Case Study On Death And Dying PHI 413 Topic 4

Death and dying presents challenges to people in real life and are bitter experiences of realities that individuals and communities must deal with based on their religious and . Issues like suicide and euthanasia remain controversial and unacceptable among certain religious affiliations and philosophical underpinnings. The Christian worldview concerning death and aspects like euthanasia are founded from the biblical interpretations on God’s teachings and purpose of humanity (Astrachan et al., 2020). In this case study on death and dying, the essay analyses the situation of George who has recently been diagnosed with a degenerative condition called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which leads to eventual paralysis and inability to move muscles before one dies. Based on the Christian worldview, the paper makes a critical analysis of the situation and ethics involved on issues like euthanasia that the patient is contemplating to end his eventual suffering and disease burden to the family and society.

George’s Interpretation of His Suffering in with Emphasis on the Fallenness of the World

Christians believe that suffering and fallenness of the world arise from disobedience to God’s commandment during the fall of Adam when he ate from the forbidden tree. The fallenness of the world was the beginning of the separation between man and God and start of man’s suffering as God pronounced a curse on Eve and her offspring. God told man that he must toil to feed and suffering in different forms, including incurable diseases, will be part of his life.

In this case, George should understand that due to the fallenness of the world and suffering being part of life, individuals experience pain and unpleasant events in their lives and can only hope for God’s interventions and grace. Through this perspective, George would understand the problem of evil and suffering in the world is not just for Christians but an issue that all people, both believers and non-believers have to overcome or encounter (Choundry et al., 2018). The difference is how George will choose to approach and understand his current suffering as a Christian. George needs to know that while his condition is incurable, all is possible with faith as it plays as significant role in helping him understand the current situations.

George should link his suffering to being a sinner as God declared sinning as the main cause of suffering. George needs to know that suffering emanated from the sinful nature of human beings which makes them exposed to God’s punishment. George should look at the creation story and understand that he has not caused anything based on his condition but only because God has allowed suffering to afflict humans so that they can understand his power (Astrachan et al., 2020). George needs to know that God created a perfect world but due to sin, humans suffer and die. God as demonstrated through the story of Job, allows even to afflict his people but in due course reclaims them back to show that he is powerful. George must know that his suffering will make him stronger and close to God because he will justify through his love. By understanding that his suffering comes due to the fall of man and not God, George would make sense of his situation and keep his faith.

Interpretation of Suffering in Christian Narrative with Emphasis on Hope of Resurrection

The hope of resurrection according to the Christian narrative is through Jesus Christ who brought redemption (Fortuin et al., 2019). Therefore, despite his current condition and suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and the impending loss of dignity and eventual death from a non-curable disease, it would be important for George to realize that God’s creation plan does not end with death but resurrection of the soul. After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and the corruption of his creation by Satan, sin and decay, God initiated a remedy to fix the brokenness that hurts human beings. God sent his son, Jesus Christ, who came in human flesh and took all the effects of the fallenness and sins upon himself and defeated the power it has on human beings. Therefore, George can believe and hope that he shall be redeemed through Jesus Christ despite his current condition. Jesus was rejected and humiliated to the point of death but bore all the suffering because he wanted to save humanity and complete God’s redemption plan.

Death is evil but Jesus defeated it on the cross. Therefore, death is a defeated villain and human beings hope that they will defeat it and rise again when Christ comes back. God continues to redeem the broken souls and will redeem people from death. The implication is that George should not fear death because of his condition since he shall live again (Hesslein, 2019). George should perceive the suffering as the will of God to help him get close to Him and live according to His will and plans. by perceiving the current condition as God’s will, George will strengthen his hope and become steadfast in his convictions and grow leaps in faith. George must interpret his suffering with the hope that it offers benefits as opposed to unpleasant outcomes. While some Christians may view their suffering as punishment from God, it still indicates that He has great love for humanity and encourages people to live according to God’s purpose. George needs to know that even if he dies, he has the hope to resurrect with Christ and live again. These reasons can help him to assess his life and repent and believe that God has forgiven his sins and his suffering will end after death.