Euthanasia: Another Lie of the Evil One

They make it sound so nice and civilized, but in reality it is a rejection of God's great gifts.

One of Britain's most respected conductors, Sir Edward Downes, and his wife, Joan, a choreographer and TV producer, have died at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, their family said today.

Downes, 85, was almost blind when he and his 74-year-old wife, who had become his full-time carer, travelled to Switzerland to end their lives, a family statement released to the BBC said.

Born in Birmingham, Downes had a long and distinguished career, including conducting the first performance at the Sydney Opera House. He worked with the BBC Philharmonic and the Royal Opera House in London.

The statement from the couple's son and daughter, Caractacus and Boudicca, said they "died peacefully, and under circumstances of their own choosing".

You could argue that a couple who would knowingly name their children Caractacus and Boudicca deserve whatever fate a just deity might order, but let's not go there.

Instead, let's dwell on the fact that assisted suicide, otherwise formally known as euthanasia, is a growing cult in this world and is being pushed by the same type of people who think that CO2 is a dangerous poison and that we all ought to have government-run health care. (Government-run health care is but a national euthanasia on the installment plan.)

Yes, people sometimes suffer greatly in life. The post-Christian, modernist view is that there is nothing to be gained by suffering, so let's not delay the inevitable.

This is another lie of Satan. It sounds warm and fuzzy: "let's off each other together, with a nice clinic in Switzerland on hand to take our money and our lives, in that order." In truth it is a rejection of God's gift of life, and a denial that any good could come from suffering.

But the life and death of Jesus stand in sharp contrast to this view, as does the meritorious suffering of millions since who have willingly shared in the suffering of their Savior in expiation of the sins of others. As the apostle Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians:

“For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort." (2 Corinthians 1: 5-7)

A rejection of redemptive suffering is, in effect, a rejection of the sacrifice of the Christ.

People don't like to think about that, especially those who consider themselves Christians. They would rather accept the "wisdom of the world" which proclaims that there is never a need to suffer as long as escape routes are available (or enough government programs to eliminate all suffering).

Just a little something to think about on this Tuesday.