The importance of human life is an idea that has been shaped since the beginning of civilization. The sanctity of life is an idea instilled within us from our Creator but has been subverted and chipped away by the progressive agenda in the past century. Webster 's Dictionary defines life as “an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction” (373). However, life is much more than simply existing and surviving. Life is a spiritual existence that transcends death and makes time spent on earth important. Life is about standing for something, learning, growing, and making a difference. The sanctity of life is sacrosanct, and it is absolutely wrong to kill, shorten or prevent the creation
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Webster 's Dictionary defines suicide as “the act of killing oneself intentionally” (782). The view of suicide has been reworked so that now it is seen as something acceptable and as an individual choice instead of the atrocity that it is. For many in our nation, life only matters as much as each individual believes it to be. With the onset of ideas such as absolute free will, choice, and equality as well as the decrease of morality and the belief in God, there is no one to answer to, or be accountable to, except one 's self. This mindset opens the door for the “mass development and growth of humanism, hedonism, atheism, materialism, and basically 'anything-goes-ism. ' ” Life is now cheapened, and the side effects are the loss of morality and the acceptance of horrors such as suicide (Stover 1). Suicide is an act that has pervaded cultures since ancient times. Attitudes toward suicide have varied through time and across cultures. In Ancient Greece, suicide was generally regarded as acceptable as long as one has justification. However, Plato was considered to be generally opposed to suicide except for three exceptions, including when “legally ordered by the State, for painful and incurable illness, and when one is compelled to it by the occurrence of some intolerable misfortune” (“Suicide” 1). Most agreed to these conditions until the mindset changed with the ride of Ancient Rome to power. During this time, there was no prohibition of suicide for Roman citizens. The only exceptions to this law were for slaves and soldiers. The first was denied suicide for economic considerations, and the second was denied for patriotic reasons. Due to the fact that life was not considered as a gift of the gods, most Romans supported the idea of suicide in certain situations like preferring death to
Webster 's Dictionary defines suicide as “the act of killing oneself intentionally” (782). The view of suicide has been reworked so that now it is seen as something acceptable and as an individual choice instead of the atrocity that it is. For many in our nation, life only matters as much as each individual believes it to be. With the onset of ideas such as absolute free will, choice, and equality as well as the decrease of morality and the belief in God, there is no one to answer to, or be accountable to, except one 's self. This mindset opens the door for the “mass development and growth of humanism, hedonism, atheism, materialism, and basically 'anything-goes-ism. ' ” Life is now cheapened, and the side effects are the loss of morality and the acceptance of horrors such as suicide (Stover 1). Suicide is an act that has pervaded cultures since ancient times. Attitudes toward suicide have varied through time and across cultures. In Ancient Greece, suicide was generally regarded as acceptable as long as one has justification. However, Plato was considered to be generally opposed to suicide except for three exceptions, including when “legally ordered by the State, for painful and incurable illness, and when one is compelled to it by the occurrence of some intolerable misfortune” (“Suicide” 1). Most agreed to these conditions until the mindset changed with the ride of Ancient Rome to power. During this time, there was no prohibition of suicide for Roman citizens. The only exceptions to this law were for slaves and soldiers. The first was denied suicide for economic considerations, and the second was denied for patriotic reasons. Due to the fact that life was not considered as a gift of the gods, most Romans supported the idea of suicide in certain situations like preferring death to