Running head: DEATH AND DYING 1

Death and Dying

Student’s Name:

Institutional Affiliation:

DEATH AND DYING 2

Abstract

A Christian World View will play a massive role in making sense of suffering in the

world, especially in cases where one's mortality is challenged. By understanding the Christian

perspective of pain and suffering, health practitioners can, therefore, be able to help patients face

life-threatening conditions and make the right decisions, especially in relation to euthanasia and

physician-assisted suicide.

George’s Interpretation of His Suffering through the Christian Narrative

To make sense of the suffering that awaits him as a result of his amyotrophic lateral

sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis, Gorge can utilize the Christian perspective of pain and the fallenness

of the world. Such a view would help strengthen him in his tough journey towards the end of his

life and refresh his faith and hope. Through the Christian perspective, George would, therefore,

understand the problem of evil and suffering in the world is not a Christian problem but a

problem that all people both the believers and non- believers have to wrestle with (Keeran,

2016). What would make the difference is, however, how George would choose to approach and

understand his suffering as a Christian. The Christian faith, therefore, would play a significant

role in helping George understand and approach his imminent suffering.

One of the main elements which would help George understand his imminent suffering

would be the creation story and understanding our creator. God, the creator, took time to create

the universe and the world we live in. He took time to create a world that has the utmost beauty

in it and which is created in a way that cannot be explained in a human sense. Therefore despite

the suffering that we may go through and the tragedies which may occur, the fact the God

created the earth and heavens provides a fundamental truth of our existence (Heidemann, 2017)

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Knowing for sure that God took time to create heaven and earth and create us in his own image

will, therefore, impact how a Christian views everything and most importantly suffering. By

knowing that he is not here by accident but because the God almighty desired it, Gorge would,

therefore, be able to understand that he was created for a purpose. George would also understand

that there is a consequence to every part of his life even his suffering has meaning to it.

To gain a clear understanding of how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has befallen

him and why he would have to undergo a lot of suffering before his imminent death despite

being created in the image of God and being a child of God George would have to channel the

Eden story of the fall. So if George wondered why God could let ALS attack him and the

suffering which he would go through, he would see that God didn’t cause any suffering or allow

any pain in the world. By following up on the story of creation in Genesis, George would be able

to realize that God, in fact, created a perfect world. This was eventually marred by the sins of

Adam and Eve after they ate the forbidden fruit. This allowed death, sin, and decay to corrupt

God's creation (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The suffering which George is experiencing has not

therefore been allowed or caused by God but merely by the corruption of God's creation by sin,

death, and decay from Adam and Eve fall. As such the world has been broken since the fall of

Adam and Eve and is yearning for restoration from the creator. By understanding his suffering

comes from the fall of man and not God ignoring or allowing him to suffer, George could

therefore effectively make sense of his situation and keep his faith.

The Hope of Resurrection

Despite George’s current suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and the

imminent loss of dignity and death from the non-curable disease it would be vital for him to

realize that God’s story does not end with death. After the falling of man and the corruption of

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his creation by sin, death, and decay, God took action to fix this profound brokenness, which still

hurts human beings. By sending his sons, Jesus Christ God, therefore, came to us in human flesh

and took all the consequences of our fallenness and the sins upon himself and defeated the power

it has on us through the cross (Vitillo, 2014). Gorge can believe that he has been redeemed by

Jesus Christ through bearing rejection and temptation and facing barbaric and cruel torture in his

sacrificial and sinless death. George can be able to take the example of Jesus who also suffered,

cried and even died on the cross but triumphed over it as the Lamb of God who deserves all the

praise and honor. As Christ entered into our pain as Christians and triumphed over it on the

cross George can have hope that the suffering and even death as a result of his condition is not

the end but only the beginning for those who have faith in the father and his son Jesus Christ.

In this regard, George can believe that just as Jesus rose on Easter Monday, his story will

also not end on his death, but through death, he will only be sleeping awaiting the awakening by

Christ in his second coming. This is when Jesus will come to restore the world to its original

form when God's kingdom finally comes. Therefore God will offer believers resurrection and

recreation and recreate heaven and earth. Despite all the suffering that George faces in his life at

the moment, he can take comfort in the fact that God will one day wipe away all his tears.

Christian World View and Value of Life

As George contemplates his diagnosis, a Christian world view would play an essential

role in helping him understand the value of his life despite his challenges at the moment.

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Through the Christian perspective, George would be able to understand the sanctity of life and

the need to preserve his life at all costs and not participate in its ending. In the Christian world

view, all life exists on God’s purposes with all life being intentionally created by God. As such

human beings are sacred with life needing to be preserved in all the stages. Christianity teaches

that all life was known to God before the foundation of the world was laid. The Christian

perspective is also that all human beings were created in God’s own image (McTavish, 2016).

By seeing himself as the image of God, George can view himself as having value despite his

current condition. By realizing that his life had a purpose and still has a purpose before his

imminent death George may also continue to see that his life has value and continue being

involved in activities that give his life purpose until he cannot perform such functions anymore.

By keeping on having value for his life and living through the difficult situation, he is in George

can keep on realizing God’s purpose in his life and avoid the depression which can be followed

by such a diagnosis.

Christian Values and Considerations in Deliberating Euthanasia

In determining whether or not George should opt for euthanasia, the Christian world view

would make three considerations which include; fear, value, and autonomy. In contemporary

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times, one of the most substantial incentives for the proponents of euthanasia is because they are

fearful of seeing their loved ones enduring a lingering, horrid, and distressing death. This fear

includes fear of the loss of dignity for example when one is subjected to the dehumanizing effect

of present medical technology which results to tubes and wires running through the body, fear of

unbearable and uncontrollable pain and finally fears of dependence which makes one want to

avoid helplessness and humiliation which may be caused by their conditions (Shelly & Miller,

2006). For instance, in the case study, George expresses fear of losing his dignity and

independence.

When taking the Christian perceptive in discussing euthanasia, the other consideration

would be the value of human life. Through Christian values, life is taken to have intrinsic value

because human beings are created in God's image as such human life cannot be taken by one's

free will, for instance, through physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia. Another value which

would be considered when utilizing the Christian world view to determine if George should

consider euthanasia would be autonomy. Those who support euthanasia believe that human

beings of competent and rational minds should have the ability to make their decisions on how

they would like to dispose of their life as it is their right (Cohen, 2016). Such proponents believe

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that no other individuals should be able to circumvent such rights. However, as human beings are

social and live within families and communities when an individual takes their own life, it will

have a profound effect on the lives of those close to them and those around them. Therefore by

exercising the right of autonomy, an individual removes the same right from their survivors

(Peteet, 2018). For example, in George’s case, he may have a profound effect on his son if the

son was to discover he was contemplating taking his own life as a result of his diagnosis.

Morally Justified options for George

Regarding George’s diagnosis and the negative effects that the ALS condition will have

on his quality of life over the years and his imminent death in a decade, the morally justified

option that George should take in reference to the Christian world view is to forego euthanasia

and take on medication to slow down degeneration. By taking this step to take treatment, George

would thus be trusting his life and ending to God and also giving hope to his family, including

his teenage son. By remaining optimistic and choosing to fight the condition, George would also

be giving hope to many people in society with the condition. As such George would still be

serving a purpose in his life despite his current condition and even imminent death.

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As a Christian, I would also have foregone the option of euthanasia if I was in George’s

situation. Applying the Christian world view, I would strive to maximize my potential and seek

purpose and repentance in my remaining days as opposed to taking my own life.

References

Cohen, C. B. (2016). Christian Perspectives on Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia: The Anglican

Tradition. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 24(4), 369–379.

https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720X.1996.tb01881.x.

Heidemann, F. (2017). The Uniquely Christian Response to the Problem of Suffering. Word On

Fire.

Keeran, D. (2016). A Christian Approach To Suffering. Researchgate.net.

McTavish, J. (2016). Suffering, death, and eternal life. The Linacre Quarterly, 83(2), 134–141.

DOI:10.1080/00243639.2016.1166338.

Peteet J. R. (2018). Putting suffering into perspective: implications of the patient's world

view. The Journal of psychotherapy practice and research, 10(3), 187–192.

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Stahl, D.J. (2015). A Christian Ontology of Genetic Disease and Disorder, Journal of Disability

& Religion, 19:2, 119-145, DOI: 10.1080/23312521.2015.1020186.

Shelly, J.A., & Miller,A.B., (2006).Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing . 2nd

Edition.

Vitillo, R. J. (2014). Discerning the Meaning of Human Suffering through the Discourse of

Judeo-Christian Scriptures and Other Faith Teachings. Journal of Pain and Symptom

Management, Vol. 48, Iss. 5, 1004 – 1008.