the comfort given by religions to the dying and the mourning and beliefs about life after death

• Christianity teaches that there is an afterlife, comforting those who are dying and left behind 
• those who follow their faith can ask for forgiveness, and so death can be seen as the beginning 
• Buddhists believe in reincarnation or rebirth, and so good people have nothing to worry 

• hospices provide care for patients being the complete package
• they are based on Christian foundations 
• patients receive palliative care- pain relief to maintain comfort 
• they can die with dignity and also give practical support to comfort the relatives  

• Christians believe in Heaven and Hell and R.C’s believe in purgatory  
• their is a Judgement Day where people are judged on their actions in their lives
• Jesus tells them that they will be brought back to life John 11:25
• St. Paul teaches us about life after death and how the body will transformed from the physical to the spiritual

• non-religious people may believe in the afterlife e.g travelling through a tunnel of light, ghosts and remembering their reincarnations of past lives 
• BUT science shows that the body decays, no-one has resurrected to tell us, end of life is literal, life support machines prove the brain dies before the body

the distinction between active and passive euthanasia and the contemporary debate about euthanasia

• active euthanasia: withholding treatment with the deliberate intention of ending life e.g drugging 
• passive euthanasia: where the dose of a pain-killing drug is increased to control the pain and shorter life or when the treatment is withheld as it’s only delaying the natural process  

             

•for (voluntary) euthanasia 

          •view of some and most Protestant 

          •quality may come before sanctity 

          •loss of dignity is not his God’s image in Creation

          •euthanasia can be a source of compassion

          •duty of responsible decision, which was given to us by God

          •keeping someone alive artificially goes against God’s will of killing them 

•against (voluntary) euthanasia 

          •view of most mainstream 

          •“I knew he couldn't live” - Samuel 

          •life is sacred and god-given - breaking the 6th Commandment 

          •shows a lack of trust in God’s love and compassion

          •duty to defend the vulnerable 

          •hospice movement and palliative care preserves dignity better than euthanasia

the issue of the right to self-determination in relation to euthanasia

• Christians usually disagree with euthanasia because of the sanctity of life
• they prefer to trust God’s mercy 
• however, choosing to die means they are committing a sin, even though it is God’s work 
• some cannot believe that a loving God would want his people to suffer, arguing that God-given freewill and intelligence give a person the right to choose to end their life when their quality is reduced 

the problems associated with a definition of death and the significance of the heart and the brain together

•death has multiple definitions 

          •death used to be defined as when the heart stopped beating 

          •now, if someone is brain dead and isn't breathing is considered dead

                    •however, people who are braindead can be kept alive on a life-support machine even if there is no ‘life’ as we know it, and they don't appear to be dead

                              •however, a life-support machine can be legally turned off and death declared

the use of life support machines to sustain life and the problems associated with making decisions about whether to continue life by artificial means or whether and under what circumstances a machine should be switched off and a life terminated

•to keep someone alive, religious believers use the same principles - compassion, quality of life, sanctity of life, causing no harm and using God-given talents

•life support machines may be used to assess whether someones is braindead 

          •for passive euthanasia 

                    •withholding treatment allows nature to unfold 

                    •law protects society from harmful euthanasia consequences

                    •accepted by most religions 

                    

          •against passive euthanasia 

                    •high morphine dose may only shorten life and mot relieve pain 

                    •withholding treatment is cruel and harming a living thing 

                    •it just prolongs dying and the patient is uncomfortable 

                    •suicide is legal, not allowing a disabled to do so with a Dr. is discrimination

          •for active euthanasia 

                    •right to do what the patient wants 

                    •no animal would be made to suffer this pain so why should a human 

                    •feeding tubes just prolong PVS patients 

                    •if they are terminally ill, then their quality of life isn't going to get better 

           •against active euthanasia 

                    •can you be sure it is their real and lasting desire 

                    •improvements in palliative care make it unnecessary

                    •everyone has the right to feeding tubes 

                    •this may be abused by others or be used for blackmailing others

the law concerning death and euthanasia

•the oath that life would be preserved in the hands of doctors had been present for ages 

•however, this has been replaced by ensuring goo medical practice, respecting the right’s of the patients treatment

the role of the family and community in caring for the elderly and the nature of individual and corporate responsibility, including the work of homes for the elderly, hospitals and hospices

•family caring for the elderly 

          •living at home

                    •many are independent and prefer to live at home

                    •some can’t as they are mentally and physically weak 

                    •social services nay allocate a social worker for them 

                    •meals can be arranged for a cost and the family may visit  

          •living with family

                    •this is most ideal when they are treated as an important member and not because they have to          

                    •teachings encourage to respect the wisdom of the elderly, and some may believe that this means ruling out living with them 

                    •they have their own lives and may live far away 

          •community 

                    •some move into sheltered housing with a communal area for socialising 

                    •residential homes provide security and care and have communal access

                    •some free volunteers won’t spend enough time with them 

                    •the state may have a lack of funding in the department as they are a minority 

                    •those unwell may move into a hospital or care home for medical needs 

•religious views about the elderly

          •they should be respected since they are vulnerable 

          •allow the elderly to keep their independence however may provide other options

          •Jesus’ Golden Rule: treat others the way you wish to be treated 

          •Churches provide facilities for the elderly and pastoral support including regular Holy Communism at home or in a care home 

          •Churches provide transport for those who are housebound 

          •if in a home, they should have regular contact with family 

senior citizenship, including experience, retirement, role within the family, ageism, finance and health

•senior citizenship 

          •experience

                    •may feel worthless to society as they cannot contribute to anything 

                    •many lived through the war and so have a lot of experience to give people facing the same kinds of pressures today 

                    

          •retirement                    

                    •many of the elderly do not feel ready to retire and live on a pension

                    •some want to work to keep them busy 

                    •some use retirement to do something less stressful e.g travelling  

          •role within the family

                    •may be more dependent on others in order to move around 

                    •may face loneliness if their partner has died 

                    •attitudes from the media may make them feel a burden on others 

          •ageism

                    •the young may have preconceived notions about the elderly 

                    •the media portrays them in some sort of way, stereotyping them all 

                    •they are prejudged to be inferior 

          •finance

                    •many rely on state pensions and so poverty can become a problem 

                    •they may be too unfit to work 

          •health 

                    •many are not as healthy as before 

                    •increasing life expectancy means more strain on financial government services

                    •they get free prescriptions for medical needs  

the concepts of the sanctity and quality of life

• life is precious because God gave it and so he can only take it away  
• life his made in the image of God, and so we should show respect 
• made in God’s creation and his dedication 
• we can measure quality of life e.g happiness, support, actions in ones life 
• whether one is free of pain - the amount of options that one has and how pleased they can be  
• questions when ones quality of life is bad 

key quotes

• “do not murder” - Exodus 20:13
• “God created Humans in His own image” - Genesis 1:27
• “my times are in thy hand” - Psalms 31:15
• “no one has the power over the day of his death” - Ecclesiastes 8:8
• “Honour your Father and your Mother” - Fifth Commandment 
• “your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit” - 1 Corinthians 6v19-20 
• “love your neighbour as yourself” - Jesus 
• “he has denied faith and is worse than an unbeliever” - 1 Timothy 5:8