Case Study Analysis: George, Christian Ethics, and Euthanasia Choices

This case study analyzes George's situation, who is suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), through the lens of the Christian worldview. The analysis explores how George might interpret his suffering in light of the fallenness of the world and the hope of resurrection, considering the value of his life within a Christian framework. The study examines the Christian perspective on euthanasia, considering the values and considerations that would influence the decision. The paper also contrasts the Christian viewpoint with the Buddhist worldview, providing a comprehensive ethical analysis of George's end-of-life choices and the moral options available to him, including euthanasia. The paper concludes with a recommendation based on the author's Buddhist worldview, emphasizing the reduction of suffering and the attainment of nirvana.

Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: AN ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION OF GEORGE
THROUGH CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the condition of George and whether he
should undergo euthanasia or not through the usage of the Christian worldview. Firstly, the
condition of George had been analyzed through the usage of the concepts of fallenness of the
world and the hope of resurrection. Next, an analysis of the value of George had been undertaken
through the usage of the Christian worldview. In addition to these, the euthanasia had been
analyzed from the Christian perspective and thereby the moral option which is available to him,
that is, euthanasia. Lastly, the paper concludes with an analysis of the option of euthanasia for
George from the Buddhist worldview.

2CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Introduction
As stated by Parker (2016), the end of life decisions or the decision whether or not to
undertake euthanasia by the individuals is influenced by the culture, religion and the other
important attributes followed by the individuals. Francis, McKenna and Sahin (2019) are of the
viewpoint that the factors of ethics and morals also play a pivotal role in the end of life decisions
which are being made by the individuals. Thus, different people holding different viewpoints
regarding whether or not to undergo the process of euthanasia to save themselves from pain and
suffering when they have no hope of recovering from the health issues that they suffer from. This
paper intends to undertake an analysis of George’s situation through the usage of Christian
worldview and determine whether he should undergo euthanasia or not.
Interpretation of George’s suffering through Christian worldview and fallenness of the
world
Botvar et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint that in the Christian worldview God is
considered to the creator as well as the destroyer of all life forms and all the things which happen
in the life of the individuals are as per the wish of God. Adding to this, Steffen (2017) has noted
that the sufferings or the illnesses that the individuals face are the resultant effect of the sins
which have been committed by them and thus can be seen as punishments that they are meant to
endure. More importantly, the Original Sin committed by Adam and Eve had lead to the fallen
nature of the contemporary coupled with the different actions that are committed by the
individuals which are in contradiction to the wishes of God (Ziebertz, 2019). However, as the
case study reveals George had led a moral life, is a family man and a role-model for his son.
Furthermore, he had not committed any significant sin or mistake in his life which can warrant

3CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
for the suffering that he is presently enduring on the score of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) from which suffers. Thus, it is natural to say to that the suffering which George is
presently enduring rather than being a punishment from God for the sins that he had committed
in the past can be seen as a trial sent by God to test his faith in Him.
Interpretation of George’s suffering through Christian worldview and hope of resurrection
According to Gamble (2018), an important aspect of the Christian worldview is the fact
that it propounds the idea of afterlife and thereby the Christians consider their bodies to be a
vessel which is meant for carrying for their soul. More importantly, after their death although
their body disintegrates their soul lives on till eternity and thereby waits for its final resurrection
by Christ (Herzog, 2019). Furthermore, in order to test their faith various trials or tribulations are
being undertaken by God in the form of suffering, pain, health ailments and others and during
these trials the Christians are required to hold steadfastly to their faith and the preaching of the
Bible (Parker, 2016). George rather than seeing the suffering as well as the pain that he is
presently undergoing on the score of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) which he suffers
can view the same as a trail sent by God meant for testing his faith. Moreover, he needs to realize
the fact that his pain, suffering and even his body are temporary and likely to disintegrate after
the death of his body however his soul will live on till eternity when it will be resurrected by
Christ. Thus, George needs to have faith of undergoing resurrection however for attaining the
same he needs to undergo his present suffering without losing his faith on God or Christianity.
Value of Life
Zaccaria, Anthony and Sterkens (2019) are of the viewpoint that the Christian worldview
puts special value on human dignity and also on human life itself. Adding to this, Nwabueze

4CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
(2016) has noted that the value of life of the individuals is also reliant on the steadfastness with
which they are being able to endure the trails as well as the punishments sent by God with
unwavering faith. However, in the case of George it is seen that the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ALS) is making it very difficult for him to perform even the basic activities. More importantly,
the situation will reach to such a stage wherein he would not be able to speak properly, breathe
properly or even move his wheelchair on his own and this obviously is going to reduce the value
of his life and even his dignity. For instance, he would have to rely on his family for completing
even the basic functions like going to the washroom, pushing the wheelchair and other similar
activities. However, despite these aspects it needs to be said that even in this condition he would
still be of great value not only to his family members but also to the society as well. In addition
to these, he would also be value from the Christian worldview because he is willing to endure the
trail, suffering and the pain sent by God for testing his faith.
Euthanasia and the Christian worldview
As per the Christian worldview, the ability of the individuals to attain resurrection or go
through the process of afterbirth greatly depends on the steadfastness of religious faith and also
the manner in which they have been able to perform in the trials undertaken by God (Steffen,
2017). More importantly, the Christian worldview strictly prohibits the individuals from
indulging in self-harm or taking their life since the human beings are the Creation of God and the
right to end their life lies solely with God (Gamble, 2018). Furthermore, the act of taking one’s
life is strictly against the Ten Commandments that the Christians are required to follow ardently
and it is in the light of these aspects that euthanasia is considered to be derogatory from the
Christian worldview. On the other hand, it is seen that George has the opportunity to end his
suffering as well as pain by going through the process of euthanasia. Moreover, if George

5CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
decides to undertake euthanasia then he will also get the opportunity to die with dignity which
will not be the case if he follows the Christian worldview and thereby decides to endure his
suffering since he would have to depend on others for taking care of him.
Morally justified options
Francis, McKenna and Sahin (2019) are of the viewpoint that euthanasia or medically
assisted suicide is a very useful process for the individuals who have no hope or chances of
recovering from the terminal health illnesses that they suffer from to relieve their pain and
suffering. Adding to this, Herzog (2019) has noted that the proponents of the Christian
worldview consider euthanasia to be not only unethical but also derogatory as well since God is
the creator of all life forms and also the decision to end life solely rests with Him only.
Furthermore, the human beings in a bid to reduce their suffering or pain are going against the
wish of God since the pain or the suffering that they face are the will of God and also meant as a
trail for them to test their faith (Parker, 2016). Thus, from the Christian worldview euthanasia is
an unethical option for George since taking his own life would meant going against the wish of
God and thereby losses any chance of afterlife or resurrection. This in turn raises the important
question whether the individuals like George who actually have no hope of recovering should go
on using the medical facilities which can prove useful for others or should they end their life
through the usage of euthanasia. However, when the present condition of the healthcare industry
is being taken into account wherein numerous people do not adequate healthcare treatment
services because of the dearth of medicines, expensive treatment services, limited services and
others euthanasia becomes a morally correct option for George. Moreover, it would also offer the
option to George to end his suffering or pain and die with dignity as well.

6CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Decision based on my worldview
I follow the Buddhist worldview and as per this worldview life itself is a suffering.
Furthermore, the human beings go through repeated cycles of birth and rebirths before they are
being able to attain nirvana. More importantly, as per this worldview the objective of the
individuals should be to reduce their pain or suffering while focusing on the attainment of
nirvana (Vehaba, 2019). In the particular context of George, it is seen that his primary
consideration for undertaking euthanasia is to end his pain and suffering and also to die with
dignity. Thus, taking into consideration my own religious worldview I would recommend
George to undergo the process of euthanasia.
Conclusion
To conclude, the medical process of euthanasia had faced a significant amount of
criticism over the years from the different religious worldviews especially from the Christian
worldview. For instance, the majority of the religions consider God to be the creator of life and
thus the decision to end one’s life lies with God and not with the individuals. However, the
individuals by undergoing euthanasia have the option to not only die with dignity but also to
relieve their pain and suffering. This becomes especially important for patients like George who
have no hope of recovering from the terminal health issues that they suffer from.

7CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
References
Botvar, P. K., Sarti, C., Zielińska, K., & Zwierżdżyński, M. K. (2019). Religion and attitudes
towards abortion and euthanasia among young people in Poland and Norway.
In Euthanasia, Abortion, Death Penalty and Religion-The Right to Life and its
Limitations (pp. 243-270). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-98773-6_10
Francis, L. J., McKenna, U., & Sahin, A. (2019). Religion, Human Rights and Matters of Life
and Death: Exploring Attitude Toward Abortion and Euthanasia Among Adolescents in
England and Wales. In Euthanasia, Abortion, Death Penalty and Religion-The Right to
Life and its Limitations (pp. 139-159). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-98773-6_6
Gamble, N. (2018). Can euthanasia be classified as a medically beneficial treatment?. Ethics &
Medicine, 34(2), 103-67. Retrieved from
https://search.proquest.com/openview/7bed2cc1f30122cc86d90fc027e35bfa/1?pq-
origsite=gscholar&cbl=44457
Herzog, D. (2019). The “Euthanasia” Murders Archive: Confronting the New Findings.
In Beyond" Ordinary Men" (pp. 219-233). Verlag Ferdinand Schöningh. Retrieved from
https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9783657792665/BP000028.xml
Nwabueze, R. N. (2016). Euthanasia, Assisted Suicide and Decision-making at the End of Life.
In Comparative Health Law and Policy (pp. 179-195). Routledge. Retrieved from

8CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315573083/chapters/10.4324/978131557308
3-8
Parker, J. C. (2016). Implications of Christian Truth Claims for Bioethics. Christian bioethics:
Non-Ecumenical Studies in Medical Morality, 22(3), 265-275. Retrieved from
https://academic.oup.com/cb/article-abstract/22/3/265/2639549
Steffen, L. (2017). Christian Perspectives on Assisted Dying: An Issue for Religious
Ethics. Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Global Views on Choosing to End Life, 121.
Retrieved from https://books.google.co.in/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=CRDUDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA121&dq=euthanasia+and+the+chris
tian+worldview&ots=NrmJew8a1B&sig=arZK7xZruKidLBCnQMEb2t7f3OA#v=onepa
ge&q=euthanasia%20and%20the%20christian%20worldview&f=false
Vehaba, A. (2019). Buddhism, Death, And Resistance: What Self-Immolation In Tibet Has
Borne. Politics, Religion & Ideology, 20(2), 215-243. Retrieved from
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21567689.2019.1617133
Zaccaria, F., Anthony, F. V., & Sterkens, C. (2019). The impact of religion on attitudes towards
abortion and euthanasia. An empirical study among Italian students. In Euthanasia,
Abortion, Death Penalty and Religion-The Right to Life and its Limitations (pp. 105-
137). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-
319-98773-6_5
Ziebertz, H. G. (2019). Human Dignity, Religious Ethics or Hedonism–What Can Predict Young
People’s Attitudes in Germany Towards the Right to Life in the Cases of Euthanasia and
Abortion?. In Euthanasia, Abortion, Death Penalty and Religion-The Right to Life and its

9CASE STUDY ANALYSIS
Limitations (pp. 83-104). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-98773-6_4