Euthanasia, A Challenge to Christian Understanding of Death & Suffering Under Media Influence.
Date
2004
Authors
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
The debate between the culture of death and life has internalized in our society
due to the advancement in various aspects of life be it economical, scientific,
technological etc. This being an advantage or progress in our way of living, it would
also be a brooding nest of many dangers threatening our safety. As R. M. Gula would
caution, " the same technology which extends the life of one person may simply prolong
the dying of another. t i Pro-choicers and functionalists have taken advantage of these
advancements with capitalist ideologies to determine who is to live and who is to be
sacrificed or eliminated. The whole view of life and its values is actually in jeopardy.
An African view of life has been bombarded by a lot of influences from the
western world due to globalization and other ideologies. African culture and its
traditional values have no choice but to respond to the global culture, which is very
influential and dominant. Some of these influences come with practices like abortion,
suicide and euthanasia. The later will be our focus in this paper. Moreover, there is no
doubt that Africans are on a crossroads whether to embrace the technological progress
or let go their traditional values, which are greatly challenged by the new global culture, and put in jeopardy altogether the whole philosophy of umunthu (oneness) and
community aspect stipulated by Mbiti as, "I am, because we are; and since we are,
therefore I am."2
Moreover, economical pressure has made life in most African countries, Zambia
included, illusive and cheap. Life is no longer valued in itself but as a means towards
one's personal goals and objectives. Unfortunately these goals and objectives are most
of the time profit-oriented. Thus unproductive people for instance the aged, terminally
ill, handicapped, you name it, are viewed as a burden both to themselves and to others
in society. Thus pro- choicers view them as mere consumers and hence objects, which
need to be eliminated for they are viewed as useless and hindrance to productivity and
progress.
Zambia being a Christian nation, (as declared by former President Chiluba
during his term of office), is faced with different moral decisions in this advancing
world and worse still due to its limping economy. People in Lusaka, the capital city, are
challenged by life, which is going through cultural modification because of powerful
and influential global trends, which are powerful and influential. The diversity of
different categories of people makes it even more difficult to save its cultural values.
Ultimately, the unfit end up being victims because of the advancements in the kind of
life being adopted by many people. P. N. Wachege quoting Gula, says:
Description
Keywords
Euthanasia, Understanding, Death & Suffering, Media Influence