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Friday, September 19, 2003

The "Right" to not Suffer

The rock band Hell on Earth plans on facilitating a live suicide for a person who is terminally ill.

"I thank the Lord that Hell on Earth is giving me this opportunity to end my suffering. I just want to say as my last will and testament that this is my God-given choice to end my life."

No, if you actually believed in God, you wouldn't be trying to commit suicide. You would realize that God is the the God of the living, not the dead. You would also realize that suffering need not be undignified, and that it can be redemptive. It's a shame that you basically define earthly human happiness as a state of painlessness. If this were true, then there would either be no human beings left on Earth, or we would all be perpetually high on morphine. I don't know about you, but I find no human dignity in not existing or being a junkie.

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