Over four out of ten evangelicals believe that doctors should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in ending their lives, a new survey from the evangelical polling firm LifeWay Research has found. The survey, which randomly sampled 1,000 respondents in a nationwide online survey between Sept. 27 and Oct. 1 and had a margin of error of plus or minus
3.1 percentage points, finds that 69 percent of Americans somewhat agree or strongly agree that “physicians should be allowed to assist terminally ill patients in ending their life.” “If they are facing a slow, painful death, Americans want options,” Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said in a statement. “Many believe that asking for help in dying is a moral option. They don’t believe that suffering until they die of natural causes is the only way out.” READ MORE
A terminally ill friend of mine shot himself in the head to end the suffering. Another terminally ill friend took a drug overdose to end her pain. I watched a third friend suffer hideous agony until he finally died, the morphine had not worked for ages.
I do not have the right to tell someone that they must suffer to uphold my religious conviction. I have the right to choose a long and protracted and painful death if I believe that is God’s will for me.
We have to make our own decisions and not force our opinions on others, one way or the other.
God is the final judge as He knows the whole matter. However, to assist someone whose intent is to kill themselves is murder. I don’t see how to get past that. Suffering is designed to shape and form an individual. We will not grow without it. God uses suffering to cause unbelievers to call on Him (and He answers, see Psalm 107), and He uses all suffering for the benefit of those He loves. We are exercised by it. It stretches us. We learn compassion. We enter into His sufferings. To attempt to bypass suffering is to be concluded in unbelief. Hebrews 12:1-13, “12 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not. But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed”.
Pamela Hankins,
If you don’t think its ok to be put out of your misery, then you have the right to suffer and be “stretched, shaped and formed and grow” on your death bed.
I’d have no problem offing myself with a clean conscience before Jesus if I was terminal and suffering. I’d also spare my family from seeing me rot in pain. I wouldn’t let my dog suffer a slow, painful death and I expect the same compassion to be shown to myself.
@ Pamela Hankins
Suicide is not mentioned in the Bible. To say that assisting someone to off themselves for genuine reason cannot be considered murder, same as self defense is not murder or killing in time of war. It cannot be compared with abortion as the unborn do not have a say in the matter.
If you don’t think its ok to end your own misery, then you have the right to suffer and be “stretched, shaped and formed and grow” as much as you like on your death bed.
I’d have no problem offing myself with a clean conscience before Jesus if I was terminal and suffering. I’d also like to spare my family from seeing me rot in pain. I wouldn’t let my dog suffer a slow, painful death and I expect to be allowed to show the same compassion to myself should it become necessary.
Murder is murder in God’s eyes whether you assist or take your own life. If you want to take the chance to live in hell for eternity, that’s also your decision. Don’t try to “sugarcoat” it. There may be someone reading this post that could be swayed by your stupid comments and you could be held responsible in God’s eyes also. Your soul depends on the correct decision..good luck!!
@ Dewey
Not all killing is murder and for you to suggest so is just your opinion. Killing another person is quite justifiable at times.
There is only one “unforgivable sin” (and we all know what that is) so suggesting that you go to hell for killing yourself is just plain wrong and nothing but superstitious, scaremonger tactics.
If suicide was unforgivable, surely the Scriptures would comment, but they don’t, therefore it becomes a conscience matter.
If someone is rotting away, waiting to die, wishing for death, suffering in pain and no relief except death exists – its kindness, mercy and compassion that allows them to end it.
Perhaps you haven’t seen such suffering but I have and plenty of it. I don’t live in a “sugar coated” world as you put it, real problems need real answers and more often than not, there aren’t miracles or healings when people need them, just more suffering and death.
Death is not a scary thing, if you have your faith squared away, we all have to face it eventually but is shouldn’t have to be agonising and cruel.