Like many of you, I was welcomed this morning by the news that a federal judge has refused to intervene on behalf of Terri Schiavo, thereby passively sentencing an innocent and helpless individual to a lingering death. A few thoughts crossed my mind:

- Without a doubt, I have read and blogged more about Terri than I have prayed for her. I’ve spent hours doing the former and less than an hour on the latter, but my total time of praying specifically for Terri is a very small percentage of the total. What does that say about me and my belief in the power of prayer? More importantly, what does it say about how I view God?

- Some “experts” have stated that starving Terri to death will be peaceful. Really? OK, then how ’bout this: instead of wasting money on drugs or electrical current, let’s just starve condemned criminals as a way of executing them. It would be so peaceful for them, you know? And, apparently, very humane.

- The percentages of people feeling that the government should not “meddle” in such matters is sadly high. Around 60 percent say so, while 63 percent say Terri needs to die. Two-thirds believe that Congress and President Bush were motivated by political, not humanitarian, reasons in trying to stop the murder. But 83 percent believe that Jesus rose from the dead! This is a sorry commentary on the state of Christianity in the United States: the disconnect between faith and life is tragic.

- Speaking only for myself, I wonder if my faith has been more in the government and “good” elected officials or in God. If my faith is in God, why did I feel so defeated when I read that the judge had been so lacking in mercy?


2 Cor 1:13