Some Australian Christians think so
Here’s an interesting phenomenon: Christians supporting choice for Voluntary Euthanasia. This
is an Australian group, with its own website, which promotes euthanasia for
Christians of all denominations. One of the founders, Trevor
Bensch, is a Baptist minister. It began in 2009 to lobby for euthanasia in the
state of South Australia.

The website declares that it is alarming
that most opposition to euthanasia comes from Christians, particularly “fundamentalists”.
Euthanasia, it argues, is Biblically based. The Rev Bensch points out that
“Interpreting selected passages of the Bible… is a personal matter for the
individual” and that the term “sanctity of life” appears nowhere in it. Catholics would probably be the most
resistant to this argument, but the website quotes Australian philosopher, Max
Charlesworth and German theologian Hans Küng, both of whom support the notion
of dying with dignity.

Michael Cook
euthanasia

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Michael Cook

Michael Cook edits BioEdge, a bioethics newsletter, and MercatorNet, an on-line magazine whose focus is human dignity. He writes from Sydney, Australia.

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