Self Assisted Suicide

Self Assisted Suicide

Is it morally, ethically legal? Is it Christian?

By: The Most Rev. Joseph Thaddeus, SSJt., Ph.D.

A SHORT STORY HAVING MORAL IMPACT ON ONE'S FAITH

Recently a former friend of ours who has had HIV/AIDS for many years, became sick and tired of taking his medications to prolong his life. He stated that he was not in pain. He said he was tired of waking up with nausea and vomiting that accompanies some of the new medications that his doctor had changed him over to.

Every so often the HIV/AIDS virus will become immune to some of the medications and a physician needs to prescribe different combinations of medicine in order to keep the virus from taking over. Sometimes the switch to new combination of drugs will impact the individual's body causing for nausea and even vomiting until one's body has accustomed itself to the change in medications. Sometimes that doesn't always hold true so the person may have to go back to the doctor and try another combination treatment.

But, in the long of it all... a person gets sick and tired of being sick and tired. For HIV/AIDS people, this is a most stressful situation to have to go through and causes for psychological problems, sometimes very deep seated ones coupled with those of one's family who may have turned their backs on their HIV/AIDS son or daughter.

Every Christian denomination, every true Christian Church of the Orthodox Catholic faith has always held to the idea and belief that "suicide" - no matter what the reason for it, is a violation of the Commandments of Jesus Christ's Life and Teachings.

Yet, there are now such things going on in the world as legalized abortion, Euthanasia, and more... Suicide is one of those issues which parallels "Euthanasia" it would seem to appear. And, our government has always proclaimed that both "Suicide" and "Euthanasia" is a violation of the law.

On looking at some of the laws, we find that those with HIV/AIDS, or other diseases, allow people to take themselves off their medications that would would otherwise prolong their life free from pain and slowing the process or disease from its continuing eating away of one's body and mind. Many HIV/AIDS network services require that an individual who take HIV/AIDS cocktail medicine, be seen by a psychologist for evaluation.

However, it is also found that many of those psychologists will (without really knowing the individual, write such a glowing report about the individual's mental outlook) that such appears as though the individual is competent to act for themselves.

Many HIV/AIDS patients are "Christian" in name only. We have known of some who are or have been having "visions" - but they are also very well educated to be able to avoid any negative psychological evaluation.

In one "vision" the HIV/AIDS patient had been heard to of said, "God told me to take myself off the medications," and another was reported to have said, "God will call me home in a few months".

Obviously, God does not want for anyone to do such things that would take their own lives.

The time in which an individual has remaining on earth, in this life, he or she has the chance to participate in the redemptive plan of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is also the time to seek forgiveness of those who they have harmed or been harmed by whether real or imagined, past and present. To take one's life, whether such is legal (by civil law) or not... is to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and therefore God who gave life. Only God has the right to take life, not one's self and most certainly not mankind!

For one to participate in or with those who opt out of treatment by refusing to continue with medications for reasons that has nothing to do with real pain issues and affects their longevity, are committing a form of suicide. To do so goes against the faith for such is suicide, self-assisted suicide in tandem with those persons or organizations that, although following the law, participate in what can only be deemed as "self-assisted suicide". The government allows for this approach to what can only be termed as "legalized suicide".

Most of those who commit this type of suicide are suffering from self-image problems or other psychological problems of a real nature. A psychologist of any treatment program who has not spent days, weeks, even months in real evaluation with patients are not doing their jobs, but acting only in a fashion to use their civil law right of practicing as a 'rubber stamp' to aide and assist those who are committing suicide by these means.

The Church and the people who accept an individual's desire to commit this form of suicide are aiding and assisting and have become akin to Dr. Kervorkian of which Caesar (government) has opted to participate in.

As faithful Christians, should we accept what Caesar (government) allows? No! Most certainly not! It is time to write one's representatives and other government officials to change the law which is partially encompassed in the "Health Care Directives" for here is where a part of the law allows for such things to take place.

More later on this very important subject which violates ancient Church teachings.

NOTICE to VISITORS ABOUT OUR E-MAIL POLICY

At:

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We are an educational, News-informational and research Web Site dedicated to providing such as befits those who seek things pertinent to the Orthodox Catholic Christian Faith and life.

There are unscrupulous people on the internet these days. Some of them are not who they claim to be and in order to disrupt honest spiritual pursuits, they are known to send out e-mail under someone else's name or the name of another church or jurisdiction with attachments. Anyone can do this, if they want. Some of them exist in Toledo, Ohio... Some in Texas... Others in California and many other places... Some are "haters of truth" who follow (whether they are willing to admit it as their are also those who do not even know what they are doing because they seek glory to satisfy their vanity and pride).

If you should ever receive an e-mail with an attachment purporting to be from anyone at "apostle1.com" - "apostle1.org" or even "apostle1.net" - - - know that our policy is to not send out e-mail from any of our domain names with an attachment. Therefore, don't open it!

Unless we know exactly from whom an e-mail comes... nothing is clicked on or opened, not even attachments! You would be surprised from whom 'hate' e-mail arrives and what attempts and extremes they go to make their e-mails "look" official when it is a lone person or persons who hate TRUTH and love lies, hate anything from being posted that involves TRUTH because they may be affected with exposure to the LIVING TRUTH of Jesus Christ's Love. They HATE some of the news, quotes, and such as to inform the general public. Some of them pose as clergy, while a few are actually clergy from various "other" offshoot AMERICAN ORTHODOX CHURCH jurisdiction(s) of the same name of which we are their former MOTHER CHURCH (Toledo, Ohio); having joined in and with "Independent" churches who have nothing to do with us or even true Orthodoxy, but seek to go out of their way to character assassinate and disparage religious web sites who do not meet their own brand of standardization which is evidence of their being not truly "Orthodox" "Christian" or even "Catholic" no matter what their nomenclatured corporate name may be.

They are just as bad, as the modern day Ecumenists of the National Council of Churches, World Council of Churches, the World Council of Bishops and more.

Remember, anything that is a HALF TRUTH is not truth but a lie! Many there are that you may know who fit those descriptions... pray for them. Pray that God will send his Spirit of Truth upon them and lead them to Salvation through tears of Repentance, conversion of their cold and calculating hearts toward seeking forgiveness from God and those whom they attempt to harm.

Those who receive e-mail from us, know who we are and from where we send mail. There are also many who know that they can send e-mail under another group or person's e-mail address, which has been happening. If you receive e-mail that purports itself to be from us, verify first by hitting your "reply" button and ask, "I received this e-mail but would like verification it is from you."

If you are of another jurisdiction, you too could find that your parishioners, clergy and faithful might become subject to the same as we have recently found.

Let this be a warning to visitors so as to be safeguarded against unscrupulous e-mails which contain viruses, worms and unsavory material from person(s) organizations or institutions that are more self-serving than uplifting and informatively news worthy.

For ourselves, we have, as in the past, so once again, acquired the assistance of those who are able and capable of tracing e-mails back to their source and taking appropriate action in North America.

We have learned that the organization we subscribe to, whose members come from various legal and law enforcement backgrounds amongst other areas of society, are committed to the faith even though they may hold different theologies. Yet, in their monitoring of electronic communications of various persons or people, they do not always make haste to bring perpetrators to justice until after enough evidence has been gained in order to build a solid case. We do not always know what information they have gained, but we do know the organization, whom we've been asked not to name, has had a 97% success rate in bringing to justice and obtaining a conviction against individuals, people, and sometimes even religious organizations of a persona that gives the appearance of both secular and religious bearing but who abuse and misuse technology. The organization views those who abuse and misuse the internet and other technologies as nothing more than a form of "domestic terrorism" - - - - and, it would seem to appear that the courts are in agreement!

Those kinds of people, organizations, etc. who misuse and abuse communication technologies are no different than those who attempt to use coercive measures, and in some instance, even blackmail for the same idea is involved... to cause havoc and wreckage, to destroy the spirit and activity of those who struggle in the faith out of pain of heart for the Orthodox Church which is TRUTH. The degree that some have been known to go to, as seen by other jurisdictions, is to take advantage of questionably mentally challenged or those who have a lack of education and understanding to get them to make statements, even outright lies, in writing, in order to destroy.

Yes, our Metropolitan Archbishop, +Joseph Thaddeus, SSJt., Ph.D. strongly defends the Seals of the Confessional for such leads to true Repentance in thought, word and deed whereby the penitent is required to make amends, where possible, to seek forgiveness of those harmed by his actions whether real or imagined, and to give his forgiveness to those who have harmed him before taking the Holy Body and Blood in the Eucharist. The reality of this understanding is bound up in and with the findings for which cause he, himself, had been character assassinated by his detractors who claim the courts prevented him from breaking the Seals of the Confessional which is not the truth at all.... Click here to see what another bishop's findings are...

The workings of Holy Spirit will not be daunted by those who attempt to cause disruption! It is for these and other reasons that you are urged to read what true repentance and forgiveness means for real "Christians".

For further information about how spammers, hackers and those who are angry with you can or will attempt to do damage, we offer the following link as regards some of the computer - internet problems:

http://msn.pcworld.com/howto/article/0,aid,116258,00.asp

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