Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

• Genesis 1:27

“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.

• Genesis 9:6

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.

• Psalm 139:14-16

“Christians believe that men and women were created intentionally and purposefully in God’s image. God proves how dear men and women are to Him throughout the whole drama of human history. He acts consistently to bring the human person on whom He lavished such gifts back into relationship with Him—even sending His Son to give His life for every human being, even for those we ourselves hate—like mass murderers, child molesters, and terrorists. God puts no one beyond His mercy. …
“What is the alternative if the Christian view is not accepted? The secular view of humanity excludes the idea of an inherent purpose. Secularists emphasize the continuity of the evolutionary process, seeing humanity as just another example of evolution’s chance handiwork, no different in kind than lice and lungfish. Since the universe came about for unknown reasons and life evolved by chance, humanity must invent its own reasons for being and the ethics by which we will govern ourselves. That means whose lives we value becomes a matter of choice.”

• Charles Colson (with Harold Fickett), The Faith

Chuck Colson starts this chapter by defending the foundational point that life should have some dignity.  We all have a purpose.  In his appendix, he considers this point foundational.  Yet, he had to defend it as being biblical, not a contrived, right wing extremist, view.

We have the battleground of abortion on the political front.  Euthanasia has been discussed in the USA, but no political party has clearly placed it on the party platform, yet many other countries have a law where they can either kill an older person because the children find the care for that person inconvenient or simply an assisted suicide law for the long-term illness person to take a shortcut on the suffering.  Already in the USA, there are living wills, which allows medical professionals to terminate life support or refrain from reasonable means of resuscitation, such as CPR.

As Chuck Colson points out, there are two ways to look at things:  the way of life and the way of death.

When we consider ourselves wonderfully made and made in God’s image, it would be unthinkable to end a life.  If we are mere cosmic dust that accidentally gained life, then we have no purpose and terminating life is no big deal.

I heard on a podcast some months ago that an elderly man in the Netherlands signed papers allowing his children to terminate his life.  He thought this meant if he got deadly ill, but the children signed the death order and the death squad, for lack of a better name, showed up to a healthy, but elderly, man’s home to assist in his death.  I do not know how the following court battle turned out.

Are we to create a real “Logan’s Run”?  In this fictional story, all people over the age of 38 must be killed in order for the planet’s ecosystem to be stabilized, but the leader who enacted the law, was older and he was not forced to die.

It is in this vein that Chuck Colson describes the key points, trying as best he could to avoid the political arguments.

Lord, show me what are the foundations of “the Faith.” In some countries in this world, life is cheap, but life is not cheap to the one living it.  Whether rich or poor that life should have the right to life.  You made each of us in Your image.  We each have a purpose and a part in Your Will, if we accept You and live according to Your Will.  In Your name I pray.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.