and a humanity changed from beauty to scapegoating. This because a type of forgetting slowly occurred and known blessings from the true God were forgotten.
We have heard OT prophets speak about violence against innocence. Ezekial was especially harsh (Deuteronomy 12.:31, 18:9-10) he raged against violence “God’s wrath would befall them” Ezekial said “the blood of the innocent was spilled in the sacrifices. Their behaviour brought God’s wrath on them especially the sacrifice they thought they thought to be reparative actually condemned them more.
Jeremiah spoke harshly against child sacrifice and God’s judgement (Jeremiah 19:1-15)
Psalm 106:38 “They shed innocent blood. The blood of their sons and daughters.
Leviticus 16:11-19. Blood splattered over the place, (as in our day).
Jesus spoke the haunting words “They hated me without cause” (like innocent sons and daughters) Jn15:25.
Scripture is filled with references about calamities befalling the people when they offered human sacrifice (sons and daughters) to false gods but there always has been and will continue to be self-will, which can choose violence as is the case in our day though we too see calamities but do not recognise as such. Modern thought thinks of calamities simply as nature.
Aborted infants are the most helpless victims of the sin of a humanity which has lost its way, and the new sacrifice is offered by those on this way. The offering of the innocent one, Jesus, was an offering and self-giving of innocence and the divine breath in the stead of the sinners from all time. His offering is the most powerful of all good as a means of reparation because his is a self-giving of all innocence and not a lecherous demand for more innocents. The innocence of Jesus doesn’t demand more for self but ever gives more of self.
The scapegoating phenomenon can be found in all manner of situations where it seems that an injustice has been committed and no reparation made, so someone had and has to pay, Jesus. This reminds us of the trial of Jesus when the crowd (at the inciting by the chief priests and elders) called out ‘let his blood be upon us and our children, (Mt. 27:25) let the blood of sinful humanity be upon their own shoulders and the shoulders of the children to come, future generations. We can see clearly. The blood called for he carried and shed at Calvary. His own desert.
The person of the “suffering Servant” (Is. 52:53) is heralded long before his arrival. He is foretold and anticipated. His suffering is spoken about long before it occurs. The vicarious nature of the suffering is foretold and confirmed time and again. His being a scapegoat was planned long before the history of the chosen people began. The sin, offence against God so great that only an innocent one, a divine one, a suffering true God, Jesus, could atone for such offence and as amongst the human there was to be found none truly innocent a divine one had to be the “scapegoat.” Today’s scapegoats (aborted babies) are also innocent and make reparation for the sins of the society they are meant to be born into, and a society which has sent them into the desert to die in order to hide the sin of the time and the people.
The feast of the Holy Innocents which the Catholic Church celebrates on December 28th were innocent scapegoats who perished because of the wickedness of the time of Jesus’ birth and the guilt of Herod. The holy innocents (scapegoats) of our day die because of the wickedness of the modern Herods.