The Value of Human Life
Today, my husband and I had the privilege of two young gentlemen (brothers) from Germany in our home. The younger was here visiting his brother who is finishing up a master's degree at the University where my husband works. As we finished our dinner, we broke all the rules, and let the conversation turn to politics, religion and China and India. We discussed the economics of the USA, Western Europe, China and India, the influence of money on these societies, and the effects of religion on politics and moral values.
As I listened to our friends talk about the economic and moral state of China, I could not help but think of how the religion of China has influenced their way of life and their moral values. We heard that in Chinese factories, 6 or 7 employees die every day because of bad working conditions. The bodies are taken out and dumped outside the buildings. There is always someone around to take their place. We learned how Chinese doctors looking for organ donors paid farmers to remove a lung or a kidney from a daughter or a son. Many of the children later died due to infection from dirty instruments. Others will eventually die due to HIV infections they got from the same needled that was used on hundreds of patients. To the Chinese, life is cheap.
In Western Europe and the United States, we value life. We go to extreme measures to ensure that safety measures are in place so that people are not harmed on the job. We wouldn't dream of giving up our children's organs for a few dollars, and we insist on cleanliness from medical professionals. Though these days, much of this is driven by money hungry attorneys and clients hoping for a big settlement on a lawsuit, Western Europeans and Americans have a sense that life is valuable.
What is the difference? The difference is in core beliefs. The Chinese find no value in human life, because their lives belong to the "State". If the "State" wants them to die, then die they must. In Western European countries, though we have almost completely abandoned our belief in God, the remnants of those core beliefs still linger in our minds and our belief systems. Our faith tells us that we are created by God and in His image. This makes human life itself valuable. To take human life is to destroy what belongs to God. Our belief in God also tells us that because we are created in the image of God, we must guard the freedom to worship and follow God as He leads us.
As I've thought about our talk around the table, I have a fresh appreciation for what God has given us in the United States. It also makes me realize that I must not abuse that freedom, because if we abuse the freedom in our generation, it will be taken away in the next.
As I listened to our friends talk about the economic and moral state of China, I could not help but think of how the religion of China has influenced their way of life and their moral values. We heard that in Chinese factories, 6 or 7 employees die every day because of bad working conditions. The bodies are taken out and dumped outside the buildings. There is always someone around to take their place. We learned how Chinese doctors looking for organ donors paid farmers to remove a lung or a kidney from a daughter or a son. Many of the children later died due to infection from dirty instruments. Others will eventually die due to HIV infections they got from the same needled that was used on hundreds of patients. To the Chinese, life is cheap.
In Western Europe and the United States, we value life. We go to extreme measures to ensure that safety measures are in place so that people are not harmed on the job. We wouldn't dream of giving up our children's organs for a few dollars, and we insist on cleanliness from medical professionals. Though these days, much of this is driven by money hungry attorneys and clients hoping for a big settlement on a lawsuit, Western Europeans and Americans have a sense that life is valuable.
What is the difference? The difference is in core beliefs. The Chinese find no value in human life, because their lives belong to the "State". If the "State" wants them to die, then die they must. In Western European countries, though we have almost completely abandoned our belief in God, the remnants of those core beliefs still linger in our minds and our belief systems. Our faith tells us that we are created by God and in His image. This makes human life itself valuable. To take human life is to destroy what belongs to God. Our belief in God also tells us that because we are created in the image of God, we must guard the freedom to worship and follow God as He leads us.
As I've thought about our talk around the table, I have a fresh appreciation for what God has given us in the United States. It also makes me realize that I must not abuse that freedom, because if we abuse the freedom in our generation, it will be taken away in the next.
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