Speaking Intelligently on Euthanasia
In a culture that increasingly seems to support euthanasia and assisted-suicide, do you struggle with speaking clearly and intelligently on the issue?
Our friends at the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview have released a short commentary that clearly sums up ways we can engage our friends and neighbors about the sanctity of human life.
“A great place to start: focus in on the definition of words, especially ‘dignity’ and ‘compassion.’ These words are used to great effect by pro-euthanasia forces, but they’ve been redefined. ‘Dignity’ went from meaning worthy of honor and being treated with respect to meaning little more than fully affirming one’s lifestyle choices.
“And, ‘compassion’? Well, that one’s been really debased. The word comes from the Latin for ‘to suffer with.’ The Greek New Testament word rendered ‘compassion’ meant to feel something in your guts. Both captured the intense and very personal quality of true compassion. . . .
“So this is what our neighbors must understand. Wherever physician-assisted suicide has reared its ugly head, ‘dignity’ is reduced to an economic calculation, not an inherent quality that we all share. And there’s nothing ‘compassionate’ about physician assisted suicide, either. Instead of suffering with someone, it merely insists they go away. Permanently.”
I strongly encourage you to listen to Stonestreet’s full commentary. You can check it out below or click here to hear it at BreakPoint.org.
[audio:http://bit.ly/1Vb5G9A|titles=Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide]
The semiannual 40 Days for Life prayer vigils kick off in Arkansas and elsewhere around the country this week.
