The Irish group U2 has won Christian fans around the world for their songs and for frontman Bono’s declaration of faith, but some of those same fans are now upset at the band’s public support of legalized abortion in Ireland.
Irish voters will go to the polls on May 25 to vote on a referendum that would add a new amendment to the Constitution overturning the Eighth Amendment, which was approved by voters in 1983 and gives equal rights to the unborn and to the mother. Specifically, the Eighth Amendment reads: “The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”
The band’s official Twitter account sent out a tweet May 1 calling for the Eighth Amendment’s repeal. The tweet encouraged followers to “vote on May 25th.” It also included the logo of the repeal movement – a red heart with “Repeal the 8th” in the center.
Vote on May 25th pic.twitter.com/jiCVZvfJuH
— U2 (@U2) May 1, 2018
As of May 7, nearly 1,000 fans had commented below the tweet.
“You profess to be a ‘christian’ band, yet how does abortion bring glory to God? You know it does not !! SEE ==> 1 COR 10:31,” one fan, @ZooKeeper_Kevin, wrote.
Another fan, @ChristyRae2013, wrote, “This breaks my heart. I have loved and followed you for 20 years. I still love you but I can’t follow you down this road. My tickets to upcoming shows will go unused.”
In 2013, U2 frontman Bono gave an interview to Focus on the Family in which he declared his faith in Christ, borrowing an argument made by C.S. Lewis:
“Jesus isn’t lettin’ you off the hook. The Scriptures don’t let you off the hook so easily. …When people say, you know, ‘Good teacher’, ‘Prophet’, ‘Really nice guy’ … this is not how Jesus thought of Himself. So you’re left with a challenge in that, which is either Jesus was who He said he was or a complete and utter nut case …You have to make a choice on that. And I believe that Jesus was, you know, the Son of God.”
Michael Foust is the husband of an amazing wife named Julie and the father of four small children. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.
Photo courtesy: Pixabay.com
Publication date: May 7, 2018
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