Friday, January 27, 2006

It's not murder if you want to be killed

A Canadian judge has sentenced 60-year-old Marielle Houle to no-time-in-jail for her part in her son's "suicide", stressing this sentence is not to be seen as a precedent. Good luck with that.

The woman held a plastic bag over her son's head, so she did more than just assist him in taking his life, she took it. I guess the judge's thinking is, it's not murder if you want to be killed.

In today's Canada, the more likely offense would be her use of an eco-unfriendly petroleum-derivative (plastic bag) to commit the deed.

* * *

This an excerpt from Mr. Houle's departure letter to his mother:

"My dearest mommy," Stop right there. Read no further. Something weird is going on here, friends.

"I beg you not to wallow in blind grief, like a person of faith. We're atheists, you and I."

Ah, yes. Fight the good faith of atheism. None of that wallowing in blind grief like a person of faith. Does this last sentence even make sense? Wouldn't an atheist be more likely to wallow in blind grief than a person whose hope is fixed on the One who said, "I am the Resurrection and the Life". Or, is his grief, unlike a person of faith, a "seeing" grief, i.e., he sees that there is nothing beyond the grave. But if that's the case, isn't seeing that there is nothing beyond the grave as much a matter of faith as seeing that there is something?

Either I'm missing something, or this unfortunate man hadn't thought through his atheism.

In fact, I would say he put 'way too much faith in it.

No comments:

"... nothing intellectually compelling or challenging.. bald assertions coupled to superstition... woefully pathetic"