How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
We live in a fallen world where people have continued to do things that are central to teachings in the bible. The bible teaches that God can punish his people for their deeds in the world. The people are continuing to commit sins in the world, contrary to the teachings in the bible. The bible teaches Christians should always do according to God’s will. George needs to interpret his suffering as caused by his sins in the world. Jesus died so that Christians can have eternal life and have their sins forgiven. However, Christians have continued to commit sins in the onset of digitalization. George needs to repent to God and pray for forgiveness from God to ensure that the suffering comes to an end. God has the ability to make miracles, and he can be healed irrespective of the many obstacles that might be facing the people.
George can also interpret his suffering as caused by the sins that are committed by people who are close to him, and God wants to prove his existence through him. God uses various signs to communicate a sign to his people. God can use pandemics, such as the current Covid-19, to prove his power over the world. George needs to tell his people to repent and pray for forgiveness of their sins for God to commit healing to him through miracles. The suffering is to strengthen his and other people’s spiritual Faith in God. He only needs to turn into ways that are in accordance with the teaching of the bible and apologize to all people he may have wrong to his freedom delivered.
How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
Christians believe that God created everything that exists in the world, and Jesus Christ came to the earth to show that human beings resemble God. Jesus suffered before his death and persevered to suffer because he knew there was life after death. George needs to interpret his suffering as a disease as a test of his faith in God. Christian believes that God is the controller of all things in the world and our protector. The bible says that diseases are just temptations that are supposed to test on their faith. George needs to view his ailment from a point that it is just a test of faith, and He will provide healing. Jesus was tested by Satan three times to tests his faith in God, who is the creator. George should be encouraged to move on and face the disease with courage and optimism that he will recover and move on with his normal life. God always have plans to make his people prosper and do not intend to harm human beings. Christians believes that God knows the future of every human being before they were formed in their mother’s womb and hence need to push on believing that the temptations are only short-lived.
George need to pray for healing from God because from the Christian narrative, God is all knowing and is able to make decisions that are effective at all times. God is all able and knows all problems of his people and is capable of solving the problems at all times. Irrespective of the beliefs in the hospital that his diseases is not curable and will eventually lead to his immobility. George need to believe in miracles that God is able to perform and can cure him and the disease disappear completely. It is important to continue praying and not to panic because God is the creator and has the ability to heal even where it is believed that it is difficult for human beings. His suffering is only a test of faith in God and it is important to remain focused to Christianity.
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?
George need to view his life as a person as a very valuable creation. Christians believes that they were create by God in his own likeness and should always value their life. Human being was created by God and diseases and sicknesses are only things that come and pass. In Christianity God protects his creations and he is omnipresent. God is the one who add value to human beings and it is always important to keep our lives holy in accordance go the will of God. George need to view the diseases as just a physical change in the physical body but his life is very valuable and God has good plan for his life. There is a need to be patient to God and see what God has planned for his life. The value of human life is added in accordance to the ability to believe in God at all times. George need to dedicate his life to God and live to praise him at all times of their lives. George need to continue valuing himself and not affected by the occurrence of the disease. The disease will only be meant to make his life more valuable to God depending on how he will commit himself to serving the Lord during the hard times. He need to even increase his spiritual faith in God to gain more value.
What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on in deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?
George need to consider various values and considerations form a Christian perspective before making the decision regarding euthanasia. The first consideration is the ten commandments of God. In the commandments, there is a commandment that states “You shall not kill.” Euthanasia is a form of killing and carrying out the action will result to killing. Opting for euthanasia will lead to violating the commandment hence leading to sin. The second consideration is the value that life is a gift from God. Life is given by God and only God who has the permission to take the life. Human being are not allowed to take their life and should always respect the lives that are given by the creator.
The other consideration is that human beings are not allowed to make judgment on others. The bible outlines that God has the right to judge what happens to human life and not fellow human beings. Human beings are supposed to value the dignity that is associated with human life and always respect it at all times. Euthanasia is a form of judging the value of human life based on the health condition which is completely irrelevant. Human life is always very valuable irrespective of the health condition. Arguments based on the value of human life should be completely irrelevant and should not be considered. Lastly, the other important value is that birth and death are both spiritual stages in Christian worldview. Terminating a life will lead to inflicting spiritual stage in life. It is wrong to interfere in a spiritual process. Death should be allowed to occur naturally and not catalyzed by anything. Human beings should even be very active in prolonging the valuable human life.
Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?
Christians believes in the value for human life. Based on the argument that George should not opt for euthanasia, there are options that would be morally justified. One of the option is for George to continue with the medication as he awaits God healing. In Christianity, doctors treats but God is the one who heals. The healing is delivered by God and it would be important for George to focus his hopes for healing that come from Christ. If the disease goes to the critical condition, George has the option of signing the “DNR” code in the hospital to direct doctors to allow him to breath th natural air when he is in the critical condition. Do not rescusinate is a directive in hospital that allows people to be put in life support machine when in critical condition to help them breath through machines. DNR can be argued to amount to adding value to human life which is not allowed in Christianity. It also amounts to interference of the spiritual process of death. Human death should be natural,
The other option for George is to keep on praying and fail to take medication and wait upon God healing. George can argue that healing is delivered by God and not nurses. Waiting upon God healing is an indication of a high spiritual faith in God. Life is given by God and he has the purpose for our lives and hence there is a need to ensure that the human body live sacred. George can decide to wait upon God healing and die a spiritual death is the disease persist.
Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?
If I was in George’s situation, I would decide to wait upon God healing. I would coordinate with the doctors to ensure that all the possible treatments have been done in the early stages of the disease to attempt and kill the cells before the diseases reach a critical stage. I would also continue to repent for the sins that might have led to the disease to eliminate all the possibilities of the fallenness of the world in the cause of the disease. I would also call the church to make sacrifices to God to cleanse all the possibility of the cause of the disease as the sins for the ancestors that might not be known. I would ensure living a holy life up to when God decides to terminate life. I would not allow for euthanasia at all cost to ensure that I do not violate Gods commandments. Suffering is part of life and it is important to live in accordance to the bible.