Case Study on Death and Dying

Case Study on Death and Dying
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Case Study on Death and Dying
Different people use different approaches to deal with difficult situations in life. Through the Christian worldview, many people have been able to make meaning of their suffering and, as a result, have been able to cope with difficult situations. This paper discusses suffering and ethical decision-making from a Christian worldview aspect.
Suffering and the Fallenness of the World
As a Christian, George would interpret his suffering as a consequence of sin and the world's fallenness. According to Hall, Shannonhouse, Aten, McMartin, and Silverman (2018), Christians do not view suffering as a reality of the world. Instead, they consider suffering as an altered reality of the world caused by sin. In this case, sin is not necessarily an individual sin but the original sin committed by the first human creation. As such, suffering is attributed to the original sin, allowing Christians to cope with suffering.
Further, even though George is suffering and will continue to suffer as his disease progresses, he would not interpret his suffering negatively from a Christian perspective. As revealed by Hall et al. (2018), Christians view suffering as an opportunity to be saved and rescued by God. George would therefore see his suffering as an opportunity to be saved, not only from the original sin but also from the world's fallenness. He would see his suffering as an opportunity to receive God’s grace and love.
However, it is worth mentioning that if George believes that he has led a good Christian life, he would question God and His powerfulness and beg Him to alleviate his suffering. As revealed by Hall et al. (2018), this feeling is normal amongst Christians because even Jesus Christ, who died to save the world from its fallenness, begged God to alleviate his suffering. George would use his suffering to relate with Jesus and glorify God (Hall et al., 2018). What is most important about the interpretation of suffering in Christianity is that it is always associated with God's will. According to Anderson (2017), Christians believe that when a person fails to follow God's will, they experience suffering. As such, it is through suffering that Christians learn to accept and follow the will of God (Hall et al., 2018). George would therefore interpret his suffering as the will of God, accept it and endure through it.
Suffering and the Hope of Resurrection
As a Christian, George’s interpretation of suffering would also be influenced by the hope of resurrection. The hope of the resurrection is based on the afterlife belief, which helps Christians deal with suffering and imminent death. McTavish (2016) indicates that the hope of resurrection, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is essential in the interpretation of suffering because although resurrection does not alleviate suffering, it allows Christians to make meaning from suffering based on the promise of salvation. George would interpret his suffering as a stepping stone to salvation and eternal life, free of further suffering.
As mentioned earlier, Christians interpret suffering to relate to Jesus and his suffering at the cross (Hall et al., 2018). As such, suffe...