Week 4 Death and Dying.

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Week 4 Death and Dying.

 

Case Study on Death and Dying The practice of health care providers at all levels brings you into contact with people from a variety of faiths. This calls for knowledge and understanding of a diversity of faith expressions; for the purpose of this course, the focus will be on the Christian worldview. Based on \”Case Study: End of Life Decisions,\” the Christian worldview, and the worldview questions presented in the required topic study materials you will complete an ethical analysis of George\’s situation and his decision from the perspective of the Christian worldview.Week 4 Death and Dying. Provide a 1,500-2,000-word ethical analysis while answering the following questions:

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1.How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world? 2.How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection? 3.As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person? 4.What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia? 5.Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why? 6.Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George\’s situation? Remember to support your responses with the topic study materials. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.Week 4 Death and Dying. An abstract is required. This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance. Attachments PHI-413V-RS-T4CaseStudyEndOfLifeDecisions.docx

  1. How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?

As a Christian and in light of the fallennes of the world, George would interpret his suffering as a fulfilment of the word of God as presented in the Bible. The book of Genesis in the Bible presents the story of creation in which God created Adam and Eve to enjoy God’s creation. The Christian creation story notes that Adam and Eve were the progenitors of all humans. They were given the Garden of Eden where all their needs were catered two and they were intended to experience only good without any suffering. However, the two of them rebelled against God, acted contrary to the laid commandments, and were sent out of the garden as punishment. They were barred from setting foot into the garden and were further punished with suffering. As the progenitors of the human race, the punishments set upon Adam and Eve would extend to all their future generations, effectively all human beings (Genesis 1:31, NIV).Week 4 Death and Dying.

George is simply experiencing the punishment that God set for all humans, and should expect to experience pain, loss and death. Still, it is important to note that even in the midst of suffering, God offered some hope. The descent of Jesus Christ into the human world, his suffering and death on Golgotha, and resurrection three days later, are events that offer hope for Christians by presenting an opportunity for redemption. During his time on earth, Jesus Christ mentions that all human suffering, and every occurrence, is a fulfilment and manifestation of God’s word. Jesus Christ particularly talks about a blind man whose sight was restored in a miracle. In his sermon, Jesus Christ mentions that neither the blind man nor his parents sinned, but that the blindness was allowed by God in order to fulfil and manifest God’s word (John 9:2-3, NIV).Week 4 Death and Dying.

This truth does not diminish George’s suffering, but it helps in explaining why he is suffering so that he becomes more accepting and reacts in the appropriate manner. It helps George to understand that he is suffering because he lives in a fallen world. George’s suffering is something that God has okayed not because he did anything wrong, but because God had decreed that all the descendants of Adam and Eve would suffer while living on earth since they had fallen. In addition, George should understand that the way in which he reacts to the suffering will determine whether or not he would have been worthy of a place in paradise. As a Christian, the appropriate reaction for George would be to trust in God’s word as the correct guide for interpreting and responding to the suffering. Doing this would allow George to one day regain God’s favor and enjoy eternal life in paradise (Hutto, 2015).Week 4 Death and Dying.

  1. How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?

The Christian narrative indicates that all humans should expect to experience suffering while on earth, and that responding to the suffering as instructed by God in the Bible would enable them experience a life without suffering in paradise. In this case, Christianity presents paradise as a place in which all humans whom God judges as worthy will resurrect and experience a life of good without bad that God initially intended for humans (Adam, 2013).Week 4 Death and Dying. The link between resurrection and human suffering is clarified in the Bible, which indicates that life is transient and tomorrow (the future) is an unknown element for any human. This implies that humans can either experience joy or suffering and should be ready for any event (James 4:14, NIV). Jesus Christ specifically mentions that every human being on earth must experience suffering. This is perhaps an affirmation that even as the Son of God, Jesus would similarly experience suffering as other humans do (Mark 8:31, NIV). These perceptions are reinforced by Bible passages indicated that God’s name calls for all humans to experience some form of suffering. The nature of human life on earth is characterized by suffering in which humans struggle to survive, experience disease and hunger. However, the periods of suffering are interspaced with periods of joy and happiness (Acts 9:16, NIV).Week 4 Death and Dying.

The identity of being a Christian implies being ready to experience the suffering that Jesus Christ experienced while establishing his ministry. Christians must not only be ready to experience suffering, but they must also persevere in the suffering and make the right decisions as guided by the Bible even as they anticipate resurrection (Hessamfar, 2014).Week 4 Death and Dying. The Apostle Paul writes letters that continually reminded the Christian population that they must be ready to suffer even as Jesus Christ suffered. In addition, the Apostle Paul mentions that even as the suffering of Jesus Christ ended with his death and resurrection, so too should Christians expect that their suffering will end when they similarly die and resurrect (2nd Corinthians 4:7-18, NIV). For Christians, resurrection implies getting to paradise and being in an environment where there is no more suffering and death. This is an assurance offered in Revelation 21:4-5 (NIV) where it is mentioned that at the end, everything will be made anew with all the dead resurrecting and experiencing a new life without any suffering, pain or death. Taking this awareness into account, George should interpret his suffering as a transient life that must be endured.Week 4 Death and Dying. He must endure the suffering in order to be worthy of a life in paradise upon his death. George must not despair, and must understand that he has the hope of resurrection to enjoy eternal life, and this should be reason enough to accept the suffering. No matter how unbearable the current suffering might appear, George should trust in God’s word that the suffering is transient and makes him ready for a glorious future after resurrection (Weaver, 2013).Week 4 Death and Dying.

  1. As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person?

George is contemplating his life with ALS, and as he does so, he should realize that his life is gifted by God. He lives by the mercies and graces of God, and should consider his life as sacred with immeasurable value. God created Adam and Eve and blew air that allowed them to live. This implies that the air that every human breathes is the sacred air God blew into the lungs of Adam and Eve (Genesis 2:7, NIV). Even as God has given life, God retains the right and power to take life. This is seen in the Biblical story of Job where Job is blessed, but experiences suffering and pain while losing all that made his life happy.Week 4 Death and Dying. He is reduced to a shadow of his former self and is mocked by the people around him. He accepts the suffering and proclaims that God gave him everything and God can as well take everything. As a steward of the life given by God he does not blame God for his suffering (Job 34:14-15, NIV). Similarly, the value of George’s life is immeasurable as it is a gift from God. As such, he must guard and cherish this life (Genesis 1:26-27, NIV). The Bible further clarifies that all humans must highly value life as they will be held accountable by God and would be punished for devaluing life. The Ten Commandments of God are clear that no person should kill another person.Week 4 Death and Dying. This implies that all life should be valued highly above all other things (Exodus 20:13, NIV). In addition, Christians must understand that human life lost through careless actions, negligence and intentional killing will be subject to God’s punishment. There is an acknowledgement that the fallennes of humans allows for suffering and death while alive on earth. Given this awareness, George must value his life above the suffering, and should accept to live with the ALS even as he seeks treatment (Wannas, 2014).Week 4 Death and Dying.

  1. What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?

The question about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia is reliant on the value assigned to human life as well as how Christianity interprets intentional death. The fall of Adam and Eve creates the stage for human suffering as their sins and disobedience resulted in God decreeing that they (Adam and Eve) along with their descendants would experience suffering while living on earth. As a descendant of Adam and Eve like all other humans, George must be accepting of the suffering from his ALS and should not opt for euthanasia. While the action of euthanasia would allow George to escape the suffering, it would result in him sinning as he would be contravening the commandment against kill, would be devaluing human life, and would be subverting God’s decree that all humans must suffer while on earth (Keown, 2014).Week 4 Death and Dying. The Bible talks about euthanasia. King Saul suffering grievous injuries while fighting against the Philistine army. Fearing being captured and tortured, King Saul instructed one of his armor bearers to kill him. The individual refused to fulfil the king’s request. An Amalekite who was in the vicinity ended up killing King Saul and went to King David expecting a reward. David instead killed him (1st Samuel 31:3-5, NIV; 2nd Samuel 1:1-16, NIV). It is clear that regardless of the amount of suffering, George must continue with his life and not opt for euthanasia to escape the ALS.Week 4 Death and Dying.

  1. Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?

Based on the above discussion, George has no other option but to continue receiving medical treatment and care for the ALS. The suffering that George is experiencing is a fulfilment of God’s word that all humans (descendants of Adam and Eve) would experience suffering as punishment for the original sin. Besides that, God gave humans life and breathed air into their lungs. This implies that all human life is gifted by God and has some divinity. This implies that every life must be considered a part of God, and should be valued and respected as God would be valued and respected.Week 4 Death and Dying. In addition, life on earth is transient and intended as a test to determine the humans who are worthy of life in paradise after resurrection. George must follow God’s instructions in order to be worthy of life in paradise after resurrection. This includes not killing, accepting the suffering and engaging in acceptable actions to minimize the suffering. By accepting the suffering, George would act as a testament and good example for other Christians. Additionally, the Ten Commandments presented by God make it clear that killing is prohibited. This implies that George cannot engage in killing, and cannot accept euthanasia. Since he cannot accept euthanasia, then his only option is to live with the ALS and make the best of his life even as he seeks treatment to reduce the suffering (Meilaender, 2013). As a result, the morally justifiable option would involve George seeking treatment for the ALS, and refusing to consider euthanasia as an option.Week 4 Death and Dying.

  1. Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?

If I were in the same situation as George, then I would opt to continue seeking treatment for the ALS and accept the associated suffering, and not actively seek to end my life through euthanasia. As a Christian, the Christian worldview would guide my decisions. Firstly, I would accept that suffering is a reality of life that fulfil God’s word. While sending Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, God decreed that all humans would experience suffering while on earth. I must accept suffering in order to fulfil God’s word. Secondly, Jesus Christ accepted suffering and mentioned that all humans would experience suffering. The Apostle Paul similar mentioned that all humans would experience suffering. Similarly, I must be ready to experience suffering as this is part of life on earth. Accepting the suffering implies that I am worthy of the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for my life. Given these reasons, I would opt to continue receiving treatment for ALS, and refuse to consider euthanasia as an option.Week 4 Death and Dying.

George is a successful attorney in his mid-fifties. He is also a legal scholar, holding a teaching post at the local university law school in Oregon. George is also actively involved in his teenage son’s basketball league, coaching regularly for their team. Recently, George has experienced muscle weakness and unresponsive muscle coordination. He was forced to seek medical attention after he fell and injured his hip. After an examination at the local hospital following his fall, the attending physician suspected that George may be showing early symptoms for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The week following the initial examination, further testing revealed a positive diagnosis of ALS.Week 4 Death and Dying.

ALS is progressive and gradually causes motor neuron deterioration and muscle atrophy to the point of complete muscle control loss. There is currently no cure for ALS, and the median life expectancy is between 3and 4years, though it is not uncommon for some to live 10 or more years. The progressive muscle atrophy and deterioration of motor neurons leads to the loss of the ability to speak, move, eat, and breathe. However, sight, touch, hearing, taste, and smell are not affected. Patients will be wheelchair bound and eventually need permanent ventilator support to assist with breathing.Week 4 Death and Dying.

George and his family are devastated by the diagnosis. George knows that treatment options only attempt to slow down the degeneration, but the symptoms will eventually come. He will eventually be wheelchair bound and be unable to move, eat, speak, or even breathe on his own.

In contemplating his future life with ALS, George begins to dread the prospect of losing his mobility and even speech. He imagines his life in complete dependence upon others for basic everyday functions and perceives the possibility of eventually degenerating to the point at which he is a prisoner in his own body. Would he be willing to undergo such torture, such loss of his own dignity and power? George thus begins inquiring about the possibility of voluntary euthanasia.Week 4 Death and Dying.