How valuable is human life?  How valuable should it be?  Where does suicide fit?

One of the headlines today concern's the Supreme Court upholding Oregon's assisted suicide law.  The law allows physicians to prescride drug overdoses to allow a person to take their own life.  The Bush Justice Department opposed the law and appealed to the Supreme Court on the basis of federal authority to control medicines versus state authority over doctors.  The Court ruled in favor of states rights.  A news article concerning the story may be found here on MSNBC.

The legal issue at hand probably was correctly decided -- federal priority over the states is a tricky legal battlefield so I cannot dispute the Court for its legal basis.

What concerns me is reflected in an accompanying survey with the MSNBC story.  It solicits opinions concerning the decision.  There were four choice I believe.  The first reflects approval of the decision with wording along the lines of "it is my right to determine my own death."  When I voted, 77% agreed with this statement.  The second choice was along the legal grounds, but not exactly.  The choice said something like "Let each state decide for itself."  Another ten percent agreed with this statement, so 87% are in direct favor of the ruling.  In other words, 87% of the people responding to this unscientific survey are in favor of suicide.

At the bottom of the choices was the "It is wrong" choice.  Ten percent feel it is wrong and human life should be protected.  The other option was a vote in favor of Federal regulations playing some role in the decision process.

Now, I am not really in favor of either suicide nor of the Federal regulations playing a role.  This third option did not disallow suicide, merely stated that the Fed should play a role along with or in place of the states.  This really was a vote in favor of assisted suicide, so we end up with 90% in favor of suicide and 10% against suicide.

The Bible states that man is created in the image of God.  This forms the basis for many positions in the Scriptures, but at its root, the meaning is that we are important to God because unlike any other part of creation, we, humans, are the only creature made in God's image.  That should mean something to you -- something important.  Humans are important.  Humans are important to God. 

Genesis 1:26-28 (KJV) And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

I have been where many of these patients are -- at least in a sense. I  was not terminally ill physically.  My view of the world was that I was ill morally and spiritually and needed to find an absolute way out.  You can read my full testimony about this time in my life here.

My personal experience led to a discussion with God, a discussion that implicitly supports the importance of Genesis 1:26.  We are all important to God.  It is not our right to decide we no longer belong on planet earth.  God is the only Person who has control over life and death.  Suicide is probably a sin, but what I want to suggest is that the process of deciding on the need to commit suicide is more of a sin.  This "rational" process is the result of wrong thinking -- thinking without God.  The decision to commit suicide is one of placing man above God, one of making oneself the idol of one's life and worshiping the idol by deciding to take a life instead of allowing God to control of lifespan.

The Supreme Court's decision is wrong -- not because the Federal government has more power than the State, for I also believe Oregon's law is incorrect as well.  The law and the legal position of  the Federal government both place man's opinion above God's.  That is sin.  Sin is always wrong!

We as Christians must make a special effort to talk to those who are depressed about the saving power of God.  God can help them with their depression.  God can remove it.  God can help control it.  God can do whatever He feels best for that particular individual.  However, if we do not tell these people about God and Jesus, they have no way of arriving at a point in their lives where they can talk to God about their depressions. 

This does not mean we "preach" to people.  It means we love on them, help them, listen to them, and earn their respect so we have the opportunity to present God to them in a manner they will listen to and absorb.  If all we do is rush up to someone and say "Brother [sister], you need Christ," all the while, beating them with our Bible, they will shut their ears and turn away.

Don't offend, be a friend.  Be a helper.  Love on them as Christ would.

Suicide is not an option.

Jim A