Brittany Maynard and assisted suicide

So today, a lovely young lady committed suicide by pills, in an attempt to escape the mind-numbing effects of the murderous brain cancer she was afflicted with.  I read the story, among other places, on WANE.com.  And, like an idiot, I looked in on the comments.  One of the comments that I probably shouldn't have listened to was this:

I think it's a bit perverse to even talk about what 'God' would want a person to do in this situation-- considering that 'He' is the one who is supposed to have inflicted this on her in the first place. Brittany wanted to live. 'God' stole that from her. She was terminal-- she was only going to get worse. The seizures would worsen, she'd begin to lose control of her body and things like her voice and what-not. 'God' wanted her to die. All Brittany did was to choose to go out on her terms, surrounded by her loved ones and at peace.

To which I said, "God didn't steal anything from her.  Disease is a result of a fallen world.  On the other hand, a lot of Christians need to think about what she was facing before casting the first stone.  I can't say for sure what I would do."

To which came the response:
Fallen world? Wow, God sure knows how to hold a grudge. How long has it been now? Six thousand years or something? Maybe His Son should have a talk with Him on the merits of forgiveness. :/

And I replied,  "I would try to explain it to you, but you don't seem the type to be really interested.  If I am wrong, I would tell you about how Jesus came to be the forgiveness, but the world that choses to ignore Him will be judged."

And the reply:

I do appreciate the thought but I tried it once. Didn't stick.


Far enough, but a hour or so later, I found that WANE.com had removed my comments- and only mine.   So naturally I did the adult thing and flagged every other post on the thread.  And Mark Mellinger can still be a Christian and work for them.  But I digress.  Because lunacy goes both ways, and here's one of the comments that WANE approved:

If humans were meant to die in this manner, the Lord would have put kill switches where our navels are. Praise Jesus!


So what would the Bible say about suicide?  Before I start down this road, bear in mind- if you are not saved through the blood of Christ, whatever you are "escaping from" will seem a summer breeze compared to what you will be facing next.  And that's the same whether you commit suicide or live to be 150.  But for those who believe, where does the story go from here?


As you might imagine, there are few "assisted suicide by pharmaceuticals" examples in the Bible.  But there are a few constants to keep in mind:

-The Bible is a celebration of life.  The taking of human life is not desirable.

- If you are saved, your sins are forgiven, past, present and future.  Even suicide.

- In many cases, "experts" would say that committing suicide would put that salvation in doubt.  But others who have looked into the story have found that God has a different black and white than we do:

A few years ago, I attended the funeral of a Christian man who had committed suicide. The experience gave me a new perspective on the issue of Christians and suicide. The man who had killed himself was the son of one our church staff members. In the short time he had been a believer, he touched many lives for Jesus Christ. His funeral was one of the most moving memorials I had ever attended. With more than 500 mourners gathered, for nearly two hours, person after person testified of how this man had been used by God. He had pointed countless lives to faith in Christ and shown them the way to the Father's love. I left the service convinced that what had driven him to commit suicide had been his inability to shake his addiction to drugs and the failure he felt as a husband, father, and son. Although it was a sad and tragic ending, nevertheless, his life testified undeniably of Christ's redemptive power in an amazing way. I do not believe this man went to hell. His funeral made me realize that no one can truly understand the depth of someone else's suffering, or the reasons that could drive a soul to such desperation. Only God knows what is in a person's heart . Only he knows the extent of pain which might bring a person to the point of suicide. In conclusion, it bears repeating—suicide is a terrible tragedy, but it does not negate the Lord's act of redemption. Our salvation rests securely in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. So then, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13, NIV)

-Mary Fairchild on AboutReligion


And like I told the commenter (and WANE felt was so evil), I'm not sure what I would do.  She was facing something that would eventually remove- painfully- her ability to be her.

"...Today is the day I have chosen to pass away with dignity in the face of my terminal illness, this terrible brain cancer that has taken so much from me … but would have taken so much more..." (from her FB page)


And in doing a little research, I found comments about variations on "thou shalt not kill", and the examples of those who committed suicide in the scriptures (7 of them with Samson being the only positive).  But none of them mentioned the one that made me think about it the most- something Paul said in Philippians:

  Php 1:19  For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 
Php 1:20  according to my earnest expectation and hope that I shall be ashamed in nothing, but as always now Christ shall be magnified in my body with all boldness, whether it is by life or by death. 
Php 1:21  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. 
Php 1:22  But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor. Yet I do not know what I shall choose. 
Php 1:23  For I am pressed together by the two: having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better. 
Php 1:24  But to remain in the flesh is more needful for you. 

Now Paul wasn't talking about suicide, but which way he wanted his long captivity in Rome to end.  But what he said does give a Christian a measuring stick to use should they happen into this circumstance.  Is there more fruit I can yet bear, some lesson I can teach to someone, someone who needs me more than I need escape?

I don't want some damned disease to remove me from myself, any more than she did.  I sincerely hope that if that moment comes for me, that someone will remind me of Philippians 1... and help me judge clearly.