Suicide and Euthanasia
The fact that Christianity is based on the Ten Commandments given by God as a benchmark to avoid sin has been used to argue that suicide is a sin. One of the commandments prohibits Christians from killing, and suicide is viewed as a way of taking away a person’s life. The definition of the basis of murder concerning suicide, however, changes depending on the circumstances surrounding the suicide (Sullivan & Taylor, 2018). For example, the Catholic Church offers prayers for people who commit suicide due to hardships in the belief of salutary repentance. Euthanasia involves taking away an individual’s life with their consent or aiding them to die to avoid suffering and minimize medical burden but can be classified as a suicide.
The decision to take away their own life means that an individual has given up the hope of being saved. Salvation is said to be a personal choice and a person who dies before salvation is said to have died in sin (Hogan & Velez, 2013). Suicide has not been directly condemned in the bible, but the suicide cases that ever happened are described negatively bringing out the idea used by Christians to condemn the act (Meilaender, 2013). Since euthanasia can be classified as suicide, it is sinful in the Christian perspective and shows that an individual has lost faith in God’s ability to intervene in their case.
In sum, a person who takes away own life surrenders to suffering and dies before salvation, making them sinful at the point of death. The acceptance of salvation involves strengthening one’s faith, and suicidal thoughts are eliminated. Although several people have attempted to justify euthanasia, the fact remains that it is a form of suicide and does not allow one to seek salvation before death.
Reference
Hogan Jr, W. J., & Velez, J. R. (2013). Invoking Shared Beliefs in End-of-Life Decision Making. AMA Journal of Ethics, 15(3), 193-197.
Meilaender, G. (2013). Bioethics: A primer for Christians. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Sullivan, D. M., & Taylor, R. M. (2018). The Ethical Landscape of Assisted Suicide: A Balanced Analysis. Ethics & Medicine, 34(1), 49-3.