How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
Case Study: End of Life Decisions
George is a successful attorney in his mid-fifties. He is also a legal scholar, holding a teaching post at the local university law school in Oregon. George is also actively involved in his teenage son’s basketball league, coaching regularly for their team. Recently, George has experienced muscle weakness and unresponsive muscle coordination.
He was forced to seek medical attention after he fell and injured his hip. After an examination at the local hospital following his fall, the attending physician suspected that George may be showing early symptoms for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The week following the initial examination, further testing revealed a positive diagnosis of ALS.
ALS is progressive and gradually causes motor neuron deterioration and muscle atrophy to the point of complete muscle control loss. There is currently no cure for ALS, and the median life expectancy is between 3 and 4 years, though it is not uncommon for some to live 10 or more years. The progressive muscle atrophy and deterioration of motor neurons leads to the loss of the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe. However, sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell are not affected. Patients will be wheelchair bound and eventually need permanent ventilator support to assist with breathing.
George and his family are devastated by the diagnosis. George knows that treatment options only attempt to slow down the degeneration, but the symptoms will eventually come. He will eventually be wheelchair bound and be unable to move, eat, speak, or even breathe on his own.
In contemplating his future life with ALS, George begins to dread the prospect of losing his mobility and even speech. He imagines his life in complete dependence upon others for basic everyday functions and perceives the possibility of eventually degenerating to the point at which he is a prisoner in his own body. Would he be willing to undergo such torture, such loss of his own dignity and power? George thus begins inquiring about the possibility of voluntary euthanasia.
Assignment:
The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faith expressions; for the purpose of this course, the focus will be on the Christian worldview.
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?
- As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person?
- What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?
- Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?
- Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?
Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is required.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.
Verified Expert Answer and Explanation
Analysis of Case Study on Death and Dying
People adopt beliefs and values that shape how they interpret life experiences, and for Christians, the biblical teachings inform their views about health and illness. Considering that providers encounter patients with beliefs that differ from their personal beliefs, they may struggle making decisions especially if the patient’s decisions compromise the provider’s professional values. Because people’s interpretation of illness, life, death and health depends on their faith, a provider should consider the patient’s spiritual and religious views when working with patients from diverse backgrounds.
This is particularly necessary if a provider faces a situation in which they need to make decisions on matters pertaining to euthanasia (Perkins, 2021). For the provider, analyzing this kind of a scenario based on the Christian worldview can help optimize decision-making outcomes. Focusing on the presented case study on Death and Dying, it is important to examine how George would interpret his suffering, and highlight morally justifiable options considering this particular worldview.
The Ethical Issues presented in the Case Study
Having learned that he has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), George fears seeing his health worsen because when one develops the condition, they may progressively experience the decline in motor functioning to the point in which they would lose muscle control. This means that with time, his body will develop into weakness, making it difficult for him to perform activities such as speaking, breathing and moving. Additionally, he will rely on a wheelchair for mobility, and on people for support. With deterioration of his health, he is considering euthanasia as a way of avoiding suffering.
How George would interpret his Suffering in Light of the Christian Narrative, with Emphasis on the Fallness of the World
According to the Christian worldview, human suffering began with the first sin which Christians associate with a generational curse. This implies that because of the first sin that Adam and Eve committed, their kin inherited the sin. Therefore, the world is full of sinners, and since God condemned the first humans to suffering for sinning, everyone must suffer (Antunović,, 2021). With the initial act of sin, and God’s condemnation of humans, humans’ suffering is part of the human experience.
The idea of redemption, based on the Christian faith, is tied to the first coming of Jesus because God sent Jesus with the intent of restoring humans from the consequences of sin. Jesus came to the world particularly for this purpose because shading of Jesus’ blood symbolizes the atonement of human sins. This means that Jesus’ blood cleansed humans’ sins (Murphy et al., 2022).
Accordingly, those who accept that Jesus sacrificed himself for their sins would be forgiven, and be considered God’s children. Thus, accepting Christ is a way in which one can avoid the consequences of the sins that one inherited on the basis of their linkage to Adam and Eve, and on the basis of the behaviors that contradict the biblical teachings.
The stories of people like Job which feature in the bible also provide a crucial perspective about suffering. The key lesson that one can pick from Job’s story is that God tests people’s faith in him by letting them suffer. Despite his experience living with illness and losing his children, Job maintained his faith in God, and because of his faith, he recovered his health and wealth.
How George would interpret his Suffering in Light of the Christian Narrative, with Emphasis on the Hope of Resurrection
One of the things that keep Christians’ hope alive is the belief in resurrection because they believe that people would resurrect during the second coming of Jesus. According to the biblical teachings, everyone will face judgment, and God will judge people based on their deeds. Accordingly, those who commit sins will be condemned to suffer in hell while doers of good or the righteous people will go to heaven. Because the bible defines the examples of forms of sins, it is possible for one to differentiate a good deed from an evil deed.
For example, Christians would consider one a sinner if they commit suicide because the bible teaches against committing suicide or taking one’s life (Horowski & Kowalski, 2022). Because Jesus’ act of resurrecting symbolizes his power over death and his overcoming of suffering, everyone can avoid the fruits of sin. Informed by the Christian worldview, George should be hopeful that the ALS condition is a temporary experience. He should believe that even if death comes, his physical body will die, but he is assured that he will live eternally.
How the Christian Worldview would inform George’s View about the Value of his Life as a Person
The concept of Imago-Dei explains the reason why Christians attach importance to life. Given that this concept emphasizes human resemblance of God, Christians recognize the sanctity and dignity of human life. Considering the sacredness of George’s life, it would be wrong for George to take his own life. To understand the value of life, it is also important to examine the biblical teachings about murder. Considering that the sixth commandment prohibits murder, it is important for people to ensure that they protect life by avoiding decisions that may compromise lives and health.
For George, therefore, it is morally right that he should acknowledge that life is more important than the experience of seeing his health deteriorate (Iltis, 2022). In designing human life, God designed humans in a way that humans would go through a normal process of death. If George opts for euthanasia, therefore, he would be altering the process of creation.
The Values and Considerations the Christian Worldview would focus on in Deliberating about Whether George should opt for Euthanasia
In deliberating about assisted suicide, George would prefer a normal process of dying over euthanasia because the Christian faith strictly forbids interrupting with God’s purpose of creation. He should reason that God had a reason for creating him, and putting him in a path in which he has to live with ALS. It is important that he derives inspiration from the biblical passages that provide assurance that suffering is temporary. He should particularly look up to Jesus including the life he lived because through resurrection, Jesus demonstrated that there is still hope of life for those who die (Picón-Jaimes et al., 2022).
The idea that human resembles God would resonate resonates well with Christians, and for George, considering this perspective would shape how he perceives assisted suicide. Thus, one would consider various considerations when making deliberations on whether to have George undergo a euthanasia procedure.
The Options that would be Morally Justifiable in the Christian Worldview for George (include Reasons)
Considering that Christians see suffering as part of human experience, George should live with the experience of suffering. In the Christian worldview, a person can either die spiritually or physically. When a person dies spirituality, it means they have no chance of resurrecting, while when they die physically, they have a chance of resurrecting.
Spiritual death is associated with committing sins such as suicide. Looking at euthanasia from this perspective would discourage George from thinking about euthanasia as an option (Gutierrez-Castillo et al., 2020). Because human life is sacred, George is morally obliged to act in a way that shows he respects the value of human life.
The Decisions I would make based on my Worldview if I were in George’s Situation
In case I encounter a situation similar to George’s, I would continue seeking clinical intervention for my condition while I hope that God will provide healing. My decision in this case would be informed by the belief that God has power over illness. During his life on earth, Jesus demonstrated that he had power over sickness and life because he healed the sick and resurrected the dead. I would reason that because humans resemble God, they have the God-given knowledge to find the treatment for ALS (Campbell, 2019). Thus, I would avoid choosing euthanasia as an option for dealing with the negative health consequences associated with ALS.
Conclusion
In overview, the Christian worldview is associated with fundamental values and beliefs that shape how individuals view physician assisted suicide (PAS). If one considers the fact that God made humans in his image, they would resent the idea that PAS can help address their problems. Guided by this worldview and the values of the Christian faith therefore, one would discourage George from considering PAS as a solution to the deterioration of his health because of ALS.
References
Antunović, I. (2021). Why Does God Allow Suffering? Reflection about Human and Christian Suffering in the Thought of Karl Rahner. Psychiatria Danubina, 33(Suppl 4), 911–917. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35026821/.
Campbell, C. S. (2019). Mortal Responsibilities: Bioethics and Medical-Assisted Dying. The Yale journal of biology and medicine, 92(4), 733–739. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6913808/.
Gutierrez-Castillo, A., Gutierrez-Castillo, J., Guadarrama-Conzuelo, F., Jimenez-Ruiz, A., & Ruiz-Sandoval, J. L. (2020). Euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide: a systematic review of medical students’ attitudes in the last 10 years. Journal of medical ethics and history of medicine, 13, 22. https://doi.org/10.18502/jmehm.v13i22.4864.
Horowski, J., & Kowalski, M. (2022). Human Health and Christianity in the Context of the Dilemma of Forgiveness. Journal of religion and health, 61(2), 1282–1299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01424-1.
Iltis, A. (2022). (Re)-Emerging Challenges in Christian Bioethics: Leading Voices in Christian Bioethics. Christian bioethics, 28(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1093/cb/cbab017.
Murphy, J., Jones, F. W., Nigbur, D., & Gee, K. (2022). Living in a World With God: An Interpretative Phenomenological Exploration of the Religious Experiences of Five Baptists in Britain. Europe’s journal of psychology, 18(2), 154–167. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.3119.
Perkins, I. (2021). Human Flourishing in Christ: A Journey of Hope in the Christian Community. The Linacre quarterly, 88(2), 175–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0024363920920409.
Picón-Jaimes, Y. A., Lozada-Martinez, I. D., Orozco-Chinome, J. E., Montaña-Gómez, L. M., Bolaño-Romero, M. P., Moscote-Salazar, L. R., Janjua, T., & Rahman, S. (2022). Euthanasia and assisted suicide: An in-depth review of relevant historical aspects. Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 75, 103380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.103380.
Do You Want Original Paper Written From Scratch For Similar Assignment? Click Here To Place Your Order
Use Coupon Code: NEW30 to Get 30% OFF Your First Order
FAQs:
