In light of Jesus’ example of accepting and suffering through his own trials, George must do the same. The anguish Lord Jesus Christ endured before His death on the cross is well known. At one point, He even prayed to God, asking whether it was His will that He have to go through all of this anguish. He even prayed to God to take away his pain (Evlampiev & Smirnov, 2021). Because of this, it is possible that God intends for George to suffer. He must bear the pain and ask God for the strength to bear it. He must learn that God occasionally allows people to experience hardship so that they can get near to Him and develop a longing for Him, which leads to repentance. George needs to take to heart what God is trying to teach him and make a sincere effort to become nearer to Him.
How open someone is to death depends heavily on their inherent disposition toward mortality. If Christians accepted all of their experiences, including pain and misery, as God’s will and looked forward to a resurrection like Jesus did, they would have confirmation that God is monitoring and He is in command of all of it. George must accept his adversity as God’s plan in light of this.
If George were to choose to stay alive until God took his life, he would be doing it morally. Therefore, Euthanasia should not be an alternative for George, according to this ideology. Christians believe that every individual life is a blessing from God and hence, should be treated with the utmost respect. Attempting to end a person’s life and disrupting God’s plan is both immoral and unacceptable. Many Christians see hardship as God’s will and a part of the way of life. Because of this, it is clear how unjust it is for one human to take another’s life. This is why, even in the face of fatal illness, one must be prepared to suffer as Christ suffered on the cross.
Despite my Christian beliefs, I would consider Euthanasia if I were in George’s position and facing the inevitable pain and incapacity of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Even if Euthanasia goes against Christian principles, it can be agonizing to see patients in pain. For me, that amount of suffering would be intolerable, and Euthanasia would be a welcome relief. However immoral it may be, the Bible teaches that there is forgiveness for every transgression. There is no wrongdoing that cannot be forgiven.
Conclusion
Christians believe that only God has the right to grant and take life. God allows suffering because he wants a closer relationship with his people through it. It is in a person’s nature to suffer. For his part, George needs to keep going even if ALS is excruciating. Christians should be encouraged to consider Euthanasia as a treatment option for terminal illness. George needs to have this perspective on his life and illness and see that they are all part of God’s plan for him. Despite our hardships, our lives are meaningful in God’s eyes, and he alone is the source of our very being.
Evlampiev, I. I., & Smirnov, V. N. (2021). Dostoevsky’s Christianity. RUDN Journal of Philosophy, 25(1), 44-58. https://doi.org/10.22363/2313-2302-2021-25-1-44-58
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