One, Lauren Hill (19 year old), wished to play one basketball game with the college team that would have been hers had she not become ill. That game happened on Sunday with a crowd of 10,000 in attendance, cheering her on.
The other, Brittany Maynard (29 years old), wished to end her life before cancer ended it for her in the most horrible way imaginable. That end came on Saturday when, surrounded by her family, she took the medication prescribed for her by a physician under Oregon's "death with dignity" law.
I honor both brave young women and their choices. I grieve with and for their families. The sadness of their stories is almost unbearable. But that is not what troubles me tonight.
I am, tonight, angered and frustrated by what has streamed across my Facebook feed from those who claim to be good Christians, and I seem to be connected to a fair number of them. Today, they have, almost all of them, chosen to label Lauren as "right and good and brave," and to simultaneously label Brittany as "wrong and bad and selfish." Christians! How dare they? Really!
I can understand if a person holds to a belief that taking one's own life is sinful. I get that such a person, consistent with their own values and beliefs, would choose to live each and every day right down to the very last suffering, struggling, painful, howling breath. I understand that such a one, might choose to put themselves and their loved ones through the brutal march to the bitter end. If that is your belief and your faith, then I grant you that. I will not say "nay." However, I insist that those "Christians" who believe as they might, grant those who do not share their faith and their belief the right to choose their own path. There are options and other ways to be and believe, and those ways are not, de facto, wrong and bad. To stand up, in a public forum, and Facebook is that, and publicly denounce the painful and difficult choices made by a dying young woman is the worst kind of hypocrisy by the worst kind of hypocrite.
I agree. Christians don't seem very Christian at times.
ReplyDeleteAnd I wonder is there something in the old or new testament that says explicitly that it's forbidden to take your own life? Do you know.
Thanks for the blog addy, you know I've been reading you for years too! Glad I got here before there was sooo much backreading to do.
ReplyDeleteAs for this entry... well written and observed Sue! I have thought that myself about Christian's and many supposedly 'religious' folks. Christ told us not to judge each other, yet they seem to spend a lot of time doing it.
Here in Texas right now, there is a young girl, Alexis who went to her local representitive and asked for his help to get medical cannabis legal here. He told her no, he believes medical cannabis to be unethical and immoral, yet the seizures could kill her. She is resistant to all other medications. His views - are because he is a Christian. Now, I can't belive Christ would kneel down, into the eyes of this child and deny her a plant that helps her live. I just can't. And that has me rip roaring mad Sue. To use Christ as a reason to do this. So this entry really speaks to me. Where is the compassion? None of us knows each other's capacity and we cannot judge their life based.
Speaking of books..I read "The Afterlife of Billy Fingers: How My Bad-Boy Brother Proved to Me There's Life After Death" and the theme related from there other side, is Love. Love and Grace and Mercy and Compassion... all part of a song of the universe and that we are all a part of each other. It's a far cry from so many here. For me, service for humanity has become my main goal in life. To help others as much as I can, and as I wished I'd been helped in the past. I will not stop, I will not desist, I will not go quietly into that 'good night'. Not until that child has her medicine. It has given many of us veterans here who were fighting for ourselves, someone else to rally around and support. We will fight even harder for her, then for ourselves. Mr. Turner - we are coming for YOU. Urrrmm... sorry if that went a bit off track. BTW, have you tried medical cannabis for your headaches? It helps amazingly with mine.
Glad to be reading you again dear...
warmly,
Mystress