A Different Death

Edward J. Larson & Darrel W. Amundsen, 1998, A Different death: Euthanasia & the Christian Tradition, Downers Grove,IL: InterVarsity Press.

Edward Larson is professor of history and law at the University of Georgia. Darrel Amundsen is professor of classics and chair of the department of modern and classical languages at Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington.

This is one of the books that influenced my thinking on euthanasia. These two authors did a historical survey of euthanasia or mercy killing from the early church period until today.

Since mercy killing is closely associated to suicide, they also included suicide in their survey. I was fascinated to learn that the ancient Greeks and Romans favoured suicide which they think were honorable. The early church however was counter-cultural and was against suicide in any form. It was Christians who started the hospice movement in the last century.

Highly recommended.