Neal Boortz has got it all wrong

I'm starting to get tired of this Terri Schiavo business, but authentic Christianity just got misrepresented by conservative talk-show host and columnist Neal Boortz. He wants Terri to die because "she's earned it." Boortz professes a belief in an afterlife with God in heaven, and asserts that most of us defending Terri agree with him. But then he gets off base:

These feelings give rise to some questions of my own; questions for the devoutly religious people who are fighting to keep Terri Schiavo alive. Do you believe in God’s promise of everlasting life? Do you believe that the reward for a life well spent on this earth is a life with God in heaven after you die? If you do, then a few more questions if you will.

Mr. Boortz, God's promise of eternal life is in no way whatsoever related to "a life well spent on this earth." Salvation comes by grace, through faith, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Do you believe that the human soul can make the transition to everlasting life while the human body that carried that soul through life clings to life on this earth? If you do, then you must surely believe that Terri Schiavo has earned and is already enjoying her reward in heaven. That being the case, why is it so important to you that the now-unneeded body of Terri Schiavo is kept alive?

But perhaps you believe, as I do, that the human soul is so connected to and integrated with its earthly body that any transition will not be made until that body ceases functioning -- until death occurs.. That being the case, why do you so ardently desire that the soul of Terri Schiavo spend five, ten, perhaps 30 years or more trapped in a useless and non-functioning body, unable to move on to whatever reward awaits her? Isn’t 15 years enough?

Mr. Boortz, the Judeo-Christian ethic that I subscribe to recognizes the value of all life at all times. Who am I to judge Terri Schiavo's life as unfit to live? Who is Michael Schiavo to do the same? You see, Mr. Boortz, I value life because it's life--not because it's good or bad. Life is a gift from God, and it is inherently good. Sure, I could rationalize that Terri's life is not worth living, but I'd rather err on the side of life and let God decide when He wants to take her to be with Him.

Most of us are aware of the stories related by people who have near-death experiences. The usual scenario is a surgical procedure or some other medical emergency. These people describe a sensation of leaving their body at the very time the heart stops beating and the brain ceases functioning. They tell of floating above their body while watching doctors below working hard to resuscitate, to bring them back to life. As the heart once again starts beating and as the brain resumes its functions, they tell of a sensation of falling back into their own bodies to resume life.

Mr. Boortz, how can you claim to know what is actually happening to these people? How do you know the difference between someone's spiritual encounters and a physical/mental sensation? Haven't you ever gotten dizzy? Is hallucinating drug addict who has an "out-of-body experience" hovering between life and death as his spirit struggles to pull away from its earthly dwelling? How do you know? How can anybody know?

Is it possible that the soul of Terri Schiavo has been floating – held in some prolonged and excruciating limbo – waiting for doctors to stop interfering with the process of her death? I believe that this is so, and that is why I have supported her husband’s desires to have her feeding tube removed. Terri Schiavo isn’t being murdered. She’s being allowed to die. Death will not be an end for Terri Schiavo, it will be a beginning.

Mr. Boortz, you have no evidence whatsoever that Terri's soul is "held in some prolonged and excruciating limbo." And since when is trying to prolong life an interference with the process of death? That's what doctors do, Mr. Boortz.

Being "allowed to die" when life is possible is murder, no matter what term you use to hide that fact. (An important distinction: this does not apply to Tom Delay's father because his death was imminent anyway, and he was being artificially kept alive. Terri Schiavo is not; she only needs food and water--just like every human being.)

She will finally be allowed to claim the reward that ultimately we all seek, a reward she’s earned and deserves.

I'm assuming you mean death, Mr. Boortz. Death is a product of a fallen world. It was never intended by God, and it definitely is not something that "ultimately we all seek." It is something we deserve, but not the way you think. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23)."

UPDATE: Ron Beasley disagrees with me...