People have been fighting for the legal “right to die” for decades now. Assisted suicide (which, in another time, perhaps another place, God Blogging thinks might have been called homicide) is now legal in Oregon and Washington and Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in September on a case that could lead to that gorgeous state becoming the third to allow assisted suicide. And as everyone knows, Switzerland is a haven for those wanting to chose the time of their own deal, being home to Dignitas in Zurich, which charges a mere $7,000 to put the terminally ill out of their misery. Or, as was the case earlier this month, put a relatively healthy elderly man to death just because he asked.

Protestor supporting assisted suicide in the Northwest; Creative Commons

Folks may not be paying attention to what happened to Sir Edward Downes, but they should, because his case further clouds the waters surrounding the murky practice of assisted suicide. Downes, 85, nearly blind and “increasingly” deaf but otherwise healthy, was allowed to hold hands with his wife, who had terminal cancer, while they each drank a “small quantity of clear liquid” that killed them both. Normally, assisted suicide, when and where it is allowed, is sanctioned only in cases of terminal illness and grave pain. Oregon, which has had the practice for a decade, has a series of stringent requirements someone must meet before being allowed a prescription for “lethal medications,” most important of which is proving they have a terminal illness that will kill them within six months. But Dignitas pushes for death on demand, believing that everyone has the right to personal autonomy. Ergo, they agreed to what was essentially a suicide pact between Downes and his wife.

Downes, a former conductor of Britain’s Royal Opera and a world-renown composer, was simply suffering – if it can be called that – the effects of old age, and, it appears, from a surfeit of fear. He did not want to live in a world that did not include his wife. Let’s unpack this a little, shall we? (more…)

File this under the “and more” part of God Blogging: This weekend was full of STUFF THAT BUGS ME. Maybe you all have had similar experiences, or other pet peeves you want to share – feel free. But this stuff really gets on my nerves:

1. Parents who bring their small children to non-G-rated movies, especially parents who bring their small children to R-rated movies. Come on, folks, it costs just as much to bring them into the theater and feed them as it does to find a babysitter. Not to mention, you don’t have to whisper the whole time, “It’s not real honey, just close your eyes at the scary parts.” Visit a parenting Web site or pick up a parenting magazine or take a parenting class. Sadly, intelligent, informed parenting doesn’t automatically come with the birth – you have to work at it.

2. People who step into the street without looking for cars. People who step off of curbs outside of stores and into the parking lot without looking for cars. People who stand in the driving thoroughfare of a parking lot chatting with each other, not caring about the cars trying to get through.

Look both ways, will ya?

3. People who litter. Anywhere, anytime. Lazy bums.

4. People who kill their children slowly by allowing them to eat junk – or just plain eat too much – in spite of the kids already being overweight. Ditto for parents who allow unfettered access to video games, television, computer, when the kid is overweight. This weekend, during a 10-minute trip to Target, I saw one – 1!!! – normal-sized kid. I counted 15 (15!!!) overweight ones, all between the ages of about 4 and 12. I think this should be labeled for what it really is: Child neglect/abuse. Pediatricians should be able to hand out fines to parents who bring in overweight children because it sure ain’t the 5-year-old who is buying his Happy Meal.

5. Rude senior citizens. Just because you lived to 60 or 65 or 75 or 80 doesn’t give you the right to treat the saleswoman, waiter, taxi driver, busboy, etc., like your personal slave or talk down to teenagers as though they are less than human. You should be setting a good example by virtue of your wisdom and age … not making everyone around you equally grumpy. Yes, you may be in pain or exhausted – like so many in the world – but its no excuse to yell at a cashier in a grocery store because she is telling you that the thing you thought was on sale is, in fact, not on sale.

What bugs you? Do you have solutions for those irritations?

Weddings are normally pretty staid events, especially when held in a church, and especially where the wedding procession is concerned: The groom waits alone at the altar watching as the flower girl and ring bearer, then the bridesmaids/groomsmen, then the maid-of-honor and the best man, and finally, the bride, march down the aisle to, usually, classical music.

Then you have J and K, who decided to have their wedding party recreate the hysterical comedy act about the Evolution of Dance. I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw it, thinking, “How much fun!” But then, galloping on the heels of that thought was this:  That’s something that wouldn’t be allowed in most worship spaces. In Catholicism, it would be eschewed as not serious or spiritual enough, as though God doesn’t like to dance. Most Lutheran and Episcopal congregations would agree, as would Orthodox and Conservative Judaism and all of Islam and fundamental Christian sects. (I’m betting that J and K got married by a Methodist minister.)

But why wouldn’t it be allowed? Who are we worried about offending? Certainly not God. There’s a long list of what really bugs the Almighty, I think, including murder, needless war, greed, cheating, lying, stealing, talking smack. But dancing your way into your wedding? I don’t think so. The video is great, and linked below – a great way to begin your weekend. And if you don’t know about the Evolution of Dance – which is really why the wedding video is so funny – check it out here.

Wedding Entrance Dance on You Tube