To fully understand this view we must consider what Christians believe the purpose of life is. As the following diagram shows, Christians believe that life is a test to determine whether a person’s soul goes to Heaven or Hell when they die.
Some Christians agree with passive euthanasia as they see it as simply allowing a person who has completed god’s test to go to Heaven.
Many Christians interpretations of The sixth Commandment- ‘Thou shalt not kill’, found in Exodus chapter 20 of the Bible, are that it is saying euthanasia is wrong. The Christian church has traditionally taught that suicide is a sin that will cause the person to be sent to Hell and they see voluntary euthanasia as suicide. They see active euthanasia is murder and therefore the doctor is guilty.
However, Christians have different opinions about passive euthanasia. Some say it is acceptable, as it is letting nature take its course, in the natural way God intended. However, other Christians argue that God gave doctors the ability to prolong and preserve life, therefore prolonging life artificially e.g. using a life support machine is not playing God, it is working with and helping God. These two teachings are from the Old Testament.
New Testament
Jesus’ Teachings
The Golden Rule- Jesus taught that we should ‘treat other people as you would like to be treated’ (Matthew’s Gospel).
Some Christians who believe Euthanasia is right use this teaching to support their view. They argue that if a person was in great pain and wanted to end it, (and the only was this would be possible is if the person died), then you should be permitted to die- therefore we must allow others the same treatment.
However, this once again depends on the type of euthanasia involved. Some Christians will use The Golden Rule to justify passive euthanasia but not active however.
Jesus’ Actions
Christians take into consideration the things that Jesus did as well as what he taught when deciding what is right and what is wrong. They will always try to follow Jesus’ example.
Jesus is believed to have performed many miracles. The Bible says he has healed people of many diseases, and there are two stories in which he has brought people back to life:
1. Lazarus was a poor man who was a friend of Jesus. He had been sick for a while and died of illness. He had been dead for several days but Jesus is believed to have brought him back to life.
2. Jairus was a Roman leader who asked Jesus to cure his 12 year old daughter. She had been very sick and the doctors could not cure her. When Jesus arrived at Jairus’ house, the little girl was already dead. Jesus took her hand and suddenly the girl arose from the dead.
Christians will consider what Jesus’ motives were when he performed miracles when they are deciding whether euthanasia is wrong or right.
If they believe that the miracles he performed were to prolong life, Christians will be against euthanasia. This is because they will believe that they must follow Jesus’ example to prolong life too.
However, if they believe that Jesus performed miracles to reduce pain and suffering, they may support the use of euthanasia in cases where there is a great deal of pain and the person is suffering, as they believe their motives will be the same as Jesus’ were.
In the first letter to the Corinthians, St Paul taught that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, many Christians interpret this saying as that the body must be treated with respect. For this reason, this teaching is often used by Christians who are opposed to euthanasia.
