America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

Chapter 85 Charlie Kirk's Counterattack

But then Yorgos burst into laughter, "You quoted very well, Charlie! But you forgot one thing."

"What is it?"

"The Gospel of Matthew also says—"

Jesus slowly recited this passage: "Jesus said to him, 'It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Charlie Kirk paused for a moment, clearly not expecting the other party to quote this passage.

"What do you mean?"

“What I mean is,” Yacob stepped forward, “you shouldn’t put your Lord to the test. You use the Bible to justify your political stance, but do you truly understand God’s will?”

“I understand,” Charlie Kirk said impatiently. “The Bible teaches clearly: murder is wrong, abortion is murder, therefore abortion is wrong. What’s so hard to understand?”

"What about Exodus 21:22-25?"

"This passage says: If people fight with one another and harm a pregnant woman, even to the point of causing her miscarriage, but then do nothing else, the one who harmed her shall be punished as the woman's husband demands, as the judge has determined. But if anything else is done, it shall be life for life, eye for eye, and tooth for tooth—"

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He paused, giving everyone present time to process his words. Even Sean was amazed; he certainly wouldn't have been able to recite these inspirational quotes without the note. It seemed this Yege had come prepared.

"Did you notice? In this passage, the punishment for causing a woman to miscarry is different from the punishment for causing her death. If there is no other harm after the miscarriage," meaning the woman herself is not injured, then only monetary compensation is required. But if the woman dies, then she must pay with her life."

"What does this mean? It means that in the law of ancient Israel, the life of a fetus did not have the same legal status as the life of a born person."

His words successfully elicited a murmur from the audience.

This also successfully caused Charlie Kirk's expression to change slightly.

“You’re taking things out of context,” he argued. “The interpretation of that passage has always been controversial. Many scholars believe that the Hebrew word for ‘abortion’ actually refers to premature birth, not miscarriage. That is to say, if the baby is premature but survives, then only compensation is needed; but if the baby dies, then it’s a matter of life and death.”

"Perhaps," Yorgos smiled slightly, "but this precisely proves my point: the teachings of the Bible are not as clear as you say. Different scholars can have different interpretations, and different denominations can have different stances."

"You use the Bible as a hammer to strike those who disagree with you. But the Bible is not a hammer; it is a mirror that allows us to reflect on our own shortcomings."

"You're playing word games," Charlie Kirk said, annoyed. "No matter how you interpret that passage, it doesn't change one fundamental fact: a fetus is a living human being. Science has proven that from the moment of conception, a fetus possesses unique DNA and a unique genome. He is not part of the mother's body; he is an independent life."

"I agree," Yage nodded. "The fetus is a life. But the question is: should the rights of this life supersede the rights of the mother?"

"Of course! The right to life is the most fundamental right. Without life, there is nothing else."

"So, Charlie, if a thirteen-year-old girl is raped and becomes pregnant, do you think she should be forced to give birth to the child?" Yorgos scoffed. "What if it were your child, Charlie?"

A commotion arose from the audience.

Charlie Kirk paused for a few seconds, then said, "Ahem, this is a tragic situation, and I have sympathy for any woman who has suffered such atrocities."

Even in this situation, I still believe abortion is wrong. Because the child is innocent, and he shouldn't pay with his life for his father's crimes.

“But that girl is innocent too,” Yago retorted. “She shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s crime for the rest of her life. Have you thought about what pregnancy, childbirth, and raising a child mean for a thirteen-year-old?”

"She can give the child up for adoption."

"That's your grandson!" Yage exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Charlie Kirk's face turned pale. "Stop rambling! Adoption can't erase the trauma of pregnancy and childbirth. And do you know how bad the adoption system in the United States is? How many children are abused in foster homes, how many children are moved from one family to another and never receive real love?"

"So your solution is to kill them?" he raised his voice. "Because they might suffer, so you simply don't let them be born? What kind of logic is that?"

“No, that’s not my logic.” Yorgos shook his head. “My logic is: every situation is different, and everyone should have the right to make choices based on their own circumstances. But that should be their own choice, not yours, and not the church’s.”

“But you can’t relativize morality,” Charlie Kirk countered. “If everyone could decide what’s right and wrong based on their own circumstances, then morality wouldn’t exist. Murder is murder, regardless of the circumstances or who was killed.”

If he could, he would kill this imposter Jesus!

Of course, he knew that if he could, there would be plenty of people among the onlookers who wanted to blow his head off.

But it doesn't matter, he has bodyguards, he has guns. With everyone armed, he won't cause trouble!

Yego then asked, "Do you eat meat?"

The question came so suddenly that Charlie Kirk didn't react for a moment.

"What?"

"I'm asking you, do you eat meat? Beef, pork, chicken?"

"Of course I'll eat it."

"I eat meat too, I eat it several times a day, but those animals are living beings too," Yago said sarcastically. "They have unique DNA, they can feel pain. Why is killing a chicken acceptable, but terminating a several-week-old embryo is murder?"

"Because human life has special value," Charlie Kirk replied. "Man was created in God's image; we are different from animals."

"Really?" Yage took a step forward. "Then let me ask you, which is more like God: an eight-week-old embryo or a monkey? Which has a more developed brain, more complex emotions, and a higher sense of self?"

"You're using a fallacy of logic." Charlie Kirk's face darkened. "Potential is part of value. That embryo has the potential to grow into a complete human being, while a monkey will always remain a monkey."

"Potential?" Yego laughed. "According to this logic, every act of masturbation is genocide? Because every sperm has the potential to become a human being."

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience, and even Sean couldn't help but chuckle.

Charlie Kirk's face turned bright red.

"That's absurd. Sperm itself is not life; life only begins when sperm and egg combine to form a fertilized egg."

"Why?" Yage pressed. "Why did you draw this line at the moment of fertilization? Why not the moment of implantation? Why not the moment the heartbeat begins?"

Charlie Kirk opened his mouth, but did not answer immediately.

"You see," Yorgon turned to the audience, "this is the problem. There is no standard scientific or theological answer to the question, 'When does life begin?' Different cultures, different religions, and different philosophical traditions all offer different answers."

"But Mr. Kirk and his friends wanted to impose their answers on everyone. They wanted to use laws to ban abortion and force every woman to accept their morals."

"This is not protecting lives, this is trampling on freedom."

"Enough!" Charlie Kirk finally regained his composure. "You're confusing the freedom to choose with the freedom to kill. We have many choices that are not permitted by law, such as choosing to steal, to rob, or to murder. Why? Because these choices violate the rights of others. Abortion is the same; it violates the fetus's right to life."

“But a fetus is not another person,” Yego countered, “at least not in a legal sense. The constitutional protections apply to those who have already been born,” not to those who may be born.

"Laws can be changed."

Yes, even Jesus could be crucified, so who says the law can't be changed?

"Yes, laws can be changed. But changing laws requires democratic procedures, but what you want to do is bypass democratic procedures and use the courts to forcibly implement your own agenda. That is true tyranny."

"You're wrong. Those women still have the right to vote, and they can express their opinions through elections."

"But what's the point of women's votes in states that prohibit abortion? They've been deprived of their most basic right to choose."

The debate grew increasingly heated, and the atmosphere in the audience became more and more tense. Supporters and opponents of Charlie Kirk began to hurl insults at each other, while some peacemakers thanked them for arguing rather than fighting.

"Alright," Charlie Kirk raised his hand, signaling for quiet. "I think our discussion today has been quite thorough. Although I have differing opinions from this Mr. Yage, I respect his courage to stand up and debate. This is America, this is freedom of speech."

He turned to Yorgias and reached out his hand.

Thank you for participating.

Yego stared at the outstretched hand and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, instead of shaking hands, he raised his wooden scepter again.

Before I leave, I'd like to quote one more passage from the Bible.

He looked around and said in a loud voice, “Do not judge others, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will also be judged—why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”

"Mr. Kirk, you are busy all day judging other people's morality, but you never reflect on your own shortcomings."

"Don't forget: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Love those who are different from you, those who have made mistakes, and those you consider sinners."

"This is the way of Christ."

After saying that, he turned and walked off the stage, disappearing into the crowd.

A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience, but it was also mixed with boos and curses.

Charlie Kirk stood on the stage, his expression difficult to decipher.

Sean watched all of this silently from the crowd.

This is America; you can even see a living Jesus on a college campus.

"How is it?" Kelly asked from the side. "What are your thoughts?"

"That guy dressed as Jesus—" Sean laughed, "He's impressive."

“Yes,” Kelly nodded, “but did you notice? Even though he had the upper hand in the debate, Charlie Kirk didn’t concede. He just said our discussion was very thorough,” and then ended the debate.”

"That's his strategy. He'll never admit defeat. In the eyes of his supporters, he's always the winner."

Sean nodded in agreement.

They're not just winners, they're absolutely ecstatic!

"So how should I deal with him?" Sean said with a wry smile. "The most crucial thing is that we don't even know what the debate topic is. I don't recall raising any issues that are too contrary to these conservatives."

“Who knows, son? But there’s always something to discuss, otherwise Charlie Kirk wouldn’t have invited you so casually,” Kelly remarked. “As for how to deal with him? I’d say Mr. Jesus’ strategy is good, but not enough. He’s too academic. He won the debate, but he didn’t win people’s hearts.”

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"What you need to do is not just logically beat Charlie Kirk, but make the audience like you, trust you, and be willing to follow you."

"This is the real challenge."

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