Healing Death

The apostle Paul said, 'Oh death, where is your sting?' (1 Corinthians 15:55) And yet when faced with their own end, most believers are very anxious. We know death is a fact of living, but we are not too keen to go through the pain and anguish associated with it. And it is how we address death's anguish that is the subject of this book. Through a close examination of the recently legalized 'medical assistance in dying (MAID),' Levan suggests that Canadians can now face their own end with a different spirit. While death is the disease that will get us all, he points out that dying is a process that can be 'healed' if we are given the time and permission to face it. Taking insights that arise from the Abrahamic religious traditions, Levan shows how palliative care can be enhanced by MAID, a new tool in the repertoire of end-of-life therapies. For newcomers to the subject, Levan outlines the facts on MAID--what is allowed and who is excluded. He studies the many taboos surrounding the taking of one's own life and points a way forward for believers. Healing Death is a fresh and inspiring perspective on a very old and anxiety-ridden subject.