How does someone maintain a relationship with God when one describes one's life as: dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable? If one believes that God is all-loving and all powerful, how then can one turn to God for help?
This question arose for me when I was reading an article about Tony Nicklinson who is living in what is called a "locked-in syndrome." Mr. Nicklinson suffered a paralyzing stroke seven years ago. Prior to his stroke, he was a very active rugby player who "had a high-flying job as a corporate manager in Dubai, where he went skydiving and bridge-climbing in his free time." He is now confined to a wheelchair and can only move his head, cannot speak and needs constant care. His condition is called "locked in" because it is a condition in which a person's body is paralyzed but their mind is intact.
Mr. Nicklinson, who does not want to continue to live, would need someone's help to die. Euthanasia is illegal in England as well as in the USA. And, in England, where Mr. Nicklinson lives, no one suspected of helping a loved one die has been prosecuted for it in recent years. But, Mr. Nicklinson wants to make sure that no one will be prosecuted for helping him and so is asking that a determination be made to that effect.
In all of the articles I have read thus far about this case, there is no mention as to Mr. Nicklinson's faith or belief system and I am not questioning his choice or his motives.
I am not so much taken with his wish to die as I am with this question that arose in me as I was reading the article about him: How can someone maintain a relationship with God when one feels their life is dull, miserable, demeaning, undignified and intolerable? For me, God may feel absent at times, but I usually realize later that it has been me that has been absent, not God.
There is also the defense that I hear from people who believe that God is all-powerful and has His own reasons for "making" someone suffer. That is not my theology and I have never told that to anyone to whom I have ministered. I do believe that God is there to help us get through those difficult times in our lives -- and if you say that God caused something, then you can't go to God to help you through it. I truly believe that things happen in life for which there are no explanations, nor are there reasons -- it could be genetic, environmental, accidental, etc. God is there to help us get through those challenges, not to inflict them. That would be a sadistic God -- and I don't believe that God is a sadist.
So, what do you think? Those of you who believe that there is a God -- how would you maintain a relationship with God when you feel that your life is undignified and intolerable?
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The decision to reject all care, ultimately to starve to death, is not an easy one to make. The correspondent, however, gives the impression that the reverse is true. Starvation involves much discomfort for me and it can take a long time, months instead of weeks. It also causes distress to family and friends as the would-be suicide slowly fades away or slips into delirium.
I intend, therefore, to explore every other avenue before I contemplate starvation.
It also comes from the attachment people have to their own mortal imperfect lives. A christian needs to read and meditate on the bible, and ask for God's understanding thru His holy spirit to see beyond what they are. If God sees you favorably, it doesn't matter if you die, He can make you new, in fact He has set the date to do just that.
We're computers, really. When a computer system crashes, it's not really dead. If you have a backup, you can restore it to the point before it crashed, or any point before.
If you're life is intolerable, would you tolerate what Jesus been through? He didn't run away from it, and he is the example. Easier said than done, but it needs to be said.
Read the book of Job, please. We're going thru what he went thru.
I think euthanasia is mans last attempt to control his life. As I grow older, I see that could this be the thing to do? sometimes it looks like it, I just don't know
I hear you. I'm a cancer survivor; I did it with nutrition, self-determination to survive and chemo; no prayer.
Each one of my brothers and sisters in the faith, whether we be sound in mind and body or incredibly challenged by our circumstances, has hope for something more than this present life we live. We all wholeheartedly believe in this despite what others think. We feel great hope in our lives because of this and derive a sure sense of purpose by the hope that we can give to others as well. Our hope, combined with the great network of support that we have in our faith community, which is worldwide, has been our saving grace through the challenging times we are living through now as we await the glorious fulfillment of the promises that God has given by means of his Son, Christ Jesus.
It gets difficult at times. Some Christian Theology focuses on God's Sovereignty and control over Providence -- "God has a plan for you, and this is part of His plan." That has been extraordinarily frustrating. Was it His Plan for thousands to die in the tsunami in Japan? Or hundreds of thousands to die in the Christmas Tsunami in the Indian Ocean? It is God's plan for someone to lie helpless and utterly dependent, without hope and without any control over self?
If God will not change the circumstances, why not? If God will not heal a person, why should someone believe God can heal them? What does "love" mean? I know my wife loves me because she makes a positive difference in my life, in a tangible, physical way. If my wife did not touch me, help my hurts, enable me, or help me in my distresses, would I know she loves me? If her love made no difference, would it be love?
And since God is all-powerful, should He not be the One to maintain a relationship with me when my life is intolerable? With His power, shouldn't He be the one to proactively make things better?
Oh, I believe. But it isn't always easy. And I have questions without answers.
I am the Tony Nicklinson in question. I want to thank the contributors for their interest in the circumstances surrounding my desire to die not through natural causes but at a time and place and by a method of my own choosing (self-determination). You probably all have self-determination. Thus, if life gets too much, you have a way out (suicide). You may not want it, you may feel you have no need of it and you may never use it but one thing you cannot deny is that you have it. I haven’t and that is why I am going to the High Court to try and get it.
Are any of you going to stand up and tell me that I shouldn’t have the right of self-determination while having that right? If you do it just tells me that you’re the worst kind of hypocrite. Only if you renounce your right of self-determination (here will do) will I take you seriously.
I am an atheist. There is relationship with god because god only exists in the imagination of the believer. It does not concern me how people get through life (if they have to invent a religion to do it, so be it. Just because people have been deluding themselves for 2000 years does not mean it’s true, it just means it has been rubbish for a long time) as long as their views aren’t given any credibility and don’t encroach on my life.
Well I have faith very central to my life. I believe in a Higher Power (no organised religion) and believe I have help to get through the tough times.
Concerning suffering, I believe it is probably to do with free will. But other than that I think it ultimately unknowable, one cannot judge if they can't see the bigger picture, for instance just because something is unpleasant doesn't mean it's evil.
I also view suffering as quite important sometimes, it gives perspective on what's important.
"Concerning suffering, I believe it is probably to do with free will."
Really?! That sounds like an obviously poor answer to me. What does free will have to do with the existence of suffering? Does not having earthquakes and disease somehow limit humans' abilities to make decisions? Do you believe in heaven and if so do you believe people have free will in heaven? If so, having free will apparently isn't incompatible with having a better or even perfect world.
As I said, the free will thing was just speculation on what I feel. I say free will is related to suffering because if we went through life shielded all the time, we wouldn't have control over our own decisions and wouldn't learn from our mistakes, which is part of growth. Also we can't comprehend what the nature of free will is, for all we know we could have a limited extent of it.
Again, this is speculation but what I am pretty much certain about is that none of us know the bigger picture so we can't be quick to judge something when we have little to no knowledge of it.
Do I believe in heaven? No.
But I do hope for some sort of existence after the end.