End of Life Decisions and the Christian Worldview

Case Study on Death and Dying
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Abstract
Christianity worldviews play a significant role in influencing end of life decisions, particularly those inclined to alleviate suffering and where an individual faith is challenged. By comprehending Christian viewpoints concerning suffering and agony, patients and healthcare professionals could, therefore, be empowered to make decisions when faced with life-threatening illnesses and thus make the appropriate choices, particularly concerning physician-assisted death or euthanasia.
Case Study on Death and Dying
Introduction
Despite end-of-life decisions constituting an increasingly bitter and challenging aspect of life, they are life’s realities. The subject of death typically triggers deep-rooted philosophical and religious questions. Euthanasia constitutes a controversial topic within bioethics. Christianity worldviews perceive death and other aspects, including euthanasia and end-of-life decisions, differently. This report evaluates George’s case scenario after he was clinically diagnosed with a degenerative health condition [amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)], where he would eventually lose his capacity to move, ingest, speak, and breathe, and thus ultimately die. In this vein, this report more specifically analyzes George’s possible demise and bioethics incorporated within euthanasia according to the Christian viewpoint.
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, emphasising the fallenness of the world?
In Christianity, the word’s fallenness and suffering occur simultaneously. Physicians, their patients, and every individual are forced to experience the meaning of suffering at a certain time or the other. Pope Saint John Paul II indicated that suffering constitutes an “almost inseparable aspect of human’s earthly existence” (McTavish, 2016). From the Christian faith viewpoint, we can postulate that suffering never existed within the original state in the Garden of Eden. Suffering emerged within Adam and Eve sinning and thus the fall. The Catechism delineates that “due to original sin, humans were weakened within its influence, subjected to suffering ignorance, and death domination, and thus are inclined or concupiscence to sin (McTavish, 2016). Therefore, human suffering emanates from the original sin that led to God’s curse and subsequent life hardships from that era.
That said, George could associate his suffering with the original sin at the Garden of Eden, where God declared suffering on Adam and his descendants. As humans, we are inclined to sin, thus falling short of God’s will and grace. This resonates with George’s care scenario. He could rationalize his suffering to human being’s sinful nature. George’s sickness and suffering communicate that he is powerless and limited due to the original sin. The original humans turned away from God’s commandment, thus invoking His wrath, and thus suffering emerged (McTavish, 2016). Therefore, George should console his soul based on the Christian viewpoint that every person has fallen short of God’s grace and will, thus sinned, and thus should suffer.
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