Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Mar/92

Contributor - Alfred C. Kwong

Title - The Charms of Abaddon

Topic - Euthanasia

Therefore the grave enlarges its appetite, and opens its mouth without limit, into it will descend their nobles and masses.. (Isaiah 5:14)

She traveled 2,000 miles, finally arriving at a secluded campsite on the last leg of her voyage in a rusty Volkswagen where a physician inserted a needle into her arm before she pressed a button to start the sedative flowing, followed by potassium chloride racing fatally into her heart.

She was a 54-year-old woman, who, as reported by the tabloids that followed her fate had enjoyed one last romantic weekend with her husband, before she started her journey into the valley of death. She was an Oregon grandmother who, after having been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, chose to die in decided dignity which she had considered as her natural right.

... The elders and prominent men are the head, the prophets who teach lies are the tail. Those who guide this people mislead them, and those who are guided are led astray. (Isaiah 9.15,16)

The physician was a pathologist who had designed a machine that would "knock the medical profession into accepting its responsibilities," (claimed in Newsweek to be his direct quote) that is, to comply with the wishes of patients to end their worldly existence. The machine was a three-part suicide apparatus. I do not know what name the inventor had given this machine, but to me it should be called "euthanasia cum laude", the latest in "designer living", the subject of talk show circuits and the likely merchandise to be peddled in a society that is becoming more preoccupied with the "dignity" of death than the "ignobility" of life.

For her, I wept. For her, I prayed.

For the physician who assisted in her suicide, I am outraged. But, even for him prayed.

I have read of the Hemlock Society and other societies of citizens for "Death with Dignity." Even with my scanty knowledge of medical sciences (my only association with the field is a dentist brother-in-law who constantly reminds me of my lack of knowledge), I know the severe consequences of certain diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, cancer or AIDS.

I am also aware of the ever-present argument that we must be concerned primarily with the quality of life - the philosophy embraced by those who champion abortion clinics and mercy-killing (euthanasia), and by those who believe that the inalienable right of every man to life, liberty, ("and the pursuit of happiness") should also be extended to an inalienable (and therefore, natural) right for every man to death (or to choose to die with "dignity").

But I am also a Christian. I am also a believer that life, as it is, is a gift from God. And that more than quality, we must be concerned with equality of life.

There are those who believe that people in quiet desperation often seek death, but that their conscious words do not necessarily reflect their innermost anxieties, and that when they call for death, they are calling for help above all that underneath the verbalized plea is a subtle message to be saved, to be cared for, and to be given courage. And it is often the message that is not spoken that we fail to sense.

For every reason given for the side of Death, there is another reason to be given for the side of Life. ("Have you not read what God said to you, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' He is not the God of the dead but of the living." Mt. 23:32)

In order to properly react to the cries of those who crave the bosoms of suicide, we must understand the underlying reasons. Those who are actively engaged in counselling and psychiatry offer the following beliefs held by those who want suicide as a solution:

1.) The person who becomes a burden to society - in particular, to his friends and family. With the onset of an often incurable disease, the despaired believes that the world would be better off without him. In many cases, medical cost is an element to be considered.

2.) The disease will become painful and unbearable. Cancer, for example, can linger on until the person is reduced to nothing except skin and bones. In addition, the therapy used, which generally treats the symptoms, has bad side effects.

3.) There is almost always an attendant feeling of loneliness since the sufferer feels he alone can measure the extent of his own pain.

4.) The person faces many fears such as the loss of physical appeal, loss of mental intellect, and the notion that people around him will remember him more in illness than in health.

The question is: are the reasons cited insurmountable? As Christians who professed to have compassion and love, can we offer them our prayers and our actions? For it will not be words that will pull them from the charms of Abaddon - it will be with our sweat and our sincere desire, and our strong conviction that love "always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres" (I Cor. 13:7) and that we carry with us "the fragrance of life" (2 Cor. 2:16) for those who wish to be saved. For the sake of these in despair, we must be trained and prepared.

Missions have been launched to save those in the third world who are suffering form the effects of poverty. And yet, there is another kind of poverty that must concern us. It is not a poverty of material things, but a poverty of the spirit: poverty of courage, poverty of self-image, the concern with pride and vanity. But to launch a mission into this landscape of spirit: poverty, we must be prepared - we must be trained for a different level of love and care. Agape has never been more difficult than when it faces a person who wishes to end his life.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. (2 Cor. 4:8,9)

Visitation members from the Christian churches must be able to read the messages behind the suicide plea and must consider setting up seminars and workshops to deal with the perplexity" and weapons used by Abaddon.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize. Run in such a way as to get the prize. Even one who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get the crown that will not last. We do it to get a crown that will last forever.. (I Cor. 9.24,25) ... So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Cor. 4:18)

Please click the "Back" button of your browser to return to previous page.