Suffering in light and Falleness of the World
Introduction
Everyone has at least a hope for a good death when the time comes. It becomes challenging being faced with the reality of that the days to one’s end of life is coming closer and that one has to make complex hard decisions on how to get the end of life care. Making one’s decisions when struck with reality usually is challenging because humans have high hopes of change and are unable to see the inevitable future. As a result, they leave their families with the burden of making the decisions for them at the last minute when they can neither talk nor express their wishes.
End of life decisions can be hard to make given that patient is thinking about his death with the only light at the end of the tunnel is depending on the life-supporting machine and people to live his or her last days. Pain is an inevitable part of a terminally ill patient, and other symptoms should be treated aggressively, and unnecessary treatment, which only serves to prolong the dying process of a patient.
George, a successful attorney and a legal scholar holding a teaching post at the local university law school in Oregon, was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal illness. He is faced with a hard end of life decision making, where he evaluates his value of life when the end of days nears. George finds out it will involve pain suffering and being a burden to his family. Therefore he decides the best option is to inquire about the possibility of voluntary Euthanasia. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Suffering in light and Falleness of the World
In today’s World, people are faced with beliefs that tend to explain their way of life. Christians believe in the concept of God as the creator of the universe. They argue that unless there is God, pain is meaningless, and they should not get upset about it.
It is argued that people live in a world that is fallen and short of Christ. The evidence of it is aches and pains, disasters and death, illness, and accidents. People tend to assume this fact and still get shocked by the constant calamities that befall them. They complain of great injustices about the struggles of life and the injustices that are out to get them. Some people argue that the suffering caused by sickness is because they are sinful and deserve every ache, pain cut, and every sign of death in their bodies. Thereby George is considered by some people to be a sinful man and deserves to suffer from the wrath of the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. They expect him to suffer the loss of ability to eat, speak, move, eat, and breathe without complaining since it was his choice to live a sinful life.
Moreover, it is argued that God himself gave up his only son to take upon the worlds, sins, and all the rebellious ways of the proper order of the lord. Jesus suffered the fallenness of creation of all the sickness, suffering, pain, and even death in his flesh. Inspire of God setting people free from eternal suffering and death. He has not taken them out of the fallen World. That is why a Christian life includes suffering. Even Christians live in a corrupted body; therefore, having faith or bringing offerings does not exempt one from pain, suffering, or even death. Therefore Christians are encouraged not to take suffering as a punishment since Jesus died for their punishment. George is therefore considered by other people to be suffering in Christ, and as Jesus suffered for our sins, he is expected to endure the same suffering and believe that it is for a purpose.
Suffering in Light and Hope of Resurrection
The World views resurrection as an invitation to oversee pain, suffering, and sorrow. It is a call for freedom and spiritual peace. It uncovers the mask of death and exposes the reality of life that spans beyond space and time. It shows them the bigger picture of existence.
They believe that the son of God became man and let himself experience everything human. That is, to die a dreadful death amid a shameful mockery and torture, then later rose from the dead and offered his disciples a share in his glory. This belief transformed non-believers to the believer who wishes to be instruments of mercy, respect, self-serve, and compassion.
The Resurrection of Christ has transformed the way Christians perceive pain, loneliness, grief, and persecution. They believe that suffering is made worth it in the long run through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The symbolically view the empty tomb of Christ as an assurance that they will one day rise from death and join him in eternal life. George similarly is viewed as a Christian whose time on the World is gradually coming to an end and is being prepared from his incurable disease to suffer in Christ before he dies to resurrect in eternal life.
In this present life, the World is full of people who experience a lot of suffering and hardship in a way that has made them hopeless. They have felt that life is without purpose in the light of their mortality and tremendous scope of human suffering. The aspect can clearly explain the consideration of George to inquire about the possibility of voluntary Euthanasia since he does not have hope in the aspect of suffering as a way of preparing himself for the afterlife. Instead, he wants to choose death without suffering since, to him, he does not see the point of human suffering.
Value of life as a person with ALS
ALS, as described by most patients, is a life-changing disease that changes every aspect of one’s life. It causes daily challenges and physical suffering. Nevertheless, some Christians considered living with ALS as a foundation for a profoundly intimate relationship with God. While others view living with ALS as a journey to death, some Christians view it as a journey to a life that outweighs death. A journey to be vulnerable and build a close relationship with God. Many people tend to limit pain and suffering and instead try to increase pleasure and comfort. As it is noted by George’s decision to seek voluntary Euthanasia to die a peaceful death without suffering and pain instead of getting out of his comfort to suffer through the pain.
Most Christians, when faced with a difficult circumstance like being diagnosed with such a disease they quickly ruin their theology by associating it with God being displeased or them being punished. They do not even consider the favors God has done for them. Instead, they question his doing. They fail to understand that if one is to live this life, he is prone to pain and suffering. George himself is a successful attorney and a legal scholar holding a teaching post at the local university law school in Oregon. Moreover, he is blessed with a son. Nevertheless, he seems to have not noticed the favors God has given him and wants to end his life when things get tough.
ALS is pointed out as a tough-to-live-with incurable disease. The pain and suffering from living with the disease are enough for any human to wish for death instead. Christians’ way to persevere through it is only through their faith in God. Their strong belief in religion gives them comfort that the same God who created the universe and everyone in it is the same God who has let such a disease get to them and that the same God is never wrong. George is supposed to believe in this aspect of Christian and let the Work of God be done in him. He is supposed to have a strong faith in God that he is making him suffer for a purpose.
View on the option of Euthanasia
Christians believe that life is a gift from God. The birth and death of a person are the natural life processes that were created by God, and under no circumstances should one take the life of another innocent person or himself. The fact that George was inquiring about voluntary Euthanasia means he views his life as worthless, and it is the same as wanting to kill oneself, which goes against the principle of God. No one is given the right by God to value another person’s life or their own as worthless.
People think that prolonged suffering and intolerable pain may allow one to ask for death legitimately, but it is a violation of the divine law and offense against human dignity as a Christian and a crime against life. Dignity is only considered when one can persevere the pain to death. Sick people need love, care, and medication to help them through not physician-assisted suicide. George thinks that by turning to voluntary Euthanasia, he will be able to protect his dignity from the humiliation that may come from being taken care of every time and not being able to do any task such as going to the toilet by himself. Instead, he does not realize that dignity will come from living long enough to see his family and not giving up on him.
True Christians are aware that suffering is not something that should be avoided at all costs. Thus instead of minimizing suffering in one ought life, they are to maximize care to the patient. AS others may argue that Euthanasia is an act of compassion the forget that it is never a means of caring.
However, others have come up with another approach to Euthanasia where they have gone as far as to quote the bible where Jesus said that one should love his neighbor and do to them as much as they would want to be done unto themselves. Thus when a patient is in extreme pain and consistently asks for death, them only kind thing to do is to put oneself in the patient’s situation and grant him his wish.
Conclusion
Being diagnosed with a terminal illness is the last thing any person would want. It comes with a lot of hard decision making on end of life decisions. In a Christian view, there are many reasons why a person is affected by such a terminally ill disease. Many theologies have been formed to try and figure out why one should experience such pain and suffering to the point of wishing for death. However, most Christian believe that no matter how much suffering and pain one undergoes in this World, no one is given the mandate by God to declare death to themselves or even on others. God is the one who gives life, and he is the one who takes it away.