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Sunday, October 02, 2011

An ungenerous orthodoxy

Lydia McGrew responds to Randal Rauser's comments which support Pat Robertson's comments on divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's.

(BTW, we've recently discussed the issue on Triablogue too. See here for our interactions with Rauser. Our responses are by turns serious and satirical.)

6 comments:

  1. This is such an interesting discussion, even the digressions. I have nothing to add to the brilliant and incisive arguments so masterfully displayed, but if it's okay I only wanted to share a little personal experience. The bedpan comment was particularly painful to me as it is something I encounter in caring for my two younger sons who have a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. The odds are that I will have to change their diapers and bedpans for as long as they live. And really that is not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to my responsibilities in keeping them medically stable or in promoting their happiness and exploration of the world. Nevertheless, while my sacrifices for their sakes may limit me from engaging in many of the activities that I used to enjoy, I also have been so spiritually enriched and inwardly transformed by the challenges of parenting and nursing these little ones that I occasionally find myself in tears, saying, "Lord, I do not deserve this. They are too wonderful for me!" And I feel a little ashamed and selfish that I should be so blessed, while their lives must be punctuated by pain and peril. My consolation is that they have been given such brave and joyous hearts and a willingness to embrace the wonder of life that they would put many folks, who squander their health and longevity, to shame.

    So this is why I am deeply perplexed and concerned that in cases of a sick spouse or child or any other human being, those who claim to be followers of Christ would be so hasty and worldly to think that God is unable to do something powerful and redemptive in those circumstances, to doubt that He may have something far better to give us than what we thought we always wanted.

    Posted by Marie | September 29, 2011 11:39 AM

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  2. BTW, everyone be sure to read Lydia's follow-up comments in the meta.

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  3. Thanks for that link, Steve; and Patrick thanks for posting the comment above. The modern culture of convenience has clearly insinuated itself in the broader professing visible church. Deny self? Take up my cross? Absurd! Foolish! Nonsense! Rubbish!

    I posted the following comment in the meta over there.

    Excellent article and combox discussion here. RR is a wolf in sheep's clothing, let's just get that out in the open at the outset. One truly wonders about the outworking of his ethics in this matter if it is rigorously and consistently applied and taken to it's logical conclusion with the unborn in view.

    After all, they have no cognitive awareness of their surroundings. They're not part of the web of human relationships. They can't survive even outside the womb without near constant care and supervision. They represent a huge, taxing burden upon those who are required to feed, clean, and do basically everything for them even as they are largely unaware of their surroundings, including themselves.

    Rauser's daughter can be thankful that he didn't apply his rigorously analytic ethical system to her, and we should pray that moral pragmatic subjectivists like Rauser and Robertson don't influence others with their wicked ideas.

    In Christ,
    CD

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  4. I have to say that I haven't seen someone get dismantled like that in some time (Lydia dismantling Rauser). Thanks for the link, Lydia has instantly gained my respect. The interaction in the combox is priceless. I took note of the fact that Randal was very respectful to Lydia until she wouldn't let her foot off his throat. Then he threw in a nasty parting shot and disappeared. Typical

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  5. winnowingfork stole my comment.

    I, too, was amused and instantly respectful of Lydia's efficient dismantling of Rauser. I was doubly amused by his abrupt disappearance.

    I haven't seen a post on his blog about it, but I'll be watching with interest to see how he tries to spin things in a direction favorable to himself.

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  6. After re-reading Lydia's article and the combox meta I think we should pray that Randal's wife and/or daughter don't fall victim to some sort of debilitating disease or trauma, and I re-assert that we should pray that the wicked and perverse system of ethics he sets forth doesn't influence anyone else.

    In Christ,
    CD

    P.S. - thanks again for the link to Lydia's site, it has made my list of required reading.

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