Values and Considerations the Christian Worldview Focus on in Deliberating about Whether or Not George Should opt for Euthanasia

Values and Considerations the Christian Worldview Focus on in Deliberating about Whether or Not George Should opt for Euthanasia

George’s Suffering in Light of the Christian Narrative & The Fallenness of the World

In Christianity, the fallenness of the world and suffering are closely connected. The fallenness of the world started when Adam and Eve were put in the garden of Eden by God. Eve and Adam were taking care of God’s creation. They both enjoyed everything for free and they did not suffer in any way, until when they tasted the forbidden fruit and they were chased from Eden. As a result, God separated Himself from humankind and this is was the start of the fallenness of the world. As per the Christian narrative, the beginning of the suffering for mankind was the fallenness of the world (Shelly & Miller, 2009). A curse was declared upon mankind that would have to work to get food. Accordingly, the suffering among the humankind is a curse from God. End of Life Decisions/ Death and Dying Case study.

Similarly, as per the narrative of the fallenness of the world, George can associate his suffering with being sinful because sin is the main cause of suffering among human beings. Humankind keeps sinning continually and falling short of the will of God. Therefore, George can compare his suffering as being the consequences of his sinful nature, as a human being. Human beings do not like experiencing God’s curse, that God declared in the Garden of Eden after Eve and Adam disobeyed Him (Shelly & Miller, 2009).  End of Life Decisions/ Death and Dying Case study. George can thus find the consolation in that suffering is inherent for every human being because all have sinned against God.

Interpretation of George’s Suffering in Light of the Christian Narrative

Christians believe that everything was created by God and Jesus was sent on earth by God to represent God and enable humanity to feel and experience God through him. Thus, as a Christian, George would construe his sickness as being the will of GOD. According to Saybey (2016), such as being experienced by George is meant to bring people closer to God and make humans understand the suffering Christ experienced. The death of Jesus changes the whole experience of death. Even though death as per the worldview, is evil and tragic, Jesus was able to defeat death on the cross.

In the Christian narrative, death is thus a defeated enemy. Humanity will conquer when Jesus comes back as all people who died in Christ will resurrect. The Christian God is always providing redemption and similarly will redeem and save humanity from death. Therefore, human beings should remain close to God and always follow God’s teachings. End of Life Decisions/ Death and Dying Case study. Viewing suffering as God’s will assists Christians to remain steadfast in their Faith, making the Christian faith stronger. When Christians believe that suffering is because of their sins, a person gets an opportunity to repent and turn their back to the sinful life, and their face towards God (Shelly & Miller, 2009). God is very methodical and orderly as He allows human beings to experience suffering to make them stop sinning in order to experience the love of God. Even if there are people who may perceive their suffering as punishment from God, this also indicates that God greatly loves human beings because He comes with ways to encourage humans to lead their lives as per God’s purpose.

The end result is that even after death, Christians still have the hope of resurrection the same way Jesus defeated death and resurrected. Therefore, this reasoning can help George to reassess his life, repent, and go back to God and have faith that all the suffering he might experience will cease after dying (Shelly & Miller, 2009). After repentance, George has the hope of defeating death through resurrection when Christ comes for those who died in Him. End of Life Decisions/ Death and Dying Case study.

How the Christian Worldview Inform George’s View about the Value of His Life as a Person?

As per the Christian worldview, even when he is suffering from ALS, George is supposed to perceive his life as a priceless gift from God, and thus only God has the authority and right to take away a human life. Therefore, even with the fatal and unbearable disease, George is supposed to endure the suffering and pain that comes with the disease just like Christ did (Shelly & Miller, 2009). The agonizing experiences like the ones George is undergoing are not supposed to make people decide to end their lives. Christians believe that people should uphold their faith even when undergoing unbearable suffering.

Even in the face of an incapacitating and devastating disease such as ALS, George remains a valuable human being in God’s eyes. Even in sickness, the life of George is still priceless and a gift from the Almighty