Time for truth

Way back on September 29, 2009, I first introduced Dove Mountaineers to an important resource called "Truthorfiction.com". Rather than repeat the detailed explanation I gave then, you could just read it for yourself here.

In yesterday's Manhattan Declaration Sunday School class, a discussion came up about euthanasia, and I interposed that I had read an e mail which alleges several governmental actions that would legitimate and enforce (if not force!) euthanasia are embedded in the text of the current Health Care bill. I offered to post that e mail here on the blog for all who are interested.

This morning I remembered to take my own advice, and before posting said e mail, I checked it out on Truthorfiction.com. Like many such e mails, it turned out to be composed of snippets of older e mails (although it purports to convey a very recent letter). The point by point analysis of the items it alleges against the Health Care bill are a mixture of truth and fiction. Rather than send the original e mail (as I had offered to do), it would be more instructive for you to read the breakdown straight from Truth or Fiction here.

I appreciate the zeal with which the folks at Truth or Fiction attempt to authenticate every detail of every e mail. As you can see from the link posted above, many specific proposals in the Health Care bill have not yet been fully researched by the Truth or Fiction staff. However, there is enough truth to rouse the concerns of those who take the Manhattan Declaration seriously.

For one thing, the euphemism (remember Pastor Allen talked about this term in his sermon yesterday?) "end-of-life" is introduced, to cover not only natural death, but "advance planning," as well. There is no doubt, especially in light of the economy and the potential shortfall in Social Security when my generation (Baby Boom) crosses the 65 mark (just two years away), that enormous pressure will be exerted on terminating lives which are not deemed to be "of quality."

We didn't get to the point of discussing any potential solutions to the problem of public acceptance of euthanasia in our class yesterday, but I would like to offer a few here.

One thing we did agree on is that the will and intent of the patient himself or herself should be paramount (as Mike Jones brought up). For those of us who agree with the Manhattan Declaration, we would add "short of intentional suicide." Secondly, we acknowledged the primary role of the immediate family, not just in making decisions like "pulling the plug," but in being involved in the final stages of care. One area we didn't go into, however, is the role of the church.

When we look back a few generations, we can see a time when every little church (this is primarily true in the East, where I grew up) had its own graveyard out back. A relatively new church I know of back in Tennessee recently took adavantage of a law that is still on the books allowing for this, and set aside a hillside in back of the church just for this purpose. The dedication of this plot was just in time for a young couple, friends of mine, to bury their stillborn infant there. It was a comfort to them that this peaceful garden exists right behind the place where they worship.

Implicit in the presence of these cemeteries was the primacy of the church in matters of life and death. Christians regarded marrying and burying, not to mention christening and/or baptism, as essentially spiritual events, outside of the interests and purview of government. But today's mobile population, consumer based church-hopping, and strip mall church facililites have not fostered a strong sense of community which would see us nurtured cradle to grave by a consistent and caring Christian congregation.

If we were to reclaim this territory for the church, then it would also make sense for the church family to come alongside the family who is losing a loved one, to help bear the details and burdens of those last days and weeks. Not doubt this is still happening in many healthy congregations, but I hope we can pass on this expectation to the generation coming after us, who have more likely been made to expect government and secular agencies to be resources during this time. If that is the case, then shame on us (the church)! I especially pray that here at Dove Mountain we can build the bonds that would make us want to be just that much invested in each other's lives and welfare.