Suffering in Perseverance and Seeking God's Face while Keeping the Faith and Hope Alive
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.
Provide a 1,500-2,000-word ethical analysis while answering the following questions:
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
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?
What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?
Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?
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. 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.
George’s End-of-Life Decision
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Abstract
Making decisions on end-of-life is a sensitive and critical process. It directly involves the patient, the patient's close family members, and the healthcare providers. The case study explains George's ordeal following a degenerative disease diagnosis. The disease is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). George is considering going for voluntary euthanasia to escape pain and dependence. George's case is analyzed from a Christian worldview. The paper indicates that the Christian worldview does not stand in support of euthanasia. Life is considered a precious gift from God, and that all suffering is usually in the will of God. The paper suggests the importance of George bearing suffering in perseverance and seeking God's face while keeping his faith and hope alive. By doing so, he will receive peace and healing, according to the will of God.
Introduction
Death and life are sensitive because they explain the scariest and most challenging parts of life. However, they form the reality of life. From the case study, George is diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and is scared at the thought of losing his ability to move and speak. He enquires about voluntary euthanasia, showing interest in it. The essay will analyze the ethical stand in George's decision on euthanasia. It will help extrapolate how George would interpret the way he suffers based on the Christian narrative on the fallenness of the world and hope of resurrection. It will also inform how the Christian worldview would influence how he views his life as a human being. Considerations and values that the Christian worldview may emphasize when choosing whether or not to perform euthanasia will be included. Finally, the essay will look into an option that would be morally justified and a personal decision, assuming that the writer was in George's situation.
Fallenness of the World
Fallenness of the world and human suffering are common terms in Christianity. Fallenness began when Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden to look after the rest of God's creation. Adam and Eve were allowed to freely consume all fruits in the garden, apart from one specific tree. After the serpent deceived Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit, they were led out of the garden. The scenario depicts the start of the fallenness of the world since God distanced himself from them and punished each of them (Robinson, 2020). The fallenness of the world marked the beginning of human suffering. Both Adam and Eve were cursed by God, where Adam was to toil and labor hard for all his days, and Eve was to experience immense labor pain during childbirth (Robinson, 2020). Suffering for all people started then.
George can connect his illness and suffering to the belief that he is a sinner and sinning is the precursor of suffering. Human beings are prone to fall into sin over and over again because they are weak beings who rely on God's guidance and support to stand firm. In today's world, for one to escape sin, they must be deeply engraved in God's teachings and seek His presence religiously. Sin exposes all human beings to God's wrath, manifested in current-day suffering (Robinson, 2020). George can therefore understand that his grief may result from sin that began with the fallenness of the world. He should understand that seeking God's face and turning away from sin may soften God's heart and erase his suffering. Therefore, he should hold hope that God's mercy can save and cure him, only through faith, humility, and returning to God.
The hope of Resurrection
In the Christian narrative, God sent His only begotten son Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and rid of judgment from all humanity. Jesus Christ died for three days, and God raised Him from death to prove that He is God on earth, below, and above the earth. The act of raising Jesus from the dead showed that Christians could enjoy a new start, free from judgment and sin (Laird, 2021). George's suffering can be interpreted to be in the will of God, just like the death and resurrection of Jesus. God allows suffering on people to self-evaluate themselves and turn their faces back to God for redemption. The fact that Jesus conquered death and suffering means that Christians can overcome all trials and suffering by seeking the face of God and believing in His glorious power.
George can interpret his suffering to be a call back to God. Like Christ resurrected from the dead, he can also overcome illness and triumph over pain. The Resurrection of Christ showed the redeeming power of God against all odds. Through the hope of Resurrection, Christians believe that they can overcome all suffering through faith and repentance (Laird, 2021). George should therefore keep his hope alive, turn to God, and believe in God's healing power and love. Additionally, George should understand that suffering is God's will since He has power and owns possession over everything on earth. If it is in the will of God, then God can hear him and take it away from him. However, he must repent and have f...