Andy Kennedy, Europe's attempt to define morality

Don't look now but I had to adjust my radio today and make sure I wasn't dreaming. The Duke Blue Devils have now lost 4 in a row for the first time in 11 years under coach Krzyzewski. And wait a second, the Ole Miss Rebels have won 3 in a row. I'm not going to hunt down the statistic, but I'm pretty sure it's the first time this has ever happened. Congrats to Coach Kennedy, I don't know how you have done it so far.

In the name of the “lesser of two evils”, Europe is sadly at it again. Not too long ago, European countries passed laws making assisted suicide of the terminally ill legal. The rationale is as follows. Terminally ill men and women are going to endure suffering and eventually die. Would it not be ethical to allow the soon to be suffering human to die “peacefully” before the excruciating suffering begins? It sounds like a humane proposal.

Last week, the Swiss have proposed a law to further extend assisted suicide “relief” to the mentally ill. The argument is as follows: If it is good to assist in the killing a person with a terminally ill disease, then should it not also extend to the mentally ill that suffer. Why can the government tell a physically suffering person they can die peacefully, but a suffering mentally ill patient he cannot? Again, given the first law, the second law seems reasonable.

However, both these laws, though appearing reasonable, are terribly wrong. They assume and encourage the erroneous thinking that man can define what is good and therefore appropriate behavior. Surely it’s better to allow someone to kill himself peacefully than to eventually die a horribly suffering death. NO! It’s God and His Word that defines what is right and good. Only God has the right to give life and take life away. As Job says after terrible suffering, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” God loves life and is the creator of it (Gen. 1:27, Psalm 139:13), and only he can take it away.

Freedom is the new untouchable of our society. Woe to anyone who dares to infringe one someone’s rights. But again, what is freedom? The Bible clearly assumes that only in following the law of God do we experience freedom (Gal. 5:1, I Peter. 2:16, John 8:32). Government, individuals, and especially Christians are not to pursue a society that gives people the “freedom” to do wrong.”

It’s no surprise that abortion has led to assisted suicide of the terminally ill and then further to the possible assisted suicide of the mentally ill. When society, instead of God’s Word, begins to define what is good and lawful, the consequences are seemingly limitless. The European laws have deemed individuals as the ultimate barometer of truth and ethics. When government allows sinful individuals to believe the lie that “good” is in the eye of the beholder, then individuals apart from the grace of God will act selfishly and sinfully. Romans 13:3-4. and I Peter 2:13-14 states that a government’s duty is to reward what is good and punish what is evil. As Eric Liddell “God made countries and God made Kings” God has placed rulers in power, and their job is to uphold the law of God thereby punishing what is contrary to it. God’s law clearly states we never have the right to kill. Killing, even in the name of a greater good, is never right.

To think what might be the next step is appalling. If the assisted suicide law extends to the mentally ill, what’s to stop it from eventually extending to the extremely depressed? If someone is so depressed that he desires to end his life peacefully, who are we to step in and stop him? What’s to stop the law to extending to paraplegics who no longer want to live in a wheelchair? We need to beg God for mercy for the sins of our own country involving abortion, pray for renewed hearts, and turn back to the Word of God. Matt. 4:4.