Question:  Dear Greg,

            Most religions are against euthanasia, yet the reasons given are not very convincing.  A person on death row gets it paid for by the government, and yet a greatly suffering person is legally denied this.  How do you feel about this matter?  Thanks for your help.

            Joe

Answer:  Dear Joe,

            For Christians, the discussion of euthanasia, now legal in Holland, centers on what the Bible means by murder.  Murder, not killing, is prohibited by both Old and New Testaments—both old and new covenants.

            What happens in a penal system—capital punishment, as well as in warfare (at least as defined as a just war by Christians—another discussion) is killing, which is not the same as murder.

            Killing is the taking of life within law, not outside of law.  Murder is the taking of life—animal or human, outside of civil and natural law that God ordains (see Romans 13 for a discussion of this).  Christianity has traditionally defined a mercy killing as murder, just as most Christians would define abortion (though not all Christians agree about what constitutes murder in abortion cases and what does not).

            Christians generally feel that God alone has the power to give and take life—although our technology has admittedly blurred the lines, such as life support, etc.  It’s a big discussion, and while there may not be as many dogmatic answers as some Christians assert, the Bible provides a basis and foundation for the Christian view.

            In Christ,

            Greg Albrecht