When what I believe makes enemies

I had a very interesting night tonight, filled with happiness and excitment, but with one sour note that leaves me a little restless and unable to sleep.

I went out for dinner for my best friend's boyfriend's birthday. I started the evening out by being met at the door by a great guy that I've just started hanging out with. We walked together to the restaurant a little earlier than when we had to meet the others, strolled around downtown just talking about each others lives and families, what we want of the future. We've discovered that we come from alot of the same experiences, christian homes and larger family, and that we share beliefs, morals, and faith. It was just so nice to walk and talk. We finally went to the restaurant, and everyone had already arrived for the get together. My best friend had introduced this guy to me, as they had just recently met in class, so he knew her and her boyfriend and my best friends roommate, but we did not know any other guests. But he threw himself right in there chatting with everyone, making people feel at ease, being nice, and himself and it was great.

At one point my friends roommate, another guest, and I needed to go and pay our bills together downstairs. We began a chat briefly about voting last elections, continuing a conversation from the dinner table, when I said I had voted conservative. Now, here's where the evening kinda gets ugly.

She asked me why i would do that. I explained that because of their view of the family and pro life stance. She proceeded to attack me with questions such as 'well have you ever even met someone thats had an abortion? How could you take that right from someone, ruin someone's life, and a childs' ......

so on and so forth. I, in the mean time, try to remain polite and open, explaining what i believe, but in an statement sense, because i really don't want to start an argument with my best friends roommate in a restaurant. I was civil, but didn't back down. Unfortunately, when someone believes in what they think is right very strongly, its difficult to break down that barrier, and I could see how hostile and angered she was getting, and suggested we could chat another time, share each others ideas and reasons. At this point we reached the dinner table, and she loudly stated, 'I just don't want to talk about this. Not going to happen ever', just so abruptly, as if I had been saying evil things to her, it was just, like WOW....

The young man I was with looked up, concerned, and said 'whats wrong guys? What can't you talk about ever?' and the roommate said: 'Abortion. Not talking about it.'

He, meanwhile, states: 'I don't think I could ever do that, its such a sad thing'. The roommates eyes went big and said 'we're not talking about it'.

Huge damper on things...the rest of the group was heading out, so my companion and I decided, since we both had early mornings, we'd head our own way. As we slowly made our way back to my place, we discussed what had happened. I basically told him this:

I believe in pro life because I think its wrong to take a life. You cannot say that its better off that way, that it would have been poor, or abused. Its not your choice to make. Its Gods. If we choose here, we start to kill people that drain society, like the old, people that do nothing, like the homeless, people who can't contribute, like the handicapped. I think young women that make this choice don't know what it is they are getting into, because they have no idea what an abortion really is, what it can do to your emotional/mental health, how it can harm you physically, and how later in life, when they have children with their spouses, they'll look at those children and constantly wonder about the one they murdered in ignorance.
Yet, I won't force my beliefs on another person. I didn't force her to ask me what I thought. I shared my belief. I didn't hate her for thinking differently than I did, yet I could feel this intense dislike of me, solely because I thought differently. I shared with him that I want to be tolerant and accepting that others will make different choices than I will, but that, if by speaking out in a situation, I can affect a different out come, I will do so. I wouldn't stop being friends with someone who had an abortion, but I would try my darndest to keep them from doing it.

I said I hoped that I didnt insult the roommate, and that it didnt affect my friendship with my best friend, who really loves and admires her roommate as a person. But if it came down to changing what I stand for or losing a friend, unfortunately, I would choose my beliefs.
Thankfully, he really admired that stand, where i was coming from. He said he completely believes in that, in me, and thinks the very same of himself. We had a great evening between us, a nice walk around/by the canal, and we're meeting up tomorrow evening to go to church together, which is fantastic.

But I can't help but feel this grey cloud over me, where i'm slowly being pushed on all sides because, more and more, I'm making a stand for the christian I am, for the God I believe in, and the morals I live my life by. I'm scared that in the morning, I'll discover I've lost my best friend because of a short, ill fated conversation with her roommate, because I know my friend thinks and believes along the same lines as her roommate.

All I can do is pray about this, thank God for the blessing of this great new friend, and hope that you all have some advice about how I can handle this.

Oh, by the way, I also made the mistake of telling everyone my parents stopped by to visit to bring me 2 really important things. They asked what. I said my license and my Bible. I've never experienced the looks I got from that dinner table before in my life. Neither have I experienced the smile of understanding from the guy across the table from me. At least I had that.