Based on \”Case Study: End of Life Decisions,\” the Christian worldview, and the worldview questions presented in the required topic study materials you will complete an ethical analysis of George\’s situation and his decision from the perspective of the Christian worldview. Provide a 1,500-2,000-word ethical analysis while answering the following questions: How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world? How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
Case Study on Death and Dying
Introduction
Death and dying are a very challenging and bitter part of life, yet the reality of life. The nature of death generally involved deep religious and philosophical questions. Euthanasia is a controversial issue in bioethics (Saybey, 2016). Christian and worldview view death and aspects such as euthanasia differently. This paper will analyze the case study of George, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease where the patient eventually loses the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe, and finally dies. The paper will specifically analyze George’s imminent death and the ethics involved in euthanasia as per Christianity perspective.
George’s suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world
In Christianity, suffering, and fallenness of the world go hand in hand. This began when God put Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden where both cared for and nurtured God’s creating. Eve and Adam ate freely and did not experience any suffering until they tasted the fruit that God had warned them against, and this made them be chased from the garden of Eden (Shelly & Miller, 2009). This is where the fallenness of the world began and God separated himself from Eve and Adam following their sinning. Accordingly, according to the Christian narrative, the fallenness of the world was the beginning point of human suffering (Shelly & Miller, 2009). God pronounced a curse upon Eve and Adam and told them they would have to toil to get food. Therefore, human suffering is a curse from God and from that period, life changed.
Therefore, George can link his suffering to being a sinner since God declared sinning as the key cause of suffering. As human beings, we keep sinning from time to time, and often we fall short of God’s will. This can be comparable to the case of George. George might justify his suffering to the sinful nature of human beings (Shelly & Miller, 2009). As human beings, we never like being subjected to the curse of God because we rejected God first at the Garden of Eden from the start. Human beings have corrupted everything God has given to humanity, and hence human beings served God’s judgment and the suffering that come with the judgment. Therefore, George can console himself in the words that every human being has sinned against God and thus it is expected to suffer (Shelly & Miller, 2009).
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
In Christianity, it is believed that God created everything existing in the world and Jesus came to earth to enable human beings to have a view of God’s image. Therefore, a Christian would interpret what is happening to George as being the will of God. According to Saybey (2016) suffering such as the one George is experiencing are only intended to bring human beings close to God and to make humans ware of Christ’s suffering. The Christian teachings that Jesus died basically changes the view and experience of death. Death is a tragedy and evil, but Jesus conquered death on the cross. Therefore, death as a defeated enemy in the Christian narrative, human beings also have hope of defeating death and rising again when Christ comes back. The god of Christian is constantly redeeming what is broken and will also redeem human beings from death. This teaches human beings to be close to God and live according to His will. Perceiving suffering as the will of good helps Christians in remaining steadfast in their Christian beliefs, and this makes their Christian faith stronger (Shelly & Miller, 2009). If a Christian believes that suffering may be as a result of the sins of the past, this can give one a chance to repent the sins and go back to God. This indicates that God is an orderly God because He allows suffering to human beings to make them turn back from their sinful ways and experience God’s love. Even though some human beings may view their suffering as a punishment, it is still an indication that God has such a great love for humanity and encourages people to live according to God’s purpose. However, the bottom line is that even after death, Christians have the hope of resurrecting just as Jesus did. These reasons can assist George to evaluate his life and repent and at the same time believe that God has forgiven his sins and his suffering will end after death (Shelly & Miller, 2009). After repenting, George also has the hope that resurrecting again once Christ comes back for the church.
As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about t