@heartfullofchrist I’m so sorry for the way she’s treating you and your daughter, OP.
As a Christian, this isn’t Christ-like behaviour. First and foremost, Romans 5:23-24 makes it clear that we have all sinned and we are all made right with God through the sacrifice that Christ made at the cross. Secondly, when you read the gospels you see that Christ spent time with outcasts that people like Pharisees stayed away from; he didn’t condemn but loved them called them to repent. Thirdly, the Bible makes it clear that children are a blessing from God. Children who are conceived out of wedlock are not any less of a blessing than children who are conceived within a marriage. Finally, there’s a lot of instruction about how we as Christians are to conduct ourselves. For example, in Luke 6:32-36 Jesus says “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful”.
So although the sister can hold fast to her belief that children should be conceived within a marriage, it doesn’t give her a pass to treat her niece and niece’s mother poorly. Based on what we learn about God and His Son Jesus Christ through scripture, we know that they wouldn’t have treated the niece and her mother the way the sister is doing.
I also want to add that I’m also a Christian and a single mum. I became a Christian later in life and used to use sex to get validation from men before becoming a Christian. After being a Christian for nearly a year, I made a stupid mistake while going through a tough time and slept with a guy I was involved with before becoming a Christian. I got pregnant and the guy chose not to be involved and I respected that. Our church is very clear that sex before marriage is a sin. When I told them what I had done they reminded me that we’re all sinners who have fallen short and they made it clear that I’m no worse than any of them. They reminded me of the gospel and that God is faithful to forgive when we confess our sins. They also reminded me that children are a gift from God, and celebrated the new life that God had created. They’ve since then been such an incredible support system. The ladies at church threw me a baby shower. When I was moving houses at 38 weeks, they did my bond clean and helped me unpack and settle into my new place. One of the ladies from church spent a whole day with me while I was in labour. She was the first to visit when the baby was born and drove me home from the hospital. They even dropped off meals and I’ve received so many baby-sitting offers. My pastor’s wife will even watch the baby once a week when I return to uni when my maternity leave ends. My son is definitely loved by my church community.
