Today, the title on my thumbnail picture reads, “Choose life – not assisted dying”! Underneath my title it reads, “I choose happiness, success and abundance in my life”, which is very much a biblical principle. You can see my previous blog post here.
Recently I was sorry to read about Esther Rantzen’s stage 4 cancer, I must admit I didn’t realise that she was 83 years old! Sadly, she has decided to join Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland. I find it very sad that someone wants to end their life in that way. I appreciate that people may not want to suffer, but it’s certainly not the way to end your life. It’s like a type of assisted suicide which is not what we were created for.
Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. According to the BBC, while there is the most specific offence of assisted suicide in Scotland, euthanasia is illegal and can be prosecuted as murder or manslaughter.
Some people like the idea of assisted dying, but for most of us, it seems like a terrible way to go. Thankfully, if you are a Christian, we have the hope of eternal life and we know that this is not the end. I’m glad that Jesus came to give life abundantly; it was the thief who came to steal! You can seem a video below.
Transcript From YouTube
The title on my thumbnail today reads “Choose Life and Not Assisted Dying,” underneath it, it says, “I choose happiness, success, and abundance in my life,” which is also a biblical principle.
Assisted Dying
Recently I was reading an article from the BBC which said Esther Rantzen said she’s joined an assisted dying clinic, and sadly, she’s got cancer. Here it says, “Broadcaster Esther Rantzen says she has joined a Dignitas assisted dying clinic in Switzerland.” The 83-year-old told the BBC she’s currently undergoing a miracle treatment for stage four lung cancer. “If it does not work, I might buzz off to Zurich where assisted dying is legal,” she told Radio Four’s Today’s podcast, which is very sad. I mean, 83 years old isn’t a bad age, but the fact is, from a Christian point of view, and even from a worldly point of view, I believe we are created to do life. It’s very sad that someone’s ended up with cancer. I don’t know the full story, but the fact is that Jesus came to bring life, and I believe we should die naturally and there is also a huge potential that Jesus can heal us.
Jesus Came To Heal
Obviously, if you’re not a Christian and you don’t know about healing, then that may be difficult, but I believe that is the right way to go. And if you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, maybe someone’s in pain, but if they can get full of the spirit, that can change your feelings and focus on the right rather than the wrong things.
Is it legal?
I look at this; unfortunately, people like the BBC and newspapers like The Guardian would probably be for this type of thing. But to me, this just seems very wrong, and it’s certainly not the Christian way. Where does it go if it becomes law? It’s not law in this country; in some countries, it is. Down here somewhere, I think it said euthanasia, the act of intentionally ending life to relieve suffering, is legal in Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, which I must admit I didn’t know. Then it says helping another person to kill themselves, assisted suicide, is permitted in Switzerland, while some form of assisted dying for terminally ill adults is legal in a number of states, including Washington, California, and Oregon.
So, it is legal somewhere, but what happens, for example, if it is legalized here in the UK? And then people like these, this is the web address Dignity in Dying, but it’s talking about this Dignitas in Switzerland. And it says every eight days, a Briton travels to Dignitas for help to die. The absence of an assisted dying law forces dying people to take drastic measures to control their death, which seems quite chilling! To think that people want to do this rather than just die naturally. I understand that some people are in pain, but as I said earlier, I believe that Jesus can help and potentially heal them. Or if you’re full of the Holy Spirit, you’re just not going to feel that pain because you’re going to have your eyes fixed on Jesus, when this happens, things change.
Let’s Take A Look At Some Scripture
So, just wanted to have a look at a little bit of scripture. In John 10:10, it says, “A thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.” They’re just going back to Esther Rantzen. She wasn’t someone I particularly followed, but she ran a show in the ’80s and ’90s, I think, called That’s Life, which apparently ran for 21 years. I don’t think I saw a single episode; it wasn’t really my sort of thing. But I believe she has a few charities and what have you, but the sad part is that when you don’t know Jesus, and you want to have an assisted death, to me, that just seems very sad indeed.
So, let’s have a look at some more scripture. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which reads, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Quite powerful words, that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and we’re created in the image of God. And here at Ecclesiastes 7:17, it says, “Do not be overly wicked, do not be foolish; why should you die before your time?” To me, that seems another example of why we shouldn’t have assisted death.
And then the final scripture is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, and it reads, talking about the Thorn In the Flesh, “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Choose Life Not Death
We’re fortunate that the Christian life offers so much. We may be suffering in something, but our hope is in Jesus, not in the world. And by what this lady says, it looks like she has no hope. If this doesn’t work, she may be going off to Switzerland for a sad death, and it wasn’t the plan, not God’s plan to live like that or to die like that. So it’s important that we give people our hope, and I pray that this lady comes to the knowing of the truth and Jesus can set her free. I appreciate she is a good age in stage four cancer, but all things are possible for those who believe. And for the Christian, we never give up hope.
Comments Are Welcome
So, if you got any comments on this, please feel free to comment. And maybe you’re watching this, and you’re not a Christian. Well, I’ve have a prayer up here, and I’ve been a Christian for around 26 years. I used to ridicule the Bible, but then I saw the light and I was set free by Amazing Grace. I was blind, but now I see clearly. If you’d like to say this prayer after me, it means the Spirit of God can move in, and you can be transformed and have the gift of eternal life. So, we will never die; yes, we leave this Earth, but we will be given the gift of eternal life, which is amazing.
So, the prayer reads, “Dear Lord Jesus, I acknowledge You as the Lord and Savior of my life. I repent of all my sins, and I ask You today to take over complete control of every aspect of my life. Amen.” And if you said that prayer and you meant it, it does mean you’ve been born again, and you’ve been given the gift of eternal life and much more. As Christians, it’s important that we read the word, and I’m reading here from the Bible Gateway. You can find many other applications and web pages, but this is my preferred. But there are many ways we can find out more about the word, and it’s important to read something every day and get informed on everything in the Bible and all the truth that it represents.
It’s also good to join a church, and a small group is also another good thing to do. When we’re in small groups, we can grow quicker, but just make sure you’re in a sound church, a solid church that preaches the full Gospel. There are so many weak churches out there, but you want a church that preaches the full biblical gospel, with nothing taken out, nothing added, just the truth that sets you free. If you got any questions on this, please feel free to comment, and I’ll try and get back to you.
Thanks very much for watching.