Skip to main content

Mere Orthodoxy exists to create media for Christian renewal. Support this mission today.

Pagan vs. Christian in the Schiavo Case

March 24th, 2005 | 2 min read

By Andrew Selby

One of the issues at the heart of the debate is the battle for the inherent sanctity of life. Americans are now asking themselves: is a life of suffering worth listening? The fact that we are now asking this question reveals the battle between Pagan and Christian ideals: paganism is back.

One of the striking lessons learned from study of Roman history is the frequent suicides Romans committed when their armies had lost in battle or they had been politically ousted. (Good thing for liberals that these ideas haven't fully taken over the culture!) Those Romans who chose to take their lives in such circumstances basically believed that life without honor was not worth living. Unfortunately, the paganism that threatens the West is a step lower. We say life without pleasure isn't worth living.

Christianity radically changed this idea. Through the example of our sweet Lord, whose horrendous death on the cross on behalf of mankind we remember tomorrow, we learn that this life can still be lived in a beautiful and fulfilling way despite the presence of pain. The Christian truthfully acknowledges that a life of pain is not the life that we were meant to have, but affirms that the health of the soul is more important than that of the body. This life is a school for our souls in which we learn lessons so that we can more fully enjoy our majestic Three-person God.

One of those lessons might be what Terri Schiavo is experiencing right now. The Christian in that situation bears under the suffering, putting his or her hope in the Resurrection and the life to come. The Pagan ends it all. The Pagan tries to grasp at this life, expecting it to bring ultimate fulfillment. In trying to gain his life, he loses it. The Christian, in losing his life for Jesus' sake, gains it.

May God bring us a revival of Christian culture and allow us to defeat the ideas of death in the new Paganism.

Incidentally, Lauryn Hill's song, Zion, is a pro-life anthem worth a listen. She was willing to sacrifice her career, realizing that it couldn't fully satisfy her, and kept her baby instead of aborting it despite social pressure to do so.

Topics:

Pro-Life