Atheist doctors practicing the work of Satan?

Written by Tom Beasley in News, Opinion at August 28, 2010

In this recent Guardian article, the health editor for the Guardian discusses the rampant levels of assisted suicide performed by baby eating atheist doctors! The Guardian says:

“Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to take decisions that might shorten the life of somebody who is terminally ill as doctors who are deeply religious.”

This data leads Sarah Boseley to title her piece, “Atheist doctors ‘more likely to hasten death.’” At least the author is fair in wrapping up the article:

“The most religious doctors were significantly less likely than other doctors to have discussed options at the end of life with their patient.”

There seem to be two religious concepts at work here. There is a concept that it is not the place of a religious person to kill someone because it is God’s plan; there is also a concept that an atheist might raise. If the person is going to heaven, why not just give him/her an express trip? This has been a question posed since antiquity and beyond, illustrated with stories like Cleobis and Biton. It seems the more religious you are, the less likely you are to think people can make decisions for themselves. People like The Christian Institute read articles like this and formulate theories of atheists creating a ‘culture of death.’ At times it almost seems like some religious people would rather that people suffer, so that they might be closer to Christ — something most famously seen with Mother Teresa and her ‘homes for the dying.’ Maybe the snake on the Rod of Asclepius is a hint that atheist doctors secretly perform the work of the Devil.