— Archbishop of Canterbury 1991-2002 —
photo by Andrew Crowley
THE U-TURN
The 87 year old Lord George Carey, made the news because he recently wrote to the Health and Social Care Committee of the British Parliament supporting the introduction of Assisted Suicide on the grounds that it is 'profoundly Christian.' He wants to ensure that “no-one suffers against their will.”
Carey says that it is an “act of great generosity, kindness and human love” to help dying people to end their lives. The full text of his letter is not available. (The H&SC Committee is investigating the question of assisted suicide in the UK.)
Carey claimed that during his working life he opposed assisted suicide [AS]: “…I would have fiercely opposed Lord Falconer’s Bill. My background in the Christian Church could hardly allow me to do otherwise.” Then, at 78 years of age, he came out in support of assisted suicide in a 2014 Daily Mail article.
Carey claims that “Thou Shalt Not Kill” is “too broad a[s] principle[s] to be very relevant to the issue.” — Say what?? — not even a former Archbishop of Canterbury gets to renounce a Commandment.
(Reminder: the Archbishop of Canterbury is the principal leader of the Anglican Church of England and is the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.)
THE 2014 TREATISE
Please read the full text of Carey’s 2014 article — I perceive this is to be a more professionally-drafted document than personal text. The emotive-based arguments and catch-phrases are very typical of the organizations pushing assisted suicide. Here are a few examples:
The final agonies;
painful terminal illness;
the ravages of the illness;
huge doses of morphine;
the excruciating pain;
‘It is quality of life that counts’;
Life was precious when it was worth living;
dying person in torment;
bring the torment to a merciful end;
our laws have not caught up with the science;
The only brief statement within Carey’s true expertise (Christian Theology, the Bible & Jesus) was:
“Indeed, Jesus’s mission was underpinned with compassion for those suffering from the most dreadful conditions, such as leprosy. To those people, rejected by society and condemned to live apart, he brought comfort, healing and a new sense of dignity.”
In no way does this show that Jesus supported regular suicide; assisted dying; assisted suicide; or the active killing of suffering people. Jesus brought ‘comfort, healing and a new sense of dignity’ to the living!
Carey might be fully indoctrinated into ‘The Cause’, but it is more likely that the 2014 document was penned by someone else and given to him to sign. I would love to read the recent letter to the Committee!
It is also quite likely that a Director of Communications from one of the main organisations arranged a press release to The Telegraph, and/or assisted with his responses. (Especially when you see him questioning the application of a Commandment to assisted suicide.)
IN THE NAME OF COMPASSION
Carey claims that his recently-found support of Assisted Suicide is based on compassion and the need to ensure that “no-one suffers against their will.” That noted, he wants to limit AS to the terminally ill:
“It would be outrageous if it were extended beyond the terminally ill to an ever-widening group of people, including the disabled and the depressed.
Such a step would impose terrible pressures on some of the most vulnerable people in our society. It also conjures up the nightmare image of official death-panels that could decide the fate of individuals, as the sinister ideological eugenicists of the early 20th century advocated.”
One of his (their?) profound errors is that “compassion” cannot be limited to one group. The UK will not end up with “official death panels” but worse — just two doctors will decide who dies.
Canada’s Medical Assistance in Dying [MAiD] has rapidly increased the categories and numbers of citizens eligible for euthanasia. “Track Two” includes the disabled in poverty or lacking in services — pure eugenics.
I wonder if Carey will think that ‘assisting’ some British citizen to die because of poverty, is an“act of great generosity, kindness and human love”?
The next category coming to Canada are those suffering from mental illness — to be implemented March 2024. Some are pushing for the euthanasia of ‘Mature Minors,’ down to 12 years old. My bet is that Canada will eventually get Suicide-on-Demand, for all.
Carey is painfully naive about our Brave New World.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH
The Most Reverend Justin Welby is the current Archbishop of Canterbury. He supervised the 2022 General Synod of the Church of England which overwhelmingly opposed Assisted Suicide. They concluded:
(Click image to link to my article on the 2022 Anglican Synod.)
MISGUIDED — OR WORSE
Carey questioned the validity of the Commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill.”
There are only a handful of reasons why he might do so:
He has experienced a life-changing revelation — & can no longer represent Jesus Christ.
He believed in assisted suicide all his life — a Hypocrite & Liar.
He has come to a misguided theological conclusion — a Fool.
He is being paid to support this position — a Judas.
He has lost his marbles (cognitive impairment or dementia) — so incapacitated.
He is being manipulated into making these statements — a victim of Elder Abuse.
Sadly, one or more of the latter possibilities is quite likely at 87 years of age.
REFUTATION
Our Lord Jesus Christ healed the living and brought the dead back to life!
Hallelujah!
Kevin Hay
(You can follow Kevin on Twitter @kevinhay77)
