winstonjen

OK, long winded fool, that sounds better, but does that mean that we cannot reduce the suffering of others and ourselves? Some fanatical pro-lifers are even against the use of painkillers.

long winded fool

I think from a Christian standpoint we are commanded reduce the suffering of others. How else would we be able to demonstrate courage or self-sacrifice? If the only argument against the use of painkillers is that they take away the pain, I don't think these pro-lifers are going to get very far. Forbidding the use of painkillers solely because they block suffering is equivalent to inflicting suffering. Unless they have some other reason for being against painkillers, they are disobeying the single most important rule of the Christian doctrine. The golden rule. The prime instinct of every human being is to avoid suffering. Easing the suffering of someone is treating them the way you want to be treated.

There are cases where inflicting mild, temporary suffering will prevent greater suffering. Like refusing to give a cigarette to a coworker who's trying to quit. Though you are causing the person suffering, it is for a greater good that will ultimately lead to a better life with less suffering. You are not, in the long run, inflicting suffering, you are slowly removing the suffering by allowing small amounts for the time being. This is why the argument may not hold water as a pro-choice argument of "allowing the mother to suffer when you can stop it is the same as inflicting the suffering." The pro-lifers can say that the suffering of one innocent is preferable to the death of another. The mother's temporary suffering is trivial compared to the life of her baby.

winstonjen

OK...in that case I suppose their motto should be, "We will relieve your suffering because god is too lazy to do it himself." In which case, such a god probably isn't worth worshipping.

long winded fool

Why would anyone need a god if there were no suffering? From an atheistic perspective, I would think that suffering is a prerequisite for god. To say that it is proof that there is no god doesn't seem to follow.

JerryM

The idea in traditional Christianity that enduring suffering is noble comes from the concept of Jesus's life being the model of godliness which all should pursue. There's also a throwback to Job, who suffered great torment, yet never lost his faith. If the point of the Book of Job is to explain "why bad things happen to good people", I think it totally fails. It basically says that God's ways are not our ways, that God has his own reasons, and we really have no right even to question Him. But if you keep your faith, things will turn out right in the end. Extremely simplistic and unsatisfying. But for many people, even that non-answer is more comfortable than accepting that life is just one damned thing after another.