Don’t tell me how to live or die

Ok, soap box time.
I have to comment about Brittany Maynard, a terminal cancer patient, and her decision to end her life through assisted suicide. And about Kara Tippetts, who is battling metastatic breast cancer.
First off I wish to say I applaud both women for making tough and brave choices.
That being said Kara Tippetts wrote an open letter that lobbies for Brittany to reverse her decision. Her argument is made on primarily religious grounds.
My point is not who is right or wrong but rather how the argument is made.
If Kara had said in an article/blog that assisted suicide is wrong, fine. But to make it so personal, it just seems intrusive. So tell Brittany that her suffering is important and denies her family members the “beauty” of it.
We live in a country that was founded on liberty and freedom. And specifically Freedom of Religion. Included in that is the fact that there are many branches of Christianity each of which views the world a little differently. Just look of the number of schisms that have occurs since 1054.
And that doesn’t even include the many beliefs of other religions and of course those with no religion at all.
Each of these beliefs have different stances on issues like assisted suicide, homosexuality, and abortion.
Because of these differences, tolerance must go hand in hand with freedom of religion.
When the more conservative, fundamentalist Christians push there belief system on others I have to cry foul.
What happened to “Hate the sin but love the sinner?”
To say that a fast food restaurant will not serve a chicken sandwich to someone because they are gay, didn’t Jesus break bread with prostitutes?
Now I grant you that while He broke bread with them He also preached to them, “Go and sin no more.”
But while Christ was trying to reform the souls of men, he was not trying to reform the government. “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”
And it not that I’m picking on the conservative Christians, it’s just they are the loudest at pushing there agenda.
Imagine the outcry if things were reversed and Brittany had written an open letter to Kara telling her that she need not suffer and she should end her life now.
It is one thing to say that because of your belief system you are against something, say homosexuality but your beliefs cannot trample on mine like passing a law against gay marriage.
And while our country is going to a more conservative viewpoint, my fear is that it is a more conservative religious government that will appear and will push an agenda that trampled on the rights of those with a different belief system.
And finally when someone says that this or that is against the bible, I feel that they’re missing the point. Remember when Jesus was asked about all the commandments, He replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:38-40.