Have you ever reflected on the Holocaust of WWII and wondered how a country of people, not much different than you and I, ever become involved in the extermination of millions of Jews. Part of the answer lies in the fact that people are often bystanders. Writer Paul Hilberg tells us,
… Read the restMany people . . . saw or heard something of the event. Those of them who lived in Adolf Hitler’s Europe would have described themselves, with few exceptions, as bystanders.
I am compelled to comment on my recent blog posting, Assisted Death – Conscience Rights, Bystanders & Responsibility.
In this post, I began by suggesting there was a similarity between the Holocaust of WWII, the killing of unborn by abortion, and now the killing of sick and suffering. I also quoted Martin Luther as an example of following one’s conscience, in spite of great risk of personal harm.[1] Although, I think Martin Luther’s stand against the organized church of his day had merit, I think my choice of examples was poor.… Read the rest
Yesterday the Canadian government introduced legislation to legalize doctor assisted suicide. One commentary said, “if passed, this would allow some Canadians to kill others, with support of the state.” Christians are saying we may not cross this sacred line, for human life may not be violated. How alarmed or upset should we be about this development? Are we really crossing a sacred line?
I take it this will be the first time that federal law will support some Canadians killing others, where the Bible instructs them not to kill.… Read the rest
Why do I talk about personhood? Personhood has come to be part of the discussion of organ donation, abortion, and euthanasia. Why?
A basic definition of personhood is the state of being a person. This is important because we place special value, along with moral and legal rights and responsibilities, upon persons. So, when we want to attribute rights and responsibilities to certain people, or we want to take rights and responsibilities away from certain people, we can, in our arguments, attempt to show it is right to do so by attributing, or by not attributing, personhood to them.… Read the rest