Please read the Fifth Commandment material in this link. Do you agree with it?moda0306 wrote: Mountaineer,
Well if you can find where God informs us of these end-of-life matters in terms of what he thinks, I'd love to read it. You seem to carry opinions of things and then when they get challenged, often defer to God, who oftentimes, even in Scripture, doesn't make it clear exactly what he wants from us when we get into the nitty-gritty details.
You made an overt claim that people who want certain end of life care are "gullible." You seem to have very specific feelings on the matter that it would seem you wouldn't have to defer to God, who hasn't really laid out his thoughts on "pulling the plug on Grandpa" in Scripture. If God hasn't spoken on a subject, even assuming we believe that the Bible is the 100% true Word of God, why defer to him? We can guess what he would want, but that's about it. We talk about our opinions all the time here... regarding all sorts of subjects... why when you get into a gray area do you shut down and say "why does it matter what I think... it only matters what God thinks?" That sounds humble and all, but it's a pretty useless statement unless God has a way (or had a way) of informing us what is right/wrong abot keeping people alive at the end of life. Someday medical technology might be able to keep human flesh alive FAR beyond its consciousness and health has died. I would hope that the religious folks out there wouldn't look upon discussions of the moral implications of this to be either something that 1) earns terms like "gullible" and earns accusations of a disrespect for life, or 2) upon further debate, simply gets side stepped by saying "why does my opinion even matter? Only God's matters."
Does that mean you have no opinion on the matter? If not, why call people "gullible?" If so, then why not share it with us and have it critiqued.
And as a practical matter, I absolutely DON'T, in most states, have the right to simply "arrange my legal affairs accordingly." I can't choose to end my life eary if I'm struck with cancer in many states. People simply don't have that option. In large part, this is due to religious folks that think life is so sacred as a matter of principle, that is in ALL cases morally reprehensible to let it go a little early.
So I really DO care what you think... cuz what YOU think aligns with those who vote yahoos into office that won't allow a change of policy towards end-of life decisions. And these yahoos, IMO, are "gullible" followers of organized religion... usually the one their parents picked for them... or in some cases (Barack Obama), the one they thought would help their political/economic career.
http://bookofconcord.org/lc-3-tencommandments.php
I belive in the separation of church and state. I believe in following the law of the state unless it conflicts with God's law. I beliive in changing the state's laws if you don't like them, but follow the law until it is changed. If you want to end your life, physician assisted, move to Oregon. Otherwise it is just a matter of convenience you are debating. So, why is it important what I "think" about end-of-life decisions? If it is legal, let the person do it, just like they are free to do all sorts of sinful things that are legal - you and I do them most every moment of every day. Or, let them blow their brains out with a gun, or slit their wrists with a knife. Those chicken hearted cowards just don't want to experience pain for their decisions and take the easy way out by having someone else do them in. Man up, I say; do it yourself. Why worry about it being legal, what are they going to do? Kill you because you broke a borked law? Why get hung up on killing yourself if you don't believe in God or following His desires? I really hate to break the news to you, but people are sinful from conception forward and do sinful, evil things; that is just the way it is. You are not going to eliminate evil from the world with laws written by man or by telling me or anyone else how to vote, even if you are "king for a day" and revise every last rule, regulation, or law to fit your personal worldview. All my opinion of course, maybe I'm wrong.
... Mountaineer