The ethics and morality of dying were the topic of discussion today at a colloquium on Religion in the Public Square in Melbourne convened by the Presbyterian Church of Victoria.

Reflecting on the experience in the United States the sometimes extreme interventions that are followed in order to sustain life, seemingly at all costs, were contrasted with a Biblical view of humility in the face of the inevitability and universality of death.  The elevation of life to something that must be preserved at all costs and the common desire amongst the medical profession to exercise mastery and control in this area were described as a form of idolatry.  This was contrasted with a Biblical perspective that acknowledges that death is not only inevitable but also defeated and not the end of the story as eternal life awaits.

Tragically, this very idolatry of life may be contributing to the promotions of death through increased calls for euthanasia. Acknowledging both the scarcity of resources in the health industry and the concentration of medical expenses in the final year of life it is not hard to understand why the economic value of sustaining life may be questioned.

Many complex issues around the end of life on this earth were discussed.  Shunning simplistic solutions speakers differentiated killing and letting die and explored death, dying and assisted suicide from medical, moral and theological perspectives.

While death may not be in the immediate consideration of students in Christian schools it is worth contemplating how well we are preparing students to confront these issues for themselves and, more immediately, their parents and grandparents. 

Worth considering, worth discussing.