Friday, March 18, 2005
Blogburst for Terri: Will Terri Be a Martyr?
When I see the pictures of Terri, often I'm reminded of old prints of early Christian martyrs. Perhaps this is just sentimentality, and there is certainly an important difference. Terri didn't choose this.
The original meaning in the Greek for the word martyr is "witness" or "one who bares testimony". This later came to represent those who chose to die for their faith, the significance being that the most credible testimony is one that a person would give their life for.
Mute though she is, Terri is giving a testimony about the world we live in. If the efforts to save her are successful then that will be clear evidence that our civilization has Life in it still. And if her feeding tube is removed, her agonizing death by dehydration will take days, every minute of which will testify against the system and the individuals that sought this outcome or didn't do all they could to prevent it.
The original meaning in the Greek for the word martyr is "witness" or "one who bares testimony". This later came to represent those who chose to die for their faith, the significance being that the most credible testimony is one that a person would give their life for.
Mute though she is, Terri is giving a testimony about the world we live in. If the efforts to save her are successful then that will be clear evidence that our civilization has Life in it still. And if her feeding tube is removed, her agonizing death by dehydration will take days, every minute of which will testify against the system and the individuals that sought this outcome or didn't do all they could to prevent it.
papijoe 7:37 AM
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