Ideas, implications, consequences:
With the corrective lens of evolutionary theory, the view that human life is infinitely valuable suddenly seems like a vast and unjustified over-valuation of human life. This is because Darwin’s theory undermines the traditional reasons for thinking human life might have infinite value: the image-of-God thesis and the rationality thesis….
But if human life is not supremely valuable after all, then there is no longer any reason to think that suicide or voluntary euthanasia is necessarily wrong under any or all circumstances.
[From Psychology Today Blogger Says Darwinism Requires Support of Suicide » First Thoughts | A First Things Blog]
I think it is dangerous for really anyone to try and derive moral conclusions from a scientific theory. Evolution whether true or false is a physical theory about how the current state of affairs in regards to life came to be. Pelikan beak sizes and all that. It doesn’t say anything one way or another about whether human life is intrinsically valuable or whether we are created in God’s image.
It is a particular set of philosophical beliefs that leads to acceptance of voluntary euthanasia, not a scientific theory.
Thinking Christian? If Christians could think, they wouldn’t be Christians.
To agree with and rephrase what Payne said: “Darwin’s theory” does not challenge the image-of-God thesis, the rationality thesis, or really, most of the traditional reasons of viewing humanity as having value or value-in-particular. It’s the philosophy grafted onto the theory.
But, too many people don’t know the difference between the two, or try to avoid noticing the difference.s
Thank you for that thoughtful analysis, HA. 😉