By James Emery White

The taking of a life for the sake of the quality of life is against the sanctity of life.

A 29-year-old woman named Britanny Maynard, suffering from an aggressive brain tumor, died recently in the State of Oregon. She died not from the tumor, but took her own life in the name of “death with dignity.”

It became national news because she had taken to social media to announce her decision to take her life. She even landed on the cover of People Magazine. Collectively, it brought the issue of “right to die” to the forefront of public conversation.

The Bible is very clear about the taking of a human life. In Exodus 20:13, in the sixth of the Ten Commandments, God says, “You shall not murder” (NIV). The key word here is murder.

Murder is the deliberate, willful, pre-mediated taking of a human life out of hatred, anger, greed, or self-centered convenience. The sixth commandment is not talking about the killing that takes place in war, in self-defense, of even in capital punishment. Those are important discussions, but they’re not the focus of the sixth commandment.

And the sixth commandment doesn’t speak to the killing of other creatures, such as animals, but of human beings.

The reason is simple. It’s because life is sacred. Not just some lives, but every life. The fact that each and every one of us is created in the image of God gives each and every one of us infinite worth and value. Taking it upon ourselves to end a life is the ultimate act of defiance against God, for life is his and his alone to give and take.

It doesn’t matter what the quality of life is for that person. It doesn’t matter what the cost of their life will be to society. It doesn’t matter how productive they are, smart they are, beautiful they are. It doesn’t matter whether we like them or not.

All human beings have infinite worth because they are made in the image of God. And the taking of a life–any life–is showing contempt for God and his image. Life is sacred. It is not ours to do with as we please. Only God can end life or direct its ending.

Euthanasia is the practice of assisting or enabling death, usually because the person is old, in pain, or terminally ill. The word euthanasia is from two Greek words, eu, which means good, and thanatos, which means death. So the word literally means “good death.”

And those who support euthanasia use terms carrying that sentiment, such as “mercy killing” and “death with dignity.” The rationale is that individuals or family members have the right to end their own or someone else’s life if they feel it seems unbearable.

There are two kinds of euthanasia: passive and active. Passive euthanasia is when the individual or family members decide to use extraordinary means to extend the process of dying where there is no hope for extending life. Very few Christian ethicists would challenge that choice. They wold add, however, that food and water are not extraordinary efforts. That is basic to anyone living.

The real issue is active euthanasia, which is the direct killing of a patient because a disease may be terminal, or the choice to withhold basic assistance that would prolong life in a substantive way, simply to avoid pain or difficulty. The more direct term is assisted suicide.

And it is every bit as much the taking of a human life as any other form because it’s not our life to take, or our decision to make.

Compassion can be poured out on people who are suffering, and we can and should stand with them, pray for them, and encourage them to take advantage of everything is available in terms of pain management and hospice care. The taking of a life for the sake of the quality of life is against the sanctity of life.

So while our ending life on our terms sounds like a statement of personal rights that should be embraced, it’s not. It’s playing God with our own lives. And we’re not God.

 

James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Meckleburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and the ranked adjunctive professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, which he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, The Rise of the Nones: Understanding and Reaching the Religiously Unaffiliated, is now available on Amazon. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church and Culture blog, visit www.churchandculture.org where you can visit blogs in our archive and read the latest church and culture news from around the world. Follow Dr. White on twitter@JamesEmeryWhite.

Grossman, Cathy Lynn and Jessica Durando. “Brittany Maynard, Face of Right-to-Die Movement, Died as She Planned.” Source: Religion News Service, November 2, 2014. Joni Eareckson Tada. “Joni Eareckson Tada to Brittany Maynard: God Alone Chooses the Day, Not You.” Source: Religion News Service, October 15, 2014.