How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world? MSN-FNP How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
Case Study on Death and Dying
The concept of death and dying, is, in most cases viewed from different perspectives depending on one’s cultural and spiritual beliefs. An individual’s choice on how they approach or look at death can also vary depending on the condition they are in. The selection of voluntary euthanasia, in light of terminal illnesses, is one which has elicited discussion, especially from different religious groups, including Christianity.
This paper will evaluate a case of Mr George, a fifty-year-old lawyer diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Due to his condition, George is considering voluntary euthanasia as a possible option to avoid the harrowing life that awaits him after the disease has taken its course.
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
The Christian narrative has different interpretations of suffering as that which is experienced by George. The first interpretation of suffering is the notion that suffering comes as a form of test to measure our faith in God (O’brien, 2017). There are various biblical examples where suffering was used as a test of faith. Such instances describe the fact that after one has demonstrated their true faith in God, they can then overcome the suffering and come out victorious, with their state prior to the suffering being restored (O’brien, 2017).
This narrative calls for one to persevere throughout the entire ordeal, which in the given case, George may not be thinking as such. The second narrative is where suffering is used as a punishment occurring after one has sinned. The biblical narrative established the fact that sinners will be punished for the sins they have committed. In such a case, then George may view his suffering as retribution for the sins he has committed in his lifetime.
Taking into consideration George’s perspective and linking it to the Christian narrative, George may believe that escaping this world, which is laced with sin may, in turn, be a better option for him. The Christian narrative, after all, assures life after death and one which is free of suffering for those who are righteous (Doka & Morgan, 2016).
He might be looking at the world as a place which is full of suffering as a result of the sins committed by man to God. God being the creator of the world, therefore, punishes its inhabitants with different forms of suffering, including untreatable conditions like the one faced by George, as retribution of sinning against Him.