Do We Have the Right to Rock the Boat?

Do we have the right to scream “fire” inside a theatre?  Probably not, because people can panic and rush to the exit door and hurt others in the process; nevertheless, if an intruder breaks into a home and start killing innocent human beings, do we have the right to call 911? Not only we do have the right to call 911, but we also have the responsibility and the duty to do it. If we don’t, our conscience will torment us the rest of our lives for failing to do what is right. Of course, if the intruder discovers that we are in fact calling 911, we may become the target of his criminal intent.

This has been my experience since the first time I decided to call 911 on behalf of the unborn. Now, bear in mind that I am a shy man by nature. Last Sabbath evening, following the screening of “The Adventist” film at the Loma Linda University Church, when the audience was given the chance to ask questions and a man asked the film producer whether he had discovered anything negative about the work of Adventists, I was shaking in my boots.

I did not want to say anything. Actually I was asking the Lord for power to remain silent. It was a great film, and the Adventist Church had been portrayed in the best possible light at a cost of over half a million dollars. Why should I introduce a sour note in the midst of a great celebration following a standing ovation for what Mr. Doblmeier had produced? But the “Silent Scream” of the unborn did resonate in my ears loud and clear, and I decided to call 911. I raised my hand and asked the film producer whether he was aware that our Adventist hospitals were involved in the business of killing innocent babies.

There was a dead silence inside the packed church as the film producer responded that if I wanted a change of policy in my church I should request the same through the proper channels. I wanted to scream for all to hear that I had done that already a thousand times and everything had fallen in deaf ears, but my time was up, and I had to suffer in silence. One kind pro-life sister talked to me and told me that she was glad I had the courage to speak, and she said she was surprised that I managed to speak with such calm and clarity. Well, I was shaking in my boots, and it took me a whole hour to regain my composure.

Did I do right, or was I wrong in pouring water on the festivity? I had no intention of ruining a great celebration, but the question posed by that man was the catalyst which prompted me to speak on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. I know that what I said must have made my pastor very unhappy. Did I make the Lord unhappy as well? What do you think?

I did say that I am a shy person by nature. I remember that when I was about ten years old, I was asked to recite a poem for a school program at the local church. I had rehearsed that poem a hundred times, and I could recite it flawlessly. Nevertheless, when I got in front of the audience, I got stuck in the middle of my recital, and the teacher had to prod me on. I felt so embarrassed I told my parents and friends I would never volunteer again to speak in public.

Well, the Lord had other plans for me, and I eventually became a teacher. Can a teacher be silent? He can, but if he does, his paycheck will stop arriving on a regular basis. I had no choice but to confront and defy my shyness. I am almost 80, and I still have to fight this fear of making a fool of myself; a fear of rocking the boat at the wrong time. So my question to you is: Do we have the right to rock the boat on the issue of abortion?