Terri Schiavo 'should matter to us,' Judge Greer's new pastor says

Judge Greer may be calling himself a member of Calvary Baptist Church, but he isn't exactly a member in good standing.

William E. Rice, the pastor there for five months, writes in the Florida Baptist Witness about the church's commitment to the sanctity of human life:

Her name is Sharon. You don't know her, but God does. She matters to God, she matters to me, and how she is treated should matter to you. She will never engage in stimulating conversation or ponder political debates. She will never read a book or write a paragraph. She will never marry or raise children or even earn her own keep. But she matters.

Sharon is my handicapped sister. She is mentally impaired, severely so, and has been from birth. My brother and I watched our parents care for her and somehow we learned an intuitive almost unspoken lesson. Her life is valuable, as valuable as that of her two brothers, both active in ministry. Whatever difference exists between her IQ and mine, imagine the gap between mine and God's! Yet he loved me and valued me so much that He would send the Jewel of Heaven to buy me back. He made me and redeemed me and that is the heart of our conviction about human life—everyone matters to God. Which brings us to Terri Schiavo...

...This case seems complex but it is as simple as four words: “Thou shalt not kill.” If you need a compass for this complex case, you'll find it there. As we all know, the Sixth Commandment means it is wrong to murder – to take the life of an innocent person without just cause. If I were the nurse in that hospice center and the directive were given to me to discontinue feeding a living human being and watch as he or she starved to death, I couldn’t do it. I’d rather get fired, resign, or do something else.

This isn't about letting someone die; this is about causing someone's death. There is a huge difference.

Her name is Terri. She can open her eyes. She watches a balloon as it crosses the room. She listens to music. She responds to her mother’s loving attention. She has something very precious, she has life; something only God can give. Her name is Terri and she matters to God. She should matter to us.

Please go read the whole article. I've reprinted just the beginning and end.

Hat tip: www.blogsforterri.com.