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Resurrection and Organ Donation

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My post last week on burial and cremation raised some questions on facebook regarding the topic of organ donation, and one might easily wonder if the idea of burial and its image of resurrection has implications for whether or not Christians should donate their organs. Since organ donation was not something medically possible in the ancient world, there is no Bible verse that deals with the topic (there is not “thou shalt” or “thou shalt not” be a donor!). Some Christian denominations have made comments on the topic (Roman Catholic Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church USA, United Methodist Church, etc.), but I could not find any sort of statement by the Reformed Church in America or another Reformed group. When these other Christian groups have discussed the topic, they have typically said it is not forbidden and encourage it, believing that it is a way to show love for our neighbors. The only major nuance is that the donation of an organ should not endanger the life of the giver and that there should not be any marketing or selling of organs, etc. It also should be noted that these groups encourage donation but do not require it for Christians; it would seem to be a decision left to the conscience of an individual Christian, as there is no clear command.

In doing some preliminary research, I found two primary reasons why Christians might object to organ donation. The first would be that the removal of an organ mutilates a body, which is a sacred thing made in the image of God. The way that organ donations typically work, however, seems to treat the body with honor; in a similar way that cutting off a limb to save a life can be done without “mutilating” the body, it would seem that removing an organ from a body to bring life or extend life to another is not showing a disdain for the body but actually respect and honor for it. Therefore, I do not find this argument against donation to be strong.

The second reason some might object to organ donation is that the body, because it will be raised from the dead, should remain intact if at all possible; if burial is something that is encouraged because of the resurrection of the dead, then it would seem that the body should be buried with all of its organs so that when it is raised, it is raised with all of the organs. Or to put it another way, if someone gives away part of their body (which is part of them), then does it now belong to someone else – whose liver would it be at the resurrection (recalling the discussion of the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23-33 in discussing marriage) and would someone be missing a liver? One might even use Jesus’s resurrected body as a reason, as he still had marks in his hands and his feet (John 20:25), pointing to continuity between this body and the body to come. I think this argument is a bit more weighty than the previous one, but I am not sure if it is a compelling argument against donation. The fact that the body (and organs) will decay may be something to consider; one’s organs are scattered into the ground without is buried with them or not, with the bones separated from the body (in Jewish tradition, they would bury the body, often in above ground tombs, for a year, and then take the bones from the tomb and bury them somewhere else). I realize an argument against cremation and spreading the ashes was the resurrection of the body, but the symbol of burial of the body to be raised can still be reflected when some organs are removed. In addition, while there is a sense in which we need to stress continuity between this body and the resurrected body, there also is some discontinuity between the body that is buried and the body that is raised. While the resurrection of a person like, say, Lazarus can be labeled a “resuscitation” in that the exact body that died is raised to life, the Bible also speaks about a transformation that happens in our resurrected bodies that makes them different from our current bodies — see 1 Corinthians 15:51-56 and Philippians 3:21. Does our imperishable body have the same sort of organs that we have in this perishable body? We do not know all the details about our resurrected bodies, only that we will be made like Christ in it and that we will overcome death. The example of Jesus’s body is important in that we will be like him, but there is also some question on what elements of his resurrection are true for all believers (as he was still the Son of God, and able to do things in life that we are not), and whether his resurrected body reflects some sort of intermediate state between the present body and the final, resurrected body; when he returns in glory, will he still bear the marks of the cross? The image of burial can speak to the fact that there is a hope of a resurrection, while donation can be a reminder that there is still a transformation to come, giving life in the present age but also looking forward to the future age.

Above all, I can’t shake the image of the gospel that the donation process can reflect; we cannot literally lay down our lives to save anyone, but perhaps there is a sense in which we can use our bodies to bring life to others, even using our death to bring life. Therefore, I feel like the symbolism of donation could reflect the gospel in a helpful way. The motive of love being the driving force and desire to reflect the gospel would seem to be a positive than may overcome any ways the action may undercut the teaching of the resurrection of the dead.

Again, there is no direct biblical teaching on the subject. I would echo what other groups say, that this is something that makes sense of the command to love our neighbor but also that this is not something that Christians can be “required” or commanded to do, as it is an issue of conscience. Furthermore, there are ethical considerations in terms of end of life issues to consider in the practice of donation, so this is a complex subject that we must seek to ponder, thinking through how our beliefs relate to the practice. Hopefully, this helps spark such thing when it comes to this topic and other topics in our world.

Questions about Bible or theology, e-mail them to Pastor Brian at Theology@wearefaith.org. You can also subscribe by filling out the info on the right side.

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