Comments on: Some thoughts on the Wesley J. Smith lecture at St. Tikhon’s Seminary

By: troon rose

troon rose — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 03:03:03 +0000

See http://www.hospicepatients.org for help standing up for your loved one with present-day hospice. The articles on Euthanasia are apt and fit Mr. Smith’s accurate warnings. Euthanasia is not just for the suffering or the brain-impaired. As an Orthodox convert and psychiatrist, I am horrified at the faulty thinking, denial, and misleading info given to families which lead to outright killings as horrific as abortion. May the Orthodox Church educate itself and its members through homilies and show its presence with those frightened into abortions as they go in to get them and ally with the vulnerable who may be euthanasized. Thank you for your words and focus in your blog. The Vatican may not understand the Trinity or the Theotokos as we do, but they are clear and firm on Euthanasia and abortion, thank God.

By: Fr. Johannes Jacobse

Fr. Johannes Jacobse — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 14:41:53 +0000

In reply to cynthia curran. I doubt Huckabee would support the killing of the disabled like the left did with Terry Schiavo. But utilitarianism is an ideology that easily piggy-backs on the native pragmatism in the American character. The writer at Not Dead Yet offers what I think is a warning worth heeding.

By: cynthia curran

cynthia curran — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:55:01 +0000

Well, I think you are a little harsh on Mike Huckabee. Granted, I don’t agree with the right’s idea of using a tax credit and buying your own insurance since a lot of people still couldn’t afford health care. But Huckabee is far from the most conservative Republican in fact as govenor of Ark he expanded health care for kids in his state and hike taxes. In reality Huckabee is mainly conservative on the social issues but take stands on issues to further his ambitions. The pre-conditiong force on companies to insurance is complex and while it might benefit some it might reduce health care for others employed by the same company. Also, I didn’t like Mike Huckabee when he ran for president since use the Mormon issue against Romeny in the Republican primarly.

By: George Michalopulos

George Michalopulos — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:43:46 +0000

In reply to Harry Coin. Harry, I think we gotta give the Gipper credit for winning the Cold War. To the extent that we Boomers provided the moral "sanction" to the Democrat/Liberal/Progressive parties of the West, we were ankle-biters in this endeavor.

By: Harry Coin

Harry Coin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:32:30 +0000

In reply to Fr. Johannes Jacobse.

Fr Hans: The boomers have much to be proud of in the arena of scientific, medical and engineering advancement. The end of the cold war without massive death and suffering must be appreciated, though certainly not claiming whole credit anywhere. Your point is well established that we have a powerful movement that has difficulty discerning a difference between a veternary and a human approach to medical ethics.

I was asked by person then a state senator ‘How does gay marraige hurt you?’. She was unable to answer the question ‘How does prostitution hurt you?’.

By: Fr. Johannes Jacobse

Fr. Johannes Jacobse — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 21:11:02 +0000

Steve, I wonder what history will say about the Boomers. They were supposed to be the best and brightest generation ever, but the legacy is -what? –thirty million abortions in the US alone, mountains of debt, the pornifaction of the public culture, you name it.

The sheer arrogance is astonishing: Virginia Ironside confidently proclaiming that smothering children is justifiable in some circumstances, Hillary Clinton feverishly working to promote abortions in the Third World, the crowd at Planned Parenthood and NOW shilling for the abortion industry — they just don’t stop.

What is it about these aging Boomers and their love of the culture of death? You’d think that the difficulties of life might have softened them somewhat, made them a little more tolerant of the hardships of others, enough at least to lay aside some of their arrogance and presumption. Instead they get harder and more defiant.

I’ll give the female minister a pass. The entire liberal wing of the Church of England has descended into unrecoverable loopiness anyway and you can’t really expect her to mount any kind of reasoned defense (moral relativism dulls a person). Still, her reaction displayed some genuine maternal feeling which puts her ahead of Ironside.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:01:31 +0000

What can one possibly say? Father, you are absolutely correct. People like this care not one whit about another’s suffering – they care only how it affects them.

The female minister may have just been in shock but, she sure took a long time to say anything (if she ever did).