Suicide and Narrow Social Agendas | Capital Commentary

Suicide and Narrow Social Agendas | Capital Commentary by Jack Hanke.  MGB:  This is a well done treatment of the issue.  From a Catholic perspective, St. Thomas More actually included assisted suicide in his Utopia.  As for abortion and gay marriage, they are not really political issues because the determination of rights is with judicial bodies, not legislatures, and these bodies must be impartial rather than reflecting the beliefs of the appointing officials.  Mostly this is the case, much to the aggravation of the general public (and the delight of those who make money off of people who think the political system can provide a different answer).  The question of suicide brings up a profound theological question - does God have needs and rights or is the whole of morality an act of Love for the good of mankind?  If you believe in a perfect God, I think the answer must be that morality is a gift and must ultimately be humanistic - not from a selfish base but a humanism designed by a loving Creator.  The Catholic myth used to be that human suffering added to the merits of Christ, which is hubris designed to both sell indulgences and extract obedience to the hierarchy.  It is on the order of the pride of Lucifer in his music, which he believed exceeded the merits of Christ.  Since the merits of Christ are infinite, they cannot be added to at all, even by someone dying a painful death.  Dying in the face of persecution is meritorious.  Suffering to find God is equally meritorious to find grace, but once you are in grace, it serves no purpose.