[Hildy]

Keeping people's bodies alive when their soul is gone is evil to me. That being said, that wasn't the case here, obviously.

There is a huge difference between disabled and clinically dead.

[Wampus SC]

"Keeping people's bodies alive when their soul is gone is evil to me."

I'm asking this out of genuine curiosity. What religion and/or philosophy do you adhere to that teaches that the soul can be gone while the body is still alive?

[GrandEagle]

Keeping people's bodies alive when their soul is gone is evil to me.
I will propose to you that we, as humans, can only keep the body functioning for some time. When God removes the soul then it is no longer alive.
From a very human viewpoint I would agree with you, however, It would be not just "evil", but murder, to cause the body to die before God intended for the Soul to depart. And since we really don't know when that point is, I would rather use the technology God has allowed us to have and keep the body alive.
The time around the death of a loved one is a very tender and emotional time that Gods Holy Spirit can use to bring loved ones to the Saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Those times, beyond all others, remind us all of our mortality. I would much rather let God decide when that time is up. Especially when he was the one who allowed us to develop the technology.
Having said that, at some point I do agree that there would be no doubt that the person is dead. The problem with ever setting that point in law is that you then have a benchmark that can be slid around at the whim of government. And THAT is VERY dangerous to me.

Cordially,
GE

[Ohioan from Florida]

Keeping people's bodies alive when their soul is gone is evil to me. That being said, that wasn't the case here, obviously.

There is a huge difference between disabled and clinically dead.

Hildy, I'm not posting this to flame you or anything. Genuinely, I would like to understand your opinion on this. I suspect that you believe that Terri was "clinically dead" and that her soul had departed from her, based on past discussions you and I have had in the last year or so. For the sake of argument, I'm going to assume that you believe that to be true. How do you know that the soul has departed? I am really curious about this. To me there is no way to know for sure when the soul has departed. If you could explain it to me, I would be grateful. Thank you in advance. I really mean this in all sincerity.

[Sun]

I don't think I'm going out on a limb if I say that YOU are the LAST person who will know when a person's soul is gone.