James, agreed, I understand ending the pain of people in the last stages of cancer, but euthanizing people with poverty or autism fills me with sadness and rage.
US American here. I’m right there with you on being “properly pro-life.” I’m probably more anti-violence than you are.
I think your assessment is good.
I think Christians need to take more responsibility for the state of affairs in our post-Christian world. Personal autonomy is good, but we as Christians need to take personal responsibility for those suffering just as seriously. What are we doing to ease the pain so many are seeking to end? Have we left too much to the government?
Great post with a lot of great insight. My contention is that we (America) weren’t ever a “Christian” nation. Perhaps a deist nation, but not a Christian one. I’m not sure you’re qualifications to be a Christian nation are valid across the board. You can be a “pagan” or “post-modern” person and still think their is a higher power that dictates right or wrong in an absolute sense. There can still be transcendent absolutes.
The argument that America was a Christian nation provides a straw man argument for those who want to bemoan the “corruption of a generation.” I guess I’m not buying it.
This is so very good, Mike. I've always thought that quote from Hauerwas is a gem. Certainly one of his best. I like how you concisely present this. Deeply Christian, too.
I see this as the logical outcome of the idea that humans, far from being made in the image of God, are just an evolutionary accident, and a harmful one at that. If that's the case, why not just get rid of as many as possible?
I think the next anti-Christian attack may be against the "pernicious idea" that humans are special, "made ... a little lower than God, and crowned ... with glory and honour."
Thanks Michael - thought-provoking.
Their policy should not be called MAID (seems euphemistic and obfuscatory), but MAD, an acronym which sums it up a lot better.
The Netherlands also provides a fascinating and disturbing case study for the slippery slope of a 'permissive' approach euthanasia.
James, agreed, I understand ending the pain of people in the last stages of cancer, but euthanizing people with poverty or autism fills me with sadness and rage.
US American here. I’m right there with you on being “properly pro-life.” I’m probably more anti-violence than you are.
I think your assessment is good.
I think Christians need to take more responsibility for the state of affairs in our post-Christian world. Personal autonomy is good, but we as Christians need to take personal responsibility for those suffering just as seriously. What are we doing to ease the pain so many are seeking to end? Have we left too much to the government?
Great post with a lot of great insight. My contention is that we (America) weren’t ever a “Christian” nation. Perhaps a deist nation, but not a Christian one. I’m not sure you’re qualifications to be a Christian nation are valid across the board. You can be a “pagan” or “post-modern” person and still think their is a higher power that dictates right or wrong in an absolute sense. There can still be transcendent absolutes.
The argument that America was a Christian nation provides a straw man argument for those who want to bemoan the “corruption of a generation.” I guess I’m not buying it.
This is so very good, Mike. I've always thought that quote from Hauerwas is a gem. Certainly one of his best. I like how you concisely present this. Deeply Christian, too.
I see this as the logical outcome of the idea that humans, far from being made in the image of God, are just an evolutionary accident, and a harmful one at that. If that's the case, why not just get rid of as many as possible?
I think the next anti-Christian attack may be against the "pernicious idea" that humans are special, "made ... a little lower than God, and crowned ... with glory and honour."