Euthanasia

“[There is a] rising taste in Western societies to use medicine as a means of killing, not curing, and our celebration of such. Societies trumpet euthanasia as a human right and as embodying “dignity.” But surely there is more “dignity” in societies thinking about ways they can help those struggling with illness and depression to realize that life is still worth living? The death chamber is the easy way out—not so much for individuals as for society as a whole.

“And that presents a challenge to Christians and to their churches. We must not only oppose the culture of death in all of its forms. In a sense that is the easy part—signing petitions, writing op-eds, voting for life-affirming politicians. But we must demonstrate in our practical witness what life itself means—life lived for others, life that is more than simply feeling good, life that treats all people as persons, from the able-bodied to those with severe physical and mental struggles. That is where the church as a body comes in, for it is there that we can realize the re-consecration of man through word, sacrament, worship, and lives lived to the glory of God. If the world now considers the culture of death to be natural, we need to make sure that the church finds the culture of life to be intuitive.” – Carl R. Trueman