Article September 1, 2013

Healing instead of suicide

Originally published in the June 26, 1996 issue of The Christian Science Monitor

It is not unusual to discover that evil sometimes comes disguised as kindness. Think of the ﬁsh that comes across a worm wriggling in the water, unaware of the lethal hook hidden inside. If the ﬁsh is desperate for food, is it cruel to push it away from that hooked worm?

Recent debates about euthanasia, or mercy killing, in the United States and Australia and some European countries, involve such hidden "hooks." People become extremely emotional over the issue, making calm and careful thought difﬁcult.

There is no denying that a great number of people suffer terribly from disease, and that they, along with family and friends, wish to be spared further or worse suffering. No one with a heart would argue over this. For those with no religious faith or spiritual experience, options look particularly limited. Even people of great faith may have no strong sense of or experience with the power of God to heal.

Send a comment to the editors