A newborn dies as the result of a rare disease. A husband of four dies suddenly in a work-related accident. A young mother loses life and limb as the result of a terrorist attack.
In each case, the family of the deceased tries to cope with the tragic loss of a loved one. As they search their hearts and minds for a reassuring explanation for this seemingly senseless loss, their conservative Christian friends and family members are bound to say, "I know it's hard to understand now, but it's all part of God's plan".
To the fundamentalist mind, everything happens for a reason. Though humans do exercise free will, God knows what each of us ultimately will choose at any given moment. While many situations, including unfortunate deaths, might not make sense to we mere mortals, every moment DOES fit in to God's overall blueprint.
While I personally think this kind of sentiment and belief is pure hogwash, it is amazing to me that, the people who hold such beliefs so dear, are the very same people jumping on the "Save Terri" Schiavo bandwagon.
Were it not for the now-controversial feeding tube, Terri Schiavo would have died over a decade ago. It should have been the kind of death explained by the "God's plan" line of reasoning. Therefore, for me, it seems that the fundamentalists who SAY they cherish God's plan are trying thwart it by artificially keeping this brain-dead woman alive.
Maybe the Christian God was trying to send a message via Terri's death to her parents and siblings. Maybe he has a special job for her lined up in heaven. Maybe he planned to conduct a miracle -- before all these histrionics got going -- by providing a divine cure.
But all these things have been scrapped because her parents and supporters won't allow God to put his plan into motion because they won't let Terri's body die. I know this sounds like a weird way of looking at this situation, but it makes perfect sense if you believe that God has a plan for each of us.
In each case, the family of the deceased tries to cope with the tragic loss of a loved one. As they search their hearts and minds for a reassuring explanation for this seemingly senseless loss, their conservative Christian friends and family members are bound to say, "I know it's hard to understand now, but it's all part of God's plan".
To the fundamentalist mind, everything happens for a reason. Though humans do exercise free will, God knows what each of us ultimately will choose at any given moment. While many situations, including unfortunate deaths, might not make sense to we mere mortals, every moment DOES fit in to God's overall blueprint.
While I personally think this kind of sentiment and belief is pure hogwash, it is amazing to me that, the people who hold such beliefs so dear, are the very same people jumping on the "Save Terri" Schiavo bandwagon.
Were it not for the now-controversial feeding tube, Terri Schiavo would have died over a decade ago. It should have been the kind of death explained by the "God's plan" line of reasoning. Therefore, for me, it seems that the fundamentalists who SAY they cherish God's plan are trying thwart it by artificially keeping this brain-dead woman alive.
Maybe the Christian God was trying to send a message via Terri's death to her parents and siblings. Maybe he has a special job for her lined up in heaven. Maybe he planned to conduct a miracle -- before all these histrionics got going -- by providing a divine cure.
But all these things have been scrapped because her parents and supporters won't allow God to put his plan into motion because they won't let Terri's body die. I know this sounds like a weird way of looking at this situation, but it makes perfect sense if you believe that God has a plan for each of us.
It IS rather ironic, isn't it? Maybe this is Terri's parents way at getting back at her. Maybe they WERE cognizant of their daughter's eating disorder. Since they couldn't convince the sentient Terri to eat enough, they're going to make damn sure the non-sentient Terri does!
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