Questions about Death and Dying
What
does the United Methodist Church say about Death and Dying?
From the Social Principles, 2004 Book of Discipline, the collection of
church laws:
"While we applaud medical science for efforts to prevent disease and
illness and for advances in treatment that extend the meaningful life of
human beings, we recognize that every mortal life will ultimately end in
death. Death is never a sign that God has abandoned us, no matter what the
circumstances of the death might be. As Christians we must always be
prepared to surrender the gift of mortal life and claim the gift of
eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Care for
dying persons is part of our stewardship of the divine gift of life when
cure is no longer possible. We encourage the use of medical
technologies to provide palliative care at the end of life when
life-sustaining treatments no longer support the goals of life, and when
they have reached their limits. There is no moral or religious obligation
to use these when they impose undue burdens or only extend the process of
dying. Dying persons and their families are free to discontinue treatments
when they cease to be of benefit to the patient."
From "Faithful Care for Persons Suffering and Dying" in the 2004
Book of Resolutions, the collection of social guidelines:
"... Care for the dying is an
aspect of our stewardship of the divine gift of life. As human
interventions, medical technologies are only justified by the help that
they can give. Their use requires responsible judgment about when
life-sustaining treatments truly support the goals of life, and when they
have reached their limits. There is no moral or religious obligation to
use them when the burdens they impose outweigh the benefits they offer, or
when the use of medical technology only extends the process of dying.
"Therefore, families should have the liberty to discontinue
treatments when they cease to be of benefit to the dying person. However,
the withholding or withdrawing of life sustaining interventions should not
be confused with abandoning the dying or ceasing to provide care. Even
when staving off death seems futile or unreasonably burdensome to
continue, we must continue to offer comfort care—effective pain relief,
companionship and support for the patient in the hard and sacred work of
preparing for death.
"... To insure faithful care for the suffering and dying it is
recommended that United Methodists:
1. Acknowledge dying as part of human existence, without romanticizing it.
In dying, as in living, mercy and justice must shape our corporate
response to human need and vulnerability.
2. Accept relief of suffering as a goal for care of dying persons rather
than focusing primarily on prolonging life. Pain control and
comfort-giving measures are essentials in our care of those who are
suffering.
3. Educate and equip Christians to consider treatments for the suffering
and the dying in the context of Christian affirmations of God's providence
and hope. This should be done especially through preaching and adult
Christian education programs addressing these issues.
4. Train pastors and pastoral care-givers in the issues of bio-ethics as
well as in the techniques of compassionate companionship with those who
are suffering and dying.
5. Acknowledge, in our Christian witness and pastoral care, the diverse
social, economic, political, cultural, religious and ethnic contexts
around the world where United Methodists care for the dying.”
The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions copyright © 2004 by
The United Methodist Publishing House. Used by permission.
The Book of Discipline and The Book of Resolutions are available in our
Church Library for check-out.
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