January 16, 2005
MARKET SHARE IS DOWN, CANON. LET'S TRY OUT THIS NEW ETERNAL TRUTH.
Church ends taboo on mercy killings (Jamie Doward, The Guardian, January 16th, 2005)
The Church of England took a radical step towards backing 'mercy killing' of terminally ill patients last night after one of its leading authorities said that there was a 'strong compassionate case' for voluntary euthanasia.Canon Professor Robin Gill, a chief adviser to Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, said people should not be prosecuted for helping dying relatives who are in pain end their lives. Last week Gill was sent by Williams to give evidence to a parliamentary committee investigating euthanasia.
Gill's stance marks a major shift by the Church of England and was welcomed by groups campaigning for a change in the law to allow for people to be helped to die under strictly limited circumstances.
'There is a very strong compassionate case for voluntary euthanasia,' Gill told The Observer . 'In certain cases, such as that which involved Diane Pretty [the woman who was terminally ill with motor neurone disease and who campaigned for the right to be helped to die], there is an overwhelming case for it.'
His claims were last night seized on by pro-euthanasia groups as evidence that the archbishop is prepared to engage in a debate on an issue that has long divided the clergy.[...]
Last week several leading clerics, including the Reverend Professor Paul Badham, who is also an expert on the morality of euthanasia, wrote to the Daily Telegraph arguing that helping the terminally ill end their lives was 'compatible with faith'.
'It worries us when organised religion is not sharing the heartfelt view of mainstream faith-based opinion in this country,' the clerics noted.
The clerics are no doubt inspired by the biblical account of how Christ held a workshop and took a vote among the apostles before giving the Sermon on the Mount.
"mainstream faith-based opinion"
Oh dear God.
Posted by: Jim in Chicago at January 16, 2005 11:15 AMA Church(?) far more concerned with political influence and preserving its wealth extorted from the masses for centuries much prefers theology by focus group rather than by reference to things so outre' as the Bible.
Posted by: Bart at January 16, 2005 11:27 AMIs the Church of England a Christian institution or is it a secular humanist one with Christian window-dressing?
No wonder so few British go to church. There's nothing there.
Why don't they just hold a garage sale and close the whole thing down?
Posted by: L. Rogers at January 16, 2005 12:13 PMTaboo??? You mean, like incest is a taboo?
Posted by: Oswald Booth Czolgosz at January 16, 2005 4:32 PMThis saddens me, but given the context/situation (I think the German term is something like sitzen leben) it doesn't suprise me. The C of E is at its root a political creation. "Very strong compassionate" cases can be make for a lot of things in this world. Such debate can be healthy or an organization, but it can also be destructive as well. What I think the "leading clerics" in the C of E need to consider is how Christ would have them respond to "the heartfelt view of mainstream faith-based opinion" on the issue of euthanasia in loving, life affirming, and God focused ways. Perhaps the Church could actually intervene and be proactive in society (an admittadly difficult thing for a state sponsored Church to do). Imagine if Jesus had gone along w/public opinion, or conducted a poll when he encountered the angry mob that wanted to stone the woman caught in adultry. He would have permitted, even sanctioned her stoning. Sometimes God has a different opinion than the public does. sometimes God calls upon people of faith to be proactive in society. Never does God call upon people of faith to passivly affirm and embrace every whim, desire and fancy of the people.
Posted by: Dave W. at January 16, 2005 5:35 PMProtestantism is how the Devil removes God from history. It looks like he's going to do this by euthenizing history altogether.
Posted by: JimGooding at January 16, 2005 7:46 PMJim:
For an example of the devil at work, I think you need look no further than your 7:46 PM post. Your faith appears to be infected with an unholy virus. Your soul needs some window washing my friend.
Jim:
I dunno, but don't you think one of the strengths of modern Protestantism may be that it isn't quite so fixated on why everybody else is wrong?
Posted by: Peter B at January 17, 2005 4:58 AMdon't mind Jim. If I remember, he's only been catholic for a short while. probably still in the "cage phase".
on the other hand, if all a catholic knows of protestantism is the "left behind" series, I don't blame 'em for being snarly.
Posted by: Judd at January 17, 2005 7:41 AMI think many Catholics probably agree with Father Jacobus' assessment of Protestantism (given in some undetermined future time) in the Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse: “They were unable to preserve religion and the Church, but at times they displayed a great deal of courage and produced some exemplary men.”
Posted by: Chris Durnell at January 17, 2005 12:31 PMI've long said that God has worked some great things through Protestantism, the United States not being least. I have great admiration for many aspects of Protestantism, my Baptist wife reminds of these aspects with a Pilgrim's regularity.
As an historical turn, however, I think Protestantism leads away from Christianity by endlessly bifurcating until all ends lead to Unitarianism and a "literary" sophisticated blue-state understanding of "God" as a repository of enlightened secular values. And it is that absence of God, named as God, that I think is the Devil's goal.
There is nothing unusual with what is happening to the Episcopal Church in America, it is the inevitable end of the rebellion. But, folks, I am not a hater and my Church teaches me to expect to see gobs of you Protestants and Jews in heaven.
I'll pull back for a while. I've become windy and a little abrasive. Don't want to abuse the hospitality.
Posted by: JimGooding at January 17, 2005 5:17 PM