Unbelievable?

Should anyone be eligible for medical assistance in dying? 

"Choosing Death: Assisted Dying, Assisted Suicide, Murder – Who Decides?"

Should the power to decide be granted to everyone when it comes to medical assistance in dying? A recent Canadian survey sheds light on the attitudes towards euthanasia and assisted dying, revealing startling statistics. Poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and disability – these factors, according to the Canadian survey, justify access to euthanasia for a significant portion of the population.  Shocking, but perhaps not surprising is that the younger generation, in particular, supports these views, with percentages reaching as high as 41% for reason of poverty, and 60% for being disabled.  

Death and dying have always been subjects that people tend to avoid discussing, but they demand our attention. Assisted dying, in particular, is a challenging and highly emotional topic that cannot be ignored. Each culture holds its own beliefs and attitudes towards the inevitable. Often, we are thrust into this discussion by circumstances – a close friend, a family member, or a beloved person falling severely ill, either gradually or suddenly. As Christians, it is crucial for us to engage in conversations about death. When is the right time to die?

Some argue that doctors should have the authority to provide medical assistance in dying. In Canada, laws surrounding assisted dying are expanding to include various situations where individuals have the right to choose death, even without a terminal illness. However, should doctors, who are meant to heal, be asked to take lives? And what does Christianity have to say about this contentious issue? Is it our prerogative to determine the timing of our own death?

Join Roger Bolton as he hosts this vital discussion, featuring UK-based Dr. Mark Pickering from the Christian Medical Fellowship and Canadian doctor Ellen Wiebe. 

Dr Mark Pickering is the Chief Executive of CMF (UK/Ireland). He is based in London where he also works as a secure environment GP (in prisons and similar institutions). He has a long term interest in bioethics and often speaks on behalf of the Care Not Killing Alliance. He has previously worked as a hospice junior doctor.

Links:

www.ourdutyofcare.org.uk; www.carenotkilling.org.uk; www.dyingwell.co.uk; www.cmf.org.uk

Articles:

Canada’s home MAiD disaster? | CMF Blogs – by Dr Trevor Stammers

People facing 'unjust' conditions have right to euthanasia: ethicists | National Post – recent Canadian article highlighting the issues of poverty and mental health that we discussed.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-medical-aid-in-dying

Dr. Ellen Wiebe is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Practice at the University of British Columbia. After 30 years of full-service family practice, she now restricts her practice to women’s health and assisted death. She is the Medical Director of Willow Women’s Clinic in Vancouver and provides medical and surgical abortions and contraception. She developed Hemlock Aid to provide consultations for doctors and patients about aid in dying and provides assisted death. 

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From the archives. A DVD documentary series The God Question explored whether advances in science were undermining or supporting belief in God. Christian thinker Prof John Lennox and atheist physicist Lawrence Krauss debated some of the issues raised by the video series..

Alongside audio clips from the film they discussed the Big Bang, purpose, fine-tuning and the possibility of a universe "from nothing".

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In 2019, Justin Brierley swapped his moderator’s chair for being a debater in a live show recorded in front of a student audience at Oxford University. He engaged atheist Stephen Woodford who runs the YouTube channel Rationality Rules on the question ‘Is it rational to be a Christian?’

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From the archives. J Warner Wallace is a homicide detective specialising in cold case murder investigations. In his book Cold Case Christianity he shows how the same tools of investigating evidence can show that the Gospels are trustworthy accounts. Jim tells how the evidence moved him from atheism to Christianity and debates with 2 sceptical callers on differing timelines in the Gospels and corroboration.

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This week on Unbelievable’s Coronation special Roger Bolton asks how important is the established Church of England to the fabric of life in the United Kingdom and beyond?  Does King Charles as Supreme Governor of the Church of England have divine purpose?  Academic and author Dr. Jonathan Chaplin of Wesley House, Cambridge suggests we should ditch the religious aspects of the Coronation to better reflect multicultural Britain.  Catherine Pepinster author and broadcaster argues the sacral aspects of the Coronation act as a enduring symbol of the country's heritage. Will King Charles III embrace Christianity as a guiding force in his reign? Should he forge a new path for a changing nation?  And what is the role of the established church in public life?  

Catherine Pepinster is an author and expert on the history of coronations, and was editor of the Catholic Tablet journal for over 13 year. She is the author of Defenders of the Faith - The British Monarchy, Religion and the Next Coronation and explains the significance of the deeply sacred Christian event and the unifying role it can play in the nation and beyond. Dr. Jonathan Chaplin wrote Beyond Establishment - Resetting Church-State relations in England and- as a committed Christian and Anglican - proposes a radical rethinking, of the relationship between the Church and the state.

Follow Catherine Pepinster on Twitter @CPsPepTalk

or her blog here peptalk519.wordpress.com

Follow Jonathan Chaplin here where he is an Honorary Fellow at Wesley House, Cambridge

https://www.wesley.cam.ac.uk/single-page-profile/?smid=8691

Books referenced in the podcast

Catherine Pepinster's book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Defenders-Faith-Charles-coronation-Christianity/dp/1399800078/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YYU7RLTNQ86O&keywords=CAtherine+pepinster&qid=1683170895&sprefix=catherine+pepinster%2Caps%2C71&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Defenders-Faith-Monarchy-Religion-Coronation/dp/139980006X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KTP3JQN0TGPO&keywords=catherine+pepinster%27s+defender+of+the+faith&qid=1683170972&sprefix=Catherine+pepinster%2Caps%2C154&sr=8-1

Dr Jonathan Chaplin's book

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Establishment-Resetting-Church-State-Relations/dp/0334061733/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2W4EMUWTFGOJW&keywords=jonathan+chaplin&qid=1683170924&sprefix=jonathan+chaplin%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1

https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Establishment-Resetting-Church-State-Relations-ebook/dp/B0B4F6CGCM/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3MRA7ZO4VX4NT&keywords=jonathan+chaplin&qid=1683171020&sprefix=jonathan+chaplin%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-4

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From the archives: The SETI programme has been listening to the universe for signs of intelligent life for over 50 years. In his book 'Science, Religion and the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence' astrophysicist Revd Prof David Wilkinson assesses the evidence for the existence of alien life and what the impact of discovering it would be on Christianity.

Mark Kidger, an astronomer for the European Space Agency, also joined the conversation as an agnostic on God, but as a believer in the existence of alien life.

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The Big Conversation - Episode 2 | Season 5

Is post-Christendom a brave new world or a culture in collapse? Can ancient wisdom still offer answers to the modern problems of life?

Rod Dreher is Senior Editor of The American Conservative and author of bestselling books including 'The Benedict Option' and 'Live Not By Lies'. Louise Perry is a journalist and campaigner against sexual violence. Her book ‘The Case Against The Sexual Revolution’ explains why today’s liberal hook up culture has been bad for women from a purely socio-evolutionary perspective. They discuss Christianity, the sexual revolution and the future of the West.

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The Big Conversation is a video series from Premier Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the religious and non-religious community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is produced by Premier Unbelievable? in partnership with John Templeton Foundation.

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In this debate from the Reasonable Faith UK tour in 2011, William Lane Craig visited the Cambridge Union. The motion under debate is "This house believes that God is not a delusion". The other debaters are Peter S Williams, Arif Ahmed & Andrew Copson.

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This week we play Justin Brierley's personal favourite episode: the discussion he hosted live in California, between Christian apologist John Lennox and US talk show host Dave Rubin, from 2019. Part of The Big Conversation, they discussed the question of where the next generation is turning to in the search for meaning and identity. Is God finally dead, as Nietzsche once declared? Or is there space for a renaissance of religious belief in the modern world?

And lookout for new episodes of The Big Conversation, as we've recently launched the brand new Season 5! Sign up to our newsletter and you will be able to watch new episodes of The Big Conversation a whole week early, as well as receive updates and access to hours of bonus content! Register now at: https://thebigconversation.show

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In light of the recent Church of England debates on gay marriage this archive show from 2013 titled "A Different Kind of Coming Out" saw Justin meet three evangelical church leaders who talked about their struggle with same-sex attraction and why they decided to choose celibacy, or being 'post-gay'. It was followed by a studio discussion between Anglican blogger Peter Ould and Savi Hensman of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in light of the programme.

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