Euthanasia

[thecruiser]

This topic should not be brought up in the same area as religion. Religion has absolutely nothing to do with Euthanasia. However, even if religion was brought into this topic, involuntary Euthanasia is not like being "God". If "God" wanted this person dead in the first place, we went against his wishes by keeping the person alive on life support. Committing Euthanasia in this sense is like giving the power back to "God". Now, taking religion out of the equation, Euthanasia is "mercy killing". The person is either being taken off of life support because they are dead anyway without it, or they are in so much pain that they can consent to dying. I think Euthanasia should be totally legal in the right circumstances, because either way you are doing something right. It's not "murder", it's putting someone out of their misery, and if someone asks a medical practitioner to do that for them, they should be able to do that.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

This topic should not be brought up in the same area as religion. Religion has absolutely nothing to do with Euthanasia. However, even if religion was brought into this topic, involuntary Euthanasia is not like being "God".

Separating a topic like Euthanaisa from Religion is a hell of a lot harder than you are making it sound. In fact, separating religion from MOST of these topics is nearly impossible, which is one of the major reasons these topics are debatable. You are seeking separation of church and state, which does not exist in America as much as we'd like to think it does.

In a religionless vaccum, Euthanasia is a simple matter of Quality of Life with a few moral implications and the question of "sound mind and body." But it's naive to leave religion at the doorstep when it influences the decisions of so many people, lawmakes, and most of all voters in the US.

 

[X]

Again, it's nice and wonderful to think people should be able to end their pain, but it's simply a totally unrealistic and absolutely IMPOSSIBLE task to implement into our government. It's just never going to happen, and for good reason. Do you have any idea the literally MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS of malpractice suits that would arise overnight? I believe it was IC25 who brought this point up earlier, what doctor is ever going to want to perform a euthanasia knowing he could very easily be sued out of his job and wealth for doing it?

Is morality really such a religious thing? And I'm not talking about "don't have sex before you're married" and "Don't say curse words or gamble" kind of morality, I'm talking about the fact that every human being, regardless of religious sect, knows that murder and suicide are wrong (discounting sociopaths and psychotics of course). It's simply wrong. Just as you don't kill your neighbor or hunt an entire species to extinction, you don't agree to assisted suicide. It's just wrong. Not from a religious standpoint, from a common sense standpoint. It sucks that they have to go through pain, but really, that's too bad. That's how life worked out for them.

Life is NOT fair and just, and I hope you don't have any ideas otherwise. Go complain about the pain from cancer to someone tortured & murdered in the Holocaust. They'd probably envy you.

 

[thecruiser]

Separating a topic like Euthanaisa from Religion is a hell of a lot harder than you are making it sound. In fact, separating religion from MOST of these topics is nearly impossible, which is one of the major reasons these topics are debatable. You are seeking separation of church and state, which does not exist in America as much as we'd like to think it does.

In a religionless vaccum, Euthanasia is a simple matter of Quality of Life with a few moral implications and the question of "sound mind and body." But it's naive to leave religion at the doorstep when it influences the decisions of so many people, lawmakes, and most of all voters in the US.

Separating religion and these topics is not hard at all. While I agree with you that many decisions are based on religion, (which they legally shouldn't be), you have to remember that not everybody belongs to the same religion. I was baptized Catholic and go to a Catholic high school, but I don't believe in any "God" or the Bible. When discussing topics like Euthanasia or abortion, you have to leave religion on the doorstep, because then you aren't making your OWN decision. Applying your religious values to topics like these (for example, someone saying they don't believe in Euthanasia because it goes against "God's" word) is contributing someone else's opinion on the matter, when really they should be your personal opinions. Praying to "God" is cool and all, but you can't base your opinions on His "Devine Law".

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Separating religion and these topics is not hard at all. While I agree with you that many decisions are based on religion, (which they legally shouldn't be), you have to remember that not everybody belongs to the same religion. I was baptized Catholic and go to a Catholic high school, but I don't believe in any "God" or the Bible. When discussing topics like Euthanasia or abortion, you have to leave religion on the doorstep, because then you aren't making your OWN decision. Applying your religious values to topics like these (for example, someone saying they don't believe in Euthanasia because it goes against "God's" word) is contributing someone else's opinion on the matter, when really they should be your personal opinions. Praying to "God" is cool and all, but you can't base your opinions on His "Devine Law".

I actually really like your point of view, and I respect the way you are presenting it, but I cannot help but find some of the statements in this post a bit hypocritical.

When discussing topics like Euthanasia or abortion, you have to leave religion on the doorstep, because then you aren't making your OWN decision.

This I disagree with 100%. I am Episcopalian (Catholic-Light...tastes great, less guilt!) and I don't look at my faith as a list of rules by which to make my choices and decisions. My religion is my moral compass in tandem with what I have learned. It's not the end-all be-all of how I view the world the all of my decisions. I don't look at a simple choice and ask "What Would Jesus Do?" Lots of people use Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Tao, etc to GUIDE their actions and decisions rather than to make them for them.

Applying your religious values to topics like these (for example, someone saying they don't believe in Euthanasia because it goes against "God's" word) is contributing someone else's opinion on the matter, when really they should be your personal opinions.

How does somebody applying their religious views to a topic do anything truly different from somebody applying their agnostic or atheistic views to a topic? Here's where I feel there was hypocricy. Also, by this logic, your code of morality is void of ANY influence from the teachings of your teachers, parents, lawmakers, etc. You were born in a log cabin and left to form a philosophical code all by yourself. Honestly, what makes religious teachings and influence any different from non-religious teachings and influence, aside from how prominent and controversial organized religion is?

 

[thecruiser]

How does somebody applying their religious views to a topic do anything truly different from somebody applying their agnostic or atheistic views to a topic? Here's where I feel there was hypocricy. Also, by this logic, your code of morality is void of ANY influence from the teachings of your teachers, parents, lawmakers, etc. You were born in a log cabin and left to form a philosophical code all by yourself. Honestly, what makes religious teachings and influence any different from non-religious teachings and influence, aside from how prominent and controversial organized religion is?

Parents, teachers, and lawmakers views on things are different to religious views on things, based on my own personal experiences. My parents are pretty liberal in the decisions they make, and only few decisions they make are based on religious knowledge. I've had some pretty crazy catholic-freak teachers, but I knew not to listen to them when it came to this stuff because they made absolutely no sense to me. The only influence lawmakers have on me is to not get caught for breaking laws. Religious views, to me, are morals that some guy 2000-and-something years ago made up that are being forced on me today. I'm not into that. I make my own morals, with a little guidance from my parents, depending on which view of a topic they take. In my eyes, this is how everyone should decide on things, but I know religion will always trump all.