The Christian View of Euthanasia SIR,—Being by nature a rather
lazy individual I was disinclined to write to you on your euthanasia comment of December 1st, even though much disturbed by it. However, in view, of the congratulations your views received from one of your more progressive readers, may I express my own deep disagreement with those views?
To the atheist and the agnostic and the unthinking Christian euthanasia,' in one form or another, has an obvious Appeal. But the Church has always brought several arguments against it, and to thb true Christian each one of them should appear utterly conclusive, leaving any further discussion a mere waste of time. The Christian believes he receives his life as a responsibility from God. He is only the steward of his life. God gave the life and God alone, in the fullness of His divine plans. may take it away. It is this alone that makes human life sacred. For anyone to directly interfere with the divine plan is obviously gravely sin. ftil. Who are we to set our petty wisdom against the divine omniscience? As in so many similar questions, such as divorce, a very good case can be made out here for relaxing of views "under special circumstances and under adequate safeguards." But for the Christian there will always remain one invincible argument against so doing, the divine com- mandment, "Thou shalt not kill." It seems a sad reversal of values to attach so much importance; in another paragraph, to the maintenance of the "English Christian tradition" for keeping the Sabbath holy, and then to view sympathetically the legalising of murder.—Yours faith-
fully. JOSEPH M. MERRIMAN. 313 Queens Drive. Liverpool, 4.
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