Schiavo is Dead
Well, Terri Schiavo is dead; murdered at the hands of an arrogant judiciary with an ineffective congress as accessories to murder. Our nation just took a fateful step joining the Netherlands as a country which has officially adopted a policy of euthanasia. Speaking of which, that is an interesting word, but more on that in a minute.
David Brooks writing for the New York Times had a thoughtful piece in last week. I appreciated his approach to some weighty issues but found them wanting.
One thing he wrote was, “…most of us believe in transcendence, in life beyond this one. Therefore why is it so necessary to cling ferociously to this life? Why not allow the soul to ascend to whatever is in store for it?”
This is an excellent point if some notion of universalism, which says--everyone goes to heaven--holds sway. But Christianity defeats any notion of universalism.
Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Matthew 7:13-14
So euthanasia, which comes from the Greek meaning “good-death,” is anything but for the non-Christian if the Bible is true, which we know it is. That alone seems enough for the Christian to oppose the implementation of any state sponsored notion of a “good death.” But additionally, if it is, as the Bible states in Hebrews, “appointed unto man to die once and after this comes judgment,” to preserve the unregenerate, though compromised, living is an act of compassion beyond measure. At the end of the day, self-determination is simply not our prerogative. Ah but there’s more to come; there’s always more to come when we seek to plumb the depths of God’s rich counsel.
David Brooks writing for the New York Times had a thoughtful piece in last week. I appreciated his approach to some weighty issues but found them wanting.
One thing he wrote was, “…most of us believe in transcendence, in life beyond this one. Therefore why is it so necessary to cling ferociously to this life? Why not allow the soul to ascend to whatever is in store for it?”
This is an excellent point if some notion of universalism, which says--everyone goes to heaven--holds sway. But Christianity defeats any notion of universalism.
Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it." Matthew 7:13-14
So euthanasia, which comes from the Greek meaning “good-death,” is anything but for the non-Christian if the Bible is true, which we know it is. That alone seems enough for the Christian to oppose the implementation of any state sponsored notion of a “good death.” But additionally, if it is, as the Bible states in Hebrews, “appointed unto man to die once and after this comes judgment,” to preserve the unregenerate, though compromised, living is an act of compassion beyond measure. At the end of the day, self-determination is simply not our prerogative. Ah but there’s more to come; there’s always more to come when we seek to plumb the depths of God’s rich counsel.
posted by PB at 5:28 PM
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