Christians and Transplant Surgery Flashcards
Teachings in the Bible
St Paul told his followers: “I myself can say that you would have taken out your own eyes, if you could, and given them to me.” (Galatians 4:15) — guidance on principle of organ donation
‘The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same,” (John, Luke 3:11)
Jesus’ Teachings and The Golden Rule
(The Good Samaritan, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats, The Golden Rule, Healing Miracles, Love Your Neighbour)
treat others as you would like to be treated — sufficient support for pro-organ donation
love your neighbour — giving one organ if you have two (e.g. kidneys) is allowed
Situation Ethics — agape
Jesus healed — so should we
Resurrection of the Spirit, not the body
Genesis 3:19: “By the sweat of your brow, you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
body no longer needed
use it to help the living
resurrected in spirit not body
Church Teachings
sacrificing and helping others
“There is an everyday heroism, made up of gestures and sharing, big or small… A particularly praiseworthy example of such gestures is the donation of organs in a morally acceptable manner.” (PopeJohn Paul II, Evangelism Vitae)
Playing God/God has a Plan
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5)
God has the ability to heal — miracles
Jodie and Mary are conjured twins. Parents did not want surgery. They believed humans should not intervene.
The Sanctity of Life Teachings
all life is holy and belongs to God
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139)
made in God’s image — Imago Dei
don’t interfere with God’s creation
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)
Full bodily Resurrection
God will resurrect us but need our complete bodies for this to happen
The major creeds of the Church teach that as Jesus rose from there dead: “I believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”
Christians should believe in the creeds
Donation can be Unethical
black market donations
who determines the death?
WHO (World Health Organisation) estimates 10,000 black market operations involving human organs happen every year
money to gang who harvest organs from desperate people — often no doctor afterwards
procuring organs from death row inmates
