Monday, March 21, 2005

Where's a theology professor when you need one?

The linked article is talking about the current issues in the Florida right to die case. One passage in particular bears notice:

"During the hearing, David Gibbs, an attorney for the parents, said that forcing Schiavo to die by starvation and dehydration would be "a mortal sin" under her Roman Catholic beliefs."

That kind of stuck out. I'm a Roman Catholic, and I know lots about Catholic theology. The reason this stuck out was because it is false.

I can only assume Mr. Gibbs is talking about how suicide is a mortal sin - and if you have a mortal sin on your soul when you die, you go to hell. Now, there are two components to a mortal sin. The first is that it has to be a serious matter - and suicide satisifies that.

Of course, Mr. Gibbs doesn't mention the other part. He doesn't mention that for anything to be a sin, there has to be choice involved. A human being's soul (according to Roman Catholic dogma) is made up of two parts - the intellect and the free will. They cannot function without each other. The woman in question is in a permanent vegetative state. She cannot express any will - she has none - she is already gone. She therefore can't "choose" anything - so she can't commit suicide, or any other sin.

Come on people, you learn this stuff in Sunday School.

Oh, and we'll leave out why Congress and the President need to fucking stay the hell away from this issue. Luckily, federal judges seem to be operating at a bit smarter level. Hopefully that will continue. I know I'd personally hate to have Congress trying to dictate my cases to me as I'm hearing them if I were a judge.

Of course, if I were a judge, this would be over a long time ago.

6 comments:

DOUBLE G said...

I agree 100%, why Bush (who slacks to begin with) will leave camp early and be awoken in teh middle of the night just to sigh a BS bill or when the Federal Govt can intervein in our personal rights. I can go on forever, but will end short that the Roman Catholic Comment wasnt the only thing falsely stated in this story!

Achronos said...

True. An additional comment should be made - the parents are NOT the legal guardians of the poor woman. She's over 18, she gets to choose her own guardian. Since she's married, that defaults to next of kin unless she specifically spells it out. That means, legally, her husband is the guardian. Her parents are being very selfish - aren't they not honoring their daughter's wishes?

DOUBLE G said...

Not only are her parents being selfish, the Rep. are attempting to take her into custody. At least not all our judges are right wing conservatives. Heres to hoping that ACTUAL politicians (and i mean people who work for the people, not their wallets and beliefs) hold on to the little power left. Do give up yet, Rehnquist, we need you.

Anonymous said...

Come on guys, please if any one of you can prove that there is a heaven or hell do it. There hasn't been one person on this planet who can prove this. Religion is made from men, bottom line. To believe in an ideology that was created by people who thought the world was flat at the time, and executed those who thought different is shear stupidity in my book. a) If terry was to be put to death, then they just should have ended it with morphine injections( that's what I would have wanted), not starve her to death. Medical experst "say" she will not feel any pain, but until they are in that position how do they really know, they don't. As for her parents, I would fear for her safety as well, terry's husband has been married to another woman and has kids by that woman. He has extenuating circumstances to have her dead. Let the parents take care of her, they really seem to want to. If I were ever in that situation though I'd want the axe baby. It would have to be fun like skydiving without a parachute into the ocean from thirty thousand. Later all NEWTONBOMB out.

Anonymous said...

Why don't use learn to properly administrate a message board instead of bashing the president you liberal little fuck.

Anonymous said...

Of course people heard this stuff in Sunday School, but half of them didn't listen.