The passing of a law by the Belgian parliament which allows the euthanasia of children at any age is a chilling moment. We are promised it will have many safeguards; we know from our own experience of the abortion law what they will be worth – nothing.
No one with any experience of seriously ill people is under any illusion about how intense the suffering can be, or of the temptation to end it all. But, thus far in the UK, if you manage to make to out of the womb, the government cannot end your life, or allow others so to do. This changes that situation. It does so, as did the change in the abortion laws, in the name of humanity: who would not want to help someone who was suffering? But nothing is more obvious than what begins with the best of motives becomes the norm, and safeguards go. We were told back in the 1960s that we did not have abortion on demand; now we have it. Abortion was supposed to be something which required a strong medical case, but has become something which happens when requested; this law will follow that well-worn path.
What it says about Western societies ought to worry us, as we are all human. At what point is it going to be the case that grandma can be given euthanasia because her quality of life isn’t very high? Who makes that judgment? No doubt such decisions will never be made on the basis that it would be handy to get grandma’s house on the market, because, of course, we are not like that. Except, of course, that is precisely what we are like – selfish, solipsistic and self-centred, others easily become bit part players in our psychodrama, with that unholy Trinity, me, myself and I as the star.
One of the better things Christianity does for us is to require us to treat others as we would want to be treated, it requires us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and it asks us to care for those less fortunate than we are, reminding us that we are all children of the living God. It calls us to a humility which is not natural. Like Adam, we want to be God, we want to make decisions over life and death, and we have become so clever we can do so; but cleverness is not the same as wisdom. Our capacities have long ago exceeded our wisdom, and the steps we take along roads untrodden lead to places we cannot know.
A staple of dystopian novels has become part of real Iife in Holland and Belgium. The medics can now help us to know who should live and who should die. How wise we think we are – and how foolish we are. There is a petition which people can sign, asking the Belgian King to refuse to sign the bill into law. I have signed it. It will be of no use. At best he will do what his uncle did and abdicate for a day or two before coming back. Against this Moloch it seems no one can stand. I do not expect that the UN, which is so concerned when children are mistreated by the Catholic Church, will utter a word when Belgium decides it is OK to kill them. I wonder what dehumanising word will be applied to such unfortunates?
All Along the Watchtower 
Safe, legal, and rare = Endlösung.
You know, when we speak of a culture of death, we are not speaking metaphorically. It really is a battle between life and death, and not just everlasting.
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That is so, Neo.
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The saddest possible commentary on our times, my friend.
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It is so sad to see compassion turn into an excuse for killing children.
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It is, indeed. That seems like an inadequate comment but what else is there to say, it is very nearly unspeakable, to literally destroy the future.
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Words fail, you are right, my friend.
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They really do.
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It is very hard to know what else can be said.
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One of the better things Christianity does for us is to require us to treat others as we would want to be treated, it requires us to love our neighbours as ourselves, and it asks us to care for those less fortunate than we are, reminding us that we are all children of the living God.
Yes. this is what christians do.
What do you call people who kill the parents, after torturing them, and sending the children onto the streets to beg for food, and if anyone feeds them, the inquisitors will do the same to them for aiding the children of heretics. Who are these people? Safe to say they arent christian.
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And your point, Bosco? The one Church standing against this legislation in Belgium is the Catholic Church. Here is an issue where children will die, and you make partisan points about the past. That is not what Christians do, either.
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Then neither of us are christians
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Or, as the Bible tells us, he who says he is without sin has not the truth in him.
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Children, treated like livestock. Destroyed to alleviate their pain. Appalling!
Of course, it was inevitable since we have seen euthanasia practiced on the old and terminally ill in isolated places. The state of Washington here in the US fully supports it. You are merely, widening the application of this ‘compassionate’ use of death. Seems we have a modern hemlock society.
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Like Caliban, our society seems unable to bear itself; there are times one knows how it feels.
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We do tend to think that we can come down off the cross and live our lives free of all suffering. We seem to think that we are more than gods; that Christ is lower than the modern man, though we struggle with sanity and depression continually.
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Yes, and we wonder why. How much of this is to do with an unwillingness to take the time it would need to actually care for someone in distress? Jessica has an interesting and challenging one up in a short while.
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I shall look for it, C.
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I proofed it earlier – a troubling real-life story.
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Well, I have read plenty of that sort in the news over the past decade or two: jaw dropping stories. Sounds like Jess has another for us.
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Not quite – but troubling all the same.
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It is not a problem, my friend.
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Belgium has signed its own death warrant.
The CC is still alive after swimming in the blood of innocents.
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Bosco, I take it you are more interested in past sins than stopping new ones?
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Apart from the odd nod we cannot expect any serious objections from the Anglicans, there too busy on more important matters
Anglican Church in Meltdown
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/2014/02/anglican-church-in-meltdown.html
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vigorously defending the rights of the innocents whatsoever,
They vigorously defend their costume holymen after they savage the innocents. We need an organization that will rid us of this blight on humanity. i cast my lots with the American Nazi Party.
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My friends and commrads, i have joined the American Nazi Party. Its the only way to save America and the world.
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Bosco, sounds like a marriage of like minds.
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America need tough actions. Not words.
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Most of us read this with disgust and contempt and horror as Christians. But when the taxes go up and med insurance rates go up for all to subsidize to care for this big chunk of young and old they’ll sing a different tune(hymn). Suddenly become pragmatic secularists.
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Or they will let in immigrants to look after us on the cheap until they can have us bumped off.
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With a new 55% death tax, it won’t take them long to decide to pull the plugs or hook us up to the Jack Kevorkian, Mortus ex Machina.
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That is about the sum of it, my friend.
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Indeed a handsome sum of money for the State. 🙂
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All hail the State!
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More money to pay for abortions and Obamaphones for the poor. A grand solution that works out well for the young and the elite.
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And we all go into the dark.
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One time when we ought not be so anxious to share in a moment of ‘togetherness.’
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I think so too 🙂
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The CC is now painting itself as a champion of human rights.
And then [Ed.: sometimes the priest, while attempting to molest a nun, will] kick you in the stomach. Many of the precious little girls [Ed.: i.e., young nuns] have babies under their hearts, and it doesn’t bother a priest to kick you in the stomach with a baby under your heart – he doesn’t mind – the baby is going to be killed anyway – because those babies are born in the convent. Why wouldn’t those babies be born, when you run places like these [Ed.: i.e., cloistered convents] under the cloak of ‘religion’ – the world thinks [Ed.: they are] religious orders. And there are babies born in there! …I’ve delivered those babies with these hands; and what I’ve seen with my eyes and done with my hands – I just challenge the whole world to say it isn’t true.
Ex-Carmelite nun; a.k.a. Charlotte Wells; above excerpts are from a taped presentation by Sister Charlotte)
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And, of course, people who have turned against something are a,ways the most reliable witnesses, Bosco, especially those who have broken solemn vows.
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Sister Charlotte shouldnt have broken her vows. She should have gone on and continued to be part of a murderous organization. She shouldnt outta have exposed the convents.
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You are assuming that someone who admits they are a liar is telling the truth.
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What are you saying commrad Chalcedon? Are you saying sister Charlotte admitted to lying? Her story is echoed all thru europe and america. I guess to be a good catholic one must believe nothing wrong can happen to millions of nuns thru out the history of nuns and priests. Pure and white to the last. If you can convince me of that, i will gladly join the catholic universal church.
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I am saying that if, as she claims, she is a former nun, she broke her vows on celibacy and then her other vows by leaving; that does not suggest a good record with being truthful. Her story, like many others, sounds formulaic – has she actually filed charges? No, I suspect not.
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When a priest forces himself on a nun, did she break her vow of celibacy?
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You are assuming that this happened Bosco. Of course, if it does, then the nun has not broken her vow. But you do not answer my question, Bosco, has she filed charges?
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