Another controversial issue, is “Vitro Fertilization”, this is when fertilisation is conducted outside the womb and instead in a test-tube. When the fertilisation is complete then it is inserted into the womb in the hope of further development. A scientist called, “Dr. Patrick Steptoe”, developed this process.
This process is very problematic, for instance what would you do if more than one foetus is developed, do you simply kill the other foeti? Is it morally right to use foeti for the experiment and then simply discard them when you don’t require them anymore?
With the very rapid advances in science, we can now create clones of some animals. In 1996 “Dolly the sheep” became the very first cloned sheep. Problems soon started to arise as Dolly aged a lot quicker than a normal sheep, and even developed arthritis quickly too. Yet even today some scientists are hoping to clone a human being within the next few years. Most religions are opposed to the cloning of animals, mainly being they believe that “God is the creator of life” and that this is interfering with his plan. This is the approach, which the Roman Catholic Church takes towards cloning.
Last but not least comes the highly published topic known as “Euthanasia”. The word means ‘good death’ and it refers to the process whereby a patient/person, who is elderly or terminally ill and having absolutely no desire to life any longer, is administered drugs which will hasten their death in a humane and as far as possible painless way. Euthanasia is illegal in the UK and is referred to as either assisted murder or manslaughter, yet in Holland it is perfectly legal.
In most cases these patients who request euthanasia, are normally terminally ill with a disease which may leave them unfit to either move or make decisions for themselves. A different side of euthanasia is when a person is in a “coma” in hospital, and they are medically “Brain Dead”, then comes the very difficult decision of ‘Do you or don’t you turn off the machines which are keeping their organs functioning?’
In the case of the terminally ill person, the Roman Catholic Church firmly believes that they are doing wrong. After all we believe that ‘God is the creator of life’ and by deciding to help end somebody’s life then I believe that you are ‘performing God’s work’.
“Actions speak louder than words” is a very well known phrase and by looking at the life of Jesus, but more precisely his death, we will see that he died a long a painful life. Some people might say that to earn a place in heaven you must life a good life, and life also includes death.
From the Roman Catholic Church’s point of view, to turn off a ‘brain dead’ person’s life support machine is not murder or doing God’s work, but instead is the humane thing to do in most cases. Personally I feel that this isn’t murder, yet is a peaceful way of letting a loved one pass away.
“What Christians believe about life is up to them. They should not try to make others
accept their position”
The comment above divides a number of people opinions towards their religion. Some groups of people agree with the comment while, other groups completely reject it for their own reasons.
People who at least practically agree with the statement may say, that there are many world religions, and it would be unfair to condemn their beliefs. They may believe that because we live in a multi-cultural society, then people are entitled to believe what ever they like. On the other hand, us Christians believe that we have the truth about life and morals, therefore just because other people are either ‘sinful’, lazy or believe in false Gods, doesn’t mean that Christians should be stopped, from trying to convert them to Christianity.
Christianity preaches that man is trapped in this world by original sin, and the gates of heavy were locked as a result of ‘The Fall’. This phrase simple meant that all humans were on their way to eternal damnation before the death of Christ, which saved us. From this we believe that it is our responsibility to save other peoples souls, by converting them to Christian belief. In comparison, some people don’t believe in the Christian God, in fact some people don’t believe or practise any religion at all; these people are called “Atheists”.
A lot of people, who support the comment, will say that most people now accept that God can be reached through other faiths and scriptures. Also, not all people agree that abortion and euthanasia are wrong and in some circumstances they are actually needed to avoid suffering. In defence of our beliefs many Christians might say, it’s not simply a matter of having beliefs, abortion and euthanasia are matters of life and death, and Christians have a duty to protect life, by getting other people to share their beliefs.
In conclusion, personally I feel that Christians are right to try and convert other people, to Christianity. With more people believing that abortion is wrong, then I would hope that the number of abortions would fall dramatically. Yet, I don’t agree with the Christian view on abortion, if a woman has been raped. In this case, I feel that it should not be labelled a “Sin”, after all the women has went through a very traumatic event, and a baby may be a constant reminder of this, for the rest of her life. On the other topic of euthanasia, I again have a slight difference of opinion from the Roman Catholic Church. Personally, I feel that it is wrong to help kill a person, yet I do feel that their dignity must be preserved. In short I feel that euthanasia is wrong, but I feel that a person (elderly or not) nearing their death, should die peacefully and in the presence of their family, at home or in hospital.
Faced with issues of contraception and abortion explain the different ways a
Christians might respond.
This section discusses the different ways a Christian might react to strong issues such as abortion and contraception.
Catholic teaching says, sexual intercourse should be a natural experience, therefore Catholics are not allowed to use any form of contraception. The Roman Catholic Church believes that this upsets, God’s plans. Pope Paul 6th says, ‘Every marriage act (intercourse) must remain open to the transmission of life’ therefore only natural family planning is allowed in the eyes of the Catholic Church. The Church says that the use of artificial contraception destroys God’s intended purpose of sexual intercourse. We Catholics don’t use contraception, as we believe that it can indirectly cause abortion to occur, for example the modern pill and the coil.
The Church states ‘Marriage should only be entered into if the couple genuinely know, respect and love each other and have the intention of forming a family.’ The Roman Catholic Church teaches that us Christians should use only natural family planning, when it comes down to sexual intercourse, but only for genuine reasons. The only genuine reason is on love for the children rather than on any materialistic basis.
The Roman Catholic Church teaching states that abortion is “Murder” and there are no exceptions, therefore in no cases can a Catholic have an abortion! Our teaching even states that Catholic nurses and doctors are to refuse to take part in abortion operations! The church only accepts indirect abortion, e.g. ectopic pregnancy; this is when the foetus is attempting to develop outside the womb (i.e. the tubes). Abortion is a “mortal sin” in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church as is treated accordingly.
As regards other issues such as infertility, the Church states that we Catholics aren’t allowed to use IVF treatment, as we believe that it is “unnatural” and it involves abortion. The Roman Catholic Church is very strong with its feelings, towards medical techniques such as, Cloning or Genetic Engineering. We are taught that these modern techniques again involve some kind of abortion; therefore we take the same stance as in abortion. We are therefore, strictly against both, Genetic Engineering or Cloning.
On a final note on Catholic teaching towards abortion, we are also taught that we cannot accept abortion, even is so-called hard cases e.g. Rape, disability or teenage pregnancy. Catholic teaching rejects the feminist arguments on abortion, we are taught that although it is a women’s right or that the woman owns her body, so even in difficult cases, Catholics are told to reject abortion. We are told to take a “Pro-Life” stance, as even in rape the baby is innocent and may also be considered to be a victim.
When a woman becomes pregnant (either while in a relationship or after rape etc.), she may become under immense pressure and so to help these women there are many organisations, e.g. ‘LIFE’, ‘CURA’, ‘SPUC’. ‘LIFE’ and ‘CURA’ are two voluntary caring organisations that exist to provide such help. ‘CURA’ mainly helps in counselling, advice and acting on the women’s behalf. While LIFE, provides free pregnancy testing, counselling, practical help and even accommodation if needed. Also both groups are available for giving support in counselling women who experience post-abortion trauma.
SPUC stands for the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child. This is an organisation, which campaigns vigorously against abortion by lobbying MP’s, resisting changes in legislation that makes abortion more acceptable. They also provide factual information about abortion and the development of the unborn child.
