Just “Thinking Out Loud”
Chaplain Bill Wolfe
Llano County Sheriff’s Department
Greetings and welcome to this edition of the Chaplain’s Corner. Here it is April again…but as I write I’m not really in the mood for joking. I’ve been thinking about weighing in on the Schiavo issue and I guess I’ll go ahead and put in my “two cents’ worth.”
Several things bother me about this mess:
It bothers me that it has been made a political issue and perhaps it could be considered a hypocritical one at that. There are those who oppose capital punishment for heinous crimes, but are supporting the termination of the life of this one who has committed no crime. Those who support life are painted as villains and those in favor of death are proclaiming themselves has heroes.
It bothers me that after all this time, there appears to have been a rush to make sure a judicial decision was carried out before it could be reviewed and overturned. Try that with a capital punishment case and see what happens.
It bothers me that this, like abortion too often is, is the terminating of a life because it inconveniences someone. Terri has to die so that Michael can marry the mother of his children. <sigh> I haven’t heard or read the Church’s position on this case. I know that the Catholic Church is opposed to divorce, but it would seem to me that in this case it would make sense.
It bothers me that when Christians speak up for Terri’s right to live, there are those that holler about Christians imposing Christian morality, but when those same people speak up for causing Terri to die, they’re not imposing their morality?
It bothers me that for years we have been put on a guilt trip with pictures of starving people around the world and told how terrible it is and now suddenly starvation is a humane way of death.
It bothers me about the lack of culpability in this matter. If Terri died because someone forgot to feed her, then it would criminal negligent homicide, right? If her husband or other caregiver refused to feed her, then it would be murder. BUT the Court ordered the means of feeding to be discontinued, and all of a sudden there is no culpability. I don’t get it.
As I was sitting here thinking about all this, the words of the Prophet Isaiah came to mind:
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who substitute darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who substitute bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes
And clever in their own sight! (Isaiah 5:20, 21)
It’s a sad page in American history. But I guess we have to say, “What can you expect?” There are many, many people in this country who have no fear of God. Scripture says that “a fool says in his heart that there is no God” (Psalms 14) and that “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
The liberals and activist courts in this country are heading us down a slippery slope to where, as the Scriptures phrase it, “everyone did what was right in their own eyes.” It didn’t work for ancient Israel and it won’t work for the United States either. Just because Isaiah prophesied to ancient Israel doesn’t mean the same fate won’t befall this country if things continue they way they’re going. But, the thing we learn from history is that we don’t learn from history (or Scripture either for that matter).
Hey, thanks for listening and riding along again.
Blessings to you and yours.
Chaplain Bill
chappy@chaplainscorner.org
Author’s note:
Since I initially wrote this column, Terri has died. Even at her death there was family fighting and political grandstanding. Sad times. This death must be laid at the feet of the court for it is their responsibility. They gave the order. Here is a quote from Rush Limbaugh that pretty well sums it up:
"This is just the rock bottom. There's no other way to describe what happened today. The US judiciary forced the killing of an innocent American by virtue of torture, two weeks of starvation and dehydration, and resisted all efforts that were within the realm of the legal system to just take one more look at it, to save her life. It's just incredible that it has happened."
Now, I have to admit that I don’t know all there is to know about this case and neither side was, I believe, being fully honest. But it was all so unnecessary.
After 9/11, the country was largely united under the banner “God Bless America.” Then something like this happens. We’d best change our banner to “God Have Mercy on America.” We’re gonna need it.
